AUTHENTIC GROUP AUTOGRAPHS

ITEM#: AA156
PRICE: $62,500

PAYMENT METHOD BY WIRE TRANSFER OR BANK CHECK ONLY.
CREDIT CARD NOT ACCEPTED FOR THIS ITEM.

 
  DESCRIPTION

HISTORICAL ULTRA-RARE 'TOP TEN CLUB' PAY RECEIPT PAGE,
SIGNED BY THE FIVE ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF THE BEATLES.
JOHN LENNON, PAUL McCARTNEY, GEORGE HARRISON, PETE BEST AND STUART SUTCLIFFE.
RECEIPT FOR FIRST WEEK DURATION OF PERFORMANCES APRIL 1-7, 1961,
THE TOP TEN CLUB, Reeperbahn 136, HAMBURG GERMANY


IN LATE 1960, SHORTLY AFTER THE BEATLES ARRIVED IN HAMBURG, GERMANY, THEY REALIZED THAT THE PLACE IN TOWN TO BE PERFORMING WAS THE TOP TEN CLUB. THROUGH HARD WORK AND DETERMINATION, AND BY PLAYING UP TO EIGHT HOURS A NIGHT (FOLLOWING 3 HOUR LUNCHTIME GIG), THE BEATLES FINALLY REALIZED THEIR GOAL. AFTER PLAYING THE KAISERKELLER AND THE INDRA CLUB, THEY WERE EVENTUALLY SCHEDULED AT THE TOP TEN CLUB, AND PLAYED THERE FOR A THIRTEEN WEEK RESIDENCY BEGINNING ON APRIL 1, 1961, ENDING THEIR STINT ON JULY 1, 1961. THEIR LINEUP AT THAT TIME WAS: JOHN LENNON, PAUL McCARTNEY, GEORGE HARRISON, PETE BEST AND STUART SUTCLIFFE.



THE BEATLES AT THE TOP TEN CLUB
APRIL 1 - JULY 1, 1961


The gig AT THE TOP TEN CLUB was grueling: seven-hour sets on weeknights and eight-hour sets on weekends. Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn determined that the band spent 503 hours on stage for 92 nights straight. The Beatles often backed Tony Sheridan, a wild British singer and guitarist who often brawled with customers and other musicians. After ONE OF THEIR performanceS at the Top Ten Club, famed German bandleader Bert Kaempfert signed Sheridan with the Beatles as his backing band to record the album "My Bonnie". The June 1961 session produced some of the Beatles’ earliest studio recordings. Billed as the Beat Brothers, the Beatles recorded several songs with Sheridan and “Ain’t She Sweet” and “Cry for a Shadow” on their own. IT WAS LITTLE WONDER THEN THAT, JUST AS THE BEATLES FOUND WITH THEIR FIRST GERMAN TRIP, THEIR STAMINA AND MUSICAL VERSATILITY IMPROVED DRAMATICALLY AS THE VISIT WORE ON. WHEN THEY RETURNED TO LIVERPOOL IN MID JULY, THEY WERE SIMPLY UNTOUCHABLE.

THIS PAY RECEIPT PAGE, WHICH MEASURES 8½" X 11¾", AND SIGNED FOLLOWING THEIR VERY FIRST WEEK OF PERFORMANCES, HAS BEEN WRITTEN OUT ON A LOOSE PAGE OF CASH BOOK PAPER TITLED "MUSIKEN-GEHALTER" (MUSICIAN'S SALARIES). DATED 1-7 OF IV (APRIL) 61, THE RECEIPT HAS BEEN HANDWRITTEN IN GERMAN IN AN IDENTIFIED HAND, IN BLUE FOUNTAIN PEN. INDIVIDUALLY LISTED ARE THE FIVE BEATLES IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER: GEORGE HARRISON, PAUL McCARTNEY, JOHN LENNON, STUART SUTCLIFFE AND PETER BEST, AND GIVING DETAILS OF THEIR MATCHING SALARIES: 7 JAGE A 35 = DM 245 (7 DAYS AT 35 DEUTSCH MARKS) LESS TAX, GIVING A TOTAL PER WEEK FOR EACH OF DM 215. ALL FIVE MEMBERS HAVE SIGNED IN THEIR RESPECTIVE AREA VERY NICELY IN BLACK BALLPOINT, WITH JOHN SIGNING "J.W. LENNON", STUART SIGNING "SFSTUART" AND PETE AS "PETER BEST".

SHORTLY THEREAFTER, STUART WAS EFFECTIVELY DONE PERFORMING ON STAGE WITH THE BAND, THUS ENDING HIS INVOLVEMENT WITHIN THE BEATLES. HE DIED A YEAR LATER OF A BRAIN HEMORRHAGE, IN APRIL 1962.

THERE WERE VERY FEW ITEMS SIGNED BY THIS ORIGINAL COMBINATION OF THE BEATLES. there are ONLY TWO such PAY Receipt PAGES that list ONLY the Beatles' original members - This one BEING OFFERED HERE - and the one from their last week of performances there. The other PAY RECEIPT PAGES all list Tony Sheridan; some of which he signed and some which were signed on his behalf. Furthermore, this is BY FAR the BEST conditioned TOP TEN PAY RECEIPT. The other EXAMPLES have hurried signatures, multiple stains, or are faded. ADDITIONALLY, OF THE THREE SETS OF THE FIVE ORIGINAL BEATLES IN AUTOGRAPH BOOKS WHICH HAVE SURFACED, NONE OF THEM HAVE BEEN SIGNED BY ALL WITH LAST NAMES, AS AT LEAST ONE OF THE BEATLES SIGNED FIRST NAME ONLY. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THIS IS AN EXTREMELY RARE, EARLY, AND SUBSTANTIAL PIECE OF BEATLES HISTORY.

ACCOMPANIED BY LETTER OF AUTHENTICITY FROM FRANK CAIAZZO.
PLEASE NOTE: THERE ARE THREE MINOR TYPO-ERRORS IN MR. CAIAZZO'S ORIGINAL 2006 LETTER OF AUTHENTICITY (final image below):
1. THE PAY RECEIPT Is dated 1-7.IV.61 (1st through 7th of April, 1961). MR. CAIAZZO HAS TYPED 1-8.IV.61 (1st through 8th of April, 1961).
2. THE PAY RECEIPT measures
8¼" X 11¾". MR. CAIAZZO HAS TYPED 8
½" X 12".
3. It was the first of a 13 week engagement at The Top Ten CLUB. MR. CAIAZZO had typed "THE first of a 14 week engagement".

A REVISED AND CORRECTED LETTER OF AUTHENTICITY FROM MR. CAIAZZO COULD BE MADE AVAILABLE.

 

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