On this day in 1962 the beatles started a 2 week run at the Star Club in Hamburg.

By This time Ringo had replaced Pete Best after he left Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.  It was on this trip that the Beatles found out that btheir original bass player Stuart Sutcliffe had died of an aneurysm.  He had been suffering from headaches and a sensitivity to light for some time but his condition had never been diagnosed and treated.

Sutcliffe had left the band the previous time that they had been in Hamburg to pursue a career in art and to stay with his german girlfriend  Astrid Kirchherr.  It was Surtcliffe’s departure that prompted McCartney to pick up the bass, and so become the most famous bass player in the world, though certainly not the best (my vote goes to Mike Watt I love his Ball-Hog or Tugboat album – but then what do I know?)

By the time they arrived in Hamburg their reputation was growing.  It was of this time that Lennon was commenting when he later said that The Beatles were once the best rock group in the world.  The set included “I saw Her Standing There” (which appeared on their debut album),  “Hippy Hippy Shake (written by Chan Romero in 1959 and a hit for the Swinging Blue Leans a year later) as well as Roll Over Neethoven, Sweet Little Sixteen, Red Sails in the Sunset (!) and “You Feet’s Too Big” (made famous by the great Fats Waller).

There is no doubt that The Beatle learnt their trade (like the majority of great bands) when playing live over a period of time.  These days most people just want to be famous………………………….