Live At The Star Club

The Beatles
 
Live At The Star Club - LP cover Live At The Star Club - LP back
Live At The Star Club - Front Cover Live At The Star Club - Back Cover
Label Lingasong
Catalogue No. LNL 1
Release date 2nd May 1977
Total time 57:54
U.K. Album Chart Detail : Did NOT chart
Detail : The first release of tapes from The Beatles German stage show recorded 31st December 1962.
These tapes were recorded by Adrian Barber on a mono Grundig reel-to-reel tape recorder using a hand-held microphone. He had been asked to make recordings by Ted "Kingsize" Taylor, a Liverpool singer who sung with the Dominos. Once the Beatles has some commercial success, Taylor offered these tapes to Brian Epstein, but Brian would only offer as much as £20 for them as he felt they had no comercial value. Little did Brian realise, but the tapes did in fact legally belong to Parlophone anyway, as they had been made AFTER the signing to E.M.I. of their contracts, but there was some confusion over the date of recording of the tapes. Although, once again, listening to them, it was clearly December 1962 ... John mentions Christmas between songs, and Buddy Holly's "Reminiscing" had only just been released in late 1962.

They then lay in derelict ofices until 1972 when they were found under piles of rubbish by Allan Williams who had managed the Beatles before Brian. Williams offered the tapes to George and Ringo for £5,000, but at that time Apple were going through financial difficulties so they too turned them down.

After spending £50,000 on cleaning up the sound, and transferring them to 16-track tapes, Williams found a buyer and the first release was in Germany. Immediately the Beatles sued, but lost the case because the judge ruled that the tapes were of historical interest, they were not trying to fool anyone by pretending it was a new release (the records clearly stated "old recordings"), and, the Beatles should have sued earlier and not left it until a release was imminent.

33 songs are apparently on the tapes, 26 are here. But the U.K. version of this album (and German version) had 4 tracks different to the U.S. version, which of course meant that the four "missing" songs in the U.K. often turn up as long lost rarities. The missing four were :
"Where Have You Been All My Life"
"Sheila"
"I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry Over You"
"Till There Was You".
Two other tracks were alternate versions of "To Know Her Is To Love Her" and "Roll Over Beethoven", which obviously weren't required as the best versions were used.
This means one track is left, "My Girl Is Red Hot" which has never appeared anywhere !

Unfortunately, the finished article caught the Beatles just as they were about to release "Please Please Me" in Britain, and clearly the thoughts were on home. Their lack of enthusiasm comes across in the inroductions and comments between the songs and of course the recording quality is still very poor.
BUT this is an essential historic document.

In 1981, after the Lingasong release was deleted, the rights to the tapes were again sold and again were treated to a further re-mix providing a bit clearer sound yet again. But the new owners Audio-Fidelity spoilt re-releases with cheap packaging and labelling errors

The pictured sleeve is the original release on Bellaphon catalogue number BLS 5560 as this came out one month earlier and I had already purchased this version.

The first C.D. release was 16th December 1985, all 30 tracks on Overseas Records, catalogue no. 38CP-44.
See after the tracklisting below for further (re)releases of these tracks.


Side 1

Track Composer Original Recording Artist Time
I Saw Her Standing There Lennon-McCartney The Beatles 2:22
Roll Over Beethoven Berry Chuck Berry in 1956 2:15
Hippy Hippy Shake Romero Chan Romero in 1959
U.K. hit for the "Swinging Blue Jeans" in 1964
1:42
Sweet Little Sixteen Berry Chuck Berry in 1958 2:45
Lend Me Your Comb Twomey-Wise-Weisman Carl Perkins in 1957 1:44
Your Feet's Too Big Benson-Fisher Fats Waller 2:18

Side 2

Track Composer Original Recording Artist Time
Twist And Shout Medley-Russell The Topnotes in 1961
U.K. hit for "Brian Poole and the Tremeloes" in 1963
2:03
Mr. Moonlight Johnson Dr. Feelgood and the Interns in 1962 2:06
A Taste Of Honey Scott-Marlow Victor Feldman Quartet in 1962
(first vocal version by Lenny Welch later that year)
1:45
Besame Mucho Velasquez-Skylar Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra in 1943 2:36
Reminiscing Curtis Buddy Holly in 1962 1:41
Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey Lieber-Stoller/Penniman Little Richard 2:09

Side 3

Track Composer Original Recording Artist Time
Nothing Shakin' (But The Leaves On The Tree) Colacrai-Fontaine-Lampert-Cleveland Eddie Fontaine in 1958 1:15
To Know Her Is To Love Her Spector The Teddy Bears in 1958 3:02
Little Queenie Berry Chuck Berry in 1959 3:51
Falling In Love Again Lerner-Hollander Marlene Dietrich in 1930 1:57
Ask Me Why Lennon-McCartney The Beatles 2:26
Be Bop-a-Lula Vincent-Davis Gene Vincent in 1956
This is not The Beatles singing, but is in fact,
a German waiter in the club, named Horst Obber
2:29
Hallelujah, I Love Her So Charles Ray Charles in 1956
This is not The Beatles singing, but is in fact,
a German waiter in the club, named Horst Obber
2:10

Side 4

Track Composer Original Recording Artist Time
Red Sails In The Sunset Kennedy-Grosz Ray Noble and his Orchestra in 1957 2:00
Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby Perkins Carl Perkins in 1958 2:25
Matchbox Perkins Carl Perkins in 1958 2:35
I'm Talking About You Berry Chuck Berry in 1961
(The sleeve mistitles this "Talking 'Bout You"
which is a different song by Ray Charles)
1:48
Shimmy Shake South-Land Billy Land in 1959 2:17
Long Tall Sally Johnson-Penniman-Blackwell Little Richard 1:45
I Remember You Mercer-Schertzinger Dorothy Lamour in 1942
U.K. hit version by Frank Ifield in 1962
1:54


Further Star Club Issues and Re-releases

Issue Date Title Label/Catno Relevant Info
17th July 1981 The Early Years Vol.1 Phoenix PHX 1004 2 separate L.P.'s with 10 Star Club tracks each.
Each L.P. listed one track not on any other release ... but ... once again, mistitling errors.
On vol.1 - "Gotta Go Home" is actually "Lend Me Your Comb"
On vol.2 - "You Ain't No Friend" is ......
intriguingly, this is labelled as being written by "Andy Fairweather Low", but as he would have been 12 at the time, and living at home in Wales with his parents, the Beatles discovering it and including it in their act in Hamburg was a tad preposterous ! .... it is in fact "Matchbox".

Unusually, the record company withdrew the sleeves, and re-issued corrected versions just 2 months later.

17th July 1981 The Early Years Vol.2 Phoenix PHX 1005

Historic Sessions

The Beatles
 
Historic Sessions - LP cover Historic Sessions - LP back
Historic Sessions - Front Cover Historic Sessions - Back Cover
Label Audiofidelity
Catalogue No. AFELD 1018
Release date 25th September 1981
U.K. Album Chart Detail : Did NOT chart
Detail This set contains 24 Star Club Hamburg tracks.
The 2 Vinyl albums come in plain white paper Inner sleeves and are housed in a gatefold sleeve displaying track listing and interesting background information notes.
The word 'BEATLES' is embossed on the front of the sleeve.


Further Star Club Issues and Re-releases (Contd.)

Issue Date Title Label/Catno Relevant Info
22nd January 1982 Rare Beatles Phoenix PHX 1011 10 Star Club tracks
10th September 1983 20 Great Hits Audiofidelity AFEP 20629 20 Star Club tracks
30th December 1983 The Hamburg Tapes Vol.1 Breakaway BWY 85 3 separate L.P.'s, each containing 10 Star Club tracks.
Sleeve notes were by Lewisohn, and
For the first time all the titles and credits were correct,
BUT, unfortunately they were set up at the printers in the wrong order !
30th December 1983 The Hamburg Tapes Vol.2 Breakaway BWY 86
30th December 1983 The Hamburg Tapes Vol.3 Breakaway BWY 87


The Historic Sessions

The Beatles
 
Historic Sessions - LP cover Historic Sessions - LP back
Historic Sessions - Front Cover Historic Sessions - Back Cover
Label Phoenix
Catalogue No. PHX 31
Release date 6th January 1984
U.K. Album Chart Detail : Did NOT chart
Detail Triple L.P. box set with :
30 Star Club tracks
12 Decca audition tracks.

Once again the titling errors had retuned, but the collection is in a very big thick cardboard box (just like "All Things Must Pass" box).
Album design is by Chico Alverez, with Art direction by Ron Warwell.


Further Star Club Issues and Re-releases (contd.)

Issue Date Title Label/Catno Relevant Info
16th June 1985 Live at the Star-club Vol.1 Castle Showcase SHLP 130 15 Star Club tracks
16th June 1985 Live at the Star-club Vol.2 Castle Showcase SHLP 131 15 Star Club tracks
16th December 1985 Live at the Star Club Overseas 38CP-44 First C.D. release of the 30 Star Club tracks
2nd November 1988 Live Recordings 1962 Baktabak TABOKS 1001 30 Star Club tracks on a set of 15 singles,
In a box with free poster.
21st November 1988 Beatles at the Star Club Baktabak CTAB 5001 (C.D.)
LTAB 5001 (vinyl)
30 Star Club tracks.
11th December 1988 Live at the Star Club Spectrum SPEC 85025 (C.D.) 30 Star Club tracks.
16th May 1992 Rockin' at the Star Club 1962 Columbia 4689502 (C.D.) 30 Star Club tracks.
13th November 2000 1962 Live At The Star Club Walters - BDR 80012 No detail listed in catalogue.



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