If you were to ask me as a collector of Beatles books and print material, which Beatles title that I own a copy of, represents the champion book as it relates to the story and background of the Beatles history and development of their musical talents in Germany, then this title written by Thorsten Knublauch would get my 5-star vote!!!
The author prides himself in getting the most accurate information possible for his work and this 2021 book published by Netherlands publisher, Apcor Publications, is no exception. A great researcher similar to Mark Lewisohn in that he checks many sources before he commits to publishing something.
His Mach Schau book was initially published in a 500 copy limited edition and quickly sold-out like many Apcor limited editions frequently do. There was also a 2nd run of 400 copies of the book. Nowadays, copies of the book are fetching in excess of $2,000 on eBay! An obvious complement to both the quality of the book and the author!!! According to Thorsten the book will never appear in a subsequent reprinting.
I have been spending time of late re-reading this book and I recently came across a detail from Thorsten that I had forgotten about concerning the Beatles famous recording of Summertime featuring John, Paul, George, Ringo and Lu Walters. Allan Williams many years later had contacted Ringo Starr telling him about the early 60s Akustik recording and said that if Ringo agreed to a Liverpool performance that Williams was organizing that he would turn over the record to Ringo as part of an agreement. At first Ringo seemed to scoff at the suggestion. The Akustik demo unfortunately was not played at Apple in 1969 – if it was it would have been on the Nagra tapes. Williams had it kept in his hotel. In 1971 it was played to Ringo at the Apple office and Williams later lost it. That is the biggest pity according to Thorsten. Well many of us have heard the rest of the story though I had forgotten the part where Thorsten describing Ringo eventually reaching out to Allan to actually agree to the performance/record exchange only to discover that Allan had lost his copy of the recording. Ringo refused to accept Allan’s explanation that he had lost it. One thing we do know based on Thorsten’s book is that Ringo was actually able to hear the recording before it was probably lost to the world forever! Thorsten also offers details how Ringo appeared alongside Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers in a mimed drum performance of Pete Best’s version of My Bonnie on the German TV program Die Aktuelle Schaubude (The Current Showcase) which occurred in mid Jan. 1962. No footage of the performance survives! (See page 448 of the Mach Schau book)
It makes you wonder what may have happened if Ringo had immediately agreed to Allan William’s initial proposaI.
Have asked Thorsten if he believes a copy of the famed recording still may exist and will ever turn up, and his prognosis was not a good one!
The back cover of the book:
The Table of Contents to the book:
The bookplate that Thorsten was so kind to provide me for my copy of his book: I am very proud to have a signed edition of the book from the distinguished Beatles collector!
Some general information and credits:
When I initially began corresponding with Thorsten by email, I was able to purchase a few wonderful items from him for my personal collection: This one is the signature of producer Bert Kaempfert who produced the Beatles/Tony Sheridan My Bonnie session as well as other recordings, like Cry For a Shadow and Ain’t She Sweet. He signs the album at the upper left just below his tie!
A few YouTube links regarding the Mach Schau book and the Beatles in Germany
Ronnie Dannelley designed the cover of the Thorsten Mach Schau book and here is a YouTube link.
A little background from YouTube:
The Beatles Mach Schau In Hamburg (the making of the cover by Ronnie Dannelley) – YouTube
Some background for the book on YouTube:
The Beatles Mach Schau in Hamburg (Book) – Bear Family Records – YouTube
Some interviews of a few Hamburg individuals who remember the Beatles there:
Tony Sheridan recollects some of his memories about Hamburg:
Tony Sheridan talks about Hamburg and The Beatles – July 2003 – YouTube
An early 60s song that Paul McCartney co-wrote with Tony Sheridan in Germany
Chantal meets Tony Sheridan – Tell Me If You Can (Live) – YouTube
Through the recommendation of Thorsten Knublauch I was able to obtain one copy of a limited edition poster that was issued in honor of the Kaiserkeller club where the Beatles played some Hamburg gigs. The poster was signed by Kaiserkeller owner, Bruno Koschmider aka Bruno Kochschmider, Tony Sheridan who the Beatles backed and with whom they recorded the “My Bonnie” single with, Pete Best, the drummer who was soon to be replaced by Ringo Starr, and E. Ross who was the designer of the poster. According to Thorsten there may be less than 100 of these signed posters in circulation. I am so happy I followed his recommendation to acquire one of these great posters, I would most certainly have regretted not adding one to the collection!
One of my favorite signed posters in my collection is a signed photo of John Lennon and the early Beatles in the Top Ten Club in Germany taken by noted German photographer, Peter Brüchmann. I bought this signed photo on eBay several years ago!
Acquired this signed photo from Beatles collector and author, Kris Engelhardt. Roy Young backed the Beatles on piano at the Star Club in Hamburg on a few occassions in the very early 60s
Saw the link to this rare photo for sale at Getty Images of Roy Young at the Star Club backing the Beatles on piano:
Photo of guest pianist Roy Young performing with drummer Pete Best,… News Photo – Getty Images
Thorsten Knublauch was so kind in seeking out this Der Spiegel magazine for me from Germany with a cover designed by Klaus Voormann. Thorsten went the extra-mile for me as he asked Klaus to personalize the magazine.
Shows you the kind of man that Thorsten is. I do not forget acts of kindness like this!
In summary, the Beatles story in Germany and Hamburg is a fascinating tale because it might have been the true beginnings of their eventual rise to the peak of the mountaintop.
Thorsten Knublauch tells that story like no other…
Thorsten has provided a special gift and surprise for us all-here is the kind and generous message he recently sent to me:
A special Thorsten Knublauch surprise for viewers of this blog:
“You can ad the download link for an update I wrote for my book recently”
https://my.hidrive.com/lnk/AeLtXDjPv#file
Thank you Thorsten!!! You are the best!
I would love to have this book!
This sounds like a fantastic book! I wish it was widely available at a reasonable price.
And that Der Spiegel magazine you received from Thorsten signed by Klaus – wow! I met Klaus during 2016 Beatleweek and he signed my original 1966 mono cover of “Revolver” (after I gave a £20 donation) It’s one of my prized pieces of memorabilia.
Hello Nancy-Yes it is a fantastic book! Apcor produces many superb books. The high costs are primarily due to the fact that they are independent book publishers and they use high quality paper, excellent photo reproductions, great binding etc. I certainly agree that books of this caliber should be available to most fans who wish to purchase it. Unfortunately that is what limited-edition books pricing structure is like. The negative is the price, the positive is the quality of the book. Opinions about items like this can easily vary from extremely positive to negative depending on our ability to afford the title or the timing as to when we become aware of its availability. Your point is well taken and I sincerely hope that one day you are able to secure a copy for your collection as I know how much you love the Beatles and quality Beatles-related books!
Stay tuned for a big surprise regarding the blog, possibly as early as September. Most blog subscribers will be very pleased if it becomes a reality!