1962, December

Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany

The Beatles grudgingly left England and their chart record, radio, TV and increasingly prestigious live bookings, for an undesirable 5th and final club trip to Hamburg, playing for 13 nights. Despite the increased fee of 750DM (67 pounds) per man, per week, all four Beatles could think about was getting back to capitalize on their success.

Their only night off was on Christmas Day, December 25th, and their final performance on New Year's Eve, were taped on amateur equipment and released for the first time in 1977 - against the Beatles' own wishes. Though extremely low-fidelity, they are fascinating recordings, and have been reissued extensively.

The Beatles' final 42 hours on the Star-Club stage brought the group's grueling Hamburg experience to a total of approximately 800 hours. Quite how valuable the work tied up in this remarkable statistic was to prove was, at this point, beyond comprehension. The Beatles had served their apprenticeship, and served it the hard way. They were now ready to take on whatever the world could throw at them.

Studio Four, Granada TV Center, Manchester

The Beatles 3rd appearance on the Granada television program, "People & Places", transmitted live this time between 6:35 and 7:00 pm.

They peformed 2 numbers, "Love Me Do" and "Twist and Shout", as rehearsed from 3:00 to 4:00 pm and again from 4:15 to 6:00.

Night: Cavern Club, Liverpool

Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead

Two entirely separate engagements in one night. During the evening, the Beatles performed a standard Majestic booking. Then, at midnight, the first ever Mersey Beat poll awards show (for 1962) began. As winners of the poll, the Beatles closed the show at 4:00 pm and were also presented with a beautiful plaque.

The poll runners-up, on stage immediately prior to the Beatles, were Lee Curtis and the All-Stars, so there was another encounter with Pete Best.

Music Hall, The Square, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

A major booking with promoter Lewis Buckley. Most top acts of the day played here.

Another southern engagement, arranged following the withdrawal of Joe Brown, originally advertised to appear.

LOVE ME DO, PARLOPHONE RECORDING

THE BEATLES ALSO ROBIN HALL AND JIMMIE MACGREGOR WITH SUPPORTING GROUP

CORN EXCANGE, BEDFORD

December 13, 8:00 to 11:30 pm Admission 3

Lunchtime: Cavern Club, Liverpool

Night: Cavern, Club, Liverpool

La Scala Ballroom, Runcorn

The Beatles' second Runcorn date, although - unlike the first - this was a NEMS presentation.

Lunchtime: Cavern Club, Liverpool

George Martin and his assistant, Judy Lockhart-Smith attended the performance, a year less four days after Decca's Mike Smith had done the same.

Oasis Club, Manchester

Lunchtime:Cavern Club, Liverpool

Nighttime: Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey

The Beatles headed a seven-group line-up at the Tower.

Club Django, Queen's Hotel, Promenade, Southport, Lancashire

As the name implies, Club Django was a jazz venue, but its management was too aware of the Beatles' escalating prominence to pass up an opportunity of booking the group.

Lunchtime: Cavern Club, Liverpool

Nighttime: Cavern Club, Liverpool

Studio Four, Wembley Studios, Wembley Park Drive, Wembley, Middlesex

The Beatles made their London-area television debut with this spot on the children's program Tuesday Rendezvous, transmitted by the the capital's weekday ITV Station, Associated-Rediffusion.

It was a live appearance, broadcast from the company's Wembley Studios, just along the road from the Empire Pool arena where the Beatles would perform in concert on four occasions, 1963-1966. The program went out from 5:00 to 5:55 pm, the Beatles miming to all of "Love Me Do" and 45 seconds of "PS I love You". They also took part in rehearsals, 1:30-5:00 pm.

Among the other acts appearing in this edition of the weekly series, co-hosted, as was Radio Luxembourg's The Friday Spectacular, by the lovely Muriel Young - were guitar virtuoso Bert Weedon, folk singer Wally Whyton (formerly a member of the Vipers Skiffle Group, produced by George Martin) and glove puppets Fred Barker and Ollie Beak.

TWW Television Centre, Bath Rd, Bristol, Somerset

Another ITV appearance, produced by TWW (Television Wales and the West) and seen only in that and other nearby regions.

The program was a weekly pop music show with the very 1960's (and aptly Welsh sounding) title Discs A Gogo, supposedly set - using the original meaning of the word - in "the gayest coffee bar in town". The Beatles appeared on it just this once, miming to "Love Me Do" from TWW Television Centre in this live 7:00-7:30 pm broadcast.

The Monday, July 26, 1965 edition of this series screened the promotional film for "Help!"

Embassy Cinema, Broadway, Peterborough, Northants

This fine piece of Eptstein opportunitism backfired disastrously when the Beatles bombed on this Frank Ifield package bill, and in both the "houses" too. The experience may have been good, but damage to the group's collective ego was extensive. About the only positive aspect of these Peterborough concerts was the Beatles' dressing-room discovery of theatrical make-up, showed to them by genial guitar-player Ted Taylor, leader of the much admired Ted Taylor Four. (The Beatles went on to teach the art of stage make-up to Mick Jagger who used it more liberally than ever before and whose own influence in this area has been widespread. Ted has a lot to answer for.) Ray McFall at the Cavern Club graciously waived his contracted Beatles engagement for this night.

(Victory) Memorial Hall, Northwich

and Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey

The Beatles were added to the New Brighton bill a day before the show in order to boost flagging ticket sales. It meant a hurried journey up from Northwich and a very late-night spot on stage.