The Beatles Star-Club tapes - Mark Lewisohn (I am the EggPod Podcast)

Regarding Dietrich vs. McCartney: completly different lyrics except "Falling in love again". I just checked.

 

I assume THESE are Dietrich's 'english lyrics':


ps: Check out the big 'promo display' for XTC behind him, in that first photo!)

 

Am extremely familiar with crappy audience tapes, but these tapes never did it for me. Their primary strength was always the vocals, and the vocals are so recessed on these tapes. And the guitar playing is mediocre and the guitar sound very tinny. And you can't hear the bass. For studying Ringo's playing it's great...
But great that someone enjoys 'em.

 

Lewisohn still wonders how much the audience in Hamburg would have understood of the Beatles` stage banter.
I have stated that elsewhere but again: Hamburg kids had english in school since 1870! Hamburg probably was the first state (yes, it is a state) that made english mandatory. Plus there were a lot of english speaking sailors and soldiers in Hamburg (and in the Star Club). So it probably was close call at times that they didn`t get their faces smashed in for being rude to their audience and I guess they can thank the Fascher brothers for that.

 

I had Marlene`s original english version clip in a message above. Yes, these are the (non-Paul) lyrics. And somebody must have told Klaus Nomi that rolling that R will make him sound really german and be a great gimmick. NOBODY speaks like that here except if they do a parody on Hitler.

 

It's all we have from Hamburg. They are special. Not for everyone.
Personally got chills in '77 when the stylus hit the first track.

 

Yes all we have. I think I'd be more interested in a recording from the height of their Hamburg career, before they were an established band with records out and a contract with EMI. Some fans have long supposed they were hungrier and hooter then; at the time of this recording they were only grudgingly honoring a previous commitment. and had nothing to prove.

 

Indeed. Even during the Nazi regime English was taught in schools in Germany ( admittedly mostly higher education). And of course Hamburg was part of the British occupied zone.

 

Timelines I'm glad I don't live in: the one where Ringo was the bass player for the Pacemakers.

 

Did he play bass in the band? Or was that just something they were talking about?

 

It sounds like it was discussed but never actually came to pass.

 

They have trials for $1 per week, so i'm going to sign up later and access it

 

It sounded to me like it was discussed for about 15 minutes one night in a pub.

 

Ah, thanks for confirming.

 

Thanks!

 

The Star Club material (and other important/historic music with bad sonics) will get to sound better as demixing technology using artificial intelligence continues to evolve and improve.

 

Just wanted to thank you for posting this. I just listened to it and really enjoyed it. I probably would not have heard of it otherwise.

I listened to the Star Club recordings on New Year's Eve and the Decca audition on New Year's Day. Amazing how much changed in one year.

 

All correct. But no one brought a tape deck to those shows.

 

I think I read that there is another, totally different, Star-Club or other Hamburg tape, earlier than this one. But it was taped at 1 7/8 IPS, with even poorer quality. And Paul owns it now.

 

...and what did he say??

 

Of course that he wasn’t the bootleg source. Described the innocent circumstances of allowing the journalist to hear the tapes. General disappointment about the entire affair.

 

Just finished reading the New Yorker article and it was clear that Lewisohn was given permission to access the tapes and play them for the author of the article. There’s nothing disparaging said about George and the only thing that maybe Yoko could have been upset with is that Lewisohn while talking about the Plastic Ono Band album, said he thought on the album John sounded suicidal. However when he heard the studio sessions it turned out John was in a great mood. And was also joined at one of the sessions by George who he was very pleased to see.

 

Excellent. Thanks for this link.

 

I do not know of any other live recordings made in Hamburg at that time. You might have mixed this up with this tape from the Cavern:
The Daily Beatle: The "lost" Cavern Club tape

 

I think you're right. It is said to be earlier than the Star-Club tape, but that's the one.