Rare photos of The Beatles performing at Liverpool’s legendary Cavern Club in their early days have finally been published for the first time.
The Fab Four formed in the northwest of England and went on to take over the world while changing pop music forever, and it all started with these early shows.
The pictures – which show Sir Paul McCartney singing flanked by George Harrison and John Lennon, with then-drummer Pete Best hidden in the background – were taken in July 1961, a whole year before they released debut single Love Me Do.
According to historian Mark Lewisohn, the photos show the band, who were aged between 18 and 20 at the time, after a recent tour to Germany where they played ‘500 stage hours in 90 days’.
He said: ‘So slender has this marathon made them, it’s as if their heads and bodies are stranger. A look emphasised by the unusual clothes – leather trousers and cotton tops. No other photos show them dressed this way.’
He has written several books about the Hey Jude legends, and he said the pictures come from a lunchtime or evening gig in the summer of ’61.
‘Three months from here, John and Paul went to Paris and returned with what became known as “The Beatle haircut,”‘ he added.
‘Days later, Brian Epstein saw The Beatles in the Cavern, offered to become their manager and set them on a course that changed our world.’
Meanwhile, Best was dropped from the quartet in the following year, with Sir Ringo Starr taking his place and completing the group’s iconic lineup.
The photos will go on display this week in Liverpool for the first time, marking the 60th anniversary of Love Me Do’s release.
Beatles items dealer Tracks Ltd – which is based in Chorley, Lancashire – is offering rare music memorabilia valuations for free on Wednesday at the Beatles Story exhibition at the Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool from 11am-6pm.
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