The Beatles: The Early Years

It can be tough starting out as a band especially if you come from a poor family in the small working town of Liverpool, England. The Beatles (at this point called The Silver Beatles and lacking the drumming talents of Ringo Starr) had a rough start playing in bars around England. The fan base was relatively small and pay was very low. Transportation was often a problem, having to drive miles and miles to venues closer to big towns almost every night became a real problem for the boys. For a while they even considered giving up on the whole thing. I can very easily relate to this being in a band myself. It can be a very discouraging thing to get involved with. Low turn outs at shows or an argument with a band mate can leave you feeling bitter and resentful like you wouldn't believe. Luckily this did not stop the Fab Four from continuing making their music. They got their big break through when they were booked to tour in Germany. They came to Germany and saw a young crowd eager for some entertainment. They decided they would stay there to play and quickly found a bar with which they petitioned the owner to be the house band. Little did they realize how tough this experience would be for them. The crowd in Germany was crazy. Fights broke out every night and often involved several or all of the band members. They were often asked to play 6 or 7 hour sets, on one occasion they actually play for 13 hours. The pay was low and living conditions were grim; however, this was where The Beatles really learned to play and operate as a band.