leemcalilly
And That's A Start
There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Posts: 4
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Post by leemcalilly on Feb 18, 2014 18:12:10 GMT
Yesterday I wrote a blog post called In Defense of Ringo that took off on Reddit. It got me thinking, where did the idea that Ringo wasn't up to snuff for the Beatles come from to begin with? It's my understanding that he was a revered drummer on the Merseybeat scene and it was a huge coup for the beatles to get him to replace Pete Best. How did this idea that Ringo is not a good drummer get popularized?
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Post by Amadeus on Feb 18, 2014 20:27:25 GMT
Welcome to the forum. Stick around.
The idea of Ringo being substandard came later on when so-called virtuoso musicians started to become the norm. You know, proper 'serious' music 'not that pop crap' or whatever. So he didn't play like John Bonham or Carl Palmer or even Buddy Rich, he was perfect for the Beatles and, really, point out a song where he falters at all. I don't believe one exists.
And some of his fills are so idiosyncratic to him that most, if not all, novice drummers or even ones that are too good, cannot! even play correctly.
Yup.
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Post by Mr Kite on Feb 18, 2014 22:51:39 GMT
As above .
Also
Ringo is (was) a Beatle . The biggest , best , greatest , finest, never going to be a better band in a million years , changed the face of Pop music etc etc etc . Ringo was in that band . He is a part of that band and is a quarter of the reason why that band became . See above .
Time for bed I think .
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Post by bluemeaniepaul74 on Feb 18, 2014 23:24:50 GMT
I think people who show contempt toward Ringo do so because of the things he's said or done in recent years rather than anything he did as a Beatle. I refer of course to the comments made on the Jonathan Ross show about 'not going back to Liverpool' which upset a few people, then there's the 'No more Autographs' video on youtube which upset even more people, and you know what it's like, once people are upset with someone the character assassinations start, "Well he wasn't really that good anyway", or "He couldn't sing" and all that kind of crap. But like the fine gentlemen above me have stated, Ringo was pretty much faultless in the Beatles and IS indeed one quarter of the greatest rock n roll band the world has ever seen, ergo he's a living legend, perhaps one who knows it, but a legend nevertheless!
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leemcalilly
And That's A Start
There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Posts: 4
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Post by leemcalilly on Feb 19, 2014 2:26:18 GMT
Thanks guys. Amadeus's explanation is one of the most articulate I've heard yet. Maybe I should read up on this, but didn't he leave the band at one point because he felt the other guys didn't appreciate him? Is that where this idea really took root?
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Post by Amadeus on Feb 19, 2014 13:41:32 GMT
Yes he did. It was mainly because they had stopped playing together on a regular basis. As a result the band started to disintegrate. For a band to stay together they have to regularly play together. But they weren't. It was a lot of, throw a bed track together and lets overdub for a few months.
I remember in high-school, (early '80's) the 'Ringo is crap' thought process was popular among the cool kids. "He's not John Bonham is he?"
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leemcalilly
And That's A Start
There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Posts: 4
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Post by leemcalilly on Feb 19, 2014 18:02:21 GMT
Yeah, I guess it was a prog rock mentality left over from the '70s. It's really what the punk generation was reacting to, and I think Ringo's style is something the punks really admired.
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Post by ROCKY on Feb 19, 2014 18:58:51 GMT
I remember reading on the very first session with the Beatles George Martin didn't like what Ringo was doing. That must have been shattering for him! Here he is with a new band and the guy who's going to produce your records doesn't like you, but it all worked out well. And believe it or not when the Beatles came to America Ringo was without a doubt the most popular Beatle! The Press wouldn't leave him alone! The thing with Ringo is that he speaks his mind, never thinking of the consequences, his quote about Pete Best in Playboy led to a lawsuit, his quote about Rory Storm left a lot of people in anger, and also the two quotes that Amadeus listed. The part about Ringo getting a bad rap as a drummer also maybe came about because the big thing with most groups was their drummer gets about 10 minutes to do what he wants in a solo, Ringo never did that (except that song The End). So your average music critic is going to say, oh he mustn't be any good if they won't let him do a solo.
*All the above is my opinion.
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Post by mrmustard on Feb 20, 2014 0:17:36 GMT
Who is the most famous drummer in the world? Arguably it is Ringo. Just because he was in The Beatles does not automatically give him that accolade. He is for a reason. I mean if the average person is asked who is the most famous guitarist in the world then the chances are they won't say George Harrison.
It's interesting to note Mark Lewisohns comments about Ringo's playing. This is a man who had access to every take of every song when he wrote The Recording Sessions. In interview he has often stated that when takes broke down in the studio ( which they often!) it was never because Ringo cocked up.
It's also interesting to note that famous drummers and musically knowledgable people always rate Ringo highly. There no justifiable reason why Ringo's drumming should be given a bad rap whatsoever.
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henryj
For A Number Of Things
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Post by henryj on Feb 20, 2014 2:26:06 GMT
"...but didn't he leave the band at one point because he felt the other guys didn't appreciate him?"
The account I read stated that he went around to the other three said he felt left out and that the other three got along and were closer to each other than to him, but each one told Ringo he felt the same about the other Beatles--in other words, John felt Paul, George and Ringo were close but not to him, Paul felt John, George and Ringo were closer, etc.
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Post by mrmustard on Feb 20, 2014 8:21:45 GMT
True but I don't believe that was a reflection on his drumming from the others. It was just a bad time with the rot starting to set in. When George left, Lennon said 'lets get Clapton in'. I don't recall reading about a potential replacement for Ringo.
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henryj
For A Number Of Things
Posts: 792
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Post by henryj on Feb 21, 2014 13:18:54 GMT
It was certainly not a reflection on his drumming from the others, although Paul fancied himself as a drummer in addition to the other instruments he played. The White Album period was indeed a bad time and was arguably when the Beatles began to separate. Ringo said that on that album the cuts were by John and his band, Paul and his band, etc. where "his band" meant the Beatles as a backup band rather than a more democratic group.
All the Beatles quit or considered quitting at one time or another between 1968 and 1970. By the time Paul announced he was quitting in 1970, no one said "Let's get Klaus in." They knew time was up.
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