1973 BBC reports on the Star-Club tape

A clip taken from Nationwide, originally broadcast on BBC One, 17 September, 1973, has been made available again by the BBC Archives.

The story is about the origin of the “Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany;1962” double LP, which was eventually released in 1977 with many more incarnations to follow, and which the Beatles fought to stop the production of, eventually succeeding in the nineties.

Here is the description of the clip.

“This was The Beatles’ sound before they actually hit the big time – it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever heard them do.” – Allan Williams.

Bernard Falk – yes, he of the celebrated Merseybeat combo Cock and his Roaches, and laterly Tony Snow and the Blizzards fame – reports on an exciting musical discovery, believed to be the earliest known live recording of The Beatles.

The tape is in the mighty hands of one Ted “Kingsize” Taylor – the founder of Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes – and is a recording of a 1962 performance by the Fab Four when they shared the same bill as Ted, at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany.

Now, with a little help from nightclub owner Allan Williams – who holds the distinction of being the Beatles’ first manager, and the indignity of being forever known as “the man who gave the Beatles away” – Ted hopes to officially release the tapes, which he reckons could be worth millions.