THE BEATLES IN HAMBURG
Karussell 635 056 / Summit/Karussell SRA 250-550
Karussell 635 056 / Summit/Karussell SRA 250-550
| FORMAT | RELEASE DATE | SIDE 1 MATRIX | SIDE 2 MATRIX | PARTS |
| STEREO | Mar 1970 | 635056-A | 635056B |
AU* |
| STEREO | ? 1970 | 635056-A2 | 635056B |
AU* |
| STEREO | Nov 1970 | 635056-A2 SRA250-550A | 635056B SRA250-5 |
AU* |
| * On side 2 the etched '635056' is identical across all releases; it appears the mastering engineer missed a digit and initially etched 63506. Realising his mistake, he etched a 5 over the last six and etched in a 6 after, over what was the -. | ||||
MATRIX INFORMATION
Machine Stamped - Hand Written
Machine Stamped - Hand Written
| ORIGIN | CODE | CIRCULATED | SLEEVE DETAILS |
| AUST | A1 | Mar 1970 | 'Flag sleeve' - Replica German sleeve with Karussell / Stern Musik logos |
| AUST | A2 | Nov 1970 | 'Ship sleeve' - Summit Records Australia / Karussell; front laminated sleeve |
SLEEVE INFORMATION
KARUSELL
AU635056S1
Mar 1970
AU635056S1
Mar 1970
GENERAL ALBUM INFORMATION
German label Polydor owns the rights to the 'Tony Sheridan' tapes, recorded in Hamburg in June 1961 and which featured an early incarnation of The Beatles on a number of tracks, mainly providing backing for Tony Sheridan but also having a couple of tracks to themselves. Billed as The Beat Brothers on the original release, the tapes became a modest goldmine for Polydor following the explosion of The Beatles onto the world popular music scene.
Whilst Australia had heard most of the tracks through various Polydor singles, an EP, and The Mersey Sound LP, The Beatles In Hamburg was the first time that the tracks as a whole were made available domestically on LP. The album was essentially a clone of the February 1968 German Karussell/Stern Musik release, which itself was merely another repackaging of the 1964 Polydor album The Beatles' First.
The album was released by Phonogram Recordings (Australian subsidiary of Philips) in March 1970. It was a budget release, and not long after its release Phonogram Recordings licensed most of its budget line to the newly formed Summit Records Australia (SRA), where this album would be reissued in November 1970. For the reissue, SRA (via Phonogram Recordings) adopted new artwork, including Tony Sheridan's original 1964 liner notes on the back cover - mouseover the above sleeve image to see the later SRA sleeve variation. As per the arrangement between Phonogram Recordings and SRA, records were pressed with labels bearing the relevant Phonogram imprint and Phonogram-series catalogue numbers. Only sleeves carried SRA branding and SRA catalogue numbers. The '250' in the SRA catalogue number referred to the initial series price of $2.50.
The album would be repackaged again in Australia as part of PolyGram's "Rock Legends" series in 1980. Please visit the "Rock Legends" page for information on that release.
Whilst Australia had heard most of the tracks through various Polydor singles, an EP, and The Mersey Sound LP, The Beatles In Hamburg was the first time that the tracks as a whole were made available domestically on LP. The album was essentially a clone of the February 1968 German Karussell/Stern Musik release, which itself was merely another repackaging of the 1964 Polydor album The Beatles' First.
The album was released by Phonogram Recordings (Australian subsidiary of Philips) in March 1970. It was a budget release, and not long after its release Phonogram Recordings licensed most of its budget line to the newly formed Summit Records Australia (SRA), where this album would be reissued in November 1970. For the reissue, SRA (via Phonogram Recordings) adopted new artwork, including Tony Sheridan's original 1964 liner notes on the back cover - mouseover the above sleeve image to see the later SRA sleeve variation. As per the arrangement between Phonogram Recordings and SRA, records were pressed with labels bearing the relevant Phonogram imprint and Phonogram-series catalogue numbers. Only sleeves carried SRA branding and SRA catalogue numbers. The '250' in the SRA catalogue number referred to the initial series price of $2.50.
The album would be repackaged again in Australia as part of PolyGram's "Rock Legends" series in 1980. Please visit the "Rock Legends" page for information on that release.
PAGE LAST UPDATED: 23 OCTOBER 2022
