Lost Beatles
This photo shows The
Beatles in Hamburg in 1960. You may not recognise
two of the faces.
Pete
Best (far
left)
Paul
McCartney invited Best to become The Beatles full-time
drummer in 1960. Best was very popular with early female
fans but did not mix well with other Beatles. They
asked Brian Epstein
to remove Best
from the group in August 1962.
Lennon later said, ‘Pete was a good drummer but
Ringo was a good Beatle’. There were complaints
about Best’s drumming but the main problem was
personal.
Best is standing a little apart from the rest of the
group. The only other person standing is Paul. Many
accused Paul of jealousy towards Pete Best.
Both Paul and Pete were deported from Germany after
setting light to their room.
Stuart Suctliffe
Stuart Suctliffe was a
close friend of John Lennon. He had a more difficult
relationship with Paul McCartney. The body language
of the young men in the photo suggests this.
Stuart hides behind his sunglasses. He is not happy in
the group. He is a very talented artist but a poor
musician. Paul sometimes unplugs his bass guitar on
stage.
Tragedy
The girlfiend of Stuart,
Astrid Kirchherr took the Hamburg
photo.When
the other Beatles left Hamburg, Stuart left the group to
stay with her.
Tragically, Suctliffe died a year later on 10 April, 1962
of a brain hemorrhage. He was only 21. His
death had a particularly strong effect on John.
A photo of Stuart appears on the cover of The Beatles
most famous album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club
Band
