Liverpool • Lunchtime

From Beatles in London:

On November 9th 1961, Brian Epstein went to the Cavern Club to see the Beatles, initially to ask about where to obtain the record they had made in Hamburg with Tony Sheridan. Accompanying Brian was Alistair Taylor, his personal assistant. In this exclusive interview with the London Beatles Fanclub magazine, conducted in 1995, Alistair told me about that day:

“We had imported the record by Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers (really the Beatles) and it sold like crazy. One day Brian came in and said, “Do you remember that record we sold by the Beatles?” I said ‘Yes, of course’, and he said, ‘Well, they are playing at the Cavern, today, at lunchtime, let’s go to lunch and call in at the Cavern’.

So we went to the Cavern. Ghastly place. We went in suits, like I’m wearing today, and there were these four ghastly youths up on stage, wearing black leather jeans, black jackets, smoking and drinking, and so loud. Brian and I sat at the back, we only heard about four or five numbers and they were just so charismatic and so exciting. What really struck us was the final number, which Paul announced they had written. It was ‘Hello Little Girl’. It was a damned good number. We didn’t like pop music, we just sold records for a living. I was a jazz and classics fan.

We went to lunch, and Brian asked me what I thought of them, and I said, ‘They were bloody awful, but absolutely incredible!’ We talked a bit more, and Brian said ‘I’m thinking of managing them!’. I said, ‘My god, you’re kidding’ – I thought it was great. He said ‘If I do manage them, would you come with me. Who do you work for, me or NEMS?’ I said ‘I work for you’ So he said, ‘If you come with me, I’ll give you 2.5% of the Beatles earnings. I replied, ‘I couldn’t accept that Brian’ I had no money to put up and I knew it would be very expensive. I said all I wanted was a better salary, that’s all.”

So Alistair turned down the chance of getting a very nice share in the Beatles, but remained a big part of their entourage, at NEMS with Brian, and later as general manager of Apple, until he was fired by Allen Klein.

From Wikipedia:

The Cavern Club at 10 Mathew Street, in Liverpool was the venue where the Beatles’ UK popularity started. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best were first seen by Brian Epstein at the club. Epstein eventually became their manager, going on to secure them a record contract. Best was replaced by Ringo Starr on 16 August 1962, which upset many Beatles fans. After taunts of, “Pete forever, Ringo never!”, one agitated fan headbutted Harrison in the club.

The Cavern Club was the third club managed by Alan Sytner, which originally opened as a jazz-only club on 16 January 1957, being styled after the Paris venue, Le Caveau. The Quarrymen made their first appearance at the club on 7 August 1957, but by 9 February 1961, when the group first performed there under their new name of the Beatles, the club was under the ownership of Ray McFall. The Cavern Club gradually became synonymous with the emerging Merseybeat music genre, rapidly becoming the most famous club in Britain. According to the club’s resident DJ, Bob Wooler, the Beatles made 292 appearances at the club between 1961 and 1963, culminating in a final appearance at the venue on 3 August 1963—one month after the group recorded “She Loves You”, and six months before their first trip to the United States.

The club changed hands several more times before eventually being demolished to allow construction of an underground railway ventilation duct, before being used as a car park. A replica of the club was built on “75 per cent of the original site” in 1984, built with 15,000 bricks retrieved from the original club site. On 16 January 1997, a sculpture of Lennon was unveiled outside The New Cavern Club, and on 14 December 1999, McCartney performed there, playing his last concert of the 20th century and publicising his album, Run Devil Run. […]

According to DJ Wooler, over the course of a two-and-a-half-year period which began when they first played at the venue in February 1961, the Beatles made a total of 292 appearances at the club, although author Barry Miles, in his book The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years states that it was 275 times. Their final performance at the club was on 3 August 1963. During their time at the club, the Beatles also had residencies in Hamburg.

The Cavern Club

This was the 76th concert played at The Cavern Club.

A total of 282 concerts have been played there • 1958 • Jan 24 • 1961 • Feb 9 (Lunchtime) • Feb 21 (Lunchtime) • Feb 28 (Lunchtime) • Mar 6 (Lunchtime) • Mar 8 (Lunchtime) • Mar 10 (Lunchtime) • Mar 13 (Lunchtime) • Mar 14 (Lunchtime) • Mar 15 (Lunchtime) • Mar 16 • Mar 20 (Lunchtime) • Mar 21 (Evening) • Mar 22 (Lunchtime) • Mar 24 (Lunchtime) • Jul 14 (Lunchtime) • Jul 14 (Evening) • Jul 17 (Lunchtime) • Jul 19 (Evening) • Jul 19 (Lunchtime) • Jul 21 (Lunchtime) • Jul 25 (Lunchtime) • Jul 25 (Evening) • Jul 26 (Evening) • Jul 27 (Lunchtime) • Jul 31 (Lunchtime) • Aug 2 (Evening) • Aug 2 (Lunchtime) • Aug 4 (Lunchtime) • Aug 5 (Evening) • Aug 8 (Lunchtime) • Aug 9 (Evening) • Aug 10 (Lunchtime) • Aug 11 (Evening) • Aug 14 (Lunchtime) • Aug 16 (Evening) • Aug 18 (Lunchtime) • Aug 21 (Lunchtime) • Aug 23 (Lunchtime) • Aug 23 (Evening) • Aug 25 (Lunchtime) • Aug 28 (Lunchtime) • Aug 29 (Lunchtime) • Aug 30 (Evening) • Sep 1 (Lunchtime) • Sep 1 (Evening) • Sep 5 (Lunchtime) • Sep 6 (Evening) • Sep 7 (Lunchtime) • Sep 11 (Lunchtime) • Sep 13 (Lunchtime) • Sep 13 (Evening) • Sep 15 (Lunchtime) • Sep 19 (Lunchtime) • Sep 20 (Evening) • Sep 21 (Lunchtime) • Sep 25 (Lunchtime) • Sep 27 (Evening) • Sep 27 (Lunchtime) • Sep 29 (Lunchtime) • Oct 18 (Lunchtime) • Oct 18 (Evening) • Oct 20 (Lunchtime) • Oct 21 (Evening) • Oct 24 (Lunchtime) • Oct 25 (Evening) • Oct 26 (Lunchtime) • Oct 30 (Lunchtime) • Nov 1 (Evening) • Nov 1 (Lunchtime) • Nov 3 (Lunchtime) • Nov 4 (Evening) • Nov 7 (Evening) • Nov 7 (Lunchtime) • Nov 8 (Evening) • Nov 9 (Lunchtime)• Nov 13 (Lunchtime) • Nov 14 (Evening) • Nov 15 (Evening) • Nov 15 (Lunchtime) • Nov 17 (Lunchtime) • Nov 18 (Evening) • Nov 21 (Lunchtime) • Nov 22 (Evening) • Nov 23 (Lunchtime) • Nov 27 (Lunchtime) • Nov 29 (Evening) • Nov 29 (Lunchtime) • Dec 1 (Lunchtime) • Dec 2 (Evening) • Dec 5 (Lunchtime) • Dec 6 (Evening) • Dec 8 (Lunchtime) • Dec 11 (Lunchtime) • Dec 13 (Night) • Dec 13 (Lunchtime) • Dec 15 (Lunchtime) • Dec 16 (Evening) • Dec 18 (Lunchtime) • Dec 19 (Lunchtime) • Dec 20 (Evening) • Dec 21 (Lunchtime) • Dec 23 (Evening) • Dec 27 (Evening) • Dec 29 (Evening) • Dec 30 (Evening) • 1962 • Jan 3 (Evening) • Jan 3 (Lunchtime) • Jan 5 (Lunchtime) • Jan 6 (Evening) • Jan 9 (Lunchtime) • Jan 10 (Evening) • Jan 11 (Lunchtime) • Jan 12 (Evening) • Jan 15 (Lunchtime) • Jan 17 (Evening) • Jan 17 (Lunchtime) • Jan 19 (Lunchtime) • Jan 20 (Evening) • Jan 22 (Lunchtime) • Jan 24 (Evening) • Jan 24 (Lunchtime) • Jan 26 (Lunchtime) • Jan 26 (Evening) • Jan 30 (Lunchtime) • Jan 31 (Evening) • Feb 1 (Lunchtime) • Feb 3 (Evening) • Feb 5 (Lunchtime) • Feb 7 (Lunchtime) • Feb 7 (Evening) • Feb 9 (Lunchtime) • Feb 9 (Evening) • Feb 13 (Lunchtime) • Feb 14 (Evening) • Feb 15 (Lunchtime) • Feb 17 (Evening) • Feb 19 (Lunchtime) • Feb 21 (Lunchtime) • Feb 21 (Evening) • Feb 23 (Lunchtime) • Feb 24 (Evening) • Feb 27 (Lunchtime) • Feb 28 (Evening) • Mar 1 (Lunchtime) • Mar 3 (Evening) • Mar 5 (Lunchtime) • Mar 6 (Evening) • Mar 9 (Evening) • Mar 9 (Lunchtime) • Mar 13 (Lunchtime) • Mar 14 (Evening) • Mar 15 (Lunchtime) • Mar 16 (Evening) • Mar 20 (Evening) • Mar 21 (Lunchtime) • Mar 22 (Evening) • Mar 23 (Lunchtime) • Mar 23 (Evening) • Mar 26 (Lunchtime) • Mar 28 (Lunchtime) • Mar 28 (Evening) • Mar 30 (Lunchtime) • Mar 30 (Evening) • Apr 2 (Lunchtime) • Apr 4 (Lunchtime) • Apr 4 (Evening) • Apr 5 (Evening) • Apr 6 (Lunchtime) • Apr 7 (Evening) • Jun 9 (Evening) • Jun 12 (Evening) • Jun 12 (Lunchtime) • Jun 13 (Lunchtime) • Jun 13 (Evening) • Jun 15 (Evening) • Jun 15 (Lunchtime) • Jun 16 (Evening) • Jun 19 (Lunchtime) • Jun 19 (Evening) • Jun 20 (Evening) • Jun 20 (Lunchtime) • Jun 22 (Evening) • Jun 22 (Lunchtime) • Jun 25 (Lunchtime) • Jun 27 (Lunchtime) • Jun 27 (Evening) • Jun 29 (Lunchtime) • Jul 1 (Evening) • Jul 3 (Lunchtime) • Jul 4 (Evening) • Jul 8 (Evening) • Jul 10 (Lunchtime) • Jul 11 (Evening) • Jul 12 (Lunchtime) • Jul 15 (Evening) • Jul 16 (Lunchtime) • Jul 18 (Evening) • Jul 18 (Lunchtime) • Jul 20 (Lunchtime) • Jul 22 (Evening) • Jul 24 (Lunchtime) • Jul 25 (Lunchtime) • Jul 25 (Evening) • Jul 28 (Evening) • Jul 30 (Lunchtime) • Aug 1 (Evening) • Aug 1 (Lunchtime) • Aug 5 (Evening) • Aug 7 (Evening) • Aug 7 (Lunchtime) • Aug 9 (Lunchtime) • Aug 12 (Evening) • Aug 13 (Lunchtime) • Aug 15 (Evening) • Aug 15 (Lunchtime) • Aug 19 (Evening) • Aug 22 (Lunchtime) • Aug 22 (Evening) • Aug 24 (Lunchtime) • Aug 26 (Evening) • Aug 27 • Aug 28 (Evening) • Aug 30 (Lunchtime) • Sep 2 (Evening) • Sep 3 (Lunchtime) • Sep 5 (Evening) • Sep 6 (Lunchtime) • Sep 9 (Evening) • Sep 10 (Lunchtime) • Sep 12 (Evening) • Sep 13 (Lunchtime) • Sep 16 (Evening) • Sep 17 (Lunchtime) • Sep 19 (Evening) • Sep 20 (Lunchtime) • Sep 23 (Evening) • Sep 26 (Lunchtime) • Sep 26 (Evening) • Sep 28 (Lunchtime) • Sep 30 (Evening) • Oct 2 (Lunchtime) • Oct 3 (Evening) • Oct 4 (Lunchtime) • Oct 7 (Evening) • Oct 10 (Evening) • Oct 10 (Lunchtime) • Oct 12 (Lunchtime) • Oct 13 (Evening) • Oct 17 (Lunchtime) • Oct 17 (Evening) • Oct 19 (Lunchtime) • Oct 21 (Evening) • Oct 26 (Lunchtime) • Nov 18 (Evening) • Nov 19 (Lunchtime) • Nov 21 (Evening) • Nov 21 (Lunchtime) • Nov 25 (Evening) • Nov 28 (Evening) • Nov 30 (Lunchtime) • Dec 5 (Evening) • Dec 5 (Lunchtime) • Dec 7 (Lunchtime) • Dec 9 (Evening) • Dec 10 (Lunchtime) • Dec 12 (Lunchtime) • Dec 12 (Evening) • Dec 16 (Evening) • 1963 • Jan 11 • Jan 17 • Jan 20 • Jan 23 • Jan 30 • Jan 31 • Feb 3 • Feb 4 • Feb 19 • Apr 12 • Aug 3 • 1999 • Dec 14 • 2018 • Jul 26

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