1962
January 1
The Beatles auditioned for Mike Smith, an A&R manager at Decca Records, at Decca's studios in Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, north London. They arrived in London after a ten-hour drive through stormy conditions on New Year's Eve with the group and roadie Aspinall squashed into a van with all their equipment. Tony Meehan, the former drummer for The Shadows, had joined Decca as a producer the year before and was present in the control room, and the group were impressed to meet him. The Beatles were nervous and Mike Smith was late after an all-night party. When Smith saw the state of their amps he insisted that they use the unfamiliar studio equipment.
The group recorded 15 songs chosen by Brian Epstein. They got started at 11am and finished about an hour later. They recorded a mixture of oldies, some of their own compositions and a selection of recent chart hits, intending to show all sides of their ability, from rock'n'roll to ballad standards: 'Like Dreamers Do' (Lennon/McCartney), 'Money (That's What I Want)', 'Till There Was You', 'The Sheik Of Araby', 'To Know Her Is To Love Her', 'Take Good Care Of My Baby', 'Memphis, Tennessee', 'Sure To Fall (In Love With You)', 'Hello Little Girl' (Lennon/McCartney), 'Three Cool Cats', 'Crying, Waiting, Hoping', 'Love Of The Loved' (Lennon/McCartney), 'September In The Rain', 'Besame Mucho' and 'Searchin'.
Smith said he would let Epstein know and hurried them out of the studio because he was running late and had another appointment to see Brian Poole & The Tremeloes. He had been enthusiastic about their performance, and the group left feeling optimistic. The Beatles and Brian Epstein stayed at the Royal Hotel (27 shillings a night plus breakfast) and celebrated with rum and scotch-and-cokes.
Mike Smith cut a number of acetates for his boss Dick Rowe, the head of "Pop" A&R at Decca, to hear when he returned from America. He singled out the Lennon & McCartney songs 'Hello Little Girl' and 'Like Dreamers Do' as the most interesting items on the tape. But Rowe turned the group down, famously telling Brian Epstein:
"Groups of guitars are on the way out, Mr Epstein. You really should stick to selling records in Liverpool." Electric guitars, he told him, were now "old hat". He became known as "The man who turned down The Beatles" but quickly made up for it by signing The Rolling Stones to Decca - on George Harrison's advice.
January 3
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with Johnny Sandon & The Searchers and Kingsize Taylor & The Dominoes.
January 4
A poll of 5,000 readers of Mersey Beat magazine to find Liverpool's most popular group showed The Beatles at number one with Gerry & The Pacemakers in second place. "Beatles Top Poll!" screamed the front cover headline, over a moody photograph of the four Beatles in their leather jackets.
Mersey Beat also included a belated report on their Paris trip, written by John and Paul.
January 5
The Cavern (lunchtime).
The single 'My Bonnie'/'The Saints' was released in the UK as Polydor NH 66833 by Tony Sheridan and The (now-correctly-named) Beatles: an Epstein promotional plan which meant that "Polydor Recording Artists" could now be added to posters and advertisements even though there was little chance of the record getting into the charts.
January 6
The Cavern (evening) with The Collegians Jazz Band.
January 7
Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.
January 9
The Cavern (lunchtime).
January 10
The Cavern (evening) with Gerry & The Pacemakers.
January 11
The Cavern (lunchtime).
January 12
The Cavern (evening) with The Mike Gotten Jazzmen.
Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey, with Mel (King of Twist) Turner & The Bandits, Rory Storm & The Hurricanes, The Strangers. When Screaming Lord Sutch & His Horde of Savages didn't arrive, The Beatles took over the 11.30 headline spot.
January 13
Hambleton Hall, Huyton. This was their last performance at this venue.
January 14
Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.
January 15
The Cavern (lunchtime).
January 17
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with Ian & The Zodiacs and The Remo Four.
January 19
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey.
January 20
The Cavern (evening) with The Yorkshire Jazz Band.
January 21
Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.
January 22
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Kingsway Club, Southport.
This was the first of The Cavern's five experimental one-hour lunchtime sessions (instead of two hours). Admission was one shilling (five pence).
Brian Epstein signed a deal with Manfred Weissleder, the proprietor of the soon to be opened Star-Club in Hamburg, for The Beatles to help launch the venue. They were initially booked from April 13th to May 31st, at a fee of 500DM per musician per week.
January 24
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with The Four Jays and Gerry & The Pacemakers.
That afternoon The Beatles finally signed a management contract with Brian Epstein, witnessed by his assistant Alistair Taylor, at Brian's NEMS office. He was to receive 25 per cent of their gross earnings. The four Beatles divided what was left after their expenses had been deducted. This meant that Brian always received more money than any individual Beatle and, when their expenses became enormous, he received considerably more. The normal management percentage in those days was ten per cent.
The four of them wrote their signatures over four of the five sixpenny stamps attached to the document as was required in those days to make it legally binding. Then Brian announced that he was not going to sign, saying that he did not want The Beatles to feel tied to him in any way. Alistair Taylor was asked to witness his non-signing. Since Brian's original agreement with the band was that he would get them a recording contract, which he had not yet done, his decision not to sign was not that surprising.
January 26
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with The Yorkshire Jazz Band, and Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey.
January 27
Aintree Institute, Liverpool.
This was the last time that the group played for promoter Brian "Beekay" Kelly. Brian Epstein was insulted when Kelly paid the group their ?15 fee in loose change and ensured they never worked for him again.
The Liverpool Echo published an account of the group's audition with Decca written by Tony Barrow who was later to become their publicist.
January 28
Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.
January 29
Kingsway Club, Southport.
January 30
The Cavern (lunchtime).
January 31
The Cavern (evening) with The Remo Four and Kingsize Taylor & The Dominoes.
February 1
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Thistle Cafe, West Kirby, with Steve Day & The Drifters.
Billed as "The Grand Opening of The Beatle Club", this was the first booking where Brian Epstein took a commission. (The Beatles never played there again.)
February 2
Oasis Club, Manchester, with The Allan Dent Jazz Band and Tony Smith's Jazzmen. This was their first professionally organised gig outside Liverpool.
February 3
The Cavern (evening) with The Saints Jazz Band and Gerry & The Pacemakers.
February 4
Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.
February 5
The Cavern (lunchtime) and The Kingsway Club, Southport, with The Quiet Ones.
Pete Best was ill and couldn't make these two gigs. Since Rory Storm & The Hurricanes had no bookings this day, Ringo Starr stood in as The Beatles' drummer for both performances.
February 7
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with Dale Roberts & The Jaywalkers and Gerry & The Pacemakers.
February 8
Brian Epstein had the Decca audition tape made into 78rpm acetates at EMI's His Master's Voice record shop at 363 Oxford Street, London, which was managed by a friend of his called Bob Boast. Jim Foy, the disc-cutter who worked on the first floor, over the shop, was impressed by their performance, and when Brian told him that John and Paul wrote some of their own material, he suggested that Brian should meet Sid Coleman, the head of EMI's record publishing company, Ardmore & Beechwood, whose offices were on the top floor. Coleman eventually published two of John and Paul's songs, 'Love Me Do' and 'P.S. I Love You', which are now owned by Paul McCartney, the only Beatles songs in the MPL (McCartney Productions Ltd) catalogue. It was Sid Coleman who sent Brian to see George Martin, head of A&R at another of EMI's companies, Parlophone Records.
February 9
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with Gerry & The Pacemakers and The Collegians Jazz Band, and Technical College Hall, Birkenhead. This was the first of three consecutive Friday night sessions at the Tech.
February 10
Youth Club, St. Paul's Presbyterian Church Hall, Tranmere, Birkenhead.
February 11
Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.
February 12
The Beatles were auditioned by Peter Pilbeam, who produced BBC Radio programmes for teenage audiences made in the north of England. The Beatles did two numbers with Paul on vocals: 'Like Dreamers Do', which was his own composition, and Peggy Lee's 'Till There Was You'; and two with John singing: his own 'Hello Little Girl' and Chuck Berry's 'Memphis, Tennessee'. Pilbeam's notes read "Yes" for John and "No" for Paul. He concluded: "An unusual group, not as rocky as most, more C&W with a tendency to play music." He booked them to record a session for Teenagers' Turn on March 7. It was their first radio broadcast.
February 13
The Cavern (lunchtime).
February 14
The Cavern (evening), with Johnny Sandon & The Searchers and The Strangers.
February 15
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey, with Terry Lightfoot and his New Orleans Jazz Band. Billed as the "Pre-Panto Ball" as there was to be a "Panto Ball" at the Tower the next night. Between them they drew a large audience of 3,500 people.
February 16
Technical College, Birkenhead, and Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey.
February 17
The Cavern (evening) with Cyril Preston's Excelsior Jazz Band and The Zenith Six Jazz Band.
February 18
Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.
February 19
The Cavern (lunchtime).
February 20
Floral Hall, Southport, with Gerry & The Pacemakers, Rory Storm & The Hurricanes and The Chris Hamilton Jazzmen.
"A Rock 'n' Trad Spectacular" and their biggest venue booked by Brian Epstein to date. A contract was sent by BBC Manchester for The Beatles to record the Teenager's Turn radio show on March 7.
Brian Epstein wrote to Bert Kaempfert in Hamburg asking him to release The Beatles from their recording contract of May 1961.
February 21
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with Ken Dallas & The Silhouettes and Steve Day & The Drifters.
February 23
The Cavern (lunchtime), Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey (sets at 9 and 10.45pm) and Technical College, Birkenhead.
The group just had time between sets at the Tower to squeeze in a half-hour appearance at Birkenhead.
February 24
YMCAWirral and The Cavern.
The YMCA audience were bored by the group's long introductions between songs and booed them off the stage.
The Cavern show was an all-night session which also featured The Red River Jazzmen, Tony Smith's Jazz Band, Ken Sim's Jazz Band, Gerry & The Pacemakers and Ken Dallas & The Silhouettes.
February 26
Kingsway Club, Southport.
February 27
The Cavern (lunchtime).
February 28
The Cavern (evening) with Gerry & The Pacemakers and The Searchers.
March 1
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Storyville Jazz Club, Liverpool.
March 2
St John's Hall, Bootle and Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey, with Johnny Sandon's Searchers and The Tenabeats. Billed as the "Mad March Rock Ball".
March 3
The Cavern (evening) with Jim McHarg's Storeyville Jazzmen.
Replying to Brian Epstein's request, Bert Kaempfert agreed to release the group from their May 1961 recording contract but asked that they agree to record for Polydor during their spring engagement in Hamburg.
March 4
Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.
March 5
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Kingsway Club, Southport.
March 6
The Cavern (evening) with Gerry & The Pacemakers on the Blue Genes Guest Night.
March 7
The group drove to the Playhouse Theatre in Manchester to record their set for the BBC Light Programme show Teenagers' Turn - Here We Go. They did three numbers, all covers of American hits, before a teenage audience: Roy Orbison's 'Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)', Chuck Berry's 'Memphis, Tennessee' and the Marvelettes' 'Please Mister Postman'.
March 8
Storyville Jazz Club.
The BBC Light Programme broadcast The Beatles' appearance on Teenagers' Turn -Here We Go.
March 9
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with The Saints Jazz Band.
March 10
St Paul's Presbyterian Church Youth Club, Church Hall, Tranmere, Birkenhead. Also on the bill were The Country Four with Brian Newman.
March 11
Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.
March 12
The Cavern (lunchtime).
March 13
The Cavern (lunchtime).
March 14
The Cavern (evening) with Gerry & The Pacemakers and Clay Ellis & The Raiders.
March 15
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Storyville Jazz Club, Liverpool.
March 16
The Cavern (evening) with The Collegians Jazz Band.
March 17
Village Hall, Knotty Ash.
A "St Patrick's Night Rock Gala" which also featured Rory Storm & The Hurricanes. Afterwards the promoter, Sam Leach, held a memorable party to celebrate his engagement to be married, which did not end until the following afternoon.
March 18
Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.
March 19
Kingsway Club, Southport.
March 20
The Cavern (evening) with The Remo Four, The Zodiacs and Johnny Sandon on a Blue Genes Guest Night.
March 21
The Cavern (lunchtime).
March 22
The Cavern (evening) with Peppy & The New York Twisters.
Mersey Beats gossip column, 'Mersey Roundabout', hinted that Ringo Starr might soon be leaving Rory Storm & The Hurricanes to join another Merseyside group, Derry & The Seniors. Also mentioned in the same column was the fact that John Lennon and Paul McCartney had now written more than 70 original songs.
March 23
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with Pete Hartigan's Jazzmen and Gerry & The Pacemakers.
March 24
Heswall Jazz Club, Barnston Women's Institute, Heswall, Wirral, with The Pasadena Jazzmen.
For the first time, The Beatles wore suits as stage costumes for this prestigious event.
March 25
Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.
March 26
The Cavern (lunchtime).
March 27
Brian Epstein officially informed Bert Kaempfert that he was giving notice of The Beatles' wish to withdraw from their contract with the German producer when it expired on June 30th.
March 28
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with Gerry & The Pacemakers and The Remo Four with Johnny Sandon.
March 29
Odd Spot Club, Liverpool, with The Merseybeats.
March 30
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with The Dallas Jazz Band.
March 31
Subscription Rooms, Stroud in Gloucestershire with The Rebel Rousers.
Punters warned: "At the request of the Council - No Teddy Boys and Ladies please do not wear stiletto heels."
April
The Lennon & Harrison instrumental composition 'Cry For A Shadow' appeared on record for the first time anywhere in the world, as part of the Mister-Twist EP issued by Polydor in France (no. 21914). Ironically, the record credited Tony Sheridan as the artist, without any mention of The Beatles or, indeed, The Beat Brothers. It is unlikely that The Beatles were ever informed of this release.
April 1
Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.
April 2
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Liverpool Pavilion with "Ireland's Pride", the Royal Show Band from Waterford. The Beatles were billed as "Mersey side's Joy".
April 4
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with The Searchers and Earl Preston & The TTs.
April 5
The Cavern (evening).
Presented by The Beatles' Fan Club, called "The Beatles for their Fans, or an Evening with John, Paul, George and Pete". The compere was Bob Wooler, and The Four Jays were also on the bill. Ticket holders received a free photograph of the group. The Beatles played the first half in their old Hamburg black leathers before changing into their new Epstein suits and ties for the second half.
April 6
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey.
The Beatles (spelled "Beetles" on the poster) played support to Emile Ford & The Checkmates. Also on the bill were Gerry & The Pacemakers, Howey Casey & The Seniors, Rory Storm & The Hurricanes, The Big Three and The Original King Twisters. All for six shillings.
April 7
The Cavern (evening) with The Saints Jazz Band and Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.
The Cavern show was advertised as "The Beatles Farewell Show" before they left for Hamburg. George was ill and couldn't play these two gigs.
April 10
Stuart Sutcliffe, who had remained in Hamburg, was rushed to hospital with a brain haemorrhage, but died in the ambulance. He was 22.
April 11
The Beatles, except George, flew to Hamburg from Ringway Airport, Manchester. They were greeted on arrival by Stuart Sutcliffe's distraught girlfriend, Astrid Kirchherr, who managed to stammer her tragic news. To her surprise, John exhibited no outward emotion at all - though she later credited John as having "saved" her from her grief, by insisting that she come out to see The Beatles perform every evening rather than maintaining a lonely vigil in her room.
April 13-30
Star-Club, Grosse-Freiheit, Hamburg.
The Beatles played a seven-week season at the Star-Club ending on May 31, with only one day off: April 20, when the club closed for Good Friday. For the first two weeks they were on the same bill as Gene Vincent.
Mersey Beat described the club: "There are two bars, a refreshment counter and a small 'twistin' base' situated in the balcony. Over the ground floor and beneath the balcony a suspended trellis ceiling has been slung from which hang attractive lanterns which give the club an exciting and intimate atmosphere."
The same report hinted at potentially exciting developments in The Beatles' career:
"In the first night audience was a television producer, who was most impressed with the boys, and arrangements are being made for them to appear on German television. Several members of the press were there, and it is understood that a photograph and report of The Beatles has been published in the leading German National Newspaper Bilt."
April 23
The single 'My Bonnie'/'The Saints' was released in the US as Decca 31382, by Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers. The release wasn't considered prestigious enough for The Beatles themselves to be informed.
May 1-31
Star-Club, Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg.
May8
In London on one of his regular missions to secure The Beatles a recording deal, Brian Epstein used his status as manager of an important Liverpool music store to win a meeting with Sid Coleman, a director of EMI's music publishing division, Ardmore & Beechwood. He was impressed by the acetate of the group's Decca audition, and put them in touch with a friend at Parlophone Records.
May 9
George Martin met with Brian Epstein at Abbey Road at the suggestion of Sid Coleman. On the strength of the Decca audition tapes, Martin offered Brian a provisional recording contract before he had even seen the group play. The paperwork was processed and Brian's signature added. All that remained was for George to audition the group at Abbey Road, and if he liked them, EMI's official signature could be added and the contract would be legally binding. A date was set of June 6 for The Beatles to make their first visit to Abbey Road. Brian sent a telegram to The Beatles in Hamburg which read, "Congratulations boys. EMI request recording session. Please rehearse new material." A second telegram was addressed to Mersey Beat editor Bill Harry in Liverpool.
GEORGE MARTIN
Born in 1926, George Martin, who would become The Beaties' producer and a key factor in their success and musical development, had joined EMI in 1950 as assistant to Oscar Preuss, the head ofA&R. A trained musician, he had attended the London Guildhall and was proficient on the piano and oboe.
In 1954 Martin became the head of A&R at Parlophone, EMI's downmarket label which released comic dialogue records and novelty items such as the 1962 hit 'Stop, You're Driving Me Crazy' by The Temperence Seven. Most pop hits, such as those by Cliff Richard and The Shadows, appeared on EMI's more upmarket Columbia label.
Fortunately for The Beatles, George Martin, although conservative by nature, had an open mind and was constantly on the lockout for something new and original. He was also a generous collaborator who over the coming years would give unselfishly and unstintingly of his time and talent towards polishing the music of The Beatles, whilst simultaneously refusing to either impose his ideas dictatorially or take undue credit for his work.
May 24
Almost a year after their last recording session in Hamburg, and only a few weeks before their contract with Bert Kaempfert expired, The Beatles once again acted as Tony Sheridan's backing band at the Studio Rahlstedt. They were joined for the session, which began at 6pm, by Roy Young (piano) and Ricki Barnes (saxophone). Two songs were recorded, 'Sweet Georgia Brown' and 'Swanee River'. Paul was credited in Polydor's paperwork as the arranger for 'Sweet Georgia Brown'.
May 25
With their obligations to Bert Kaempfert complete, Brian Epstein and Kaempfert signed an agreement cancelling The Beatles' German recording contract with immediate effect. This freed The Beatles to record for George Martin at Parlophone a few days later.
May 28
The Beatles opened what the Star-Club billed as their "Rockin'-Twist Festival 62 mit Gene Vincent, King of Rock '61 in USA, Davy Jones, Tony Sheridan, The Bachelors, Tanya Day, Roy Young, Tex Roberg und den Rock-und-Twist-Bands: The Beatles, The Graduates, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Starliners, Roy & Tony's Star Inc." which ran from May 28 until June 11.
Brian Epstein had originally booked today and tomorrow to hold a private recording session for The Beatles at Studio Rahlstedt, with Bert Kaempfert hired as the producer, when they were scheduled to record 12 songs for a possible album. But he cancelled the booking when he heard that George Martin would be holding a session with the group the following week in London.
May 31
Already anticipating the result of the group's forthcoming audition, Brian Epstein told Mersey Beat that he had "secured a recording contract with the powerful EMI organisation for The Beatles to record for the Parlophone label".
June
The album My Bonnie by Tony Sheridan & The Beat Brothers was released in Germany on Polydor LPHM 46612 (mono) and SLPHM 237112 (stereo). The album, the first anywhere in the world to feature The Beatles' work, included 'My Bonnie' and 'The Saints', credited on the rear cover as "Accompanied by The Beatles".
June 6
Abbey Road. The Beatles recorded four numbers in studio three: 'Besame Mucho', 'Love Me Do', 'P.S. I Love You' and 'Ask Me Why'. The session was produced by Ron Richards. George Martin was not at the session from the beginning, and only showed up when the balance engineer, Norman Smith, liked their first Lennon and McCartney composition and sent the tape operator, Chris Neal, to fetch him. George Martin saw the potential in what he heard, but he did not like Pete Best's drumming and said they could use a session drummer for the recording sessions. With this potential stumbling block resolved, George Martin ordered the final signature to be placed on the contract. The Beatles were now EMI artists.
George Martin: "If there's anything you don't like, just tell me."
George Harrison: "Well, I don't like your tie, for a start!"
June 9
The Cavern (evening): "The Beatles' Welcome Home Show" also featuring The Red River Jazzmen, The Spidermen, The Four Jays and Ken Dallas & The Silhouettes.
Nine hundred fans managed to squeeze into the airless basement for this gig, breaking The Cavern's attendance record.
June 11
The group recorded another set for the BBC Light Programme's Teenagers' Turn - Here We Go, at the BBC's Playhouse Theatre, Manchester. They played 'Ask Me Why', 'Besame Mucho' and 'A Picture of You'.
The Beatles' Fan Club in Liverpool organised a special bus trip to this event, collecting-members from outside Brian Epstein's NEMS shop at 6pm and promising to deliver them back after the recording at 10.30pm.
June 12
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening) with no support.
June 13
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with The Dakotas and The Dennisons.
June 15
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with Group One and The Spidermen.
The Beatles' appearance on Teenagers' Turn - Here We Go was broadcast by the BBC Light Programme.
June 16
The Cavern (evening) with Tony Smith's Jazzmen.
June 19
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with The Merseybeats and The Swinging Blue Genes.
June 20
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with The Sorrals and Kingsize Taylor & The Dominoes.
June 21
Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey.
Bruce Channel topped the bill with Delbert McClinton and The Barons as his backing group. Also on the bill were Howie Casey & The Seniors, The Big Three and The Four Jays.
McClinton played harmonica on Bruce Channel's smash hit, 'Hey Baby'. When he discovered that John also played the instrument, he gave the Beatles' leader several valuable hints on how to improve his technique. Thereafter John incorporated harmonica parts into most of the group's original compositions for the next two years.
June 22
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with Clay Ellis & The Raiders and The Olympics.
June 23
The Victory Memorial Hall, Northwich in Cheshire.
Brian Epstein formed NEMS Enterprises Limited to deal with Beatles affairs.
June 24
Casbah Club, West Derby, Liverpool. The Beatles' final appearance at Mona Best's club.
June 25
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Plaza Ballroom, St Helens in Lancashire, with The Big Three "Big Beat Bargain Night".
June 26
EMI's General Marketing Manager R. White wrote to Brian Epstein, expressing his embarrassment that he had previously told The Beatles' manager that the company were not interested in the group. He ended his letter: "I know you will appreciate that even Artistes Managers are human and can change their minds!"
June 27
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with The Swinging Blue Genes.
June 28
Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead, "Merseyside's luxury ballroom". The Beatles' first booking with the Top Rank Organisation.
June 29
The Cavern (lunchtime).
Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey. "Operation Big Beat III", a five-and-a-half hour "Cavalcade of Rock 'n' Twist".
June 30
Heswall Jazz Club at the Barnston Women's Institute in Heswall, with The Big Three.
July 1
The Cavern (evening) with Gene Vincent & Sounds Incorporated.
A bootlegged recording of Gene Vincent playing 'What'd I Say' is said to feature The Beatles sitting in with Sounds Incorporated at this gig.
July 2
Plaza Ballroom, St Helens in Lancashire.
July 3
The Cavern (lunchtime).
July 4
The Cavern (evening) with Group One and The Spidermen.
July 5
Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead.
July 6
Riverboat Shuffle on board the M.V. Royal Iris, organised by The Cavern. Also on the bill were Acker Bilk's Paramount Jazz Band.
July 7
Golf Club Dance, Hulme Hall, Port Sunlight, Birkenhead.
July8
The Cavern (evening) with The Swinging Blue Genes and Tony Smith's Jazzmen.
July 9
Plaza Ballroom, St Helens.
July 10
The Cavern (lunchtime).
July 11
The Cavern (evening) with The Statesmen and The Morockans.
July 12
The Cavern (lunchtime).
Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead.
July 13
Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey.
July 14
Regent Dansett, Rhyl, Wales, with The Strangers.
July 15
The Cavern (evening) with The Saints Jazz Band, The Swinging Blue Genes and The Four Jays.
July 16
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Plaza Ballroom, St Helens in Lancashire.
July 17
McIlroy's Ballroom, Swindon.
July 18
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with Ken Dallas & The Silhouettes and The Spidermen.
July 19
Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead.
July 20
The Cavern (lunchtime) and The Bell Hall, Warrington.
July 21
Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey.
July 22
The Cavern (evening) with The Swinging Blue Genes, The Red River Jazzmen and Ken Dallas & The Silhouettes.
July 23
Kingsway Club, Southport.
July 24
The Cavern (lunchtime).
July 25
The Cavern (lunchtime) with Gerry & The Pacemakers and (evening) with The Dakotas, Ian & The Zodiacs and The Dennisons; and Cabaret Club, Liverpool.
The Cabaret Club show was a failed attempt by Brian Epstein to get The Beatles into the lounge band circuit. The audience hated The Beatles. The Beatles hated the audience.
July 26
Cambridge Hall, Southport, supporting Joe Brown & The Bruvvers. A NEMS Enterprises promotion.
July 27
Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey, supporting Joe Brown & The Bruwers. Also on the bill were The Statesmen, The Big Three, The Four Jays and Steve Day & The Drifters. A NEMS Enterprises promotion.
July 28
The Cavern (evening), with The Red River Jazzmen and Dee Fenton & The Silhouettes, and Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead, Cheshire, with The Swinging Blue Genes and Billy Kramer & The Coasters.
July 30
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Blue Penguin Club, St John's Hall, Bootle in Lancashire, with The Merseybeats and The Sensational Sinners.
August 1
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with Gerry & The Pacemakers and The Merseybeats.
August 3
Grafton Ballroom, Liverpool, with The Big Three and Gerry & the Pacemakers. A "Holiday Spectacular!!"; the first time a rock concert was held here.
August 4
Victoria Hall, Higher Bebington in the Wirral.
August 5
The Cavern (evening) with The Saints Jazz Band and The Swinging Blue Genes.
August 7
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with Wayne Stevens & The Vikings, Ken Dallas & The Silhouettes and The Swinging Blue Genes.
August 8
Co-op Ballroom, Doncaster.
August 9
The Cavern (lunchtime).
August 10
Riverboat Shuffle held on the M.V. Royal Iris, with Johnny Kidd & the Pirates and The Dakotas.
August 11
Odd Spot Club, Liverpool.
Around this date, John's girlfriend, Cynthia Powell, informed him that she was pregnant. John replied unenthusiastically that if that was the case, then the couple would have to get married.
August 12
The Cavern (evening) with The Swinging Blue Genes and The Red River Jazzmen.
August 13
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Majestic Ballroom, Crewe billed as "The Biggest Rock Since Blackpool Rock".
August 15
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening).
These were Pete Best's last performances with the group before he was unceremoniously fired.
John Lennon telephoned Ringo Starr in Skegness, where he was about to complete a summer season with Rory Storm & The Hurricanes at Butlin's Holiday Camp, and confirmed that he was to become The Beatles' new drummer. Ringo and The Beatles had already had several clandestine meetings about him replacing Pete Best.
August 16
Riverpark Ballroom, Chester.
In the morning, Brian Epstein told Pete he was no longer in The Beatles. Johnny "Hutch" Hutchinson, drummer with The Big Three, filled the empty drum stool at Chester.
THE SACKING OF PETE BEST
John, Paul and George couldn't face telling Pete that he was no longer in the group and asked Brian to do it on their behalf. The Beatles' roadie, Neil Aspinall, who lived in Pete's house and was a close friend of his, was going to quit in disgust but Pete insisted that he stay.
The Beatles' official comment was: "Pete left the group by mutual agreement. There were no arguments or difficulties, and this has been an entirely amicable decision." They had decided that he did not fit the image of the group they wanted: he was too moody, and would not wear his hair in the distinctive Beatle cut.
In 1963 Pete Best gave his version of what happened: "On our third trip to Hamburg we became the first group to play at a new venue. The Star-Club. Whilst over there we received a telegram saying we'd got a Parlophone contract. Just before the first release I was told that I would have to leave the group. The news came as a complete surprise to me as I had no hint that it would happen and didn't even have the opportunity of discussing it with the rest of the group."
August 17
Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead, and Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey.
Again "Hutch" Hutchinson played drums with The Beatles even though his own group had a date this night and had to find someone to replace him.
August 18
Horticulture Society Dance, Hulme Hall, Port Sunlight, Birkenhead, with The Four Jays.
This was Ringo's debut as a Beatle. They managed a two-hour rehearsal together before the 10pm gig.
August 19
The Cavern (evening) with The Zenith Six Jazz Band, The Swinging Blue Genes and Peppy & The New York Twisters.
This was Ringo's Cavern debut as a Beatle. Pete Best had many fans who were aggrieved at his dismissal, and the group were attacked as they entered the club. George got a black eye, the effects of which were still visible when the group had their first photographic session for EMI two weeks later.
August 20
Majestic Ballroom, Crewe.
August 22
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with Gerry & The Pacemakers and Dee Fenton & The Silhouettes.
At lunchtime Granada Television filmed the group playing 'Some Other Guy' and 'Kansas City'/'Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey' for their Know The North programme. It was scheduled to be shown on November 7 but the film never actually went out. The film clips survived but the sound quality was found to be too poor for them to be used, so further sound-only recordings were made on September 5th.
August 23
Riverpark Ballroom, Chester.
Having come to an agreement that this was the only possible response to the news of Cynthia's pregnancy, John and Cynthia got married at the Mount Pleasant Register Office with Paul as best man. George, Brian Epstein, Cynthia's brother Tony and his wife Marjorie were the only guests. John's harridan Aunt Mimi boycotted the event. Most of the ceremony was drowned by the noise of a nearby pneumatic drill, making the party hysterical. Afterwards Brian Epstein took them all to Reece's cafe for a set lunch of roast chicken with all the trimmings followed by fruit salad. The cafe did not sell alcohol so they toasted each other with water. Brian allowed the couple to move into a small bachelor flat he maintained near the art college. John spent his wedding night on stage.
Mersey Beat announced the change in The Beatles' line-up, in a story which also revealed that the group would soon be travelling to London to make their first single for Parlophone: "They will be recording numbers that have been specially written for the group, which they have received from their recording manager, George Martin."
In the same issue of Mersey Beat, John Lennon published another of his occasional "Beatcomber" columns - a nonsense story entitled 'Small Sam'.
August 24
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead, Wirral.
August 25
Marine Hall Ballroom, Fleetwood in Lancashire.
August 26
The Cavern (evening) with Mike Berry & The Phantoms, The Red River Jazzmen and The Swinging Blue Genes.
August 28
The Cavern (evening) with The Swinging Blue Genes and Gerry Levine & The Avengers.
August 29
Floral Hall Ballroom, Morecambe.
August 30
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Riverpark Ballroom, Chester, with Gerry & The Pacemakers, compered by Bob Wooler.
August 31
Town Hall, Lydney in Gloucestershire.
September 1
Subscription Rooms, Stroud in Gloucestershire.
September 2
The Cavern (evening) with Kingsize Taylor & The Dominoes and The Zenith Six Jazz Band.
September 3
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Queen's Hall, Widnes in Cheshire, with Billy Kramer & The Coasters, Rory Storm & The Hurricanes, Sonny Kaye & The Reds.
The first of three Monday evening gigs.
September 4
Abbey Road. The Beatles flew from Liverpool Airport to London, where they checked into a small hotel in Chelsea. Neil Aspinall had already driven their equipment down and was waiting with it at the studio. They rehearsed until 5pm, then George Martin took the group to his favourite Italian restaurant for dinner to get to know them a bit, entertaining them with reminiscences of his past work with comedians Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan.
They recorded a number of takes of 'Love Me Do' and, much against their wishes, 'How Do You Do If, a song written by professional pop composer Mitch Murray, which George Martin intended as their first A-side. The group's lack of enthusiasm was evident from the lacklustre performance captured on tape.
Photographer Dezo Hoffmann documented the session for posterity, and traces of the black eye that George received on August 19 can be seen in Dezo's photographs.
September 5
The Cavern (evening) with The Dennisons and Gus Travis & The Midnighters.
One hour of The Beatles' performance was professionally taped by a Granada TV engineer, with the intention of marrying up the tapes with the film shot at the same venue two weeks earlier. But the project was abandoned, and the tape was wiped. All that survived were two acetate recordings of 'Some Other Guy', one of which was matched with the existing film footage a year later, and one acetate of 'Kansas City'/'Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey'.
September 6
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Rialto Ballroom, Liverpool, with Rory Storm & The Hurricanes, The Big Three and The Merseybeats.
Mersey Beat published 'A Little Bare', a brief account by Paul McCartney of the Beatles' early experiences backing a stripper at a Liverpool club. Also in this issue was another "Beatcomber" contribution from John Lennon, 'On Safairy With Whide Hunter'.
September 7
Newton Dancing School, Village Hall, Irby, Heswall in the Wirral.
September 8
YMCA Birkenhead, and Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead.
September 9
The Cavern (evening) with Cyril Preston's Jazz Band with Clinton Ford and Billy Kramer & The Coasters.
September 10
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Queen's Hall, Widnes in Cheshire, the second of three Monday evening gigs supported by Geoff Stacey & The Wanderers and Rory Storm & The Hurricanes.
September 11
Abbey Road. The group recorded 'Love Me Do', 'P.S. I Love You' and 'Please Please Me' using session drummer Andy White. Ringo was relegated to tambourine and maracas, a demotion which led him to fear that he would soon be following Pete Best out of The Beatles. This was the recording of 'Love Me Do' which eventually appeared on most copies of their first single, plus their debut LP, though the initial pressings of the single used the version with Ringo's drumming recorded on the 4th. The difference is minimal.
September 12
The Cavern (evening) with Freddie & The Dreamers, 16-year-old Simone Jackson (for whom The Beatles played backing), The Spidermen and Group One.
September 13
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Riverpark Ballroom, Chester.
September 14
Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey.
Sam Leach's "Operation Big Beat V" with Rory Storm & The Hurricanes, Gerry & The Pacemakers and Billy Kramer & The Coasters.
September 15
The Victory Memorial Hall, Northwich in Cheshire.
September 16
The Cavern (evening) with The Red River Jazzmen and Gerry & The Pacemakers.
September 17
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Queen's Hall, Widnes, the last of three Monday evening gigs supported by Billy Kramer & The Coasters and The Vikings.
September 19
The Cavern (evening) with The Dakotas and The Big Three.
September 20
The Cavern (lunchtime).
Mersey Beat printed another of Paul McCartney's memoirs of the Beatles' career, this one simply entitled 'Hamburg'.
September 21
Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey, with Rory Storm & The Hurricanes.
September 22
Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead.
September 23
The Cavern (evening) with The Saints Jazz Band and Kingsize Taylor & The Dominoes.
September 25
Heswall Jazz Club, The Barnston Women's Institute, Heswall, with Gerry & The Pacemakers.
September 26
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with The Spidermen and Kingsize Taylor & The Dominoes.
September 28
The Cavern (lunchtime) and "A Grand River Cruise" aboard the M.V. Royal Iris, with Lee, Castle & The Barons and Freddy (The Teddy) Fowell.
September 29
Oasis Club, Manchester.
September 30
The Cavern (evening) with The Red River Jazzmen and Clay Ellis & The Raiders.
October
The EP Ya Ya by Tony Sheridan & The Beat Brothers was released in Germany on Polydor EPH 21485. The record included one song, 'Sweet Georgia Brown', on which Sheridan was backed by The Beatles.
October 1
The group signed a second management contract with Brian Epstein - which, unlike their deal in January 1962, the manager actually signed himself. It ran for five years and gave him 25 per cent of their gross earnings.
October 2
The Cavern (lunchtime).
October 3
The Cavern (evening) with The Echoes and Billy Kramer & The Dakotas.
October 4
The Cavern (lunchtime).
October 5
The single 'Love Me Do'/'P.S. I Love You' was released in the UK as Parlophone 45-R 4949. Brian Epstein is reputed to have bought 10,000 copies for his NEMS chain of record stores because he knew that was how many they would have to sell to make it into the Top 20. Whether or not this rumour is true, local sales across Liverpool were so heavy that the single immediately topped the 'official' Merseyside Top Twenty chart published in Mersey Beat.
Radio Luxembourg played the record for the first time this evening, to the thrilled disbelief of The Beatles.
LOVE ME DO
"Our greatest philosophical song," Paul McCartney called it tongue-in-cheek. But it was, in this original version with Ringo Starr on drums, The Beatles'first single, later replaced on album and 45 by the version available on the 'Please Please Me' CD.
Despite the claim on the Tiease Please Me' album cover, the album track wasn't the one issued on the first Beatles single. It was the same song, true enough, but not the same recording. At the group's debut session, on 4 September 1962, they had struggled through more than 15 takes of 'Love Me Do' before George Martin was remotely satisfied. A week later, they returned to London, to find session drummer Andy White ready to take Ringo Starr's place. Having only recently replaced Pete Best in the band, Ringo must have wondered whether his own days were numbered. White duly handled the sticks on a remake of the song, with Ringo dejectedly banging a tambourine on the sidelines.
For reasons that remain unclear, it was the initial version of 'Love Me Do' which appeared as the group's first 45. But when their album was assembled, George Martin elected to use the Andy White recording instead - presumably because the tape of the single had been sent overseas to an EMI subsidiary. Later in 1963, the decision was made to use the White take on all future pressings of the single, as well; and from then until 1982, Ringo's recording debut with The Beatles remained officially unavailable.
The song itself was a genuine Lennon/McCartney collaboration, its plodding beat enlivened by Lennon's harmonica solo. That was a gimmick he picked up from Bruce Channel's spring 1962 hit, 'Hey Baby', and proceeded to use many times over the next two years. Without the gimmick, 'Love Me Do' hadn't previously been regarded as one of the highlights of the group's original repertoire.
P.S. I LOVE YOU
There's a clear division in The Beatles' early work between the songs they wrote before Tiease Please Me', and the ones that came immediately after. McCartney's 'P.S. I Love You' datedfrom the early months of 1962, and had the slightly forced feel of'Love Me Do' and 'Ask Me Why' - with only Paul's swoop into the upper register for the last middle section to suggest that any great genius was on display.
October 6
Horticultural Society Dance, Hulme Hall, Port Sunlight, Birkenhead.
The Beatles arrived at Dawson's Music Shop, Widnes, at 4pm to autograph copies of 'Love Me Do'.
October 7
The Cavern (evening) with The Swinging Blue Genes, The Red River Jazzmen and Ian & The Zodiacs.
October 8
The Beatles recorded an interview session for EMI's The Friday Spectacular show on Radio Luxembourg. This consisted of new EMI releases played before a live audience of about 100 people at the company's London headquarters on Manchester Square. The audience danced and applauded the records and the artists were interviewed. Both sides of their new single were played.
October 9
The Beatles visited the offices of Record Mirror to try and drum up publicity for themselves.
They also visited Liverpool-born New Musical Express correspondent Alan Smith, who asked them what they thought of Londoners. "Not much," they told him. "If they know you come from the North, they don't want to know."
October 10
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), with Ken Dallas & The Silhouettes and The Four Jays.
October 11
Rialto Ballroom, Liverpool.
October 12
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey.
A five-and-a-half-hour NEMS presentation. Brian Epstein placed The Beatles second to Little Richard on a bill which also included The Big Three, Billy Kramer & The Coasters, Pete MacLaine & The Dakotas, The Four Jays, Lee Curtis & The All-Stars (with Pete Best on drums), The Merseybeats, Rory Storm & The Hurricanes, Guy Travis & The Midnighters and The Undertakers. The concert was a huge success.
Little Richard: "Man, those Beatles are fabulous. If I hadn't seen them I'd never have dreamed they were white. They have a real authentic negro sound."
The 'Love Me Do' single made its first appearance in a national sales chart, appearing at No. 49 in the listing published by the trade magazine Record Retailer.
EMI's The Friday Spectacular with The Beatles' record and interview was broadcast by Radio Luxembourg.
October 13
The Cavern (evening) with The Zenith Six Jazz Band, Group One and The Dennisons.
October 15
Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead.
October 16
La Scala Ballroom, Runcorn in Cheshire, with The Chants.
October 17
The Cavern (lunchtime) with Johnny Sandon & The Remo Four and (evening) with Johnny Sandon & The Remo Four, Group One and The Swinging Blue Genes.
Between shows at the Cavern the group appeared on Granada Television's People and Places singing 'Some Other Guy' and 'Love Me Do', transmitted live from Manchester. This was their first television appearance to be broadcast, as their earlier Cavern performance was not screened at the time.
October 19
The Cavern (lunchtime).
October 20
Majestic Ballroom, Hull.
October 21
The Cavern (evening) with The Fourmost and The Red River Jazzmen.
October 22
Queen's Hall, Widnes, with Lee Curtis & The All-Stars, The Merseybeats and The Chants.
October 25
The group recorded 'Love Me Do', 'A Taste Of Honey' and 'P.S. I Love You' for the BBC Light Programme's Here We Go at the BBC studios in Manchester.
October 26
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Public Hall, Preston, with Mike Berry, The Outlaws and The Syd Munson Orchestra, presented by the Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club.
The Beatles on Here We Go was broadcast by the BBC Light Programme. 'Love Me Do' entered the New Musical Express charts at number 49. Paul: "If you want to know when we knew we'd arrived, it was getting in the charts with 'Love Me Do'. That was the one - it gave us somewhere to go."
October 27
Hulme Hall, Port Sunlight, Birkenhead. Before playing this gig the group recorded an interview with a boys' club to be broadcast to the patients of Cleaver and Clatterbridge Hospitals, Wirral, on the hospital radio show, Sunday Spin.
October 28
Liverpool Empire as support for Little Richard.
Also on this NEMS Enterprises Pop Package Show were Craig Douglas (backed by The Beatles), Jet Harris (formerly bassist with The Shadows) & The Jetblacks, Kenny Lynch, The Breakaways and Sounds Incorporated. Brian had tried to book Sam Cooke as a "surprise guest" but he was not available.
The Beatles' appearance on the hospital radio show, Sunday Spin, was transmitted.
October 29
The Beatles made a second visit to Granada Television's Manchester studios to record for People and Places. They performed 'Love Me Do' and 'A Taste Of Honey'.
October 30
The Beatles flew to Hamburg for 14 nights at the Star-Club sharing the bill with Little Richard. With her husband now likely to be absent for the rest of the year, Cynthia Lennon moved in with Aunt Mimi at Mendips, where she was quickly educated into the behaviour that her aunt-in-law expected from her.
November 1-14
Star-Club, Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg, with Little Richard.
The Beatles deeply resented having to fulfil this booking, at a time when it seemed as if their debut single might be about to become a sizeable hit in the UK. A few days into their stay, Paul wrote home to a friend: "Nothing happened: a thoroughly uneventful week has passed ... In fact Hamburg is dead as far as we're concerned."
November 2
The Beatles' second appearance on Granada Television's People and Places was aired.
November 15
The group flew to London from Hamburg.
November 16
The Beatles recorded a second appearance for EMI's The Friday Spectacular show on Radio Luxembourg, appearing on stage at EMI's headquarters for an interview between the playing of both sides of their record while the audience danced, applauded and even screamed.
The Beatles visited the Fleet Street offices of Disc, and garnered a few column inches in the next issue.
November 17
Matrix Hall, Coventry, with The Mark Alien Group and Lee Teri. Regarded by the group as a disappointing performance.
November 18
The Cavern (evening) with The Merseybeats and The Pete Hartigan Jazz Band in a "Welcome Home" gig.
November 19
The Cavern (lunchtime), Smethwick Baths, Smethwick in Staffordshire and Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich. Three gigs in one day.
November 20
Floral Hall, Southport. Two sets.
November 21
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with Johnny Templar & The Hi Cats and Ian & The Zodiacs.
November 22
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead.
November 23
St James' Church Hall, Gloucester Terrace, London, and Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey.
In London The Beatles auditioned for Ronnie Lane, the Light Entertainment auditioner for BBC TV. They played a ten-minute set for him, and four days later Brian Epstein received a rejection letter.
The New Brighton show was the "12th Annual Lancashire and Cheshire Art's (sic) Ball", held in aid of a children's charity, with the Llew Hird Jazz Band, Billy Kramer & The Coasters and The Pipes and Drums of 1st Battalion Liverpool Scottish Regiment (Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders).
The Beatles' second appearance on Radio Luxembourg's The Friday Spectacular was aired.
November 24
Royal Lido Ballroom, Prestatyn, Wales.
November 25
The Cavern (evening) with The Zenith Six Jazz Band, The Fourmost and The Swinging Blue Genes.
November 26
Abbey Road. The group recorded 'Tip Of My Tongue', 'Ask Me Why' and 'Please Please Me'. George Martin was pleased with the results and told the group that 'Please Please Me' would be a number one hit. The 'Tip Of My Tongue' recording didn't survive, though George Martin commented: "It's a great number, but we'll have to spend a bit of time giving it a new arrangement. I'm not too happy with it as it is."
After the session, Martin told NME correspondent Alan Smith: "I'm thinking of recording their first LP at the Cavern. If we can't get the right sound, we might do the recording somewhere else in Liverpool, or bring an invited audience into the studio in London. The Beatles have told me they work better in front of an audience."
November 27
The group recorded 'Love Me Do', 'Twist And Shout' and 'P.S. I Love You' for the BBC Light Programme's Talent Spot at the BBC Paris Studio on Lower Regent Street.
November 28
The Cavern (evening) with Johnny Sandon & The Remo Four and Dee Young & The Pontiacs, and The 527 Club, top floor of Lewis' Department Store, Liverpool - "The Young Idea Dance" for the shop staff.
November 29
Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead.
November 30
The Cavern (lunchtime) with The Dakotas and Town Hall, Earlstown, Newton-le-Willows in Lancashire - "The Big Beat Show".
December 1
The Victory Memorial Hall, Northwich in Cheshire, and Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey.
December 2
Embassy Cinema, Peterborough.
The Beatles went down badly in both sets of this Frank Ifield concert. Also on the bill were Susan Cope, The Tommy Wallis & Beryl Xylophone Team, The Lana Sisters and The Tod Taylor Four.
December 3
The group appeared on Discs-a-Go-Go, live from Bristol's TWW (Television Wales and West) studio.
December 4
The Beatles sang 'Love Me Do', 'P.S. I Love You' and 'Twist And Shout' live on Tuesday Rendezvous, a children's show presented by Gary Marshall, transmitted live from Associated-Rediffusion's Kingsway Studio, London.
The Beatles' appearance on Talent Spot was broadcast on the BBC Light Programme.
December 5
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening) with Gerry & The Pacemakers, Johnny Sandon & The Remo Four and The Statesmen.
December 6
Club Django, Queen's Hotel, Southport.
December 7
The Cavern (lunchtime) and Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey.
December 8
Oasis Club, Manchester.
December 9
The Cavern (evening) with The Fourmost, The Swinging Blue Genes and The Zenith Six Jazz Band.
George Martin attended this performance to see if a live album could be recorded at The Cavern.
December 10
The Cavern (lunchtime).
December 11
La Scala Ballroom, Runcorn in Cheshire, with Johnny Sandon & The Remo Four and The Merseybeats.
December 12
The Cavern (lunchtime and evening), the latter with The Fourmost, The Merseybeats, Robin Hall and Jimmy MacGregor.
December 13
Corn Exchange, Bedford, with Robin Hall and Jimmy MacGregor.
December 14
Music Hall, Shrewsbury.
December 15
Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead.
The regular evening show was followed at midnight by The Mersey Beat Poll Winners Award Show. The Beatles were voted most popular group for the second year running and closed the show at 4am.
December 16
The Cavern (evening), with The Fourmost, The Swinging Blue Genes, Gerry & The Pacemakers and The Red River Jazzmen.
December 17
The Beatles played live on Granada Television's People And Places show.
December 18-31
The Star-Club, Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg.
The Beatles' fifth and final residency in Germany, arranged before their chart success and growing concert revenues. As with the previous Hamburg booking they were reluctant to go, but had no option.
Despite their increasing fame at home, The Beatles were listed among the minor attractions in the Star-Club's advertising, alongside Carol Elvin, The Strangers Kingsize Taylor and the inevitable Tony Sheridan & The Star Combo. Topping the bill above them all during December were visiting American rockers Johnny & The Hurricanes.
December 27
'Love Me Do' got to number 17 in the Record Retailer's Top 50 charts, its highest position.
December 28
George wrote home to Liverpool: "I hope you had a good Christmas, or at least better than ours. We have only three more days to go, and then will be away from this place for good (I hope)."
December 28-31
Star-Club: On behalf of Ted 'Kingsize' Taylor, the leader of another Merseyside group, The Dominoes, Adrian Barber recorded several of The Beatles' performances, including their final night at the Star-Club, with a hand-held microphone and a 4-track Philips machine. In total, four separate sets were apparently recorded. 30 songs from these tapes were later released on a series of unauthorised albums - until Apple and The Beatles successfully mounted a legal challenge in 1998.
Barber's recordings revealed the natural spontaneity and chaotic wit of The Beatles' performances in the months before they became major national stars. But they also betrayed the frustration that the group felt at having to work out an ill-rewarded contract with a German club-owner, while their record was still on the hit parade at home. "Only The Beatles would be playing for you on New Year's Eve," Lennon quipped sarcastically during the show.
Two of the released songs on Barber's tapes, 'Hallelujah I Love Her So' and 'Be-Bop-A-Lula', featured the group supporting an unidentified singer, thought to be waiter Fred Fascher (brother of the Star-Club's manager, Horst Fascher).
One song from these Star-Club sessions, John performing 'Red Hot', remains officially unreleased, although it has surfaced on bootleg. Also unreleased to date are alternative versions of 'Ask Me Why', 'I Saw Her Standing There' (twice), 'A Taste Of Honey' (twice), 'To Know Her Is To Love Her', 'I'm Talkin' 'Bout You', 'Roll Over Beethoven' and 'Road Runner'. There is also a rendition of 'Money (That's What I Want)' on which The Beatles supported Tony Sheridan.
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