grosc
And That's A Start
Posts: 1
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Post by grosc on Aug 17, 2015 12:41:55 GMT
I am 68 years old and watched the beatles on many occasions in the cavern club in 1962. When I tell people the cavern club was on the opposite side of the road to where the cavern club now stands I am ridiculed by most people. Am I right or am I going senile. grosc
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Post by Amadeus on Aug 17, 2015 12:57:42 GMT
Hmm,,, I'm not from there so I only go by what I've read. It is on the same side of the street that it used to be, just sort of next door now. Check this out: www.cavernclub.org/history/
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Post by ROCKY on Aug 17, 2015 13:10:06 GMT
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Post by mrmustard on Aug 17, 2015 14:00:37 GMT
Hi Grosc, welcome to the forum.
In answer to your question, the Cavern club in 1962 was located exactly where it is today. The original Cavern was filled in in 1973 however the current Cavern was excavated on exactly the same site only deeper than the original club. The current Cavern occupies 75% of the original Cavern site.
The confusion arises because following The Caverns closure and subsequent filling in, the then owner Roy Adams opened another club directly opposite the original site and called it 'The Cavern'', with a sign and plaque outside that remained until 1992. The club folded in 1974 and reopened as The Revolution then folded again to reopen as Eric's until that folded after the popularity of punk waned. The signage remained during this period.
The original Cavern was excavated in 1981 completely intact. However it was deemed unsafe so knocked down and rebuilt on the original site, reopening in 1984 where it remains today.
Hope this makes sense otherwise just read the link that Rocky posted.
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Post by pothos on Aug 17, 2015 16:23:14 GMT
Hello and welcome.
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Post by brewmaster on Aug 18, 2015 18:34:31 GMT
As Mr Mustard says, the new Cavern is in the footprint of the original [on the left side of Mathew Street when looking towards North John Street] However, the doorway isn't the same. The original doorway is marked by a photo of Paddy Delaney.
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Post by The End on Aug 26, 2015 1:21:09 GMT
As Mr Mustard says, the new Cavern is in the footprint of the original [on the left side of Mathew Street when looking towards North John Street] However, the doorway isn't the same. The original doorway is marked by a photo of Paddy Delaney. Yep, as you say, that doorway in Mathew Street is still there and signposted as the original entrance and accompanied by that picture, although it now serves as an emergency exit for the current Cavern Club. However not too many people pose for pics there due to its secondary unofficial use as a urinal!!
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Post by The End on Aug 26, 2015 1:28:11 GMT
Hi Grosc, welcome to the forum. In answer to your question, the Cavern club in 1962 was located exactly where it is today. The original Cavern was filled in in 1973 however the current Cavern was excavated on exactly the same site only deeper than the original club. The current Cavern occupies 75% of the original Cavern site. The confusion arises because following The Caverns closure and subsequent filling in, the then owner Roy Adams opened another club directly opposite the original site and called it 'The Cavern'', with a sign and plaque outside that remained until 1992. The club folded in 1974 and reopened as The Revolution then folded again to reopen as Eric's until that folded after the popularity of punk waned. The signage remained during this period. The original Cavern was excavated in 1981 completely intact. However it was deemed unsafe so knocked down and rebuilt on the original site, reopening in 1984 where it remains today. Hope this makes sense otherwise just read the link that Rocky posted. You know I still can't figure out the layout compared to the street above - too many twisting turns in that staircase leave me disoriented by the time I reach the bottom, despite the fact we had it explained to us just last year! I'm gonna bring a compass with me on Thursday!
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Post by brewmaster on Aug 26, 2015 9:35:54 GMT
In the original club, you came down the stairs, then there was a left turn, a few more steps and you were in the club, with the paying-in table facing you. On the left, along the back wall, were the snack bar, cloakroom, then the toilets. As you faced right you saw the three sections of the room itself. The left section had bench seating, and led to the band-room. The centre section faced the stage, and had chairs [sometimes cleared on busy sessions] The right section, like the left, was were the dancing took place. Many memoirs have mentioned the distinctive Cavern smell, and it was, in truth, the first thing that hit you. If the club was empty, the smell was of Jeyes Fluid [disinfectant], plus the odour of the hot-dog onions from the snack-bar. As the club filled and the dancing started the smell of sweat commingled to produce the unique smell, which clung to your clothes for hours. The swaet actually ran down the walls on busy sessions.
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Post by pothos on Aug 26, 2015 16:35:13 GMT
Brew; were you allowed in if you wanted to see an act at The Cavern did you need to be a member and what happened if you weren't?.
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Post by brewmaster on Aug 26, 2015 17:23:24 GMT
As far as I remember, you signed up to be a member on your first visit. The lunchtime sessions were only one shilling admission thats 2.5 pence, allowing for infation about £1 today. Imagine being able to see the Beatles at their live best for that amount? Lunchtime sessions were no problem, but sometimes at night you had to queue up.
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Post by doctorrobert on Sept 16, 2015 23:55:38 GMT
I'm throwing this out there for discussion, but can the current owners of the Cavern Club claim the history and legacy of the original Cavern Club?
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Post by brewmaster on Sept 18, 2015 9:21:00 GMT
The Cavern is gone, and nobody can ever visit it again. In fact, the original Mathew Street, which was fruit/veg wholesalers with two small, dingy pubs, has gone too. What the new Cavern gives, though, is the nearest thing to the original. It's a bit like a Beatles tribute band. We know it's not the real thing, but we can still enjoy the performance. Bill Heckle and Dave Jones have done so much for Beatles fans in this city, and, in my opinion, deserve appreciation.
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