DVD: "The Beatles
with Tony Sheridan - The Beginning in Hamburg: A
Documentary"
This DVD explores the Beatles stint in Hamburg, Germany . In many
regards, it has the same antidotes, told by a familiar cast of
characters (Alan Williams, et al). However, this DVD adds a few
personal touches that elevate it beyond the norm. Booking agent Alan
Williams has some residual bitterness over an unpaid 15 pound loan made
to Paul McCartney. Paul, George and John are described as the tight
knit nucleus of the group. Pete Best is described as an outsider within
the group, who although he was a Beatle, wasn’t with them “90% of the
time”. When Astrid Kirchherr speaks of John’s extreme sadness after
Stuart Sutcliffe’s death, she adds how protective George was of John.
Tony Sheridan’s fundamental dissatisfaction with Pete’s drumming is
highlighted and observations are made upon the Beatles’ 1962 return to
the Star Club, of how they jelled as a band after the addition of Ringo.
The whole disc is filmed in an “antique” style (similar to old
photographs) and the sound quality is impressive considering the age of
the recordings. There are many previously unseen photographs and the
addition of the seldom interviewed Astrid Kirchherr and the “often
heard about but seldom seen” Klaus Voorman paint a more complete
picture.
The documentary is good but the definitive documentary of this period
of the Beatles’ formative years hasn’t been made yet. If you’re
interested in capturing the spirit of this era, check out the
“Backbeat” theatrical film.
The DVD is housed is a digipack, with a booklet and 5 postcards.
There’s a discography of the various cover art used for the many
Beatles / Tony Sheridan reissues over the past four decades.
The DVD can be played 3 different ways: the music alone, the
documentary without the music, the documentary with the music
interspersed at appropriate intervals. The total playing time is 2 hrs,
and 17 minutes.
Sixteen Beatles / Sheridan tracks are included on the DVD. The original
Harrison-McCartney composition “Cry For A Shadow” is not included on
the Region 1 DVD. Apparently, the timing of the DVD release was meant
to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Beatles arrival in the US.
Universal was unable to secure the rights for “Cry For A Shadow” in
time and released the DVD in spite of this. A waiting period to allow
for the inclusion of “Cry For A Shadow” would have been the best long
range decision. It’s unfortunate that this decision was made based on
marketing, not artistic factors. As it is, the UK edition (with “Cry
For A Shadow”) is the definitive version (unfortunately regional coding
makes this unplayable on most North American DVD players). Otherwise,
this DVD is a good deal, especially considering the budget line price.