The Beatles live: Top Ten Club, Hamburg

This was the 84th night of The Beatles’ lengthiest residency in Hamburg, during which they played a total of 92 nights at the Top Ten Club.

It was also Stuart Sutcliffe’s 21st – and final – birthday. He had left The Beatles the previous month to enrol at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste under the tutelage of Eduardo Paolozzi, but returned to the Top Ten Club to celebrate with his former group.

The club was owned by Peter Eckhorn, who paid each of The Beatles 35DM (£3) per day. They were required to play from 7pm until 2am each weekday, and from 8pm until 4am on weekends, with a 15-minute break in each hour.

The performances at the Top Ten were so successful that Eckhorn twice extended The Beatles’ contract. They eventually left Germany following their final show at the club on 1 July 1961, having performed on stage for 503 hours during their stay.

Last updated: 24 January 2024
Recording: My Bonnie, The Saints, Why, Cry For A Shadow
Recording: Ain't She Sweet, Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby, Nobody's Child
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