The Beatles

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movieman1957
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Re: The Beatles

Post by movieman1957 »

Ringo has a new album coming out. He sure has been busy in the last couple of years.

What do you think of Ringo's lot in The Beatles? Was he just the luckiest guy? Is he just what they needed to complete them? Is he, as John once said, not even the best drummer in the band? (or something very much like that.)
Chris

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Rita Hayworth
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Re: The Beatles

Post by Rita Hayworth »

Movieman1957 said:
What do you think of Ringo's lot in The Beatles?


To me, he compliments John, George, and Paul. I always like Ringo Starr and to me; he is most underrated Beatle there is. The big three of John, George, and Paul gets the spotlight ... if I want to meet one of the Beatles ... my first choice would be Ringo Starr because you need a good drummer to round out the act to make it harmonious.

I love drummers ... Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa are among my favorites.

To me, drummers are most unappreciated musicians in the world.

Good post Chris!
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Re: The Beatles

Post by RedRiver »

I've heard it said that Ringo was not a first class drummer. I wouldn't know. I'm not a musician. I like his personality, his style. He did complement the band. Gotta wonder how Pete Best felt all those years. Great career move, Pete!
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movieman1957
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Re: The Beatles

Post by movieman1957 »

Pete was fired. Somehow John, Paul, George and Pete just doesn't have the same flow to it.
Chris

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Re: The Beatles

Post by Mr. Arkadin »

Ringo might not have been the genesis for all those great songs, but he certainly fleshed them out in inventive and unorthodox ways. He also gets a very unique tone out of his kit and plays with the hi-hat slightly open, creating a sustaining wash that enhanced much of the early sounds where the guitars had minimal distortion and were very "spitty". He was also one of the first drummers to play fills from the lower to higher toms (standard technique is playing from high to low).

To hear what he could do with a song, check out Ticket to Ride, where he crafts a very musical part with mostly kick and toms--no ride cymbal or hi-hat. Another interesting example would be Come Together in which he starts with sixteenth notes on the hi-hat, but then shifts to snare and toms in the verse, opening up space for the rhythm to grind. Besides crafting interesting hooks, Ringo also has an incredible sense of time and knew the difference between creating a minimalistic groove which holds a song together (In My Life), and energizing a band (Paperback Writer).

As for being the worst drummer in the Beatles, there is no comparison with McCartney's plodding abilities (Back in the USSR) and Ringo's bounce.
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movieman1957
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Re: The Beatles

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I would agree about Ringo's drumming talent. (I think John was probably mad when he said that.) I think along with "Ticket To Ride" you put in the work in "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "A Day In The Life" and "Rain" you have some wonderful fills that add just the right amount of flavor without showing off. Also listen to the bridge on "Something" and there is more fine work between the toms and high hat.

I think he also had a great personality that beautifully rounded out the others. It's the kind of thing where Lennon said about the song "I'm The Greatest" that he would have been blasted for having recorded it but people would see the humor in Ringo recording it.
Chris

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Re: The Beatles

Post by MichiganJ »

While some think that Best was the better drummer, Ringo was an essential member of the Fabs. Not only is his playing interesting while being unobtrusive, but he was also the glue that kept the other three together. His quitting in the middle of recording the White Album (which is one of the reasons McCartney helms the drums on some of the tracks), is one of the reasons we have Abbey Road and Let It Be. Had one of the other three quit first, that would have been that.

Any quip that Lennon made about Ringo and his drumming reflects more on Lennon than Ringo. Lennon's sense of humor was often mean and acerbic, but clearly he liked Ringo's drumming because Ringo appears on many of Lennon's early solo albums.

While I love Ringo and his drumming, one cannot discount McCartney's contributions. Among others, it was McCartney who "suggested" what to play on Ticket To Ride (McCartney also came up with the song's "My Baby Don't Care" ending).

Ringo, never one to show off with solos, had to be persuaded to play, probably the most famous drum solo, for The End. It took a lot of work on McCartney's part to get Ringo to play it, and, once again, Paul gave Ringo some ideas on what to play. (By the way, doesn't the solo sound a lot like the opening part of the endless drum solo during the live version of In-A-Godda-Da-Vida? Just saying.)

For what it's worth, some of my favorite Ringo performances include She Love You, If I Fell (one of many highlights in A Hard Day's Night), She Said, She Said, Baby Your a Rich Man, and probably my two favorites: Rain and Tomorrow Never Knows.

I'll admit that I've stopped buying Ringo's solo albums (I stopped at VH1 Story Tellers album). While he had a decent song every now and then, I find most of his solo albums pretty boring. Ringo and Goodnight Vienna are the two exceptions (although I actually like Rotogravure, despite its awful production). These two (or three) albums plus his latest greatest hits collection, Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo, are the only ones I ever pull out.
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movieman1957
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Re: The Beatles

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I only have "Ringo" and "Choose Love." I used to have "Goodnight Vienna" but just never felt compelled to replace it when it was destroyed. "Choose Love" has some decent songs with some interesting sounds which I think shows Mark Hudson had some imagination but I've never felt the urge to buy his albums.

I do think he's a good interview. I saw him on an HBO show several years ago where he did everything from demonstrate his drumming style (it appears he plays a right handed kit though he is left handed) and go through some albums, his and others, and what they meant to him. He's fun on the Anthology as well.

I do have some early 45s of his of "It Don't Come Easy" and "Back Off Boogaloo" which were included in the CD version of "Ringo." For that matter I may be the only person I know that still has 45s of McCartney's "Give Ireland Back To The Irish" (just because) and "Mary Had A Little Lamb." (That is unless you do Kevin but I'm not sure if you're old enough.)
Chris

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Re: The Beatles

Post by Mr. Arkadin »

MichiganJ wrote:While some think that Best was the better drummer, Ringo was an essential member of the Fabs.
The problem (as I understand it) with Best was his inability to play in time. Martin told them they could keep Pete for live performances, but there was no way he would be used on any recordings. To be fair, this happens with a lot of up and coming groups where drummers find themselves ghosted because they simply can't hold time properly. Pro Tools and drum machines are often used as solutions these days, but do more harm than good, often destroying the human element. Just one more indication of how good Starkley was (although he, himself was ghosted on Love Me Do and only allowed to play on some tracks after Martin felt sorry for him).
MichiganJ wrote:For what it's worth, some of my favorite Ringo performances include She Love You, If I Fell (one of many highlights in A Hard Day's Night), She Said, She Said, Baby Your a Rich Man, and probably my two favorites: Rain and Tomorrow Never Knows
Great choices, although my favorite part of If I Fell is when Paul's voice cracks in the second chorus. I guess I must be a sadistic person because I always wait for it. :P
Last edited by Mr. Arkadin on January 18th, 2012, 1:27 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: The Beatles

Post by MichiganJ »

I've got all the Beatles U.S. 45s up to the Movie Medley release in 1982 (Free as a Bird and Real Love, too), and many of the British EPs as well as all of the solo singles. I mean who could live without Miss O'Dell, the flip side to Harrison's Give Me Love?
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Re: The Beatles

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Mr. Arkadin wrote:my favorite part of If I Fell is when Paul's voice cracks in the second chorus.
The band I was in in High School tried to play it. One time through was more than enough.
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movieman1957
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Re: The Beatles

Post by movieman1957 »

MichiganJ wrote:I've got all the Beatles U.S. 45s up to the Movie Medley release in 1982 (Free as a Bird and Real Love, too), and many of the British EPs as well as all of the solo singles. I mean who could live without Miss O'Dell, the flip side to Harrison's Give Me Love?

I should have known better (no pun intended though it is a good one) that with your vast collection, 5000 as I remember, that you would have so many of their recordings.

Speaking of Harrison B sides would "Deep Blue" be placed in the same category?
Chris

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Re: The Beatles

Post by MichiganJ »

I actually love Miss O'Dell and Deep Blue. I think it's fun when artists put something more unusual as a flip side. Used to be, when I didn't know much about a band, I'd buy the single and if I liked the b-side, I'd try the album. Actually was a pretty good system.

Remember that the Beatles never wanted their singles to appear on albums because they didn't think it was fair for someone to have to pay for the same song twice. Of course in the U.S., Capital thought differently, and most of their singles and flip sides appeared on albums. I think the only exceptions are From Me To You, which made its U.S. album debut on the Red album, I'm Down, which is on Rock 'n Roll Music and The Inner Light and You Know My Name on the Rarities album. Misery and There's a Place were on the Vee-Jay Introducing the Beatles album.
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Re: The Beatles

Post by movieman1957 »

It's the same kind of charm that I like about Ringo's "Early 1970" (could there be a more simple song?) and McCartney's "C Moon."

I was only buying their 45s if they weren't on albums. Lennon's "Instant Karma" and "Power To The People" were among the few I did buy. If I was getting the album I wasn't getting the 45. I do admire your collection though.

I have a poster of Beatles 45 picture sleeves from around the world that is great fun to study.
Chris

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Re: The Beatles

Post by RedRiver »

I think it's fun when artists put something more unusual as a flip side

My favorite Paul Revere and the Raiders song is an upbeat ditty called "There She Goes." It's the B side of "Hungry," another priceless offering. Of the handful of driving, thumping, addictive recordings by this oddly costumed band, this 45 shows them at their very best.
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