Feb 22nd 2010 By Jeff Merron

The Indispensable Ringo -- A Case for the Greatness of the Often Overlooked Beatle

A few weeks ago, Ringo Starr got his own star, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Many, in the past, called Ringo Starr "the luckiest man in show business," and some still do. Fortunately, as time has passed and Ringo proved himself with a damn good solo career, this is heard less often. What's also happened is that we've gotten to listen to The Beatles over and over - and when you do that, you realize that Ringo indeed got lucky in joining a band with three musical geniuses. But then again, each of the others got lucky the same way.

If you've had a chance to listen to the remastered Beatles CDs, you understand: it's a revelation, being able to hear, crisply and distinctly, all of the instruments. All of The Beatles sound great but it throws Ringo in sharp relief.

His drumming simply drives "Get Back." He's got blisters on his fingers at the end of "Helter Skelter" because he's blasted the heck out of those skins, take after take after take. Those who know their biz swear that his drumming on "A Day In the Life" is, in a word, masterful, a vital contribution to one of the best Beatles' songs. (Phil Collins: "The drum fills on 'A Day in the Life' are very complex things. You could take a great drummer today and say, 'I want it like that.' They wouldn't know what to do.")

And is there a more beautiful drum solo than the only one Ringo played while with the Beatles, the one on "The End"?

As Dennis Kiken of USA Today wrote last year, "John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison found in Ringo an ironclad timekeeper who rocked and swung like mad, with style, imagination, and versatility. He was the secret weapon of the best band of all time."

So why isn't Ringo more celebrated? Perhaps because he was modest, and consistent, writes Tim Riley in Tell Me Why: The Beatles: Album by Album, Song by Song, the Sixties and After. "Ringo wanted to serve the songs rather than show off. As a song writer's drummer, Ringo was the type of musician who could follow instructions as he completed the overall sound. His commitment to the music was bigger than his ego."

None of the other Beatles were known for offering easy praise - they could be quite harsh with each other - so what they had to say about Ringo is also key.

John Lennon: "Ringo is Ringo, that's all there is to it. And he's every bloody bit as warm, unassuming, funny, and kind as he seems. He was quite simply the heart of the Beatles."

Paul McCartney: ""Ringo is right down the center, never overplays." (That's effusive praise, coming from Paul).

George Harrison: "Playing without Ringo is like driving a car on three wheels."

In other words, without Ringo, the Beatles wouldn't have been quite so fab.

Five Ringo tracks to make your day:

"Rain": Ringo has called this his best track. -

"I Feel Fine": "The drumming is basically what we used to think of as 'What'd I Say' drumming. ... One of the big clinching factors about Ringo as the drummer in the band was that he could really play that so well." - Paul McCartney. -

"Get Back": Paul gets the credit, but Ringo's driving.

"Ticket to Ride": Not complicated. But awesome.

"Long Tall Sally": Ringo live, and wild!

Tags: Ringo starr - RingoStarr

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Monday 22 February

By qlady

Neutral

Thank you. I have lived long enough. Ringo brings out the bully in some people. Maybe it's the nose. I LOVE what's been happening the last year or so. Finally a little respect.

Tuesday 23 February

By Manda

Neutral

Ringo is and will always be adorable and talented. He's not like Paul but, more like John and doesn't flaunt it as much. He's the goofy, lovable one. He and John will always be my favorite members of the Beatles... :)

Friday 12 March

By matt

Neutral

John has always been idolised, almost eulogised, since his death particularly. He usually needed the others [Paul mainly] to finish off his songs. Rare in his praise of anyone else in the band but particular vitriol was reserved for his former mate [the only thing you ever wrote was 'Yesterday', how do you sleep at night you c#@t!,etc.] He's great but over-rated since his death. I feel sorry for Paul that he had to put up with that, John never publicly acknowledged the talent of his 'other half', or the others really. George, beneath it all, particularly when you read Anthology, never was thankful to John & Paul for letting him in the band. Yeah, he was talented but not as much as those 2. But never like a 'gee I was lucky I hooked up with those 2', he could be a very bitter guy. I think it's interesting the 2 guys who both love [& always have loved] playing live, & who dont have much bad to say about anyone, are the 2 survivors.

Tuesday 23 February

By lucyinthesky

Neutral

Matt,

John went through a bitter period about The Beatles in the early 70's soon after The Beatles broke up and Paul sued(he had no choice,)John,George and Ringo and won and later John.George and Ringo had problems with their later manager Alan Klein too. Also John wrote How Do You Sleep after Paul put some digs at John and Yoko in several songs on Paul's 1971 Ram album,his great rock song Too Many People being the most blatant one.

But in the June 1975 Rolling Stone Magazine interview John said that Paul's 1973 Wings album Band On The Run was a great album and he said it's Paul's music and it's good stuff. John also almost played on Paul's geat 1975 rock album, Venus and Mars but he went back to Yoko instead.And briliant singer song writers,and very good musicians like John,Paul and Georgecan't be "overrated" unles someone said they were Gods who created the world or cured cancer.

Tuesday 23 February

By cmh4165@aol.com

Neutral

As The All Music Guide says in their excellent Beatles biography "That it's difficult to summarize their career without restating cliches that have already been digested by tens of millions of rock fans, to start with the obvious,they were the greatest and most influential act of the rock era and introduced more innovations into popular music than any other rock band of the 20th century."

"Moreover they were among the few artists of *any* discipline that were simultaneously the best at what they did *and* the most popular at what they did." THey also say as singers John Lennon and Paul McCartney were among the best and most expressive in rock.

Also on an excellent site,The Evolution of Rock Bass Playing McCartney Style by Dennnis Alstrand,Stanley Clarke,Sting,Will Lee,Billy Sheehan,George Martin and John Lennon are quoted saying what a great,melodic and influential bass player Paul has always been'

And Wilco's John Stirratt was asked in Bass Player which bass players have had the most impact on his playing and the first thing he said was, Paul McCartney is one of the greatest bass players of all time,if you listen to what he was tracking live in the studio it's unbelievable." "With his tone and musicality he was a huge influence,he covered all of his harmonic responsibilities really well but his baselines were absolutely melodic and inventive."

And in an online 1977 Eric Clapton interview,Eric Clapton In His Own Words he says that there was always this guitar game between John and George,and he said partly because John was a pretty good guitar player himself.He played live with John as a member of John's 1969 Plastic Ono Band.

And there is a great online article by musician and song writer Peter Cross,The Beatles Are The Most Creative Band Of All Time and he says that many musicians besides him recognize Paul as one of the best bass guitar players ever.He too says that John and Paul are the greatest song composers are among the 2 greatest singers in rock and that John,Paul and George were all excellent guitarists and that George is underrated by people not educated about music but that Eric Clapton knew better,he also says that both John and Paul played great leads as well as innovative rhythm tracks.

John Lennon co-wrote,sang and played guitar on one of David Bowie's first hits Fame in 1975 David also invited Joh to play guitar on his version of John's beautiful Beatles song,Across The Universe .Brain May,Ozzy Osbourne,and Liam Gallagher and many more call The Beatles The Greatest Band Ever.

Also on MusicRadar Tom Petty,Joe Perry and Richie Sambora in What The Beatles Mean To Me all say how cool and great they thought The Beatles were when they first saw them on THe Ed Sullivan Show in Februar 1964 when they were just teen boys,Richie was only 5.Tom Petty said he thought they were really really great.

Robin Zander of Cheap Trick said he's probably one of the biggest Beatles fans on the planet.Brad Whitford of Aerosmith said that a lot of that Beatles influence comes from Steven Tyler's collaborartion with Mark Hudson both whom are absolute Beatles freaks and he said I guess the goal is to try and emulate probably some of the best music of the last 50 years which has to be The Beatles.

Tuesday 23 February

By lucyinthesky

Neutral

And George Martin himself said in an online interview I found around 2002 said that he has worked with many different music artists but that he has never known or worked with anyone as brilliant as The Beatles!

He says in his biography All You Need Is Ears refutes that he was the one who had most to do with The Beatles music. He admits most of the ideas came from them.

And if anyone ever reads the excellent book,The Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn which is a very detailed music diary of of every recording session in their amazing only 8 year career, which has interviews with their recording engineers,tape operators,George Martin quotes,and a very good interview with Paul in the beginning,they would see how truly creative,and innovative especially John and Paul were in the recording studio and that most of these great musicial ideas came from them.

George Martin was also once inerviewed on a rock station Beatles program and he said what is clearly obvious and true, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were incredibly talented people(and he said it like he still couldn't belive it.), they both were extrodinarily talented song composers and great singers.And notice how Ringo working with George Martin for 8 years didn't turn him into a brilliant song writer like John and Paul,and George Martin has produced many other music artists but non of them have had as much critical acclaim,success or popularity as THe Beatles!

Tuesday 23 February

By lucyintheskywithemeralds

Neutral

Also in an excellent Beatles book Ticket To Ride by Denny Somach where so many other well known popular respected rock musicians and artists are interviewed about The Beatles praising them including Jimmy Page,Brian Wilson who says he's always loved The Beatles. And Brian Wilson called John & Paul the greatest song writers of the 20th century on a 1995 Nightline Beatles tribute show,(which had on music artists from every type of music,a young black jazz musician,a middle aged black opera singer,Steve Winwood,Meatloaf,and classical violnist Isak Perleman,who said he plays his children Bach,Beethoven Mozart and The Beatles)and he played With A Little Help From My Friends on the piano and he said he just loves this song. He also said that Sgt.Pepper is the greatest album he ever heard and The All Music Guide says in their Beach Boys biography,that Brian had a nerveous breakdown after he heard it. Brian also said that when he first heard The Beatles brilliant 1965 folk rock album Rubber Soul he was blown away by it.He said all of the songs flowed together and it was pop music but folk rock at the same time and he couldn't believe they did this so great,this inspired him to make Pet Sounds.

John Lodge and Justin of The Moody Blues are interviewed in this book and Bill Wyman and Ron Wood says how The Rolling Stones became good friends with The Beatles in 1963 after John and Paul wrote 1 of their first hits,the Rock n Roll song,I Wanna Be You're Man.

Ron Wood was asked what his favorite Beatles songs and he said there are so many apart from the obvious like Strawberry Fields I Want To Hold Your Hand is one he said he used to like a lot ,and he said he really loved We Can Work It Out.He also says that The Beatles used to have a radio show every Friday where they played live and spoke and he would never miss an episode. He said infact whoever has the rights to those shows should dig them up,because they are incredible.

Justin Hayward says that the album he always really loved ,and he said it was when they started experimenting with chord structures ,was A Hard Day's Night.He says they began to move away from the standard 3 chord thing and just went into more interesting structures .He said A Hard Day's Night was the album for him and their song If I Fell was the song.He said it started in a different key to how it ended up,and it's a beautifully worked out song and that there are some songs on that album that were very emotinal and evocative. He said that for everybody just starting to weite songs as he was,it was a real turn on and eye opener.

Tuesday 23 February

By lucyintheskywithgarnets

Neutral

Phil Collins (who has always been a big Beatles fan since he was 13 years old in the audience of The Beatles concert in their great film A Hard Day's Night in 1994 he hosted The Making Of A Hard Day's Night and said how great their music was in this film and along with Pete Townsend played on 2 songs on Paul McCartney's 1986 Press To Play album) and Max Weinberge praise Ringo's drumming and musician and song writer Peter Cross in his excellent online article,The Beatles Are The Most Creative Band Of All Time, says that Ringo might be underrated by the public but he's not by most professional drummers and that he perfected the art of drum sounds and he said no drummer has ever recorded so many different sounds on so many different sounding records.

He also says that Ringo invented a new style of slow drum playing epitomized on A Day In The Life and Strawberry Fields Forever. He also said that John said many times that Ringo has the best back beat in the business and he said and the professional studio drummers understand why John was correct.

Phil Collins has said that he can't duplicate Ringo's great drumming on A Day In The Life and George Martin said that Ringo always had a great ear and feel for a song and that it was his idea to play the tom toms on A Day In The Life giving the song a disctintive percussion sound. Also in Mark Lewisohn's excellent detailed Beatles music diary,The Beatles Recording Sessions,he explains that in the 100's of recorded takes The Beatles did for over 100 of their great songs Ringo rarely ever made a mistake that stopped the tapes from running and he said his drumming was excellent and consistent from 1962-1970!

His drumming has also been pointed out as great on Tomorrow Never Knows,She Said She Said,Rain(which he says is his best drumming ever)and Abbey Road.His drumming is also very good on a very early Beatles song,Thank You Girl especially towards the end.

Tuesday 23 February

By lucyintheskywithrhinestones

Neutral

Also, when The Beatles got Ringo to join The Beatles he was in no way an inexperienced drummer,he was already playing for one of the top successful Liverpool bands,Rory Storm and The Huricanes for seceral years when they got him.And George Martin didn't think Pete Best was a good enough drummer and that Ringo was much better and The Beatles agreed.