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"Pete Best: The Beatles original drummer has been misrepresented over the years as a musical incompetent and social misfit in the Beatles tight-knit inner circle. the fact is however in all probability he was a better drummer than Ringo Starr. Pete of course is the percussionist on the historic sessions you will hear today so judge for yourself"
- Geoffrey Giuliano
Author of The Savage Young Beatles in Hamburg 1961:A Musical Biography
On "Savage Young Beatles in Hamburg 1961: A Musical Biography" listeners are brought into the world that has been dubbed `the Hamburg Szene' This was as Pete Best stresses in an interview the time of `Mach Shau', and as John Winston Lennon said it was the time before Brian `cleaned us up to sell us'.
Interviews also include how George Harrison explains how The Beatles as a group reached their peak in Hamburg. Harrison stresses this by saying "by that time we weren't famous, so the people who came to see us came for the music or whatever atmosphere we created." [This famous saying was used on the back to the inlay of the Sheridan/Beatles release `In The Beginning']
The recordings themselves apart from interviews and narration include three Beatles and Tony Sheridan collaborations one Beatles original and four other tracks by Sheridan backed by other musicians such as for example jimmy Doyle/Johnny Watson on drums Colin Melander on bass Rikki Barnes on Sax and Roy Young on keys.
Roy Young also joins the Beatles on the J.P Mccartney arranged Sweet Georgia Brown.
All recordings have a very direct and non-complex approach, and for me this is their strong point. The directly swinging Ya Ya [parts 1 and 2] is a stellar performance.
As the Beatles tracks are concerned it is there in the direct touch of the rhythm section of brisk, delicately put drum and easy going tag along bass. It is in how the guitar work comes through easily with stamina but without complication - The `Hamburg Szene' sound is clearly fascinating because this uncomplicated approach, these recordings continue to speak with a distinctive clarity. All recordings here succeed in bringing forth what is that right on touch of the `Hamburg Szene'
One of the interviews included features early Beatles associate Allan Williams speaks about how John was the leader of the group and how Paul was `jockeying for power', and I quote ` and it was Paul who got rid of Stuart Sutcliffe and also I think he got rid of Pete Best as well.'
Whatever the reason for splits and growing conflicts within the band was as time progressed, no one can deny that there was a clear change of approach for the group when Brian Epstein `cleaned them up' - as Lennon put it- and they started recording for George Martin and Parlophone/EMI [from June 1962] - and the break through on the POP scene that subsequently followed.
In Hamburg 1961 A Musical Biography shows a different - and less polished side of the group, the legendary Kaempfert Recordings capture the group with a direct enthusiasm, that makes them unique without making a fuss about it. This and also puts the Polydor recordings beyond compare to later recordings by this group. The recordings constitute a rare glimpse of triumph, albeit some parts of events covered in interviews with `crazy anecdotes' are rather bizarre.
On a different note:
Much has been said by Beatles historians about growing conflicts in the band as the Beatles geared for the clean cut pop transformation and aimed for stardom. Paul McCartney admits in an interview here that `the one he had problems with was Stuart'
Interestingly enough Geoffrey Guiliano in an interview notes that in the hundreds of interviews he conducted over the years on The Beatles he "couldn't find anyone one who would actually state that Pete Best couldn't cut it as the Fab's drummer - that is until now.'
It is noteworthy to mention that not even McCartney could admit Pete was a bad drummer.
Instead from Gulliamo we are given a snippet of an interview with Tony Mansfeild, drummer of the Dakotas who says referring to Pete: `He wasn't tasteful' and `I didn't think he did the job proper'.
Well, If you ask me personally I have an another way to see it other Mr. Mansfeild and it is how Pete has a special style that does not so much revolve around being all big around the kit but being really nifty on focusing on small details. It's a brisk happy go lucky playing style which I my self find most admirable, and it's also really effective on these recordings.
All this combined with the factors I stressed earlier bring together that special aura of these enthusiastic first recordings for this band. The significance of these recordings are being pondered early on by the Author in saying: `these sessions were an important milestone for the boys, no longer were they simply another scruffy rock band posing as professional - however rough and uneven the finished product may have been. The Beatles had finally made a record.'
The key in the likeability of this `Hamburg Szene' material lays in the pure here and now enthusiasm. Therefore these recordings are a fantastic treat, uplifting to listen to as they capture this group at a glance way before all the demands to fit in on the Pop Scene, came into being.
As for Tony Sheridan, he remains as solid as he ever was He obviously seems to be able to deliver straight on what ever the circumstances. All this can honestly be said even though the sound quality here is a bit crammed and in the rough, but there exists many different re-masters of these songs. The musical biography bases it's track list on the iconic 60's release `This is..... The Savage Young Beatles' that came out as a very recent reissue with both a vinyl and CD. 2011.
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Freidun Taravosh
As John Winston Lennon said: "it was the time before Brian `cleaned us up to sell us'".
Commenté aux États-Unis le 9 avril 2013
