Various Artists - The Hamburg Repertoire - The Origin

Facts The original classic recordings of songs performed by The Beatles onstage in Hamburg. 2 CD set, 67 tracks with a 36-page booklet. By far the best pop group of all time, and in the vanguard of the sixties sexual revolution, The Beatles served an extraordinary apprenticeship in the blue collar bars and rock 'n' roll clubs of Hamburg's St Pauli district. There, before an audience of local gangsters and prostitutes, drunken sailors and rockers spoiling for a fight, over 800 hours onstage, they honed their presentational skills and evolved their image; at once fostering the humour and pioneering musical spirit that would be cornerstones of their future success. The Hamburg repertoire was necessarily vast and varied and the "Beatles' Sound" evolved from it. The demands imposed on the group encouraged an eclecticism that - it may be argued - would reach full expression with 'Rubber Soul' and 'Revolver'. This panorama of influences involved naked first generation rock 'n' roll, rhythm and blues, soul, rockabilly, country & western, show tunes, film themes and the era's perfect pop craftsmanship - which Lennon and McCartney would look to emulate - Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, Goffin and King.