Entertainment For Lively Minds
The Ringo Myth
Posted by Bodhisattva on 22 May 2011 - 7:14pm.
Following his, admittedly, bellicose appearance on The One Show recently all the usual Ringo observations came out. An average sap who lucked out into the Beatles. This, of course, ignores the fact that he was actually head-hunted by the other HJH's when their own drummer proved lacking. They wanted the best around. . On Youtube - that snarling inexhaustible supply of puffed up crazy people- all the smug trite truisms about his craft are written even larger. But Ringo is a great GREAT drummer. There's one dynamite kid online who plays his stuff beat for beat just to show how driving and complex it is. It's a great series. Peace and Love, peace and love...
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Great fun, and very instructive!
That's amazing - and it illustrates so well that Ringo had an unmatched ear for fills. He was also able to come up with wildly different ideas for practically every Beatles song, unlike many drummers who have a few stock rhythms that they just play for every song. I enjoyed this even more than I thought I would!
There's a clip somewehere on YouTube where someone plays just about all the guitar parts from Abbey Road and they illustrate pretty much the same thing about the Beatles as guitarists!
I'm a big fan of Ringo's
I'm a big fan of Ringo's drumming myself. But I think it's worth mentioning that a good many of those "wildly different ideas" for drumming on each song came from McCartney (at least according to Beatles engineers like Norm Smith and Emerick. For ex., the drumming idea on Ticket to Ride came from Paul, or so Lennon once said). But even so, that doesn't take anything away from Ringo's skill, as he's the one who had to give Paul and John what they wanted.
That he's good is almost
self-evidently true. It beggars belief that the other three would have carried a passenger for near eight years. No, he was there because he could play. Maybe not showy, maybe not flash. But he gave the others what they wanted. And without him, the HJH's wouldn't have sounded they way they did.
May I be the one to point out
that he's playing it at the released speed. The rhythm track was recorded faster and slowed down. Speaking as a bass player who tried to learn the drums before giving up, I've long suspected Starr & McCartney cracked open a tube of Preludin tablets left over from Hamburg in order to do it.
Musical pseuds
Anyone who snorts with derision at any mention of Ringo, or who trots out the 'not even the best drummer in the Beatles' line can be clearly identified as a musical pseud. As you rightly say, I think he's a truly great drummer, both imaginative and distinctive. I still can't work out what he's doing in the middle section of 'Something' - I'll have to check the kid out on You Tube to see if he can help.
Seconded
I use others' opinions about Ringo abilities drum-wise as a guide to their character. If they snort with derision, they are unworthy of any further interaction.
When asked who are my favourite drummers, I always respond:
John Bonham, Ringo Starr, Stevie Wonder. At least one of those is guaranteed to raise an eyebrow among the musical illiterate.
Ticket to Ride
Best fills ever - especially the machine gun sounding one
He's a great drummer...
Up there with Keith Moon and Clem Burke (never been a fan of Bonham's, could certainly roll, but didn't seem to have much lightness in there, but I suppose - LZ3 apart - they weren't really about lightness) .
I always go back and listen to "Go Your Own Way" with Fleetwood's competent but uninspired beat holding and imagine what Moon, Burke and Starr would do with the huge amounts of time and space that cry out for a few attacking ratatat snare fills.
go your own way
I reckon that's a bit unfair on Mick, the drum pattern (on the verses at least) is quite weird, I certainly wouldn't call it 'uninspired'. And his dynamics at the end are really good.
It was probably one of Lindsay's ideas though.
Peace & Love indeed!
I've never seen that before, and it's top drawer stuff! Ringo I bow to thee! I never knew!
I Feel Fine and Get Back
are 2 more mighty fine drum performances by Ringo:
Less is often more and no one illustrates that better than Ringo in my book. I'd argue that his drumming is one of the key reasons The Beatles never lost the plot as their musical experimentation really kicked in.
His drumming on
'God' is stupendous. An all-time great.