Beatles / Live at the Star Club Germany 1962 Upgrade

The definitive recording of The Beatles’ Hamburg-era Star Club, “LIVE AT THE STAR CLUB (THE EXECUTIVE VERSION),” which captured the energy of the band’s time in Hamburg, sold out long ago. Moreover, the original file, “MAGNETOPHON BAND” by Lord Reith, was created nearly 10 years ago. More importantly, it was produced using early demixing techniques. Lord Reith himself was well aware of this, and it seems that creating a new Star Club using the far more advanced demixing technology available today had been a long-held goal of his. After much trial and error, he released a new file at the end of last year, “SEVENTEEN (Festliche Edition).” While “MAGNETOPHON BAND” from 2017 was limited to enhancing stereo and clarity, demixing is now commonly used as a tool to clearly define the contours of the sound. Recorded in a completely different environment from official live recordings, the Star-Club recordings are undoubtedly the most suitable Beatles live recordings to utilize this technology. Unlike previous Star-Club attempts, Lord Reith focused on bringing the distant vocals, which were often present in many songs, into focus, and the results are remarkable. “I Saw Here Standing There,” of which only two performances remain from the Star-Club recordings, had a particularly strong impression of Paul’s vocals sounding recessed, but here, the contours are clearer and it has been transformed into a much more listenable song. Perhaps he named this file “SEVENTEEN,” the original title of the song, to emphasize the results achieved with this track. Other Star-Club recordings that previously had a recessed sound image, such as “Red Hot,” “Where Have You Been All My Life?”, and “Little Queenie,” have also been made clearer and easier to listen to, which is a testament to Lord Reith’s skill. The difference is immediately apparent when comparing this to the previous release, “LIVE AT THE STAR CLUB (THE EXECUTIVE VERSION).” Furthermore, even on the second disc, which has a noticeable drop in sound quality compared to the first, the hiss noise has been significantly reduced. As is clear when comparing it to the previous release, the hiss noise was more jarring than natural, so this improvement in listenability is a clear result. On the other hand, the noise present in the opening track of the second disc, “Road Runner (soundcheck),” has been a recurring issue, but this too has improved with the reduction in hiss noise. While a re-release of “LIVE AT THE STAR CLUB (THE EXECUTIVE VERSION)” was highly anticipated, this latest version is nothing short of magnificent. The dilemma inherent in the Star Club’s “1962 audience recording”—the perceived distance between the vocals and the performance—has been alleviated, resulting in a perfectly balanced sound that is never unnatural. It truly feels like a world apart from the LP era. The Star Club, a venue long cherished by fans, has been revamped with this recording that captures the Beatles’ final Hamburg tour in such a comprehensive way. It truly deserves to be called the new definitive record of the Beatles’ stage performance, where they freely and spontaneously played cover songs while retaining their raw energy! Live at the Star Club, Hamburg, Germany 18th-31st December 1962 UPGRADE!!! 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