Entertainment For Lively Minds
Ginger Baker "The World's Greatest Drummer"
Posted by stimpy on 8 June 2010 - 1:38pm.
Well, that's what it says on the cover of the paperback edition of his autobiography.
I have to admit to buying it solely on the strength of Mark Ellen's, err..., 'memorable' interview with him last year.
Anyone read it yet?
- More from stimpy.
- Login or register to post comments
-
I missed that
which interview was this?
Issue 72
February 2009
I'd imagine...
...Jack Bruce's lawyers have read it, Stimpy.
I've just found a coat with a name tag in the collar
reading 'P. Meccano'
Hawkwind
I'm always pleased to hear the HORA which ends "...and then the world's worst bass player fired the world's best drummer..."
Meh!
Not even the best drummer to have played on PiL's annoyingly titled Album/Cassette/Compact Disc!
Bernard Purdie...
should sue.
Too Busy Suing Ringo
I'm sure "Pretty" Purdie reckons he played on the Cream LPs, too.
http://www.jimvallance.com/03-projects-folder/purdie-project-folder/pg-p...
Just to expand on things.
I'm pretty sure Purdie is telling the truth, more or less.
As mentioned in the article, in 1964 Atco records (a subsidiary of Atlantic Records to which Purdie was contracted) gained the rights to some of the Tony Sheridan era Beatles recordings and issued them on a couple of singles. These recordings obviously had had their drum track enhanced in some way.
if you go into the Atco releases in more detail you will discover that they also put out an album featuring these recordings, despite only actually gaining the rights to 4 of the 8 tracks which The Beatles recorded with Tony Sheridan. (The rights to the other four recordings having gone to MGM). The rest of the album consisted of 8 cover versions of Beatles and other Merseybeat songs credited to the otherwise unknown Swallows.
I suspect that Bernard Purdie was also co-erced into recording drums onto these tracks, and perhaps several others that remain unissued. As one of these cover versions was a cover of She Loves You, it would explain why Purdie claims to have played on this track.
Pfft... That's just RIDiculous
So ridiculous as to be funny :-)
Apparently, Ginge is...
1. A skilled mechanic
2. A brilliant rally driver
3. A top polo player and horseman
4. A swordsman of great renown and astonishing staying power
5. An accomplished builder
6. A genius of the recording studio
7. The world's greatest drummer (although after seeing the Baker Gurvitz Army on TV, my parents assured me that a bloke in the big band at Worthing Pavilion in the 40's was much better)
8. Not scared of John Bindon and may even have put a hex on him which led to his death
9. If things had turned out differently and he'd arrived with the big jar of cocaine in time he could have saved Jimi Hendrix's life - although he wasn't impressed with his guitar playing
10. If things had turned out differently he could have saved Keith Moon's life
11. Searingly honest about drug addiction
12. Rarely found at the bottom of a bunch of violets
Are Cream the first band to have all members write
an autobiography?
EDIT: Of course, Jack's is merely an 'authorised biography' although I'm not too sure such a biog is really that different to a ghost-written autobiography.