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Ringo Starr, ordinary lad — 16 Comments

  1. I read an article about how Ringo was the perfect drummer for the Beatles. I didn’t understand much of it ( I wouldn’t know “back-beat” from “brow-beat”) but apparently he was a better drummer than people who like that “bangity-bang-bang” stuff will give him credit for being.

  2. I got to meet Ringo and Paul when i covered the Christies auction of Linda’s posessions for charity…

  3. Oh and its a friend of a friend that i know that traded his shirt with John with the ny on it and cut shoulders… and took the photo… i never got to meet john or george, though i have met Yoko…

  4. Alan W:

    Yes, I think that’s the opinion I’ve read several times, although I know nothing about drumming. But on the Beatles recordings I hear a powerful—and powerfully even—driving beat. Isn’t that the essence of rock?

  5. Mike Portnoy has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the best drummers in rock-and-roll, having played with many groups, including Dream Theater, which he founded, as well as more recently Transatlantic, Flying Colors and several others.

    He is definitely one of the most technically proficient players and plays some of the most challenging music ever composed for a rock-and-roll arrangement, and could probably literally play more with just one foot than Ringo could play with his whole body, but he is also a huge fan of Ringo and has participated in Beatles tribute concerts (the group calling themselves Yellow Matter Custard… their recordings of the later Beatles songs that the Fab Four never recorded live are superb).

    I have a DVD of a Transatlantic concert where Mike Portnoy had a little Ringo bobble-head prominently placed on his drum kit, which I think is a tribute to how good Ringo is if someone as good as Portnoy idolizes him, even though Ringo’s skills from a purely technical point of view are greatly overshadowed by many percussionists.

    But Ringo was perfect for the Beatles, and I’ve always held him and his skills in high regard.

  6. Anyone who thinks Ringo wasn’t an exceptionally competent drummer needs to ask themselves how the best pop group of all time could have attained that status with just a mediocre drummer.

  7. Because he was self-taught he did some things “wrong.” But innovations are more likely to come from autodidacts. A drummer friend explained (words inexact) “Oh he’s terrible, but he’s still perfect sometimes.”

  8. Tonight I have insomnia, am neither sleepy nor completely awake, and find myself troubled by thoughts of a conversation between Yoko Ono and Artfldgr.

    I never believed in fate, but …

  9. I’m not qualified to speak of Ringo’s talent as a drummer. But it was the success of the Beatles that prevented his slide into obscurity and quite probably drug addiction. Even then, he almost blew it.

  10. Ringo certainly had something – the Beatles weren’t going anywhere before he replaced Pete Best. I’ve heard that he could not do a snare drum roll – so I guess a roll isn’t all that important. 🙂

  11. on another note, the bs election crapola is hiding a lot of stuff other countries are doing.

    Nuclear missiles along NATO border?

  12. I just watched A Hard Day’s Night a week ago and was struck by how witty and charming the Beatles were. I couldn’t help but notice how sparse Ringo’s kit was. Bass drum, tom-tom, snare, and a couple of cymbals. Compare that to Neal Peart’s kit. But Ringo was as solid and steady a drummer as they come.

  13. Ringo’s influence on Rock drumming is immense. I’m not talking technical expertise here. Instead it’s the way he held his sticks. Called a self explanatory ‘matched grip’ (both sticks held the same in each hand). This all but eliminated the ‘traditional grip’ used by ALL drummers up til then. The matched grip made it possible to play louder, a necessity in front of screaming fans.

    Also, Ringo is left handed but plays right handed on a right handed drum kit. A lot of the fills he plays he still leads with his left hand making some of them in effect backwards and difficult to exactly copy.

    Regarding his small sized kit compared to a Neil Peart. The hardware on the drums in the 60’s was severely lacking in sturdiness compared to modern hardware (stands) making stacking drums and cymbals on top of each other a risky endeavor at best.

    Badco

  14. Badco:

    That’s interesting about the “matched grip.” He did have a strong beat in addition to a steady, driving one.

    Did you ever see this article about a fascinating study of time perception in drummers? You might be interested in it.

  15. Ringo is, of course, the source for the very title “A Hard Days Night” — which he uttered as the Sun came up — to John & Co.

    Lennon jumped all over it — right on the spot.

    When queried whether he was a ‘Mod’ or a ‘Rocker’ — Ringo replied: “I’m a mocker.”

    That broke her up into titters.

    %%%%

    His great ambition — at first — was to slam together some recording bucks into a chain of hair dressing salons.

    He dropped that dream sometime in 1964 as each gig threw off more cash than a salon could generate in thirty-years.

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