GENUINE GERMAN TEEN PUNK MERSEYBEAT-STYLED - THE KING-BEATS Live in Köppern 1964

 

There were always punters who would try to preserve their favourite band for eternity. They would show up at the gig with a cheap tape recorder and an even cheaper microphone and ask if they could record the gig for the glory of the band. Permission was granted – naturally. Unfortunately “cheap” is the keyword here… the recording quality is deficient while the band are tearing their fittings out. But maybe it was the band that tried their hand at a live recording.

If you want to know what was going on in German pubs and dance halls, well, this is the perfect example. It was amplifiers turned to eleven, and every song played at top speed. On the dance floor the boys were throwing their hair about and the girls were doing the craziest dance moves. Everybody was having a good time, and the band were heroes for a couple of hours. Elders would not understand what the teens were up to, but the kids would: get away as far as possible from the 2^nd World War and their parents’ aim to be as conformist as they could. I remember my mother… “You can’t do that, what will the neighbours say!!??” or “With hair like that, we’ll be the talk of the town.” Trying to be obedient (again!) to the majority‘s attitude, to hide in the mass, all in order to conceal the Nazi guilt. The Merseybeat generation stood up for their ideals. Yet it showcased in long hair and stimulants in the long run.

The King-Beats were from Frankfurt, and before they became a proficient CBS-recording band, they went from gig to gig on the pub circuit not only in the big city but often in the countryside. No wonder these recordings were taped in Köppern, a Hessian small town.

The band preserved on tape here were the three Marz brothers, Elmar, Erhard and Rainer, organist Hans-Werner Heise and drummer Peter Walliser.

The music you are going to hear was preserved on a four-track tape, probably the copy of a copy, unfortunately  tracks 3 and 4 are bleeding into tracks 1 and 2 in two tracks. I’ve put them last, because despite of all the audiophile deficiencies, they’re great fun.

01 Instro Intro - THE KING-BEATS live in Köppern

02 Misery - THE KING-BEATS live in Köppern

03 When My Little Girl Is Smiling - THE KING-BEATS live in Köppern

04 Thank You Girl - THE KING-BEATS live in Köppern

05 Roll Over Beethoven - THE KING-BEATS live in Köppern

06 Glad All Over - THE KING-BEATS live in Köppern

07 Money - THE KING-BEATS live in Köppern

08 Boys  (bleed) - THE KING-BEATS live in Köppern

09 I’ll Never Get Over You  (bleed) - THE KING-BEATS live in Köppern

 

PS: More KING-BEATS in older posts. 

 

BARBED WIRE TONGUES – P1 UK 1976-81

 

  

01 THE PLEASERS – The Kids Are Alright       02 THE PLEASERS – Stay With Me       03 THE PURPLE HEARTS – Frustration       04 PSYKIK VOLTS – Totally Useless       05 THE PURPLE HEARTS – Beat That       06 THE PLEASERS – You Don’t Know       07 THE PARROTS – Serious Thing       08 THE PORK DUKES – Tight Pussy       09 THE PHOTOS – Irene ∞ THE PLEASERS - Billy       10 THE PHOTOS – Evelyn ∞ THE PURPLE HEARTS – Jimmy       11 PINK MILITARY – Degenerated Man       12 PURE PRODUKT – Sugar Plum       13 PSYKIK VOLTS – Horror Stories #5       14 PUMPHOUSE GANG – Motorcity Fantasies       15 PINK MILITARY – Spell Bound       16 PURPLE HIPSTERS – Rusty Blues       17 THE PORK DUKES – My Mother       18 PUNISHMENT OF LUXURY – Brainbomb       19 PENETRATION – Stone Heroes

The King-Beats – demos recorded at Waldorf Studio, some with Nick Charles, 1966

Attention: the sound quality is rather bad!

There are a number of posts with THE KING-BEATS (see “older posts”). These here are rough demos recorded early 1966, when the band began heading for Soul music. The singer Nick Charles was not a real member of the band, but the King-Beats backed him on a 7” record (see “older posts”). The two novelty tracks at the end were band compositions and later released under the pseudonym Onkel Schorsch. 

Do you want to know more about the King-Beats? The read about them in the book „Shakin‘ All Over – die Beatmusik in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland 1963-1967“ [ISBN 978-3-946502-11-1] or the 26-page-booklet coming with the CD „The King-Beats” [Bear Family BCD 16473 AR], both written by Hans-Jürgen Klitsch.

1. 01-17 NICK CHARLES & THE KING-BEATS  -  Please Don’t Go
2. 02-18 NICK CHARLES & THE KING-BEATS  -  Don’t Worry Baby
3. 03-19 NICK CHARLES & THE KING-BEATS  -  I Know You Need Me
4. 04-20 THE KING-BEATS  -  Improvisation
5. 05-21 THE KING-BEATS  -  Trinke derfste, saufe net
6. 06-22 THE KING-BEATS  -  Tschingderassa-Bum-Bum