The Beatles in Hamburg is a period when the Fab Four performed music in Hamburg. Before they signed a contract and went on to become legendary.
There was one day, I was browsing posts in a book recommendation group in Facebook. and came across one discussing a book. It also mentioned The Beatles as an example. I’ve translated just that part here:
Or even The Beatles, known (in Thailand) as Si Tao Tong (สี่เต่าทอง). Their meteoric rise to fame wasn’t solely due to the musical talents of Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Another key factor that propelled them to unparalleled success, surpassing all other bands of their era, was the “opportunity” they were given to perform in Hamburg, Germany. And this wasn’t just any ordinary gig—it was an intense, gruelling schedule of performing day after day, for around 8 hours each day.
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It’s sparked my interest, but I don’t have the book in hand.
So I’m not entirely sure how it portrays the period when The Beatles were in Hamburg.
What I do remember is that George Harrison, the guitarist of the Fab Four, once reflected on the years 1960–1962.
When they spent most of their time in Germany. He described their time performing in Hamburg as a kind of training ground before they could develop their own sound.
Playing 6–7 hours every night forced them to learn a vast repertoire of songs to keep the performances going. It also taught them how to perform live in front of an audience.
Hamburg is undoubtedly a significant chapter in the history of the Fab Four. But if we were to say that their success was solely due to the opportunity to perform there.
Then what about the many other British bands who had the same chance? Bands like Derry and the Seniors and Rory Storm and The Hurricanes.
Why have their names faded into obscurity, while The Beatles became legendary, forever changing the rock music history?
The answer to this is tangled in a web of complex factors, which I finds rather exhausting to untangle.
Still, I’d like to write about The Beatles during that time.
Why Hamburg
Why is Hamburg so important? And if The Beatles had stayed in Liverpool, wouldn’t they have become famous anyway? Well, while Liverpool was indeed the birthplace of the Merseybeat sound, Hamburg was the entertainment hub of continental Europe.
I remember P’ Pang, P’ Laem, and P’ Ek from the band VIP often shared stories about their time touring Germany and Europe. Though their experiences were a decade later from The Beatles’ era, the overall picture wasn’t much different. VIP performed in Germany because Hamburg was essentially the gateway to Europe for musicians playing in clubs and bars.
If you could make a name for yourself in this city, the doors to the rest of Europe swung wide open.
That’s why it’s worth taking a moment to talk about the significance of Hamburg.
Hamburg is a city-state in Germany, officially known as the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg). Economically, it is one of Europe’s major port cities (ranking as the third-largest port in Europe, according to ShipHub https://www.shiphub.co/the-largest-ports-in-europe/)
After Germany’s defeat in World War II, the country faced severe economic challenges. However, Hamburg recovered faster than any other German city, thanks to its status as a vital European port. With a constant flow of people coming and going, Hamburg developed a unique district called St. Pauli, which offered every form of entertainment imaginable to cater to the transient visitors of this bustling port city.
As a major hub, Hamburg also became a centre for money laundering and various grey-market businesses. Whether legal or illegal, these activities ensured that St. Pauli had a thriving cash flow. Hundreds of clubs sprang up, each competing fiercely to attract customers.
From the entertainment businesses catering to people of diverse nationalities, this district became a melting pot of cultures, particularly those influenced by America. When Elvis Presley brought rock and roll to the forefront, captivating the hearts of American teenagers, and the film Rock Around the Clock (1956) gained widespread popularity, Hamburg was ready to embrace this new musical wave as part of its identity.
The Golden Era of Hamburg
Bruno Koschmider, the owner of the Kaiserkeller club, was one of the key figures who introduced American culture to Hamburg. Seeing the potential in the rising popularity of rock and roll, he transformed some of his strip clubs into venues for teenagers and rock and roll music. Initially, he hired local bands to play rock and roll and rockabilly. But what he did next almost entirely reshaped the music scene in Hamburg. He came up with the idea of bringing bands from England to perform at his club, and soon, his competitors followed suit.
In 1960, Bruno attended a performance by Derry and the Seniors at The 2i’s Coffee Bar in London and was thoroughly impressed. He also discovered that hiring British musicians was cheaper than hiring Germans, and they brought an authentic English flair. After weighing the pros and cons, he saw no downside. He then sought someone to act as a middleman to recruit bands for his club in Hamburg, which led him to Allan Williams.
Allen Williams helped broker the deal, and Derry and the Seniors ended up performing in Hamburg, where they gained significant fame.
Derry and the Seniors were the first band from Liverpool to perform in Hamburg.
The Silver Beetles
Allan Williams was a businessman in the entertainment industry, and later, he opened a coffee shop in Liverpool, not far from the Liverpool Art College. Students often gathered there to socialise, and Allan connected well with the beat culture. He hired Stuart Sutcliffe and Rod Murray to paint murals on the walls of the basement, which he turned into a venue for local bands to perform. Naturally, Stuart Sutcliffe’s band, The Silver Beetles, also played there.
Stuart had joined The Silver Beetles around 1959. At the time, the band was still experimenting with names, but the core members—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison—had been playing together since 1957. However, they weren’t yet a professional band. That changed when they met Allan, who introduced them to the world of “professional” music. Soon after, Allan began finding gigs for The Silver Beetles, taking only a 10 per cent commission.
You could say that Allan was the unofficial manager of The Silver Beetles.
When Larry Parnes, a renowned concert promoter, held auditions for a backing band to support Billy Fury on his UK tour, Allan stepped in to find Tommy Moore as the drummer for the band, then known as The Silver Beats (though on the day of the audition, Johnny Hutchinson filled in as the drummer).
It’s said that Larry was impressed with The Silver Beats and offered them a contract for £20 a week, on the condition that they replace their bassist. However, The Silver Beats turned down the offer.
Stu
Paul McCartney later recalled that during the audition, Stuart seemed disinterested, often turning his back to the audience. Despite this, Larry still gave The Silver Beats a chance to be the backing band for Johnny Gentle during his Scottish tour in 1960. Since they had to perform under the name Johnny Gentle Band, the members adopted stage names: Paul McCartney became Paul Ramon (yes, this is the origin of the name The Ramones), Stuart Sutcliffe went by Stuart de Staël, George Harrison became Carl Harrison, and John Lennon transformed into Long John.
Their first tour didn’t go particularly smoothly. While their relationship with Billy was fairly good—John even helped tweak the lyrics of ‘I’ve Just Fallen For Someone’ and offered some musical advice—they didn’t receive their payment from Larry until they had to chase him down for it. During the tour, they often had to sleep in their van instead of staying in hotels.
After the tour ended, they returned to England and continued playing at various clubs that Allan had booked for them. By then, they had started using the name The Beatles, though they were still mostly known as The Silver Beetles. Then, one day, out of the blue, Tommy, their drummer, didn’t show up for a gig. When they went to his house to find him, they discovered that Tommy had taken a job as a forklift driver at a factory and refused to return as the band’s drummer.
From then on, the drummer position became a revolving door, with each replacement lasting only a short while. At times, Paul even had to step in as the drummer when they couldn’t find a replacement.
The Beatles in Hamburg
In August 1960, Allan offered The Beatles the chance to perform at a club in Hamburg. Originally, Allan had wanted Rory Storm and The Hurricanes to play there, but they were already booked elsewhere and couldn’t make it. Similarly, Gerry & The Pacemakers were also unavailable. So, Allan sent The Beatles to Hamburg instead.
At the time, The Beatles didn’t have a drummer, so Allan arranged for Pete Best to join the band. Pete auditioned with the band on 13 August, and by 15 August, The Beatles were on their way to Germany. They made their debut at the Indra Club on 17 August.
The Beatles signed a contract for three months, performing at Bruno’s Indra Club for 6–7 hours a night, seven days a week. That contract ended up lasting three and a half months.
Indra Club
Paul McCartney later recounted how gruelling the experience was. They had to sleep in a cramped storage room behind the stage, right next to the toilets, close enough to smell them. The room had no heating, leaving them to endure the cold in what was essentially a converted storage space.
However, the Indra Club was forced to close due to noise complaints. The Beatles moved to the Kaiserkeller, where they performed alongside Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. At the time, the drummer for The Hurricanes was none other than Ringo Starr.
Since they weren’t earning much, The Beatles secretly started playing at the Top Ten Club, breaking their contract with Bruno. When Bruno found out, he was furious. He terminated their contract and reported to the authorities that George Harrison was underage and therefore not legally allowed to work in the club. As a result, George was deported from Germany in November.
At the time, if you were under 18, you couldn’t stay in a club past 10 p.m. George was only 17 years old.
A week later, Paul and Pete, still furious at Bruno’s actions, decided to retaliate by setting fire to a condom and sticking it to a wall. This led to them being charged with attempted arson, resulting in their deportation back to England.
Despite this, The Beatles had grown fond of Hamburg and returned to perform there frequently between 1961 and 1962. This period became crucial for their development, both musically and visually. For instance, Astrid Kirchherr, Stuart’s German fiancée, gave him an exi (existentialist) haircut, which the rest of the band soon adopted, creating the iconic early Beatles look.
It was also during this time that Stuart lost interest in music and quietly left the band to pursue his studies in art. The Beatles didn’t replace him, and Paul switched to playing bass, solidifying the band as a four-piece. They performed at The Star Club, where their live performances were recorded and later released as Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962.