The Sixties: Growing up with 60s Music in Munich

The music of my teenage years

Music was everything, back then when I grew up in Munich in the 60s - at least in my life and in the lives of my friends. This lens shall showcase some scenes from those years.

I had the opportunity to play in several different amateur bands and I attended live concerts of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Chicago, Donovan, and many other great musical artists of that era.

So many tunes from that era are connected to strong emotional memories. Music seems to shape us for our futures - it certainly influenced my thinking and feeling. When I have time, I blow my horn or I hammer the keys - and I remember when...

See what's in this lens:

Early Profile

Trying to find my path to happiness

I was born in 1949, in Munich, Germany. My parents discovered my musical talents very early and hired a piano teacher for me at age 4. By the time I started elementary school, I could read books and play the piano quite well. As soon as I had reached my early teenage years I played in amateur bands, mostly the keyboards but occasionally the saxophone or various percussion instruments.

Our heroes were The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis, of course, but also The Byrds, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, and many other superstars of that era.

In June of 1966, The Beatles were scheduled to play a concert in Munich. The tickets sold out within hours and I had no chance of buying any for myself. On the day of the concert, a friend approached me and announced that he had an extra ticket and asked if I was interested. He sold me the ticket for the regular price, and I was in heaven. I remember paying 25 Deutsche Mark, which compared to about $7, back then.

Both videos below have been filmed on that day. One is a clip from that day's newscast about the arrival of The Beatles in Munich, a special advice session for cops, discussing fan profiling and police strategies, and then scenes from the hotel and the fans awaiting a glimpse of the Fab Four. I was standing right there in the crowd, completely mesmerized by the electrical energy of that situation. Later on, John and Paul appeared at their windows, tossing autographs into our midst.

The second clip shows a performance of "Yesterday".

The concert took place at the venue of Munich's resident circus, which was touring during the Summer months. With only about 3,000 seats, you could have called it a quite intimate setting, if it hadn't been for the deafening screams of all of us alike.

This was a night I haven't forgotten since, and it's been 42 years, at this point.

1966 The Beatles in Munich

Die Beatles in München-Nachrichten, Juni 1966

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Have A Sing-Along With The Beatles!

The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook

by: The Beatles

Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 07/10/2009)
List Price: $24.95
Used Price: $13.15

Release Date: 12/31/1969

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Sweet Soul Music

One of my first bands was called "5 Men in the Hoose Gow". Then came "The Bugaboos", and then "The Prowlers". We used to play a lot in Officer's Clubs of the American Forces, in and around Munich. Most of us band members didn't speak English then, and so we faked it with phonetic singing. The soldiers didn't mind. They liked us and our sound, and we had many rounds of drinks sent to the stage.

Can you imagine us white German boys doing soul music? Beer sure helped.

Below find a couple of examples of the "real thing" of those days.

Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett

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Rolling along...

...Stones, that is.

It was kinda funny - we were either Stones or Beatles fans. I can't remember knowing anyone who admired both groups the same. I was a Beatles guy. When I hear any one of their songs today, distinct memories return. Either about heart aches over one particular girl, or a sweet image of a romantic event in my life, all still very emotional.

But now let's hear it from the early "Stones", and, as a bonus, a clip about another "Rolling Stone" from those days.

Rolling Stones...

Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone 1966

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Rolling Stones - Shindig 1965

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Later 60's

A musical career develops...

I had made up my mind - I wanted to be a professional musician, a rock star, if you will. Well, in reality we were still only semi-professional as a band. Meanwhile, our name had changed to "The Penny Dreadful". Don't ask me.
We added quite a bit of "Chicago" and "Santana" songs to our repertoire. And by then, we performed 4 days a week.

All my other band mates were students, with definite plans for careers in fields other than music. I was the only one who wanted to go on, write songs - maybe, or become a studio musician. We started drifting apart. Priorities were redefined, and our gigs diminished. What happened next shall be a topic for another lens. It got quite interesting in my life.

Here are two more examples of the great music of the Sixties: Chicago and Santana.

Chicago and Santana

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOvGa-8-Lns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUN9ZBGiWj0

Chicago - I´m a man

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Here's my favorite link:

Ultimate Beatles lens

The Ultimate "Stones" Show!

Shine a Light

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Release Date: 07/29/2008

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Beatles or Stones

The eternal question

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The White Beatles Book

The White Book: The Beatles, the Bands, the Biz: An Insider's Look at an Era

by: Ken Mansfield

Amazon Price: $13.38 (as of 07/10/2009)
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Release Date: 12/31/1969

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Beatles and Stones

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Let's get to the bottom of it:

Beatles or Stones?

Consider it all: their influence on us youngsters, on other bands, on cultural changes in the world; their artistic substance, creative output...everything!

Which band is more important?

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John, Paul, George & Ringo. Here's why:

mulberry says:

I was a little tyke when the Beatles were big so I was basically "weaned" on them. They're definitely my fav over the Stones.

Posted May 20, 2009

RufusQuail says:

When you listen to immortal Stones albums like Let it Bleed, Beggars Banquet, and Exile on Main St., the Stones get the nod. I guess the Beatles were just "teeny-bop snash" as Gordon says, but, forced to choose, I'll go with the Liverpool lads.

Posted December 21, 2008

OhMe says:

Definitely the Beatles for me. So many memories

Posted October 31, 2008

Margaret_Schaut says:

Interesting and Original lens! I'm with the beatles even though I love the stones. They had a greater impact on my sense of what music could do, could accomplish, what it could mean, then the stones did. I just enjoyed the stones.

Posted April 16, 2008

Evelyn_Saenz says:

I was in love with the Beetles in the 1960's. Thankx for bringign back the memories.

Posted March 24, 2008

Mick, Keith & Crew. Here's why:

Oosquid says:

I have to admit to being a bigggg Stones fan.

The way I see it the Rolling Stones were more important in the early days.

Sure the Beatles were influential, very influential, but it was the Stones that got us rebelling. They also drew attention to a lot of black music that white kids had not heard before. The Beatles were probably the biggest thing ever in popular music, but I'd say the Stones Are the most influential.

Posted May 11, 2009

Gordon_Hamilton says:

The Stones are, were and (probably!) always will be my favourite band of all time. Their raw energy, vibrancy and originality put The Beatles to shame (sorry!) and their talent far out-weighed that of all competitors. I just think that The Beatles sang the stereotypical, teeny-bop snash of thousands of other bands of the era while Mick, Keith and Co offered and gave far more.

The King himself, Elvis Presley, is the only one in my eyes who eclipsed The Stones...

Posted June 04, 2008

1 of 1 page

60's events

1969 Woodstock Festival & Concert: A collection of Woodstock facts, stories, photographs, memorabilia, and links.
The Beatles - The Internet Beatles Album: A collection of Beatles related informational, sound and picture files, made available for study by Beatles fans and scholars all over the world to explore ...
RollingStones.com home: The Rolling Stones's official web site and fan club, featuring news, photos, concert tickets, merchandise, and more.
Soul music - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Soul music is a music genre that combines rhythm and blues and gospel music, originating in the United States. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, ...
Bob Dylan - Expecting Rain: Bob Dylan: One of the pioneer sites on the Web dealing with Bob Dylan, Dylan's influences, lyrics, records and the latest concert reviews. Updated daily.
Official Site of Chicago the Band - Welcome !!!: Official site with tour dates, biography, discography, and fan club information.
The Official Carlos Santana Web Site: Official site with history, music, touring schedule, discography, merchandise, interactive forum, photos, news and band member information.
Wilson Pickett: Includes biography, timeline of his life, and photographs.
Otis Redding | The Legacy Continues: Official site with biography, discography, song lyrics and information about the Otis Redding Memorial Fund (scholarship).

My Original Music Today - As Seen On YouTube

I'm not really a singer but I'll "do it" anyway here, for you...

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My Tribute To Squid Angels

Pictures of the Alaska coast and one of my instrumental tunes...

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My Ode To Squidoo Lensmasters

So many lensmaster helped me - here are a few names...

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My favorite music on Pandora Radio

Chef Keem's Pandora #1: Chef Keem's Pandora #1
chefkeem's QuickMix: chefkeem's QuickMix

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Dear Friend -

Please leave a comment. And give me a star rating for this lens, if you liked it. Thank you for visiting.

Warm regards,
-Chef Keem

Lensmaster

OhMe wrote...

Great lens that brings back some wonderful memories. I really enjoyed this. Thanks

Posted October 31, 2008

Lensmaster

Gordon_Hamilton wrote...

Great lens. I know the Munich of recent years but nothing of pre-1985. It's always interesting to read of different aspects. 5*

(At least I know the Helles and Weiss Bier would still have been of the same quality then! :) )

Posted June 04, 2008

Lensmaster

WENDYSRASCALS wrote...

Ah the 60`s. Dylan, The Beatles, Mary Quant, Flower Power..Great Lens.

Posted March 29, 2008

Lensmaster

Evelyn_Saenz wrote...

I remember when the Beetles were on the Ed Sullivan Show. We had just gotten our first TV and watching them was an unforgetable experience.

I didn't discover Bob Dylan until much later but I have always enjoyed Pete Seeger.

Posted March 24, 2008

Lensmaster

TonyPer wrote...

Hi, Thanks for visiting my lens, and I am glad
you liked the cartoons. It must have been amazing to see the Beatles live! The 60's and the 70's are my favourite decades for music. I like a lot of new stuff, but nothing comes close to those times. Thank you for putting this lens together!

Posted March 12, 2008