Recommendations of the Editorial team
April 13, 1962: Great freedom rock’n’roll-the Beatles open the Hamburg star club
On April 13, 1962, the times of village music were over in post -war Germany. The rock’n’roll had finally found a home here too. In Hamburg, St. Pauli, Great Freedom 39. There Manfred Weißleder and Horst Fascher opened the “Star Club” that day. On the stage, in front of the painted skyline of Manhattan, the “Rock and Twist Parade” Tex Roberg & The Graduates, Roy Young, The Bachelors. And The Beatles. Not exactly world stars. But the star of the latter was about to go up. It should be the brightest one that shone in the popper. And she owed a lot of what this band made of Liverpool so unique. The club owner Bruno Koschmider had cheered the Beatles two and a half years earlier in the “Indra” with his “Mach Schau!” Calling to become the best band in the world.
She had kept this awake in long nights in the “Kaiserkeller” and in the “Top 10” club. And the stimulant Preludin also helped a bit. They had gone through the sex drug and rock’n’roll school here. And grown on it. Had written their own songs. Made her first record shots with Tony Sheridan. Erwin Ross had painted the later iconographic lettering on the bass drum. Astrid Kirchherr gave them their mushroom heads and spanned the bass player Stuart Sutcliffe, so that – another important career step – Paul McCartney had to take over the deep tones for him.
“Hey, Remember the War?” Don’t mention The War! “
Sutcliffe died three days before the “Star Club” opening. A shock especially for Lennon, who in the next two months – in which the Beatles divided the Spotlight on the great freedom with other bands from Liverpool such as Gerry & The Pacemakers and The Searchers – always drunk on stage and provoked the audience until the frenzy:
“Hey, Remember the War?” Don’t mention The War! During this time, the Beatles sharpened their live act, added new songs to the repertoire, which were later to appear on their debut “Please Please Me”, and finally alienated their drummer Pete Best. At their second “Star Club” guest game in November, Ringo STARR was already on the drums, and their single “Love Me Do” climbed into the UK charts to the UK charts In 17th place. After the Beatles, many stars from Bill Haley to Jimi Hendrix went up and at great freedom, but the name “Star Club” remained connected to the Fab Four from Liverpool forever. On New Year’s Day 1970, two days before McCartney, Harrison and Starr recorded together as The Beatles for the last time before the official separation in April, the “Star Club” was closed.