Mojo - The Music Magazine

Hamburg, December 2, 2009, 5pm.

MOJO has spent the last hour wending our way along Hamburg's Reeperbahn, the sleazy neon-lit thoroughfare that, history tells us, gave The Beatles their apprenticeship in rock'n'roll. The callow band - then featuring drummer Pete Best and bassist Stu Sutcliffe - arrived here in August 1960, quickly familiarising themselves with the women, booze and over-the-counter speed that fuelled the area's night-life. It was, in the words of Paul McCartney, "a baptism of fire".

Among the band's first followers was a small trio of locals whose quasi-beatnik allure appealed to the wide-eyed, knowledge-hungry Liverpudlians. Klaus Voormann, a graphic artist from Berlin, was one and would soon become a trusted Beatles confidante, eventually designing the cover art for Revolver and playing bass on their best solo albums.

Today, almost 50 years after their first meeting, Voormann and McCartney are to be reunited at the latter's show at Hamburg's Color Line Arena. MOJO meets the dapper 71-year-old just a stone's throw away from the hustle and bustle of the Reeperbahn, where memories of those incendiary all-night shows still hang in the air...

When you first saw the Beatles in the Kaiserkeller in 1960 was their talent and charisma already obvious?

Yes. From the very first moment I was convinced that they were going to be really successful. I didn't know to what extent, of course, but I definitely knew. They were the first live band I ever saw. It was amazing to watch how they acted towards the audience. It was one of the first gigs they played in Hamburg and they didn't have any fans. They were just a dance band. It didn't matter if, let's say, in the early morning after the show the cleaning women would come in and say, "play Walk In The Black Forest." They would always give their best. They would do anything for their audience.

You've known Paul for 50 years. What are your first memories of meeting him?

Paul in particular was very, very nice to everybody. He still is. You see how he works with an audience. He loves them. He is made for it. And he is really like he was then. I think there is a breed of people who cannot stop and Paul is one of them. He just has to keep on working and do more. With some people I think, "Why the hell are they carrying on? Just stop." But with some, I want them to carry on until they drop. I remember he was sitting at the piano in the Top Ten and I was sitting beside him playing the bass. And there I was, just recently, in his house, in his studio, playing the bass and he was playing the piano. It was great.

How do you think Hamburg shaped the Beatles' sound?

I think the actual way they played and the tightness of the band developed simply because they played so much. And Hamburg gave them that opportunity. I don't think it was necessarily the surroundings - they were not the reason they became such a good band. It was just the fact that they played a minimum of eight hours every night. That's tough work.

Are you pleased to see Hamburg beginning to make a little more of its connection with the Beatles?

It's a very wealthy city. There is a tradition of seamanship and ship-builders, and big business. And now they've started doing this, and this whole museum [Beatlemania opened in May 2009] is a step into another direction. And next year there will be something else.

Where did the idea for your new album, A Sideman's Journey, come from?

My wife put me up to it. I made the decision when I came [back] to Germany in 1979 after I played with Dr John. I thought, "I can't top this level of music." I said, "This is it; let me now stick to graphics." When I came to Germany I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do, so I went to a record company for a while, but I didn't play. I wanted to stop playing. I recorded. I did some producing. I did that for a while, but I found I didn't enjoy telling other people what to play. I'd rather play myself.

How do you think Brian Epstein helped influence The Beatles that you saw in the clubs of Hamburg?

Well, in one respect nobody could have possibly kept those four guys in shape. He tried to, but... listen to what they were saying in interviews. Brian Epstein would not have liked to hear any of that! They were so cocky and fresh; they were so spontaneous. Those boys were so free - even though they had certain designs. Like those ugly suits. I hated them... just terrible.

What was your proudest moment during your time working with the band?

I am a graphic designer. My proudest moment was when the whole band was standing there and I showed them the cover for Revolver. It was amazing.

Having known them throughout the '60s, were you surprised when they finally split up?

No. I think they did enough. Each one of them wanted to go in a different direction and to keep them together would have been completely wrong. And the Beatles were all solo people with completely different outlooks on life. And I think anybody who says they should have stayed a group longer... well, they're wrong. To me, it was even too long. They should have parted earlier.

Do you think they were the greatest band of the 20th Century?

Oh definitely, definitely. Maybe they're the greatest band ever. Maybe there will never be anything like them again. I mean there are other fantastic bands, but... they were completely different. The way the Beatles functioned with those different personalities... I think that will never happen again.

Interview by Ross Bennett

Klaus Voormann's A Sideman's Journey is out now. Check out the trailer for the accompanying DVD documentary below.

For more on the opening night of Paul McCartney's 2009 European tour, check out the next issue of MOJO - on sale January 1!