BEATLES – LIVE AT THE STAR CLUB: DEFINITIVE EDITION (2 CD)

Description

Live at the Star Club, Hamburg, Germany December 18th-31st 1962
★UPGRADE!!!

　Not only has the definitive Star Club recording, “LIVE AT THE STAR CLUB (THE EXECUTIVE VERSION),” a masterpiece capturing the excitement of The Beatles’ Hamburg days, long since sold out, but the original file, “MAGNETOPHON BAND” by Lord Reith, was made nearly 10 years ago. It was also made using early demixing techniques.

　Lord Reith himself is well aware of this, and it seems that creating a new Star Club using Demyx, a technology that is far more advanced than it was back then, has been his goal for some time. After much trial and error, he released a new file called “SEVENTEEN (First Edition)” at the end of last year.

　At the time of “MAGNETOPHON BAND” in 2017, the limit was still to create a sense of stereo and clarity, but nowadays, demixing is taken for granted as a tool that clarifies the contours of sound. There is no doubt that the Star Club, recorded in a completely different environment from the official live recording, is the Beatles’ live recording that is best suited to utilizing this technology.

　So, unlike previous attempts at Star Club, Lord Reith has focused on highlighting the distant vocals that were present in many songs, and the results are stunning. “I Saw Here Standing There,” recorded twice on the Star Club recordings, is particularly striking in its balanced, deep vocals, but here it’s reborn with a clearer definition and a much easier listening experience. His naming of this file “SEVENTEEN,” the original title of the song, likely highlights the track’s accomplishments.

　Other Star Club tracks like “Red Hot,” “Where Have You Been All My Life?” and “Little Queenie” have deep, well-defined performances and vocals, but they’re all clearly audible, as you’d expect from Lord Reith. The difference is clear when compared to the previous release, “LIVE AT THE STAR CLUB (THE EXECUTIVE VERSION).”

　There’s also less hiss on the second disc, which has many parts where the sound quality is worse than on the first. It’s clear when you compare it to the previous disc, but the hiss was more harsh than natural, so this is a clear improvement in listenability. Meanwhile, the noise on the opening track of the second disc, “Road Runner (soundcheck),” has been an issue for some time, and the reduction in hiss here has made it better.

　The re-release of “LIVE AT THE STAR CLUB (THE EXECUTIVE VERSION)” was already eagerly awaited, but the finished product is nothing short of stunning. The dilemma of the Star Club, which is essentially a “1962 audience recording,” in terms of the sense of distance between the vocals and the performance, has been alleviated, and the recording is now presented in an exquisite state that is by no means unnatural. It’s hard not to feel like a different era from the days of LPs.

　Lord Reith has revamped Star Club, a highly sought-after recording of The Beatles’ final Hamburg tour, in a comprehensive format. This release deserves to be called the definitive record of The Beatles’ stage performance, featuring freewheeling cover songs yet retaining their raw energy.

Disc 1(74:44)
*Set One
01. Be-Bob-A-Lula (Fred Fascher on vocals)
02. I Saw Here Standing There
03. Hallelujah I Love Her So (Horst Fascher on vocals)
04. Red Hot

*Set Two
05. Shelia
06. Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey
07. Shimmy Like Kate
08. Reminiscing
09. Red Sails In The Sunset
10. Sweet Little Sixteen
11. Roll Over Beethoven
12. A Taste Of Honey

*Set Three
13. Nothin’ Shakin’ (But The Leaves On The Trees)
14. I Saw Her Standing There
15. To Know Her Is To Love Her
16. Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby
17. Till There Was You
18. Where Have You Been All My Life?
19. Lend Me Your Comb
20. Your Feet’s Too Big
21. I’m Talking About You
22. A Taste Of Honey

*Set Four
23. Matchbox
24. Little Queenie
25. Roll Over Beethoven

Disc 2(53:26)
*Unknown Sections
01. Road Runner (soundcheck)
02. The Hippy Hippy Shake
03. A Taste Of Honey (with Tony Sheridan)
04. I Remember You
05. Ask Me Why
06. Besame Mucho
07. Mr. Moonlight
08. Falling In Love Again
09. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You)
10. Long Tall Sally
11. I’m Talking About You
12. Twist And Shout

Other Artists
*Carol Elvyn And The Star Club Combo
13. Big River

*Kingsize Taylor And The Dominoes
14. Money (That’s What I Want)
15. Sparking Brown Eyes
16. Lovesick Blues
17. First Taste Of Love
18. Dizzy Miss Lizzy
19. Do You Believe
20. Ooh Pooh Pah Doo
21. Twist And Shout

*Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers
22. Hully Gully

*Johnny & The Hurricanes
23. Red River Rock