DVD Review: The Beatles - Destination Hamburg: The Early Years

The Beatles - Destination Hamburg: The Early Years is a film that attempts to document the Beatles' history from their early years through their time in Hamburg, Germany, and beyond.

For those who are under the age of ten, or not from this planet, the Beatles were a pop and rock group from Liverpool, England, and are considered to be one of the most commercially and critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music. The band was formed in March of 1957 by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, then known as The Quarrymen. In 1958 they added George Harrison. In 1960, a friend of Lennon, Stewart Sutcliffe, joined on bass and eventually they became the Beatles. Pete Best was added as the drummer.

The Beatles - Destination Hamburg: The Early Years is a 45 minute documentary that breaks down the early history into short time periods. After a brief introduction, you get the history of the migration from The Quarrymen to The Beatles and how the band got started. It also goes into detail about the aftermath of World War II and the rise of the Skiffle movement in England.

It then takes us through their time in Hamburg, the entry of manager Brian Epstein, the death of Stuart Sutcliffe, and follows them out of Germany. They talk about the dismissal of Pete Best, the addition of Ringo Starr, and the rise to the world stage. According to the disclaimer on the jacket, this program contains no Beatles music, the program is unofficial, and that basically it's an unauthorized accounting.

Much of this documentary is highlighted by interviews with Tony Sheridan and Howie Casey, early Beatles collaborators. They talk about the time in Hamburg, and how the time that they spent in Germany really improved their music. There are tidbits of information: this is also the time that they began to get into drugs since they used stimulants to keep up with the grueling schedule that they were keeping; they were required to play six or seven hours a night seven days a week; and that it had the added benefit of not having to spend so much on food.

Article Author: T. Michael Testi

T. Michael Testi is a writer and a photographer out of Edmond Oklahoma. You can see his photographic and art work at T Michael Imaging as well as on Facebook.

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