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I don't know if many have seen this, but if not, then here it is. the 8-mm color film from The Top Ten Club in Hamburg in Spring 1961. actual footage is about three minutes long, but this is sadly only of 37 seconds long, anyway, enjoy:

dKTX8_-1ujc

[Bobber]

I am sorry but that is not from the Top Ten Club and not from Spring 1961. It is the footage from the Floral Hall. Some ideas here: http://dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1139926172/ and here: http://dmbeatles.com/forums/m-1127086338/

[NoNameR]

Wasn't the story that this was probably around Valentine's Day, judging by all the hearts?

Anyone any good at lip-reading?

[Bobber]

Wasn't the story that this was probably around Valentine's Day, judging by all the hearts?

Anyone any good at lip-reading?

The date was indeed set at February 1962. According to Mark Lewisohn's Chronicle the date was Tuesday 20 February 1962. Floral Hall, Southport.

[pc31]

i'll lay odds there is earlier some wheres......cheerio i got my map and i'm off.........

[NoNameR]

Aw, I played there about thirty years later, too!

The date was indeed set at February 1962. According to Mark Lewisohn's Chronicle the date was Tuesday 20 February 1962. Floral Hall, Southport.

[DaveRam]

They look very young , they still have a silver curtain like that in the social club near me (jumping)

[Bobber]

No sign of Pete tho.

[Joe]

Anyone want to guess which song they're performing in the footage? George can't have sung all that many at the time. Is there a list out there of his stage numbers from 1961?

[BlueMeanie]

Anyone want to guess which song they're performing in the footage? George can't have sung all that many at the time. Is there a list out there of his stage numbers from 1961?

Repeat, this is from Feb 1962. And George sang quite a bit in those days.

[Bobber]

Anyone want to guess which song they're performing in the footage? George can't have sung all that many at the time. Is there a list out there of his stage numbers from 1961?

As a matter of fact George sang quite a bit more than in the later days. Listen to the Decca Audition Tapes, a good month earlier than this footage. It looks as if the footage is made out of two snippets tho, one with George singing lead, another one with Paul

[BlueMeanie]

Apparently Pete Best thinks it's at St. Paul's Church Hall, Birkenhead on the 10th Feb. But his reasoning is that the hearts must mean it's Valentine's day soon. Personally I don't think they'd decorate 4 days early for Valentine's. Far more likely that it's on the 20th and they haven't taken them down yet.

[fendertele]

brilliant footage with macca doin his bouncing thing even then when he is playing bass

[walrusgumboot]

It is Definitely Not Southport...that's a proper theatre( where they backed Davy Jones), not  a "club" which is what this looks like  .

To be honest it could be anywhere...looks more like a " family" film than anything..perhaps someone got an 8mm for Christmas.

 WG

[Bobber]

I don't know if many have seen this, but if not, then here it is. the 8-mm color film from The Top Ten Club in Hamburg in Spring 1961. actual footage is about three minutes long, but this is sadly only of 37 seconds long, anyway, enjoy:

In the comments in the sideline it is said that there's rumours of a 3 minute footage with the Beatles at the Top Ten Club. You have probably mixed things up a little. I must say that I had never heard of this rumour before.

It is Definitely Not Southport...that's a proper theatre( where they backed Davy Jones), not  a "club" which is what this looks like  .

To be honest it could be anywhere...looks more like a " family" film than anything..perhaps someone got an 8mm for Christmas.

 WG

Interesting. I must check this but you could very well be right. Still the hearts are puzzling and pointing towards Valentine Day. The same comments as mentioned before place the footage at first between July 1961 (because of the guitars) and March 1962 (because of the leather suits). Back to there then?

No sign of Pete tho.

Pete is somewhere in the shadow, but this was definitely filmed in 1961. look, first of all look at their hairdo and clothes. The Beatles already signed the contract with (I don't remember, which) the music company in 1962. so you wanna say they still did those concerts in hamburg clubs in 1962, though they already had to record "please please me"?. that source is probably wrong.

this is from 1961 (btw George holds the same "gretsch gentleman (black)" as in the video, I dunno if George ever used a gretsch in 1962. Paul's also hold the same hofner and John holds the same "rickenbacker (brown)")


and this is from 1962:


see a difference?

[Bobber]

Pete is somewhere in the shadow, but this was definitely filmed in 1961. look, first of all look at their hairdo and clothes. The Beatles already signed the contract with (I don't remember, which) the music company in 1962. so you wanna say they still did those concerts in hamburg clubs in 1962, though they already had to record "please please me"?. that source is probably wrong.

this is from 1961 (btw George holds the same "gretsch gentleman (black)" as in the video, I dunno if George ever used gretsch in 1962. Paul's also hold the same hofner and John holds the same "rickenbacker (brown)")


and this is from 1962:


see a difference?

Sure I see the difference. But bear in mind that The Beatles did not look that the whole year! They didn't appear on stage in suits until March 1962. They played in Hamburg twice in 1962: in April/May (Top Ten if I'm correct) and in December of that year in the famous Star Club. So yes, they played in Hamburg even after recording Love Me Do and Please Please Me. The footage can be indeed of late 1961 or early 1962. I don't know why George should not use that guitar in 1962.

just for comparison

dKTX8_-1ujc

and this photo from 1961:


isn't this the same? absolutely the same guitars, clothes, hairdos etc

[Bobber]

dKTX8_-1ujc

and this photo from 1961:


isn't this the same? absolutely the same guitars, clothes, hairdos etc

And you're suggesting that because this picture is from 1961, the footage has to be as well? That's a bit short sighted if I may say so. The picture was taken after Brian Epstein took over, so probably somewhere in December 1961. I can research the exact date, but I'm sure it is somewhere around that time. Their looks didn't change massively until March 1962 when they started wearing suits on stage.

And you're suggesting that because this picture is from 1961, the footage has to be as well? That's a bit short sighted if I may say so. The picture was taken after Brian Epstein took over, so probably somewhere in December 1961. I can research the exact date, but I'm sure it is somewhere around that time. Their looks didn't change massively until March 1962 when they started wearing suits on stage.

well they weren't fashionable then, if they were with the same outfits even from 1961 till 1962, but I still don't believe that, that video was from 1962 (sorry), maybe the club wasn't really "top ten club" because I researched how that club was really looked like inside when The Beatles there performed, and yes, the club was very different than in this footage.