How good of a drummer was Ringo Starr?

[KevShmev]

I fall in the middle of what always seem to be the two extremes.

A lot of Beatles fans talk him up like he was one of the greatest ever, which I find laughable.

And a lot of people laugh him off, like he was pure crap.

I think he is definitely one of the luckiest people ever, landing in a band with two of the greatest songwriters ever (Lennon and McCartney), and I think he was a solid drummer who did some cool things at the time that you had never really heard in popular music prior, but that is about where it ends for me.

[Cool Chris]

I am not good at assessing musicians since my knowledge of music doesn't extend beyond "yeah, this sounds cool to me!" but I think your summary is fair and reasonable.

I don't like to consider musicians "lucky." Luck has so much to do with everyone's life. I was lucky that I knew a guy who needed and extra hand with his company and he was willing to hire me. But I still have to go in every single day and do the work. Musicians are no different. Sure Ringo is luckier than most musicians. But he still had to go in and do the work. I dunno... it's a me issue.

[Kwyjibo]

"yeah, this sounds cool to me!"

And at the end of the day, that's all that matters. If you don't touch the peoples' heart or soul or whatever it doesn't matter if you're "good".

[MirrorMask]

I am not good at assessing musicians since my knowledge of music doesn't extend beyond "yeah, this sounds cool to me!" but I think your summary is fair and reasonable.

I don't like to consider musicians "lucky." Luck has so much to do with everyone's life. I was lucky that I knew a guy who needed and extra hand with his company and he was willing to hire me. But I still have to go in every single day and do the work. Musicians are no different. Sure Ringo is luckier than most musicians. But he still had to go in and do the work. I dunno... it's a me issue.

I can see your reasoning. Yes, it might have been lucky to end up in a band with Lennon and McCartney, but he had to be picked in the first place, and if was, say, an unreasonable asshole, he would have been booted. Maybe luck landed him the gig, but I don't think luck made him stay.

[Max Kuehnau]

I fall in the middle of what always seem to be the two extremes.

A lot of Beatles fans talk him up like he was one of the greatest ever, which I find laughable.

And a lot of people laugh him off, like he was pure crap.

I think he is definitely one of the luckiest people ever, landing in a band with two of the greatest songwriters ever (Lennon and McCartney), and I think he was a solid drummer who did some cool things at the time that you had never really heard in popular music prior, but that is about where it ends for me.

Was he a lucky guy being in The Beatles? Probably. I don't think he has any technique, but him coming up with the groove ideas in Come Together was apparently something everyone loves. I don't. Had it been superhumanly tight, I'd appreciate it. As it is, I can't. He isn't one of my heroes nor did he influence me in any way. That's all I'll say.

[TAC]

To me, he was good enough. I mean, he was no Ginger Baker, but Ginger Baker would've changed the Beatles dynamic. I mean, people try and to make sense of Ringo as a drummer, which is futile to me. He's no Neal Peart, but then again, George Harrison is no Yngwie Malmsteen.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Ringo to me is a drummer that came up with interesting and linear drumpattern that was kind of unheard of at the time. Pretty simple stuff but he served the songs very well which I appreciate alot.

Todd Sucherman on Ringo Starr: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr8BE1M7qPc

[King Postwhore]

Nothing flashy about Ringo but he does have the ability to put the right fill or the right swing to the song.

He's always been a drummer that plays to what fits for the song. 

[Max Kuehnau]

Ringo to me is a drummer that came up with interesting and linear drumpattern that was kind of unheard of at the time. Pretty simple stuff but he served the songs very well which I appreciate alot.

Todd Sucherman on Ringo Starr: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr8BE1M7qPc

I respect Ringo's ideas, yes, it would be rude not to. (as Todd rightfully says)

[TAC]

I like the part at 1:05 where he says "What TAC said.".

[TAC]

Damn, that Hollywood Bowl album sounds interesting. I'll check that out.

[Max Kuehnau]

Damn, that Hollywood Bowl album sounds interesting. I'll check that out.

it's on YT. (There you go: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lyUDU9ALLrVNcpbmbNclXnUvH7GJpBclc) Screaming women? Tick. Vocal harmonies? Tick. Flaws and all? Tick.

[TAC]

Damn, that Hollywood Bowl album sounds interesting. I'll check that out.

it's on YT. (There you go: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lyUDU9ALLrVNcpbmbNclXnUvH7GJpBclc) Screaming women? Tick. Vocal harmonies? Tick. Flaws and all? Tick.

Listening on Spotify right now, actually. I like it.

[Mladen]

Ringo was great at crafting what he was going to play in each song. You can hear he is trying not to repeat himself and his patterns are always interesting to listen to. In my life is my favorite example.

If he weren't good, I'm sure John, Paul and George wouldn't keep him. He was chosen over Pete Best because he was better.

[Max Kuehnau]

Ringo was great at crafting what he was going to play in each song. You can hear he is trying not to repeat himself and his patterns are always interesting to listen to. In my life is my favorite example.

If he weren't good, I'm sure John, Paul and George wouldn't keep him. He was chosen over Pete Best because he was better.

that is true I think

[T-ski]

Ringo to me is a drummer that came up with interesting and linear drumpattern that was kind of unheard of at the time. Pretty simple stuff but he served the songs very well which I appreciate alot.

Todd Sucherman on Ringo Starr: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr8BE1M7qPc

piggybacking off of this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oQsKRyihEA

[Stadler]

I think he was crucial to the Beatles.  He's not on my Mt. Rushmore of greatest drummers (Bonham, Peart, Portnoy, Collins) but he's perhaps the greatest drummer for the Beatles.   It was pointless to be Ginger Baker in the Beatles, that's not the kind of band they were.  They weren't improvisers, they weren't jammers, they weren't about the sort of "music as a journey in and of itself" like Crimson, or the Dead, or Cream.  Sort of coincidentally, Eric Clapton himself recognized that later when Harrison invited him along to help smooth tensions between the other members.   

I think Paul McCartney is the single greatest living musician on the planet right now, and he was part of the collective that actively chose Ringo Starr to further his and John's vision.  I'm also a big fan of the idea of "chemistry" in a band, and I think when you have a two-headed monster like Lennon/McCartney, you NEEDED a guy like Ringo, a "shut up and play" kind of guy, to make the team work.   

[Max Kuehnau]

I think he was crucial to the Beatles.  He's not on my Mt. Rushmore of greatest drummers (Bonham, Peart, Portnoy, Collins) but he's perhaps the greatest drummer for the Beatles.   It was pointless to be Ginger Baker in the Beatles, that's not the kind of band they were.  They weren't improvisers, they weren't jammers, they weren't about the sort of "music as a journey in and of itself" like Crimson, or the Dead, or Cream.  Sort of coincidentally, Eric Clapton himself recognized that later when Harrison invited him along to help smooth tensions between the other members.   

I think Paul McCartney is the single greatest living musician on the planet right now, and he was part of the collective that actively chose Ringo Starr to further his and John's vision.  I'm also a big fan of the idea of "chemistry" in a band, and I think when you have a two-headed monster like Lennon/McCartney, you NEEDED a guy like Ringo, a "shut up and play" kind of guy, to make the team work.

nice to see Phil Collins recieve some respect there (which he deserves IMHO), apart from that, I can (somewhat) relate to some things you mentioned (meaning that Macca and Lennon didn't need or want a technical player to "complete the team" as it were and some other things)

[hefdaddy42]

He's a decent drummer, but remember, he wasn't even the best drummer in the Beatles. 

[Anguyen92]

He's a decent drummer, but remember, he wasn't even the best drummer in the Beatles.

He didn't need to be the best drummer.  He needed to the right drummer that suits the vision and the songs for the band.  There's a difference.

[Stadler]

He's a decent drummer, but remember, he wasn't even the best drummer in the Beatles.

Eh, I get what you're alluding to, but for me, a big Beatles fan, I (believe I) can tell those songs when Paul plays, and that's not always a good thing.  You listen to a song like "Rain" and it's what it is because of Ringo, more than anything else. 

[hefdaddy42]

I am not insulting Ringo in the slightest. 

[pg1067]

I fall in the middle of what always seem to be the two extremes.

A lot of Beatles fans talk him up like he was one of the greatest ever, which I find laughable.

And a lot of people laugh him off, like he was pure crap.

I think he is definitely one of the luckiest people ever, landing in a band with two of the greatest songwriters ever (Lennon and McCartney), and I think he was a solid drummer who did some cool things at the time that you had never really heard in popular music prior, but that is about where it ends for me.

I think you've summed up exactly how I feel about him.

I think it's worth adding that he gets credit for a lot of playing he didn't actually do (something which I suspect has already been pointed out, but I haven't read through the thread yet).  I don't know the extent of it (although I'm sure there is exhaustive information available), but I know McCartney played drums on a bunch of tracks in the last few years of the Beatles' career.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

I fall in the middle of what always seem to be the two extremes.

A lot of Beatles fans talk him up like he was one of the greatest ever, which I find laughable.

And a lot of people laugh him off, like he was pure crap.

I think he is definitely one of the luckiest people ever, landing in a band with two of the greatest songwriters ever (Lennon and McCartney), and I think he was a solid drummer who did some cool things at the time that you had never really heard in popular music prior, but that is about where it ends for me.

I think you've summed up exactly how I feel about him.

I think it's worth adding that he gets credit for a lot of playing he didn't actually do (something which I suspect has already been pointed out, but I haven't read through the thread yet).  I don't know the extent of it (although I'm sure there is exhaustive information available), but I know McCartney played drums on a bunch of tracks in the last few years of the Beatles' career.

There's also the rumour that Bernard Purdie overdubbed drums for The Beatles, according to himself but I don't know the full extent of that.

https://www.quora.com/Did-Bernard-Purdie-play-for-the-Beatles

[pg1067]

I fall in the middle of what always seem to be the two extremes.

A lot of Beatles fans talk him up like he was one of the greatest ever, which I find laughable.

And a lot of people laugh him off, like he was pure crap.

I think he is definitely one of the luckiest people ever, landing in a band with two of the greatest songwriters ever (Lennon and McCartney), and I think he was a solid drummer who did some cool things at the time that you had never really heard in popular music prior, but that is about where it ends for me.

I think you've summed up exactly how I feel about him.

I think it's worth adding that he gets credit for a lot of playing he didn't actually do (something which I suspect has already been pointed out, but I haven't read through the thread yet).  I don't know the extent of it (although I'm sure there is exhaustive information available), but I know McCartney played drums on a bunch of tracks in the last few years of the Beatles' career.

There's also the rumour that Bernard Purdie overdubbed drums for The Beatles, according to himself but I don't know the full extent of that.

https://www.quora.com/Did-Bernard-Purdie-play-for-the-Beatles

Clarence Walker, anyone?

[TAC]

Clarence Walker, anyone?

 

Didn't they hide the plot with backward masking?

[pg1067]

Clarence Walker, anyone?

 

Didn't they hide the plot with backward masking?

Exactly!

https://snltranscripts.jt.org/83/83lrocknroll.phtml

[TAC]

Here's the clip!

https://vimeo.com/8904532

[Stadler]

I fall in the middle of what always seem to be the two extremes.

A lot of Beatles fans talk him up like he was one of the greatest ever, which I find laughable.

And a lot of people laugh him off, like he was pure crap.

I think he is definitely one of the luckiest people ever, landing in a band with two of the greatest songwriters ever (Lennon and McCartney), and I think he was a solid drummer who did some cool things at the time that you had never really heard in popular music prior, but that is about where it ends for me.

I think you've summed up exactly how I feel about him.

I think it's worth adding that he gets credit for a lot of playing he didn't actually do (something which I suspect has already been pointed out, but I haven't read through the thread yet).  I don't know the extent of it (although I'm sure there is exhaustive information available), but I know McCartney played drums on a bunch of tracks in the last few years of the Beatles' career.

That was true of all of them to some extent.  Lennon played a shit ton of bass (while Macca was on the piano) as well as a lot of lead guitar.   I think you'll find that's true of many bands, at the end of the day. 

[pg1067]

Macca was on the piano

Eh?

[Stadler]

Macca was on the piano

Eh?

There are several songs where Paul McCartney played piano, on some of those - "The Long And Winding Road", most notably - Lennon played bass.  "Macca" is short for McCartney, sort of like "Mac" here in the States. 

[TAC]

There are several songs where Paul McCartney played piano, on some of those - "The Long And Winding Road", most notably - Lennon played bass.  "Macca" is short for McCartney, sort of like "Mac" here in the States.

[Stadler]

Is that short for Stadler? I hope that doesn't stick....   

[TAC]

I was waiting to see how long that took for someone to catch.

[pg1067]

There are several songs where Paul McCartney played piano, on some of those - "The Long And Winding Road", most notably - Lennon played bass.  "Macca" is short for McCartney, sort of like "Mac" here in the States.

That was the question.  I know McCartney played pretty much every instrument at one point or another during the Beatles' career (and, on a couple of songs, all of them), but I've never heard him referred to as "Macca."