I think a big reason this perception persists is from people who watched the Beatles performances when thousands of screaming girls overpowered the band. Ringo was banging the 1 and 3, skipping fills, because that's all his band mates could hear.
A very interesting read. Thanks for posting the link!
The older I get the more I realize what a fantastic drummer Ringo is/was. The tone color of his drums fit all of the songs. It wasn't just physical drumming he performed. His sound matched what was needed for all of those songs. Was listening to "All My Loving" not too long ago. The drums on the guitar break are simply incredible. He isn't just slappin' around real fast on the drums and cymbals. It is a really precise, accurate pattern.
Ringo is up there with Levon for pitch-perfect drumming.
I think a big reason this perception persists is from people who watched the Beatles performances when thousands of screaming girls overpowered the band. Ringo was banging the 1 and 3, skipping fills, because that's all his band mates could hear.
Compared to how many fans they had then and have now, not that many people saw the Beatles in the '60s. I think the big reason he gets overlooked sometimes is because unlike the other three, he wasn't a great singer or songwriter and didn't insist on having his genius acknowledged. I'm sure he has a very healthy ego but he has a 'I'm just happy to be here' quality that the others didn't. People liked that, but it put him in the back seat, maybe. And thank goodness Ringo is who he is, because a band with FOUR egos like that wouldn't have lasted long. He also didn't seem to struggle with the legacy of the Beatles the way John and Paul and George did, so he didn't try to establish a non-Beatles identity the way they did. He kept working with the other guys and just kept being Ringo.
But sometimes I wonder if the 'Ringo is underrated' thing is a little overblown. Alright, people probably don't appreciate the quality of his drumming relative to some of the other stuff or how important his contributions were, but it's not like he's toiling in obscurity. This stuff might've bugged him years ago but I doubt any of it phases him at this point. He's a Beatle, he's wealthy and world famous, and at least in the music business and among big fans of music, people understand that he was a terrific and creative drummer who inspired a lot of people who came after. He's beloved. I think he's good with how it's all worked out. 😉
Compared to how many fans they had then and have now, not that many people saw the Beatles in the '60s.)
There is endless TV and concert footage from this period that I'm sure most people have seen at least once.
Awesome chat between Ringo & Dave Stewart. A lot of insight into Ringo's drumming style, and how much of it came about by accident. Give yourself some time it's almost an hour long.
Ringo was a good drummer and a perfect fit personality wise for the band (as John Lennon once said Pete Best wasn't a bad drummer - he just was a bad Beatle)
That said if John, Paul or George were sick the concerts would have been cancelled and this would never have happened:
James George Nicol (born 3 August 1939), better known as Jimmie Nicol or Jimmy Nicol, is a British drummer and business entrepreneur. He is best known for temporarily replacing Ringo Starr in The Beatles for a series of concerts during the height of Beatlemania in 1964, elevating him from relative obscurity to worldwide fame and then back again in the space of a fortnight.[1] Nicol had hoped that his association with The Beatles would greatly boost his career, but instead found that the spotlight moved away from him once Starr returned to the group.
As a bass player of some 45 years and rhythm guitarist some 30 years, when I am auditioning drummers or invited to jam, I always ask, "What do you think of Ringo?" If they say he's not that good, I know we will never be a good fit. Ringo is an absolutely brilliant drummer, a limitlessly creative MUSICIAN as well as ass-kicking timekeeper. He composed parts that were unique and inventive, playing his instrument as musically as any other in what must be considered the greatest rock'n'roll band of all time, a band that went from a six-set-a-night bar band to an intergalactic orchestra in the space of less than a decade, completely reshaping its time and society. Yeah…he's pretty good.
As a drummer, I am always impressed by Ringo's playing. He was very musical and his parts fit the song perfectly. Examples off the top of my head are In My Life, Come Together, A Day in the Life, and Something
The early, uptempo stuff also demonstrated that he had chops.
Ringo was the prime example of someone who listened and added to the song. He also had a distinctive sound - you can tell it's him. Both are the marks of a true musician.
Great read thanks for the post.
Compared to how many fans they had then and have now, not that many people saw the Beatles in the '60s.)
There is endless TV and concert footage from this period that I'm sure most people have seen at least once.
That's a good point. I don't think it's responsible for people's impressions of him, though. If I had to guess I'd say most of the people watching that footage are already Beatles fans who appreciate him.
Ringing used to tell the story re when he was the conductor on Shining Time Statiin. Young staff memeber asked him what he did before. His reply: "I used to be a member of a band called The Beatles; perhaps you've heard of them."
i know...i know I'm way off topic but wanted to share a happy memory 8/2/89 Ringo's first all starr band at an amusement park amphitheater outside Hartford Ct Ringo...Levon Helm ...Rink Danko....Joe Walsh...Billy Preston..Nils Lofgren...Dr. John ....Jim Keltner....Clarence Clemons. What a show. I've seen a ton of shows this was a great show..sorry to digress
And thank goodness Ringo is who he is, because a band with FOUR egos like that wouldn't have lasted long
Yeah they might have lasted less than the eight years he was with the group.
You are right, Ringo was the humble anchor of the Beatles, someone we could recognize as a mere mortal like one of us.
I don't see the underrated aspect at all, Ringo was a Beatle. Beatles aren't underrated, period.
Jim Keltner, Dave Grohl, Tre Cool, Questlove, Taylor Hawkins, Max Weinberg, Stewart Copeland, Abe Laboriel, Jr. and Chad Smith all talk Ringo:
Jim Keltner, Dave Grohl, Tre Cool, Questlove, Taylor Hawkins, Max Weinberg, Stewart Copeland, Abe Laboriel, Jr. and Chad Smith all talk Ringo:
I don't know…maybe they should have got some drummers with rock'n'roll cred to boost Ringo's case for this video... 😉
As a bass player of some 45 years and rhythm guitarist some 30 years, when I am auditioning drummers or invited to jam, I always ask, "What do you think of Ringo?" If they say he's not that good, I know we will never be a good fit. Ringo is an absolutely brilliant drummer, a limitlessly creative MUSICIAN as well as ass-kicking timekeeper. He composed parts that were unique and inventive, playing his instrument as musically as any other in what must be considered the greatest rock'n'roll band of all time, a band that went from a six-set-a-night bar band to an intergalactic orchestra in the space of less than a decade, completely reshaping its time and society. Yeah…he's pretty good.
Yeah, and that's an understatement!
There is a lot of astute breakdown of Ringo's contributions to the Beatles if one looks even casually. He is a fantastic drummer and well regarded by other drummers.
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