The Searchers, as with most successful Liverpool groups of the 1960s, had their stint in Hamburg, Germany. Most Searchers' fans are well aware of the "Live At The Star Club" recording which was of material highly similar to the Iron Door memo tape. The tracks on this 1963 release on the Phillips label included: Sweets For My Sweet; Ain't That Just Like Me; Listen to Me; I Can Tell; Sick And Tired; Mashed Potato; Sweet Little Sixteen; Don't You Know; Maybelline; Hey Joe; Beautiful Dreamer; Sweet Nothins; Shakin' All Over; Sure Know a Lot About Love; Rosalie; Learning the Game; Always It's You; Hully Gully and What'd I Say. Tony Jackson's Rock and Roll enthusiasm was not to be denied at the Star Club and these recordings a demonstrative of this observation.
By this time Tony was much more comfortable on bass and was using a Fender copy that he had made himself. As was the case with The Beatles, Tony was able to find a wider range of instruments in Hamburg and as a result purchased his Hofner violin bass there. In fact, the bass was the same Hofner model owned by Paul McCartney who had purchased his at the same music store. Tony used this bass with The Searchers and for a time with Tony Jackson and The Vibrations until he took on the role of lead singer with Denis Thompson on bass. According to Tony, "I sold this bass through an auctioneer in London a couple of years ago as I was not using it. I purchased it in the winter of 1962 for 28 pounds. Paul McCartney was with me when I made the purchase and I remember that we had been drinking. Because I had played it, the bass sold for 6,000 pounds. That's quite a bit of inflation." As it turns out, the Hofner Bass was sold to the Hard Rock Cafe to display in one of their restaurants. Whether coincidental or not, it is of interest to point out that John McNally's Hofner Club 60 guitar was also sold to the Hard Rock Cafe. (McCormack, 2001c)
Jackson's time in Hamburg coincided with that of the Beatles on at least one occasion and it would seem that they were playing songs and using instruments that were similar to the Fab Four. Not only did Jackson have a Hofner violin bass like McCartney's but he currently owns a Rickenbacker Model 4001 bass similar to Paul's but in a Jetglo (black) finish and a Rickenbacker Model 325 similar to John Lennon's also in Jetglo.
In speaking of Hamburg, Jackson noted "It was expensive there. We couldn't afford food but booze was obtained with little difficulty while we were playing at the clubs."
July 21, 2002
