Beatles Monument In Hamburg Not The Best

A monument dedicated to The Beatles, currently under construction in the German city of Hamburg, is causing controversy among music fans. The city that helped launch The Beatles to international fame is creating a steel tribute to the band rumoured to cost upwards of £300,000.

The statue will represent the original band members from the time they lived and played on the city's famous Reeperbahn at various times between 1960 and 1962, including Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and original bassist Stuart Sutcliffe who died in Hamburg in April 1962.

Pete Best, who played drums for The Beatles for the majority of their Hamburg shows, is neglected from the commemoration in favour of Ringo Starr who joined The Beatles for their fifth residency in the city in December 1962. Ringo, of course, had until that time been in Hamburg playing with Rory Storm and The Hurricanes. Apparently some fans feel that Pete Best's early contributions shouldn't have been ignored.

You can enjoy the story of The Beatles' early years in Hamburg as told through the words and images of Klaus Voormann and Astrid Kirchherr with Hamburg Days - the limited, signed two edition set from Genesis Publications. Which also features an introduction by George Harrison.

These images are taken from Hamburg Days (Pete Best is shown on the left).