Hamburg and the Changing Face of Europe

April 2, 1961

A meditation on renewal and change.

Key to understanding the world that the Beatles are re-entering is the insight that World War II had only been over for 16 years.  The trouble and privation caused by that earth shaking war is still very much on the minds of the generation that went before the Beatles on both sides of the North Sea.  The "German miracle" refers to the transformation of defeated Germany into a world economic powerhouse and was very much in process at this time.  A society in a state of chaos often brings with it social experimentation not possible during more settled times. The Beatles don't come into an existing situation in Hamburg.  They are among the actors in the drama that are remaking post-war Germany.  The experience for the Beatles (and lots of other musical ambassadors) is, indeed, one of liberation from the work-a-day existence they left behind in England.

During the post-war occupation, American GIs had brought into Germany influences that  would have been strictly verboten while the countries were in conflict.  Jazz music was one of those influences and ever-present impresarios sprang up to satisfy the public's desire for it all over Germany, and especially in the entertainment districts like the Reeperbahn.  When American jazz music later gave way to rock and roll, the thirst for American music became even more unquenchable.

At the same time a culture of the "teenager" was changing life all over Europe and America.  Rising standards of living ensured that some of that spending power would come into the hands of young people and at that time of their lives, kids are strongly concerned with establishing their own culture in contrast to that of their elders, hence almost an obsession with new forms of music and dress.  According to Gerry Marsden, the "cheeky" attitude of the English kids towards their German elders was: "Don't tell us anything. We won the war."

All these rivers of change flow inexorably into a place on the Reeperbahn called the "Top Ten Club".  In 1960, a space that had been used to accommodate the German people's love for circus and spectacle had been converted into a rock and roll venue by an entertainment entrepreneur named Peter Eckhorn.  Some of the musician themselves had wielded paint brushes and hammers to make it happen.  The ponies and tigers were gone, but the spectacle was just beginning.

On the Road to Hamburg - Again

April 1, 1961

The Beatles trip to Hamburg is on much better terms this time than last, which was, amazingly, only eight months ago.  First and foremost, they are now a know quantity to the Hamburg promoters.  They are going to play at a very much nicer club, the Top Ten, than they started in last year, the Indra.  The Indra was a glorified storefront,  the Top Ten is a converted exhibition space, large and cavernous inside.  Peter Eckhorn, the manager of the club, is paying for their travel via comfortable European train.  They are given accommodation for the duration of their visit in the relatively nicer rooms above the Top Ten.  And the pay is better, too.

George has turned 18 and is now legal to be playing after 10 pm.  Stuart, who preceded them to Germany, is staying with Astrid.  He has been suffering with depression and was refused reentry into the Liverpool Art College.  (I wonder if the amplifier that the Beatles convinced the college bursar to purchase and which later disappeared with them may have had something to do with that.)  Anyhow, he has decided to pursue his artist's training where he can be near his beloved Astrid and his best mate, John Lennon.

Finally, they will be trading off shifts with Tony Sheridan, whom they all respect and who is generous with his considerable knowledge of the techniques of rock and roll guitar playing.  I you haven't yet, you can meet Tony here, an unsung hero of rock music, if ever there was one!

Their contract with the Top Ten calls for over 500 hours on stage over the next 13 weeks, an astonishing work load.  Quarry Bank High School is John's alma mater.  Its motto is ‘Ex Hoc Metallo Virtuten’ - ‘From This Rough Metal -Virtue’.