Rock and Roll Hamburg – following the footsteps of the Beatles

Written by: Blažo Guzina

 

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Hamburg, 1.8 million inhabitants, the second largest city in Germany, after Berlin, the seventh largest in the European Union, is located on the banks of the Elbe, 110 km from the mouth of the North Sea. The Elbe is a natural harbor in Hamburg with direct access from the sea, and the most convenient is its southern shore, opposite the districts of Sankt Pauli and Altona. The multitude of waterways, rivers and streams, tributaries of the Elbe are spanned by more than 2,500 bridges. This makes Hamburg the city with the most bridges in Europe, more than Venice (400), Amsterdam (1,200) and London combined.

Among fans of rock and roll, especially of the Beatles, Hamburg, along with Liverpool and London, is considered one of the places you must visit, like a pilgrimage, at least once in your life.

Climate

Due to its proximity to the sea, the climate is humid and milder than in the east of the country. The hottest month is July, with an average temperature of 17°C (63°F) and the coldest is January, with 0°C (32°F). Temperatures above 25°C (77°F) are not uncommon in summer and have recently reached as high as 37°C (99°F). On average, 714 mm (28 in) of precipitation falls annually and Hamburg is shrouded in thick fog for 52 days. It is windy during the winter months, with the possibility of violent storms. The best time to visit is spring and early summer, but even then it is advisable to bring an umbrella and rain boots.

Culture and art

Hamburg has 40 theaters, 60 museums, magnificent opera and concert halls, besides more than 110 music venues and clubs. The most famous theatres are the Deutsches Schauspielhaus, in the St. Georg district, Thalia, Ohnsorg, "Schmidts Tivoli" and Kampnagel. The English Theatre of Hamburg has been presenting plays in English since 1976.

Museums

Hamburg boasts a number of museums and galleries dedicated to classical and modern art, such as the Kunsthalle Hamburg, the Museum of Applied Arts (Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe), the House of Photography (Deichtorhallen) and the Maritime Museum (The Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg) in the port district of HafenCity. The offer is also enriched by specialized exhibitions, such as the Archaeological Museum (Archäologisches Museum), the Museum of Labor (Museum der Arbeit), and a number of museums dedicated to local history and heritage – the Kiekeberg Open-Air Museum (Freilichtmuseum am Kiekeberg), two ship museums, Cap San Diego and Rickmer Rickmers, as well as the world's largest railway museum, Miniatur Wunderland, with model trains on tracks of a total length of 15.4 km.

Music scene

The city's leading opera house is the Staatsoper Hamburg, which is also the home of the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra. The main concert halls are the Elbphilharmonie, in a new, 110 m high modernist building, opened in 2017, and the Laeiszhalle, also known as the Musikhalle Hamburg, home of the Hamburger Symphoniker Orchestra.

Hamburg is the birthplace of musical greats Johannes Brahms and Oscar Fetrás, composer of the famous waltz "Mondnacht auf der Alster".

Since the premiere of the musical Cats in 1986, Hamburg has also established itself as Germany's musical capital, with regular performances of The Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King, Dirty Dancing and Dance of the Vampires. The jazz, heavy metal and electropop scenes, as well as the Hamburg School of Alternative Music, are also important.

When it comes to Hamburg's pop and rock legacy, it all began in 1960, with the arrival of the then-unknown Liverpool band, the Beatles. Buoyed by their first international success, achieved in Hamburg, the Beatles returned to their native Liverpool and embarked on the path to fame, conquering the world, creating one of the most dazzling, almost fairytale-like success stories.

Hamburg paid tribute to the Beatles in 2008 by naming a 29-meter-diameter circular square, paved with black cubes to resemble a gramophone record, after them. The Beatles Platz gramophone record is adorned with life-size metal silhouettes of the band members - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, Pete Best and Ringo Starr. The unique statue of the drummer, understandably, simultaneously represents Ringo Starr and Pete Best, Ringo's predecessor. Visitors take photos with the silhouettes of the band members or next to the engraved titles of some seventy of the Beatles' most famous songs.

Before the creation of these seventy-odd songs from their 240-plus magnificent opus, here's how it all happened and it could serve as a guide for the curious visitor to Hamburg to visit places in rock and roll history, following in the footsteps of the Beatles.

 

The following text is excerpted from the book:

Blažo Guzina - The Beatles, My personal fairy-tale story, Or should I say How I got rid of communism With a little help from the Fab Four

 

Until the summer of 1960 almost all John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Stuart Sutcliffe knew about Hamburg was that it was a port city in the then West Germany. While cycling, they often saw the name of the home port - Hamburg - on the ships anchored next to the pier docks. They also heard of the similar war fate of the two cities; Liverpool was heavily bombed during and Hamburg even more heavily towards the end of the war. From sailors on the docks of the Mersey estuary to the city's pubs the fantastic stories about sex and naked women in Hamburg's nightlife district Saint Pauli went beyond what was known even about Pigalle in Paris. Lime Street's modest nightlife offerings in Liverpool can't even compare to this. Moreover, unlike New York's 42nd Street or London's Soho, Hamburg's Reeperbahn nightclubs attracted entertainment-seeking sailors and tourists with provocative sex show schedules, featuring naked women, black and white couples, freer and looser than ordinary striptease.

However, with the increase in the number of sailors and soldiers from American and British military bases, reinforced by Elvis Presley recruited two years ago, the approach to the job inevitably changed. Owners of entertainment venues in Hamburg and later in other cities introduced music not only as an accompaniment to striptease shows, but also as entertainment for pre- and post-party visitors to brothels. Added to this is the widespread use of jukeboxes to the satisfaction of visitors who, by inserting a coin, choose the record they are going to listen to.

Furthermore, the owner of the Kaiserkeller club, one of the most famous in St. Pauli, Bruno Koschmider figured out how to get an advantage over rival clubs; he decided to be among the first to invite English rock and roll bands. Staying a short time in London he listened to them at random, surprised at how modestly they have been paid, which suited him because he could get them easy. Having met Liverpool manager Allan Williams by chance, he brought the band Derry and the Seniors to Hamburg at his suggestion. Their success and impact on increasing business and revenue was so compelling that he immediately ordered another group.

Williams offered the job to the Beatles. 

They were scheduled to play for six weeks, starting August 16, 1960, with the possibility of an extension of six more, for a total of three months. Instead of worrying about working for an unknown employer in a foreign city hundreds of miles away in a country from where bombers flew into British cities until 15 years ago, the boys accepted with enthusiasm the offered, better paid work. They have been promised a fantastic salary of £100 a week, which, after taking into account housing costs and deductions will be reduced to two and a half pounds a day, per person.

Still, the math seemed tempting in the end which helped Paul McCartney convince his father to let him go. Jim McCartney, who worked for six pounds a week, was against his son going to Hamburg fearing he would be too young for such an adventure. Nevertheless, he eventually agreed, learning his son would earn three times as much.

Stuart Sutcliffe who was just about to graduate with a promising career ahead of him caused the greatest astonishment by accepting a temporary job. Those close to him didn't believe he would risk everything. But, because of his friendship and attachment to John Lennon, the young painter still couldn't refuse the invitation to Hamburg.

Besides Paul, who was successfully completing his studies and could choose what he would do, and George Harrison, determined to temporarily quit his job as an electrician, only John had no reason to hesitate at all. Apart from music, nothing else attracted him. He used to say that he couldn't even imagine working nine to five every day; music is the only thing he wants to do.

However, since inconveniences may occur when least expected, something happened that almost stopped him. Koschmider was asking for a group like Derry and the Seniors, that is to say a quintet. John, Paul, George and Stuart were given two weeks to find a fifth member - a drummer.

On the night of August 6 the lads played for the final time that summer before eventually heading out on the road. After the gig they went to the Casbah club, at the invitation of Mona Best. The group Blackjacks performed there with enviable success. One of the reasons for their popularity was the attractive young drummer, Pete Best, whose mother Mona bought him a drum kit in a bright pearl blue colour, the best ever seen in Liverpool.

John and Paul suggested that they play together. They desperately needed a drummer and he was willing to leave his temporary engagement with the Blackjacks for a better paid job in Hamburg. From the first rehearsal he showed them the ability of keeping a regular rhythm; he was hired and saved them from trouble.

Manager Allan Williams drove them toward Hamburg on the morning of 15 August 1960 in a green and white Austin van. He also brought his wife, a cousin and two other companions. Because there were no seats in the rear of the vehicle the five Beatles resigned themselves to the discomfort of sitting on boxes with equipment and suitcases. They also brought the lilac jackets sewn for them by Paul's tailor acquaintance. What awaited them was a long, uncomfortable journey east toward a city 862 kilometres away as the crow flies.

The five lads were destined to obtain their first significant employment in the city at 53 degrees north latitude, on the same parallel as Liverpool, and a further 216 kilometres to the west, Dublin, from where the ancestors of most of the group's members came. So they set off, unaware of what had happened and what was still going to happen in the span of a thousand kilometres and a little more of the straight line traced by the finger of destiny, across the 53rd parallel.

Arriving at the port of Harwich they boarded a ship bound for the Netherlands. None of them had yet been to continental Europe. During the two-day trip they were astonished at everything they saw. They arrived on the evening of August 16.

- You'll see, Williams told them as he drove them - Hamburg is the German Liverpool!

After the modestly lit and somewhat dark Liverpool they were dazzled by the light of thousands of neon lights and advertisements in bright rainbow colours. The night entertainment district, long time ago named after St. Paul, especially Reeperbahn Street, sparkled in the warm, sultry summer night, full of cheerful and spirited people of all races and skin colour.

German authorities were among the first in Europe to put prostitution in order. Psychologists have indicated that problems of sexual life, including strange phenomena, are easier to solve if the veil of mystery and prohibition is lifted. Most sex offenders will probably change their attitude and approach to the challenges of the taste of the forbidden fruit, once they get used to having everything available at any time and at their convenience.

Furthermore, it was considered that for a large port city with so many sailors and tourists it is preferable to have a place, practically fenced, where they will get the necessary bodily pleasures in an organized manner. Such an approach to problem prevention reduces the frequency of sexual assault and rape, caused by the anger of dissatisfied, unhappy and neurotic people. It is also convenient that St. Pauli is located near the port, far from the tidy centre with museums, theatres, concert halls, far from the suburbs with typical North German style houses amongst flowers, some of the most luxurious covered with thatched roofs.

The area in the heart of St. Pauli along the brothel-clogged Herbertstrasse was reserved for pedestrians, closed to traffic and surrounded by a massive wooden fence more than two meters high, so that passers-by couldn't see prostitutes at every turn.

The evening when they arrived they were greeted by the club's owner, their new employer, Bruno Koschmider. A funny man of about 50 with a head like a wooden doll, a face like Pinocchio only without the enlarged nose he limped on one leg because of a war wound. Smooth, well-groomed, lush grey hair stood out on the oversized head, compared to the small body.

Koschmider's club, the Kaiserkeller at 36 Grosse Freiheit Street looked like the interior of a steamship, decorated with lifebuoys and memorabilia from the vessels, to make the visitors, mostly the sailors feel at home. However, five newly arrived lads are about to find out they won't be playing there; Derry and the Seniors played in the Kaiserkeller.

Koschmider took them to the nearby club Indra (slang for - India), recognizable by the elephant-shaped advertisement sign above the entrance. Strip shows were presented on the stage there and he expected the Beatles to attract a crowd of young, music-loving visitors, as Derry and the Seniors had attracted to the Kaiserkeller.

But the worst surprise was yet to come; he took them to the place where they would stay. In the nearby Paul Roosen Street, Koschmider ran a small cinema with the childish and inoffensive name Bambi Kino, in contrast both to the function and the place where it is located. He emptied the storage room behind a thin wall with a cinema screen and transformed it into a bedroom. In a dark room without windows in addition to two-story military beds they also saw two wooden wardrobes for clothes. There were no heating and not enough sheets and blankets but they found a few forgotten British flags that came in handy as blankets on cold nights. Next to the door in the corridor there was another one - the entrance to the cinema toilet. As there was no bathroom they could wash their face and armpits with cold water and with a little gymnastics, leg by leg, the feet in the sink.

John and Paul later recounted that they were housed like in a pigsty, arriving after a gig before dawn, sleeping barely a few hours, only to be woken by the noise of the morning cinema screenings and the gurgling of water and urine from the toilets; older German frauleins with sensitive bladders came to the Bambi cinema, seeking solace and compensation for loneliness in pornographic and cowboy films.

However, what surprised them the most, and what Allan Williams bringing them to Hamburg without a work permit didn't tell them about, was the working hours. Koschmider demanded that they play every night for four and a half hours (three times one and a half hour), with 30 minutes breaks, as well as six hours on Saturdays and Sundays. 

They had their first performance tomorrow evening, August 17th. In lilac jackets they went on stage and saw the visitors of the semi-dark club surprised to see five unknown Englishmen; they came to see their favourite stripper - Conchita. The confusion was also compounded by Koschmider's hasty announcement that he had enriched the programme offering with five young Englishmen; the Germans found the band's name comical because Beatles sounded like a slang word from the local dialect: piedel (an infantile word for small child's penis). So, in addition to Conchita's fans a group of curious people of all kinds of sexual attitudes came to the club, convinced that young Englishmen could also play or show something interesting. Ugh, piedels...

Paul and George stood for a minute or two looking at John confused, expecting him as the unsuspecting leader to do something. At this Koschmider impatiently shouted Mach Schau, Mach Schau (make [a] show) in the voice he used to order strippers to "put on a show" for the customers.

John looked at Paul, as if to say - we're tough lads from Liverpool, we the northerners never give up. He started the show with Gene Vincent's songs. Like Vincent John jumped and ran on the stage all night. Then Paul wholeheartedly helped put on the show. When they ran out of Vincent songs, they moved on to songs by Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, Elvis, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Bo Diddley...

Since previously in Liverpool they played no more than 60 minutes, they now had to recall all the songs they had played to fill a four and a half hour performance. They also re-listened to the B-sides of many well-known and lesser-known records in search of suitable tracks, including instrumentals. After a bunch of instrumentals they also performed ballads - "More Than I Can Say", "Somewhere over the Rainbow", "Your Feet's too Big", "Red Sails in the Sunset", even a mournful song in which Paul sang the title in Spanish, the rest in English - "Besame Mucho".

The walls of the club were decorated with thick curtains which absorbed sound and dampened the acoustics. For this reason and because of the noise of the visitors they had to turn up the modest sound system to the fullest, while Pete Best hit his shiny drums with all his might. John and Paul then explained that in Indra they played and sang everything they had practiced and could remember from their earliest childhood.

Moreover, they tasted and experimented with something else.

The uncomfortably cold and tense circumstances of their first performance were soon to be forgotten as they noticed that the beer-warmed audience happily accepted everything they played and sang, as long as it was loud. But not only were the visitors warmed up by good German beer. Whoever liked their music would also send five large beers to the musicians on stage. Thirsty after jumping and performing at the behest of Bruno Koschmider, the guys gulped down beer like water, the number of empty pints on the stage floor behind them kept increasing.

Tired of the demanding performances and the hectic pace of life of the never-sleeping St. Pauli, with a little sleep interrupted by the sounds of porn films and the toilets of the Bambi Kino, they naively and recklessly accepted the friendly advice of the experienced staff of Indra. They began to take preludine (phenmetrazine) pills which accelerated metabolism and kept them awake during the performance. But, due to an unwanted side effect their eyes were soon swollen and bulging like an owl's and their mouths were dry, making them even thirstier for a cold beer. On stage they started doing whatever they wanted and could do. John would climb on Paul's or George's shoulders and jump on the guys and girls in the audience who would swing him on their arms and shoulders as if he were swimming above them.

Working girls and women, waitresses and strippers with a natural need for tenderness and intimacy sought the solace of solitude in the place with the most sex per square metre in the world. The craze for fresh English "flesh" had begun. There was sex both backstage at Indra and in a dark, grey room behind the cinema, on beds covered in British flags. Sometimes girlfriends in the dark didn't even know which Beatle they were meeting with. The lads didn't know either and didn't even ask. Upon arrival in Hamburg 17-year-old George was the only one among the guys still sexually inexperienced. Soon, in a mess in the dark grey room one night before dawn George lost virginity with cheering and delighted applause from frivolous companions: John, Paul, Stuart and Pete.

But there was something else the guys hadn't taken into account. According to German regulations minors under the age of 18 can move around the city no later than 10 p.m. Because of this George wasn't even allowed to be in the Indra club let alone play all night. Luckily, the helpful staff gave him instructions on how to avoid attracting the attention of the police and everything went off without a hitch.

Moreover, knowing that the owners of the neighbouring bars are dangerous guys, the German pals especially advised the lads on whose girlfriends and wives shouldn't they involve in romantic relationship with, if they want to live in peace.

On stage, after a number of preludine pills with countless beers, John allowed himself to use the artificial, metallic sound of his hard English to call those present fucking Nazis, Hitlerits and German Spassies (spastics) or epileptic Krauts. According to the prevailing prejudice about Germans, the Krauts fond of a fried sauerkraut with sausages the most, John also shouted to them: - You Krauts, we won the war!

While the drunken British and American sailors laughed the Germans were more or less unfazed. Some didn't understand, others were too drunk or quite relaxed. Nevertheless, despite everything the Beatles were so popular and well accepted in Hamburg that, while post-war Europe was still healing the wounds of war, whether they realized it or not they were among the first to trigger a wave of cultural, political, religious, sexual and racial tolerance as well as understanding and equality, especially among young people.

Five young men from bombed-out Liverpool entertained night after night hundreds of regular and occasional visitors to Indra, tourists and young Germans, sons and daughters of those whose air force almost destroyed their country, in a motley crew of sailors of all races, from distant ports, in, without equal the most cosmopolitan city in Germany, twice the size of Liverpool.

The Beatles delighted them with music in which Pete Best on drums kept a hard rhythm surprisingly similar to some other rhythms on which the military boot marched 15-20 years ago while uniformed companies and battalions passed by intoxicated with ostentation, big words and unreasonable hatred. They quickly became popular and known enough that even those who had never visited this part of town began coming.

Before them, Tony Sheridan arrived in Hamburg from London's Soho in June the previous year. Like John he was not yet 20 when, with the backing band the Jets, he shone in the sky of German rock and roll. One night before dawn, after the gig, the guys went to the strip club Studio X to meet Sheridan, performing there. They hung out with him and spent most of their free time during the day at Gretel & Alfons restaurant, over hot meals, tea and music from the jukebox. There were mostly German records on the jukebox with a few American and English singles, prompting them to fantasize that one day, if they were lucky, one of their records might have been found there.

While spending their free time walking they came across a musical instrument store with a selection of guitars. John bought the guitar of his dreams, a Rickenbacker Capri 325, which would accompany him in the tumultuous years to come. That night on stage with a new guitar he smiled into the microphone and, instead of - ladies and gentlemen, shouted to the audience: - Ladies and genitals! 

The guys were nearing the end of their stay in Hamburg, when an unexpected inconvenience occurred. The widow of a man who died in the war lived in a flat in the part of the building above Indra. John had just bought a new guitar amp and turned it up too loud on stage, so the widow complained to city officials about the noise that prevented her from sleeping. Based on the complaint, Koschmider was immediately banned from playing loud music in the club and ordered to restore it to its original purpose - striptease performances, with the background music attenuated, so that it cannot be heard outside.

As in the proverb - Until it gets dark for one, the day of another may not rise - this problem for Koschmider ultimately turned into good news for the Beatles. He offered them something they wanted since they arrived in Hamburg - to play the Kaiserkeller club. In addition to extending the stay until the end of the year, Koschmider has now also demanded to extend the duration of the performance. They played in turns with Derry and the Seniors, for a total of five and a half hours, with three breaks of 30 minutes each, from half past seven in the evening to half past two in the morning.

While gradually learning German, they eventually learned that Kaiserkeller means nothing less than - the imperial cellar. Starting from the Liverpool basement club called the Cavern, passing through the Casbah in Mona Best's house basement, they reached the imperial cellar of Hamburg, and that too in a Liberty Street (Grosse Freiheit Strasse). 

At the beginning of October Derry and the Seniors' contract expired and Koschmider replaced them with another Liverpool group - Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. The novelty was that they would be announced with posters in a mixture of German and English, with some spelling errors:

Original

Rock ’n Roll

Bands

Rory Storm

and his Hurican

und

the Beatles

 England - Liverpul

 

Moreover, and what turned out to be the most tiring, they will have to continue to perform according to a killer schedule - two groups alternating, for an hour and a half each, and therefore continuously until the morning. Rory Storm performed in a turquoise suit demonstrating vivid and unprecedented acrobatics, including dancing on the piano. He had an excellent lead guitarist in the band, known by the nickname Johnny Guitar, and drummer Ringo Starr stood out with his attractive performance.

Except for the numerous rings on his hands Ringo Starr also attracted attention due to his striking nose and strands of grey hair in a lush hairstyle. In the years when fate will bond them Ringo will be the only person John almost never whipped with a nasty language. Hence, George will enthusiastically describe the first gigs with Ringo in words: - When we played with Ringo, it always felt rockin'!

While Pete Best sometimes neglected his obligations to the band, the good-natured Ringo helped out wholeheartedly and jumped in to play whenever he was called upon.

Lu Walters also performed with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, known for his deep voice and excellent singing of blues and ballads. He invited Ringo, John, Paul and George to record a demo disc together. There was a small studio in Hamburg called Akustik, which he took them to on October 15. They recorded several tunes chosen by Walters, including the "Summertime" aria of the George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" opera. 

One evening in late October a young man arrived at the Kaiserkeller who was neither a sailor, nor a horny tourist eager for sex, or a drunken and disillusioned loner ready to fight. He was of exceptional appearance, with pretty eyes and protruding cheekbones on regular Aryan features, framed by long, neat hair. He had bangs on his forehead and ears, which men rarely dared to style at that time. A graphic designer by profession, contributor to fashionable Hamburg magazines, Klaus Voormann, 22, was dressed and behaved like a bourgeois beatnik.

On that damp October night, Voormann was probably the first of the leather-clad beatnik circle to set foot in the Kaiserkeller. Previously he had argued with his girlfriend and wandering aimlessly, trying to calm down, tired and thirsty he began looking for a place to have a beer. He just wanted to quench his thirst but from the street he was surprised by the music that was heard as the doors opened. As he entered the club he met by chance - the Beatles.

Usually he listened to jazz and occasionally Net King Cole and the Platters, but now he heard the real hard sound of rock and roll. Attracted like a magnet, he heads towards the stage. The performance ended with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, behind the drums was Ringo Starr, responsible for a powerful rock beat that he couldn't resist, and then the Beatles came out.

Hearing the first beats of the music he was speechless and petrified. He couldn't move a finger and turned into eyes and ears. It was like all the best rockers came to play together! First, the guitarist with the prominent facial bones and delightfully elongated nose sang songs by Gene Vincent and Chuck Berry. Then the cute, baby-faced guitarist sang songs by Elvis Presley and Fats Domino. Then, in front of the microphones on, they were arguing like children - I'm going to do this now, no, no, I'm going to do this song. Then the third guitarist, a thin, pale guy, sang brilliantly and played some of Carl Perkins' memorable rock songs, and then went on and on.

Voormann wasn't aware of how long he'd spent with his eyes and mouth wide open, unable to move until the guys stopped to breathe. He turned and looked through the semi-darkness for an empty spot, trying to pull himself together and recover from the surprise and elation. His body shook in waves of gentle excitement as the waitress brought over a large beer. He grabbed it with both hands and sucked the invigorating frothy liquid down his throat.

When the guys played again he couldn't resist the feeling that the two most striking, whose names he would soon learn were John and Paul, exuded something special, sincere and not artificial. It was clear with every gesture that they are different, by no means ordinary, doing everything brilliantly. They sang perfectly, played guitar and piano exceptionally well and simply left an extraordinary impression. He couldn't help but notice that they adore playing and singing, they perform nothing but songs they really love.

After a sleepless night, at the end of this first unforgettable rock 'n' roll gig for him, Voormann no longer thought about arguing, but dared to visit his girlfriend and mitigate the consequences of the misunderstanding, in the hope that they would reconcile. He also wanted to tell her enthusiastically about his unexpected and incredible discovery. 

Beautiful, refined, fair-skinned, shiny blond hair, well-dressed and innately elegant 22-year-old Astrid Kirchherr recently obtained a position as an artistic assistant with the famous photographer Reinhart Wolf. Camera in hand, she did the fulfilling vocation she loved, happy to be able to express her artistic inclinations, for which she found a lot of understanding in her Klaus, an art lover. Thus, when he came, learning from the door that he was wandering around the notorious prostitutes' area, she thought he was not well. She refused to talk about the invitation to go listen to the Beatles, who she had never heard of; much less could she know what that strange name meant.

When the passions had calmed and the dust settled, after three days of persuasion a group of friends, existentialists, entered the Kaiserkeller with Klaus and Astrid. On purpose, just in case they came in a group, relying on safety in numbers. John and Paul noticed from the stage that many of the spectators that night were dressed in black leather.

Expressing her first impression Astrid said she was stunned, not capable to believe that there were guys who dedicated themselves to music with so much enthusiasm and energy. As John, Paul and George sing and play, they blend in with the sounds of the guitars and the lyrics of the songs. At the same time, John seemed so harsh, crude and scary that Astrid thought it was impossible to talk to him, that she couldn't get a decent response from him.

Nevertheless, after that, every evening Astrid came among the first to take the place closest to the stage.

Klaus also recalls the first impressions: - Upon meeting them we spontaneously thought - they were fantastic.

Two young German souls considered the five guys from Liverpool to be the most openhearted and honest foreigners they had ever met.

From the moment they met, John learned that his new pals, existentialists, used to call themselves - exis. Klaus, Astrid and a growing number of exis have become regular visitors to the club. If ever someone was absent, it wasn't Astrid. She admitted of becoming addicted to the Beatles like a drug. Furthermore, she didn't use to come just for the good music, John or Paul as one might assume, but for Stuart Sutcliffe.

Astrid noticed a seemingly withdrawn and inconspicuous but attractive guy with dark glasses and a big, heavy, bass guitar at the bottom of the stage, as if he was somehow hiding or subconsciously wanted to be behind the musically superior John and Paul. She immediately fell in love and, shy to show it, approached him as a professional photographer, asking if the Beatles would be willing to photograph them. Of course, the guys couldn't even think of refusing the tempting offer of such a charming, adorable young lady.

The next day, she drove them around town and took them to Der Dom amusement park.

- They looked innocently sweet, smiling, with freshly washed hair and dressed as best as they could and had - Astrid remembers.

It was a cool autumn day with few visitors to Der Dom, so they could let their imaginations run wild and do whatever they wanted. Since Astrid barely knew a few words of English they communicated by hand gestures and signs.

She adjusted the position of their shoulders and arms, gently touching them with the slender fingers of her manicured hands, turning them to the desired angle and indicating which way they should face. Patiently, little by little, she took a series of black and white photos, skilfully handling the Rolleicord camera.

She also photographed them later, in Hamburg and Liverpool. These early photos of the Beatles would soon become famous, praised unreservedly and accepted as a model for photographing pop groups. Among the books she would publish, the monograph with the early works - "Liverpool days" would become the most famous.

However, at the end of this autumn day in Hamburg, apart from photography, something much more romantic will happen, which belongs to the subtle world of feelings; Astrid and Stuart melted with love, holding hands and looking at each other with glassy eyes, shining with happiness.

Astrid then drove them to the house where she lived with her mother in a flat on the 3rd floor, in the Altona district. When they returned the next time she noticed that they were pleased with the hospitality, but also the possibility of bathing in her bathroom. They told her they most often managed to take a shower while going for a swim in a pool, sometimes more for the need to shower than for swimming.

After a month Stuart Sutcliffe and Astrid Kirchherr got engaged. When her mother found out in what conditions Stu was living behind the thin wall of the Bambi Kino, he was moved to a room on the 4th floor, in the attic, where Klaus Voormann used to stay. The friendship of hers now ex-boyfriend was stronger than the possible jealousy expected towards Stuart. On the contrary, Voormann accepted them both as sincere and close friends. He was glad that Astrid was infinitely happy.

Seeing that Astrid had definitely changed Stuart's way of dressing, following his example the other four took off their lilac jackets, already ruined by sweat. Overnight, they disguised themselves as exis; five guys in black leather and high heel boots appeared on the Kaiserkeller stage.

Late November 1960 the Kaiserkeller suddenly lost its privileged position on the mainstream rock 'n' roll scene. A fierce rival, the Top Ten club, appeared at 136 Reeperbahn Street, in a renovated former circus hall.

The club was founded by the young and enterprising Peter Eckhorn, a former ship steward and more recently a fan of the Beatles and Tony Sheridan. He offered the Beatles higher income and better accommodation. Although they were obliged to play for Koschmider until the end of the year, in the state they found themselves in - with no manager to advise or retain them - the guys were acting frivolously and recklessly; without thinking of the possible consequences, they announced to Koschmider that they were leaving the Kaiserkeller.

Upon learning what was in store for him Koschmider reacted furiously; red in the face he shouted and threatened them to look over their shoulders and be careful where they went at night from now on. The next day somewhat reconciled, German rationality prevailed; he told them that he had cancelled the contract but that they would have to play a few more nights until the end of the month. He gave them a written document as legal proof of the decision. The guys were not particularly worried, but just in case they decided to play the rest of the days to calm passions and not add oil to the fire.

However, quarrelling and leaving the club manager in embarrassment in St. Pauli could not go without consequences. It is not known exactly, but it can be assumed with whose help, shortly after the unfortunate incident the Ausweiskontrolle (the residence and permit control authority) was informed that the minor George Harrison had violated the curfew after 10 p.m. He was summarily expelled from Germany and put on a train to Liverpool, with an official escort.

A few days later when Paul and Pete came to collect the remaining belongings from the dark room behind the Bambi cinema they set fire to a condom they had found by chance to make a light. They hung it on a nail in the wall like a torch, where it burned leaving a black trail of flame and smoke. In both the room and the hard-walled corridor, they thought, if they thought at all, there was no danger of fire or blazing out towards the cinema; but, lo and behold, an angry Koschmider, 160 cm of Central European malevolence, accused them of attempting to set fire to the place and they spent the night in the police station.

Learning of the unfortunate event Stuart came with Astrid to save them from interrogation but instead he was also detained, as the police suspected a possible attempt at arson on purpose. It happened for the first time that John, accustomed to being on the verge of trouble due to his unruly behaviour, was left alone.

After a detention, Paul and Pete were deported because, like George, they didn't have work permits. The next day, November 30, 1960 they were on a plane to England. John and Stu were only left alone, having to sign binding declarations - that they would not seek work without a permit in Germany.

Stu opted to stay and celebrate Christmas with Astrid and John took the train home.

The music scene in Britain at this time was led by Cliff Richard and the Shadows. They sported pastel-colour suites, with ties, polished shoes and short, neat haircuts, skilfully performing a kind of simplified dance; a step to the left, then to the right, a step forward, then harmoniously back. At the end of the tune, they bowed to the audience, smiling from ear to ear.

Both Paul and John were aware of the great success of the Shadows and the cute Cliff Richard, otherwise John's peer, only five days younger. However, neither the attractive Richard, whose name is Harry Rodger Webb, nor his backing band led by the great guitar master - Hank Marvin, were their musical role models. Much more ferocious, different rhythms played and resonated in the heads of the two young guitarists.

Tired after Hamburg, John somewhat neglected his duties; while he rested and slept the Beatles reunited only in mid-December 1960, with the help of Mona Best. Pete's energetic mum organized their comeback performance at her club on December 17. On posters in the city she announced them with an inscription that, thanks to her wit, attracted attention with a prominent, almost screaming adjective - fabulous:

 

THE RETURN OF THE FABULOUS BEATLES

 

Then something happened that would change the course of rock music history. It was arranged for the guys to play alongside the Searchers, the Deltones and the Del Renas at Litherland Town Hall on 27 December, for a fee of six pounds. The performance was announced by posters on which, alongside the Beatles, it was pompously written - DIRECT FROM HAMBURG, whatever that meant, although it was obvious that they proudly wanted to point out that among the performers there were guys who had tried their luck abroad and gained international experience.

Most of the young men and women present that night came as they expected to another event which, according to the rules imposed by Cliff Richard and the Shadows, was supposed to be a large public dance.

However, when they rushed on stage or rather exploded dressed in black leather, the Beatles, playful, wild, full of unbridled energy, optimism and joie de vivre, they had nothing to do with the endearing step left step right dance of Shadows and with the soft and sterile performance of Cliff Richard. The guitars and drums thundered, they sang in a high-pitched energetic manner as they were accustomed to in Hamburg, fiercely and untamed.

Glad all over, conscious of being the best, with an excess of confidence and faith in themselves and their supremacy, with radiant faces, more beautiful and attractive than ever, John, Paul and George spared no vocal chords or leg muscles as they roared and jumped, while the blood boiled in their veins.

Overwhelmed by a never-before-seen sight and sound that strikes at the heart and sweeps you off your feet, while a tide of sensitivity pours from the stage, carried by a magic, invisible, incomprehensible, irresistible, still omnipresent, all-encompassing, almost tangible chemical-physical-spiritual reaction, like an explosion, a musical tsunami, a frantic rhythm sprinkled with energy, loaded with an excess of sexual and youth hormones, hundreds of girls and young men have given up dancing. Instead, they started shouted and rushed to the stage, pushing, jumping and raising their arms as if they wanted to rise up towards them, to embrace their new idols.

Britain experienced the first scene of mass fan hysteria soon to be named - Beatlemania!

As word spread across the north of England about the fantastic music of the great band just arrived from Hamburg, the newly acquired fans realized that they had their own local musical discovery, guys from the neighbourhood, so to speak around the corner, but with an international background. Strange as it may seem this German experience still immunized them against possible ruthless criticism and provincial condescension. After another series of unforgettable performances the fans felt their music shaking them, like a knockout blow, with an immense force, vivacity and charisma.

Soon they were playing in the Aintree Institute, where, behind the stage a slender girl with long straight flaxen hair, Patricia Inder, approached them and uttered prophetic words, which would become indispensable in articles and books about the Beatles: - You'll be as big as Cliff Richard one day!     

Regardless of what could they possibly think of the Shadows and Cliff Richard, who happen to live with his mother even in the prime of life, that night John and company were happier than ever, delighted - like puppies.

In mid-January 1961 Stuart Sutcliffe returned from Hamburg and joined the Beatles. Soon they played together again, but despite the success in Liverpool, John, Paul, George and Pete still had vivid memories of the carefree days spent having fun in Hamburg. They managed to maintain a good relationship with Peter Eckhorn, the owner of Top Ten.

At John's persuasion Pete called him on the phone and told him they would like to play Hamburg again.

Alan Williams, Paul, Pete and Mona Best wrote to local authorities to assure them that Paul and Pete had not intended to set fire to the Bambi Kino. Since George had also become an adult in the meantime there were no obstacles in obtaining the necessary permits; so Peter Eckhorn hired them to play starting April 1, 1961.

In Hamburg, at the Top Ten club the Beatles were now playing with Tony Sheridan. In fact, they were officially just his backing band but he focused most of his attention on solo guitar playing and allowed John, Paul, and George to sing many of the songs they performed together.

Eckhorn paid them better than Bruno Koschmider last year, so they each earned £21 a week, after expenses. Additionally, he provided them with more decent housing. Tony, John, Paul, George and Pete shared a flat on the fourth floor of the building above the club. Stuart, since his return a while before the others, has once again stayed in Astrid's attic room.

The male companions of Klaus Voormann and Astrid Kirchherr, the Hamburg exis, wore their hair unusually combed, stuck on their foreheads, even over the ears, like in comic strips about medieval knights. Astrid first gave Klaus such a haircut, at that time known in Germany as French style, not only to make him look different but also to cover his big, clumsy ears. Then she asked Stuart to brush his hair the same way too. When he first came to the gig with a new haircut and an unusual outfit that Astrid had dressed him in, John and Paul teased him that he looked like his mother.

The teasing didn't stop George from trying to do a similar hairstyle. Coming back from the pool after swimming he brushed his bangs across his forehead. But when he later saw the result in the mirror he panicked and pushed the bangs back, combing himself like Elvis again. Then this miracle with front-styled bangs which one day would become the famous Beatles mop-top hairstyle was done by Paul as a test, for John and George to also take scissors and comb each other's hair. The only one who stubbornly stuck to the old Teddy Boy hairstyle was Pete.

John and Paul were increasingly dissatisfied with Pete's attitude and behaviour, singling him out in many ways as if he wasn't one of the Beatles. Additionally, Paul often complained to John that he was unhappy with Pete and Stuart's playing. Recently he even shouted at them from across the stage that they looked great but played bad. John and George couldn't help but notice that the versatile Paul played both bass guitar and drums better than either of them. John, however, always conciliatorily stated that their attractive appearance was beneficial to the Beatles.

One night in early June 1961 famous music producer Bert Kaempfert came to the club. Aged 37, he loomed large in the German musical public, gaining fame as the composer of many well-received tunes, among them Elvis' "Wooden Heart". He was also known for scouting musical talent for the Deutsche Gramophone, i.e. their pop music label - Polydor.

Having patiently listened to the performances of Sheridan and the Beatles on several occasions he decided to offer them to record an album. Accepting the offer they are surprised that Kaempfert doesn't take them to the Polydor studio but to the kindergarten where there is a stage for performances. To compensate the missing real acoustic treatment on the walls Kaempfert stretched the curtains to muffle the reverberation of the sound as much as possible.

The recording session was remembered for the fact that on 22 June 1961 Paul McCartney officially took over on the bass guitar, replacing Stuart Sutcliffe. From a business point of view this meant a consensual, friendly departure of the group's former bassist. Stu only appeared briefly to greet them and offer support. They first recorded five, then two more songs performed by Sheridan. Unfortunately it turned out that Kaempfert either failed or didn't want to admit how exceptional the Beatles were, devoting all his attention to Sheridan. He viewed the Beatles just as an unknown backing band.

As for the recording session John claimed that they were bad and that any musically inferior German group could have played in the makeshift, provisional studio. In a slightly less critical mood the new bassist Paul, cheerful and optimistic as always, convinced that the Beatles will anytime soon release good records, recently bought a Höfner 500/1 bass guitar with a case and a resonator f-slots in the shape of a violin. Self-confident guided by his refined sense of hearing Paul chose the Höfner convinced that it is the warmest sounding and most finely balanced guitar.

After a few takes Kaempfert first recorded them with Sheridan in a traditional Scottish ballad "My Bonnie", intended for release on the single. Later, while recording songs for Sheridan's future album he somehow decided that the Beatles would perform two songs without Sheridan.

John and Paul offered to play some of their own songs, which sounded wonderful, but Kaempfert failed as producer again. He changed his mind and demanded that after "My Bonnie" they record an instrumental composed by John and George, both playing guitars like the Shadows. To make the irony greater, the tune is called "Cry for a Shadow".

Had he been more perceptive Kaempfert would have noticed that the guys were three lances ahead of any British band, let alone of the rest of Europe, and, yes, apart from that instrumental one, they have generally shown that with ease, if necessary with eyes closed they can both compose and play songs better than any band he has worked with.

With a little luck and more brains he might have noticed, but he didn't, that he had before him a goose that laid golden eggs; these merry young Liverpudlians were ready to jump not two but three steps at a time, trying to penetrate further, striving for their unattained goal, their own seemingly unfathomable heights. Unfathomable, it will soon become obvious, only to an insufficiently wise producer or manager, unable to recognise the above-average talent of John, Paul and George.

The recording session ended with a 1920s jazz standard "Ain't She Sweet?" which John sang in a deliberately raspy voice, much in the way his mother liked to sing it while playing the banjo. Kaempfert and the executives of Polydor then committed two other omissions. They initially decided not to release two Beatles' tunes, "Cry for a Shadow" and "Ain't She Sweet?". Then, despite promising to offer them a one-year recording contract they postponed it indefinitely. To make matters worse they didn't even state on the record that the Beatles played with Sheridan, which along to the two of theirs mentioned above applies to the six songs with Sheridan. It was only labelled that the remaining four songs, out of 12, were performed by the Beat Brothers, as they renamed them. A few years later, while the Beatles were at the pinnacle of their fame, Kaempfert and Polydor corrected this omission and released a new record, with their name subsequently inscribed on the label.

Upon their return to Liverpool, fate decreed that they would be taken over by a newly minted, extremely capable manager – Brian Epstein. John and the boys, along with Brian, were overjoyed and proud when the issue of 4 January 1962, in Mersey Beat magazine, announced that the Beatles had been voted the best band in Liverpool. Incidentally, they also accepted the offer to play in Hamburg again, in the newly opened, large, beautifully decorated hall, sonorously named Star-club. The departure is planned for April 11.

Stuart Sutcliffe was impatiently awaiting the Beatles' return to Hamburg, especially the meeting with John. In addition to proving himself as a painter, he had already learned German well. In early February he was in Liverpool, visiting his mother in hospital as she recovered from a serious operation. He listened to the Beatles in the Cavern and met Brian Epstein, with whom he discussed a possible role as designer or art director for the band.

However, while he was making tempting plans everything unfortunately goes wrong for him. Sutcliffe's health deteriorated rapidly during these months. He began to lose consciousness, suffering of convulsions at first occasionally and briefly then more often. The fainting spells were preceded by severe headaches and inexplicable mood swings as well as seizures similar to epileptic. His body was growing weaker and his skin was pale and grey. The most serious attack took place on April 10, in the fiancée's apartment. Astrid was at work so her frightened mother called an ambulance. By the time the ambulance arrived to take him to the hospital Astrid also made it, but during the ride Sutcliffe expired in her arms. He was 21 years old. 

The next day, April 11, John, Paul and Pete took off from Manchester Airport without knowing what had happened. Brian and George, still recovering from a serious case of measles, travelled on the same flight a day later. At the airport, they learned the tragic news from Sutcliffe's mother, Millie, whom they met by chance in the boarding line.

John, Paul and Pete were met in Hamburg by Astrid and Klaus. Hearing the grisly details of the sad event, John burst into hysterical laughter, lashing out with his hands and shouting: - No, no, no...

According to the medical report, Stewart suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, that is, profuse bleeding. On the front of his skull, at the top of his forehead, along the hairline, he had a scar from a healed injury, from which his health had gradually deteriorated. He had been injured by drunken teddy-boys during a recent fight in Liverpool, when they knocked him to the ground and kicked him in the head.

After the loss of his friend, nevertheless, and in spite of everything, resisting the fear and anxiety, sad and tragic in life, John, Paul and the boys played four 60-minute shows every night in Hamburg that spring, with breaks - a total of eight in the evening until four in the morning. They performed in shifts with several groups in the Star-club, the largest and best-equipped venue in St. Pauli, with a capacity of 2,000. Thrilled by the big income of £44 per week per head, they didn't mind having just one evening off for the six weeks of gigs.  

After attending the first performance Brian Epstein returned to England hoping to determine the date for the audition and possible recording of a single or an album.  

Affected by Stu's death, still aware that they are lucky to be alive, the guys felt sort of relaxed. Starting May 28, they played two weeks in rotation with the legendary Gene Vincent. The Beatles then, besides Elvis and Buddy Holly, had no bigger idol than him among the rock singers.

They returned from Hamburg on June 2, 1962 and the audition for the recording the first album was already scheduled for June 6, in agreement with the music producer George Martin. This event also reminded them of earlier disagreements, when Pete wasn't feeling well or pretended he wasn't well and Ringo Starr was playing drums. The Beatles noticed not only that they sounded better with Ringo, but also that besides to playing, they got along better with him than with Pete. Moreover, he fit harmoniously into their infectiously cheerful nature and incessant need for light chatter, telling jokes and funny happenings, while Pete, distant, pensive and silent sat in the corner and stared at the floor.

Since Ringo had broken up once before and then returned to the band Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, the guys thought that now, under different circumstances they could win him over. Brian called him on the phone and casually asked him to join the band. Then he discussed the details with John, including the unconditional request to comb his hair like a Beatles mop-top, or wear a wig. Pete didn't get along best with the other three and refused to brush his hair like a Beatles mop-top.

Asked for her opinion on the said event and on Pete's refusal to brush his hair like a Beatle, Astrid Kirchherr defended him saying that she couldn't straighten his Irish curly, wavy hair and brush it forward on his forehead when she gave others this famous hairstyle. She constantly continued to call this hairstyle Klaus's, ignoring the generally accepted name, so far only famous in Hamburg and Liverpool - the Beatles' hairstyle.

The owners of the Beatles' famous mop-tops had their first official performance with Ringo, the new drummer, on August 18, two days after Pete Best's firing. Brian deliberately decided that it would not be in Liverpool but at an out-of-town event in Port Sunlight at the Horticultural Society's annual ball.

Already on August 22, Granada Television sent a team from Manchester to shoot their next performance in a formation that will soon conquer first Britain, then the whole world: John, Paul, George and Ringo.

On the modest stage of the Cavern dressed in leather vests over white shirts, with thin ties the four rockers shined in their best, including a new hairstyle - with bangs on the forehead.

After the first official performance with the new drummer, in the next issue of Mersey Beat readers learned of the Beatles' preparations to record their first single for the Parlophone label, with a brief announcement that Pete Best had left the band - in an "amicably" spirit. 

Something similar happened again from November 1 to 14, during the long-planned return performances in Hamburg, at the Star-Club. But, unlike the previous ones, the guys regarded this trip to Hamburg as a boring and forced obligation. They didn't want to go, but had to, because Brian signed a binding contract. Honest to the extreme they didn't even try to hide they prematurely ignored the fact that without Hamburg there would probably not be the fabulous Beatles, the Fab Four as they soon began to call them.

This time the only thing they liked about was accommodation. Brian booked them hotel rooms and it seemed heavenly compared to their former accommodation at the Bambi Kino.

However, they will return to Hamburg once more, to play at the Star-Club for the last time that year from December 18th to 31st. On Christmas Day, the only day off when they weren't playing, the guys went to a dinner with their bandmates Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes at the British Naval Office at 20 Johannisbollwerk. According to the website "Days in the life: The Beatles' history", when the festive dinner was served, the priest asked if anyone wished to say a Grace beforehand. Than George shouted out in a deep voice, as serious as he could pretend: - Thank Christ for the soup!   

The priest lost his nerve and, while the lads laughed, threatened to drive them out if they didn't get serious. After tasting the steak, basting it generously with Worcester sauce in an attempt to make it more edible, noticing that the meal wasn't as tasteful as usual although expecting it to be best for Christmas, the priest announced in a humble voice that, according to the weekly plan, they were serving horse meat. 

Six days later, they went one better at the Mambo Schankey club for the New Year's dinner. There they were served an impeccably done Viennese steak, before the final performance in Hamburg. As he left, John pocketed his fork and knife. It looked like he wanted to take them as a souvenir from Germany, but going on stage at the Star-Club he recklessly threw a knife at the audience; luckily he didn't hurt anyone.

Returning to Liverpool they heard the first good news from Brian in 1963. He arranged for them to take part in the shooting of a very popular show Thank Your Lucky Stars on ABC Television, on 13 January. Incidentally, he also warned them that they should leave early for performances in January, to avoid trouble on the road, as it was the coldest winter, with the most snow since 1740. 

Soon, however, they will discover that these two numbers, 17 and 40, will have another fateful meaning for them. 

The show was on-air six days after shooting, on Saturday at 5:40 p.m. However, as if providence had willed it, it so happened that the night before the heaviest snow of that winter had fallen and had covered the roads. No one left the home except those who had to and when the show began the largest audience ever sat in front of the televisions in the warm living rooms; among them, of course, many young people, eager for good music. Brian rubbed his hands in satisfaction, aware of the fortunate and unexpected circumstance that his protégés' most important television performance would be watched by more viewers than he could have hoped for. He poured himself a drink, rose a glass to toast and thanked his lucky stars.

On the black-and-white television screens of the day, the guys appeared in the latest collarless Beatles suits, with beaming faces, sporting - according to the prevailing view - the surprisingly daring Beatles mop-top hairstyles and, right before viewers realize it's the band known for the ballad "Love Me Do", John's orgasmic singing of c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon... thundered into more than four million homes and who knows how many clubs and pubs, while high-pitched guitars and drums erupt in the song "Please Me", which the producer George Martin expertly prophesied would be their first number-one on the charts.

He wasn't wrong. Britain was conquered instantly.

Due to the importance of participating in radio and TV broadcasts in which they gave their best, aware that they would be heard by millions of listeners, Paul considered them to be crucial to their dazzling success, although essentially no more significant than all-night gigs in Hamburg, during which they evolved from a group of music-obsessed boys into great performers, mature musicians without peer. John, again, described this valuable German experience with the statement: - I grew up in Liverpool and became a mature man in Hamburg! 

George thought the same, adding: - If it wasn't for Hamburg, we'd probably still be playing at Litherland Town Hall for peanuts!

 

In the summer of 1966, after three and a half years, the Beatles travelled to Germany again. With a welcome at Munich airport their new world tour began. They played on June 24 at the Circus Krone Bau in Munich and a day later at the Grugahalle in Essen.

After the performance in Essen they travelled to their beloved Hamburg, where they were given a royal welcome. They arrived aboard a luxury train, which had been used to welcome Queen Elizabeth II on her trip during her state visit the previous year.

Once all-night club entertainers they now played two 30-minute shows in the 5,600-seat Ernst Mercke Hall. After the first performance they were welcomed backstage by old friends - Astrid Kirchherr, Bettina Derlien and Bert Kaempfert. At the end of the second performance they slipped through a side exit and left after midnight, where else but towards the Reeperbahn.

They walked along this 930 metre street called the sexy kilometre, then continued a nostalgic midnight stroll through the surrounding streets, visited the venues where they played, the clubs and restaurants Mambo Schankey, Mehrer, Gretel & Alfons, Roxy Bar and the obscure Bar Monika - the most famous gathering place for transvestites. They recalled the happy and sad times of the never-sleeping St. Pauli, on the streets that, thanks to their fame, have become world-famous. They looked once more at the place where the neon galaxy shone more than confidentially in the summer night, before dawn.

From Hamburg they flew to London the next day and boarded a plane to Tokyo.

Life took the boys who had achieved their first international successes in Hamburg to the other side of the world.

Their long and winding road, crowned with glory, continued.

blazo_guzina (blazoguzina.yolasite.com)