The Road to Fame... Through Reeperbahn

Image source: columbia.edu

A photo of Reeperbahn in 1960. Reeperbahn is a street, and perhaps better known as a red light district, in Hamburg, Germany. This was also the location where The Beatles managed to play a string of gigs before they became famous.

Although image plays an important role in being a successful musician, musical skill serves as the foundation in being recognized as a legitimate musician (the word “legitimate” is mentioned because image, these days, replaces musical skill as the foundation of success as seen in some popular artists who do not compose any of their songs). In the beginning of their career, The Beatles worked to develop themselves into consistent, skilled, and experienced musicians by playing gigs in Reeperbahn in Hamburg, Germany. Despite their experience being far from luxurious, playing in Reeperbahn was a pivotal point in the course of their career. Had they not played in Hamburg, they would not have been as famous and their music would not have been the same nor be critically acclaimed today.

The group’s experience with performing in Reeperbahn helped them to become skilled performers. It was vital that they were skilled performers, otherwise they would not have been able to entertain audiences on a large scale. Although it was mentioned in lecture that The Beatles had an advantage since they wrote their own material, Reeperbahn’s tough environment prepared them as musicians to play long hours and confront a variety of audiences. In lecture, a video interview with their first manager, Allan Williams, was shown where he was asked a question on how a band could be as successful as The Beatles. Williams responded by saying that a group should play under similar conditions in Reeperbahn that The Beatles experienced when they played their first gig in Hamburg. This implies that their experience in Germany had significantly contributed to their success where their musicianship is not only recognized but their consistency as musicians has paid off.

Not only did playing in Reeperbahn have an impact on the groups’ musicianship but the experience also influenced their sound. The dominating sound in Hamburg at the time was music, referred to as “Mach Schau,” that made people dance. As The Beatles played in Germany, the audience demanded that they play harder to emulate this heavy rhythm that was prominent in Mach Schau. This style remained in their music and performances back in Liverpool and also contributed to the Merseybeat sound that other bands had adopted. If they had not been exposed to this style, their music would have sounded mellow and less dynamic. In addition, this lack of exposure would not have allowed The Beatles to stand out among their peers if their music had taken a different course. Their sound had also closely paralleled their image, which also helped them to stand out even more. The importance of their musical influences and experiences would eventually be brought together through the transformation of their image with the help of their future manager…

Image source: beatlesarchive.net

Talk about that leather. The Beatles were sometimes mistaken to be German in their home country due to their hard rock sound and bad-boy leather outfits. Due to aversive attitudes towards rock and roll and its audience, many clubs and venues actually prohibited its attendees from wearing rock-and-roll-affiliated attire (eg. teddy boy clothes and leather). This was due to those who identified with rock and roll who usually stirred up trouble in these venues that the prohibition was eventually enforced.

In addition to having a “hard rock” sound, their presentation as musicians had elements of German fashion that were widely noticed and integral to their sound, which sometimes caused them to be mistaken for Germans. Their appearance would catch the attention of Brian Epstein, who became their manager in 1962 and also created their iconic image of black suits and mop tops. In “Beatlemania: Technology, Business, and Teen Culture in Cold War America,” Andre Millard notes, “Along with the Beatles’ British accents, the suits and hair gave an impression of freshness and novelty, contributing to the sense of newness that was the core of their appeal at the beginning of Beatlemania.” In addition to these qualities noted by Millard, the group’s “bad boy” aura, acquired from their experience in Hamburg, also contributes to their sense of newness. This element, combined with the Mach Schau-inspired sounds, boyish looks, and British accents, made them universally appealing both in image and in sound.

The Beatles’ experience in Hamburg can easily be overlooked since its impact is subtle in the band’s image and music due to Epstein making them look presentable. The influences they drew from Mach Schau distinguishes their music from other groups and was enhanced by their musical abilities acquired by playing long, grueling hours in front of tough audiences. This experience almost appears as a “rite of passage” for them where their time spent in Reeperbahn has resulted in the band becoming critically acclaimed in the years to come. Without this experience, The Beatles would not have been able to garner as much attention with their image and music.