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In 63 the Searchers played 128 times on the Starclub stage, long hard nights in Hamburg/Germany. There were plans to make a live recording with various artists at the Starclub and Chris Curtis really begged to get one song - at least. There was one week time for recording using very primitive stuff. So only mono recordings were possible most of them made in the afternoon, when the Starclub was closed. The applause was copied later.

These19 recordings were made prior to the Pye stuff, but the first release that included Searchers songs from their time in Hamburg was available in September 1963. Philips had released a compilation album (Twist im Starclub, UK Philips BL 7578, German Philips P 48036 L and Japan SFL 7262) featuring three Searchers songs:

above: German and UK label

above left: German back cover

above: Uk back cover

far left: UK cover

left: German cover

Next step was the release of an album by the Searchers all by themselves: "Sweets For My Sweet" - The Searchers At The Starclub
(Live Recording). The original album was released in October 1963 on the Philips label no. P 48052 L.

01. SWEET NOTHIN'S (leadsinger: TONY)
02. SHAKIN' ALL OVER (TONY)
03. BEAUTIFUL DREAMER (MIKE)04. SWEETS FOR MY
SWEET (TONY)
05. AIN'T THAT JUST LIKE ME (CHRIS)
06. LISTEN TO ME (TONY & MIKE)
07. I CAN TELL (CHRIS)
08. SICK AND TIRED (CHRIS)
09. MASHED POTATOES (TONY)
10. I SURE KNOW A LOT ABOUT LOVE (TONY, MIKE &
CHRIS)
11. ROSALIE (JOHN)
12. LED IN THE GAME = (TONY & MIKE)
13. HEY JOE (MIKE)
14. ALWAYS IT'S YOU (CHRIS, MIKE & TONY)
15. HULLY GULLY (TONY)
16. WHAT'D SAY (CHRIS)

There are three more things to say about this album:
the Searchers didn't get paid for it, the record company and the owner of the Starclub, Manfred Weissleder, earned the money.
Led In The Game of course isn't correct. The right title is "Learning the game", an old Buddy Holly song.
What'd I Say is faded out, but the single, released later and the two cd rereleases have the complete song with a real ending.

a UK release was announced but no information available if it ever happened back in 1963

In March 1964 three more Starclub songs were issued on Liverpool Beat, Fontana (Germany and New Zealand) 681557

17. MAYBELLINE (CHRIS)
18. SWEET LITTLE SIXTEEN (MIKE)
19. DON'T YOU KNOW (MIKE)


	picture above taken during their first visit in Hamburg

LP Releases from Other Countries:

above: Japanes lp Philips SFL-7247 from 1965 - tracks see German release

Australien LP from 1964

SWEETS FOR MY SWEET

Philips PD 136 - Aus, 1964

LP from Malaysia from 1964

Leico PLS 3020

both LPs contain the same tracks as the German original

American version of the LP (Mercury MG 20914), mono, sometimes stereo (Mercury SR 60914) although the recordings were only made in mono. Tracks listing see German LP minus Always It's You. Release date was April 1964.

Also in 1964 Mercury issued The Seachers Meet The Rattles (Mercury MG 20994 mono and Mercury SR 20994 stereo). Tracks see image below. This LP included the Pye track It's All Been A Dream which has nothing to with the Starclub recordings. See Singles

A similar release came out in Switzerland called Twist im Starclub, one side by the Searchers, the other one by the Rattles, although with different tracks: The Searchers' side has the same songs as the A-Side of the German LP oder the A-side of Hear! Hear! (Exlibris GC 371)

left and above

Canadian Version

left and above: releases from Thailand & China, details unknown

right: rare mid sixties sampler

The Singles

Germany:

The first single release came out in September 1963: Sweet Nothin's / What'd I Say Philips 345 592 PF

left:

Sweets For My Sweet / Listen To Me Philips 345 606 PF was the second German Starclub single, also from 1963

above:

Different pressing of the single without the headline "Twist im Starclub"

above:

third German single, released February 1964, Philips 345 621.

fourth and final single with

Starclub recordings by the

Searchers, now released

on the newly founded

Starclub label

Starclub 148 500

The single came out in

November 1964.

UK:

Sweet Nothin’s / What’d I Say Philips 1274

The only Starclub record by the Searchers that charted: No. 48 was the highest position

USA:

June 1963 was the date for the first single release: Sweets For My Sweet / It's All Been A Dream (Mercury 72 172). The B-Side of course was not a part of the of the Starclub recordings but the Pye record. But for American fans it was the only way to get hold of It's All Been A Dream because the original Pye single was never published in the USA.