Munich • Friday, June 24, 1966 • 9pm show
- Country:
- Germany
- City:
- Munich
- Location:
- Circus Krone Building
About
The Beatles had flown from London to Munich the previous day, held a press conference and rehearsed. On this day, they played the two first concerts of their German tour. The first concert was at 5:15 pm and the second at 9 pm. Also appearing on the bill were Cliff Bennett and The Rebel Rousers, The Rattles, and Peter and Gordon.
From Wikipedia:
[…] The first shows were held at Munich’s 3500-seat Circus-Krone-Bau at 5.15 and 9 pm on 24 June. The Beatles wore matching dark green suits with silk lapels, designed by the new Chelsea boutique Hung On You. The 9 pm show was filmed by the West German ZDF network and first broadcast locally, in edited form, on 5 July. The Beatles held a rare backstage rehearsal in advance of the concert. According to musicologist Walter Everett, the Munich concert film shows the Beatles generally playing poorly amid the noise created by their fans, and humorously attempting to remember the lyrics to the final song, “I’m Down“. Author Steve Turner writes that the tour was marked by average-quality performances masked by riotous screaming, and that for the first time, the hysterical crowds were subjected to violent treatment and beatings by the host nation’s police force. […]
This second concert and parts of the opening acts were filmed by the West German television network ZDF and followed a brief afternoon rehearsal set for the cameras. The footage was broadcast as a TV special named “Die Beatles” on ZDF Channel Two on July 4, from 8 to 8:45 pm (while the TV special lasted 43 minutes, the Beatles segment only lasted 15 minutes).
A full rendition of “Nowhere Man” from this concert was included in the DVD issue of the “The Beatles Anthology”.
When The Beatles arrived in Munich the previous day, they spent time brainstorming about the title for their new LP. According to author Barry Miles, on this day, after the concert, they settled on “Revolver“.
With each new album, the Beatles further consolidated their control over their output, at least in Britain. They had a big say in which tracks to release as singles, had effective approval over cover art and now took to naming their own albums, usually using a play on words: Rubber Soul was a reference to rubber-soled shoes as well as soul music, whereas Revolver did not mean a gun, but something that revolves, like a record. Johnny Dean, editor of Beatles Monthly, was with them on the night of 24 June 1966 in a Munich hotel room when they named the latter. At first they had all four wanted to call it Abracadabra, but someone had already used it. Pendulums and Fat Man and Bobby were other ideas. Ringo suggested having a joke with the Rolling Stones by calling it After Geography since the Stones had just done Aftermath! John proposed Beatles on Safari and Paul came up with Magic Circle. John changed this to Four Sides of the Circle and Four Sides of the Eternal Triangle, which somehow led them to Revolver.
From “Many Years From Now” by Barry Miles, 1997
But my strongest memory of the visit to Germany is not of theconcerts or the reunions, but of hearing my favourite Beatles album for the first time and helping to come up with a title for it. Sitting in a circle with the four boys I first heard the completed album on George’s tape recorder in the Bayerischer Hof Hotel, Munich, and immediately decided that this was the Fab Four’s most attractive collection to date. Nothing I heard in later years, even Sgt Pepper, made me change my mind. […] As for finding an album title to fit this lot, we went round in circles, from Magic Circle and Four Sides To The Circle to Paul’s suggestion, Pendulum, and Ringo’s frivolous one, After Geography, his cryptic nod to The Stones’ Aftermath, before the group agreed unanimously to call it Revolver.
Tony Barrow – From “John, Paul, George, Ringo & me: the real Beatles story“, 2006
I joined John, Paul and Ringo (George was a late riser) in their suite in the midst of a discussion about the title for their next LP. “We’ve had all sorts of ideas during this trip — “Magic Circles”, “Beatles On Safari” and “Revolver” — that’s the one John likes best,” Paul told me.
Chris Hutchins – Reporter for New Musical Expres – From New Musical Express, July 1, 1966
We suddenly thought, ‘Hey, what does a record do? It revolves. Great!’. You know – and so it was a Revolver.
Paul McCartney – From The Beatles
Well, it just came about because we all sat round trying to think of a name and Paul thought of Revolver, and we hadn’t thought of anything better, so, we called it Revolver. And also, if you want to be clever, it also means revolving, because the record goes round.
Ringo Starr – From “The Beatles: Off the Record” by Keith Badman, 2008
In the August 1966 issue of The Beatles Monthly Book, it is mentioned that the Beatles were still grappling with potential names for their upcoming album following their concerts in Essen. While touring in Japan, they continued to brainstorm ideas, eventually settling on “Revolver.” Their decision was sent to EMI via a telegram sent on July 2nd.
In The Beatles Monthly Book, dated August 1966, it is explained The Beatles were still thinking about names for the new album after their concerts in Essen. While in Japan, they continued brainstorming, before settling on “Revolver” and confirming this by sending a telegram to EMI on July 2.
The following day, June 25, The Beatles left Munich and travelled to Essen by train.
[…] At the end of the second show, John. Paul, George and Ringo hurled themselves down the steps at the rear of the stage, leaped into the cars and shot off back to the hotel before most of the fans had had time to leave the circus hall.
And in the rooms, it was party time, in spite of the fact that they had to be up at 6.30 am to catch the special train taking them along the Rhine route to their second date — at Essen’s huge Grugehalle, set in beautiful gardens outside the city.
They made the train all right. Although Brian Epstein had to leap on while it was moving. After all, it was hired for the occasion so it had to wait for them — even though they were half-an-hour late. They burst through a side door at the station, leapt aboard and John Lennon raced up to the British musical writers and said “I’m glad y’here, I thought I was on the wrong train. See you later” […]
From Melody Maker – July 2, 1966
[…] There was no doubt about it, the Beatles were as fantastic as ever, and their second performance was an even greater success — it was one of the most exciting shows I’ve ever seen the boys give, and they were all very happy and elated when they returned to their hotel to talk the night away. […]
From The Beatles Monthly Book – August 1966
On this day, June 24, 1966, while The Beatles were busy touring Germany, their counterparts, The Rolling Stones, were making waves across the Atlantic in New York City. The Stones were joined by a small group of journalists for a press conference aboard their manager Allen Klein’s yacht, which was anchored in the Hudson River.
Among the fourteen members of the press were two women, one of whom was Linda Eastman, a young photographer who would later become the wife of Paul McCartney. “My big break was in June 1966 with The Rolling Stone,” explained Linda in her book “Sixties – Portrait Of An Era“.
Paul would meet Linda for the first time on May 15, 1967.
Last updated on October 24, 2023