1962 Star Club Hamburg tapes auctioned

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On this day, the tapes of some Beatles’ performance at the Star Club in Hamburg, recorded in December 1962, were auctioned. The estimate price was £100,000 – £150,000, but the highest bid was only £50,000.

From The Original Historic Lost 1962 Star Club Hamburg Tapes – Apr 01, 2015 | Ted Owen & Co. LTD in United Kingdom (liveauctioneers.com):

The Historic Lost 1962 Star Club Hamburg Original Master Tapes

The year was 1962, the place Hamburg, Germany. Ted “Kingsize” Taylor and the Dominoes were in town for a three-night stand at the Star-Club. Taylor had asked for a recording of the gig, and someone at the club obliged with a simple one-microphone setup plugged into a mono tape recorder (offered above). The machine ran continuously, capturing Taylor’s performances and those of two lesser-known acts also on the bill: Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers and an up-and-coming quartet from Liverpool that called itself the Beatles.

The complete set of original un-edited mono Master recording tapes and the subsequent re-mixed and remastered tapes that became Beatles Live at the Star Club lp.

Comprising-
The Original unedited mono Master 7″ safety reels.
The Original First Generation Master(s) for the double album LP.
A set of two 10½ reels USA version 15 ips DBX sides (C&D), (A&B).
The Original Studio Masters used for the matrix and subsequently the pressing of the Hamburg, Star-Club double album.
The complete DBX work reels, both edited and unedited consisting of 1 x 10½ reel 15 ips 2 TR (mono) DBX edited, 1 x 10½ reel 15 ips Mono DBX master, 1 x 10½ reel 15 ips Mono DBX safety and 1 x ½ reel ¼ tr. Unedited mono work reels (1&4), (2&3) and All in plain white / black ink marked cartons.

The Master tapes are being sold with a written hard backed history of the origin and ownership title of the tapes comprising the history of the original release and the intervention of Apple and the offers made to Yoko Ono. Described as the crossroads of the Beatles rise to fame. The tapes provides a crucial glimpse into the Beatles development. In a very short time, they would play to massive audiences, and would rely much less on the early rock and R&B covers that dominated their earlier set lists. Lennon and Harrison would later assert that their best days as a live band were in their Liverpool and Hamburg days, and these recordings document that time period, flaws and all.

Last updated on May 19, 2021