Beatles at the Star-Club: which CD?

I'm wondering if there's any preference for any CD issue of the Beatles' Hamburg tapes. I used to have the Lingasong 2LP set, and now I have a CD called "Last Night in Hamburg", which I'm not wild about - not that I expect sound quality, but the songs are re-ordered and juggled with. Any contenders?

 

Sonically, all are garbage. I believe the unedited and unprocessed tapes have only ever appeared on (true) bootleg releases and not any quasi-legal releases. The most complete quasi-legal release is "Live At The Star Club" on a Japanese label called Overseas Records (38CP-44). It has all 31 "officially" released Beatles perormances plus Hully Gully. It came packaged in a balck tin can and was issued sometime in the early 90's.

 

I find those recordings real hard to listen to.

Shure wish someone back then woulda had the foresight to record them professionally. Would have been fantastic.

 

I have the 2 Sony CD versions that came out in the 80's. Isn't this the release that Apple sued to be pulled? I think George commented on them in an interview that they never wanted these recordings in the public and that several songs aren't even them playing...

Todd

 

They're poor recording and nothing will make them sound acceptable. If you do get them, treat 'em as "Historical" then they may sound acceptable!

 

That one came two ways: in the black tin can, and without, the latter, I believe, the 1st press. No matter: same lousy sound. Interesting as an artifact, since you can hear the unpolished sound they developed in Germany while popping pills, drinking like fish, and not getting much sleep or food. That is, the sound of young kids in a foreign place, dirt poor, but learning their craft in a tough, unrelenting fashion that would serve them well the rest of their days. Gem of the bunch: "Besame Mucho" which almost sounds like a rape of the song, not just a molestation. Impressive, only bad sound gets in the way.

ED

 

They did "Some Other Guy" at this gig, no?

 

Sckott, there are two SOGs. One for the BBC and the other filmed at the Cavern for a Granada TV special. No Star Club version.

mud-

 

They were working in becoming the Beatles. Ya hadda start somewhere.

 

I have the "Last Nite In Hamburg" Cd as Well. It is what it is.

Years ago, I had a Pickwick LP of this material, and for some reason I think it sounded better than this Cd.

When I was Production Manager at Quintold Records, my boss's family owned the master tape to one of these issues. Hes the guy who supplied
Sony for their CD.

 

they were professionals when show was taped!

I have the german release on a single cd with the Johannes Saurer "Rockartoon" on the cover. Several of the songs are incomplete on it, which is annoying. The sound is pretty much like all the others but the disc was really cheap and has the aforementioned seriously funny packaging.

I listen to ths disc for John tearing up the Chuck Berry chestnut "I'm Talking About You".
What a performance!!!

Believe it or not, this is one of my favourite Beatle records, along with any good BBC compilation.

I think that learning how to overdub wrecked them as a band.

Just an opinion.

BTW, the idea that the 'lp' was recorded during their heavy drinking and prelly period is a misplaced one. The date was 31/12/62, after they signed with EMI and recorded/released "Love Me Do".

 

I think I can hear some great performances, and I mean GREAT, in that CD, but you have to strain real hard. Everything about the recording sucks, and the vocals are extremely difficult to hear. Not a big fan of a few pop tunes that were in the set, but otherwise, it could've been a classic. Sigh.

 

To bad they didn't have a nice Reel To Reel Set Up! Imagine that!

 

That Star Club Long Tally Sally is freaking great. Isn't the I'm Talkin' About You' cover from one of their first BBC performances w/ Pete Best on drums and not the Star Club? The session w/ Paul doing Dream Baby, etc?

Chris

 

Billy Childish, English artist, writer and leader of garage/punk bands galore (Milkshakes, Thee Headcoats, and currently The Buff Medways) said once that Live At The Star Club was the Beatles' best album, and I know what he means... OK, it sounds like it was recorded through an old sock but it IS a unique snapshot of the Early Beatles Sound - and it DOES have some great performances... Imagine if someone unearthed a private tape of them playing the Cavern in 1961, people would pay a fortune to hear that, whether on bootlegs, websites, anywhere - just curiosity if nothing else gives it a value.
Incidentally, in 1963 didn't George Martin look into the possibilities of the Beatles recording their second album live at the Cavern? I believe he attended some performances there to check out the practicalities but decided against it. Now if any 'test recordings' were made....!!!
John

 

I found a CD of 16 Star Club songs on the "Flash" label titled "The Beatles Live at the Star-Club in Hamburg", catalog 8330-2, produced by Masters Records, Roermond, Holland. I have been unable to find anything on the Internet about this release.

It's the usual heavily edited tapes. This CD release sounds pretty good to my ears considering how it was recorded. Someone please inform me know how the quality compares with other CD releases.

Here is a 30 second sample of "Sweet Little Sixteen" (for evaluation puposes of course!). To download right-click and "Save As".

Aren't these recordings about to expire into the Public Domain in Europe very soon???


Lance Hall

 

Star Club Releases

I have a British CD called "The Beatles 1962 Live Recordings" on the Baktabak label, which contains everything but "Hully Gully" which was not performed by the Beatles. Although it sounds lousy, it does not have the loud surface noise and distortion that's prevalent on every vinyl issue I've heard.

This is the best release of this material that I've heard, but I'd still only recommend it to hard core Beatlemaniac completists.

 

In ten years, I think, and even then some of the compositions will still be copyright. I think.

I'd heard that the LP and CD called "Beatles vs the Third Reich" was good.

 

I always wondered what the tapes would sound like now, with all the advances in remastering. They were worked on in the mid 1970's. I would have to assume that they original, unretouched tapes could be made to sound miles better if they were worked on now.

 

The Cavern

 

The black tim can was the second release of this title by Overseas Records (38CP-44). I purchased the CD when it first cam out and the original release came in a jewel box with OBI and a 24 page booklet of lyrics.

 

Mikey, thanks for reminding me of the Beatles' Cavern 'rehearsal tape' There's actually 2 versions/takes each of One After 909 and Catswalk, making 5 tracks in all, which appear on several boots; not bad sound, considering - MUCH better than the Star Club recordings.
Although George Martin passed up on the idea of recording the Beatles live at the Cavern, other record companies couldn't resist, eg. The Big Three's Live At the Cavern (Decca 7" EP) There was also an LP called Live At The Cavern (also on Decca, I think?) although it didn't reallly feature any of the 'big names' in Merseybeat, who'd all been signed up to other record deals. In the 80s, Demon/Edsel did a nice compilation LP of various Merseybeat obscurities, as did See For Miles with 'Liverpool 1963-68 Vol.1' and 'Vol.2' which feature some of the live material from the Cavern LP
John