A Brief Assessment On The Talent Of Ringo Starr

Because I'm writing this only as a listener and a fan - and not as a musician - I'm unable to discuss the fine points of drumming, so I'm just relying on my untrained ears to determine if Ringo Starr is a master of his instrument.

Many years ago I believed that the rest of The Beatles defended Starr's talent more out of loyalty and deep friendship than anything else. I never heard his name mentioned with the widely acknowledged great drummers. Dudes such as Charlie Watts, Ginger Baker and John Bonham were all supposed to be better than Liverpool's native son. I assumed I wasn't totally wrong when I discovered that producer George Martin (a man who should know) used another drummer of his choosing for his first Beatles recording session.

I always cited "In My Life” and “Free As A Bird” as proof Starr wasn't super-talented, but later I determined that his playing wasn’t the problem on either one.

John Lennon's otherwise outstanding song from Rubber Soul should never have used any percussion at all. Drums are just an annoyance that diminishes its impact. Eliminating them entirely would have made the track even more beautiful, emotional and folk-like. Neither "Eleanor Rigby" nor "Julia" required drums and "In My Life" doesn't need them either.    

On "Free As A Bird" Starr was hindered by Lennon’s metronome that he used as a guide on the original tape Yoko Ono gave to the other three Beatles to complete for the 1990's anthology series. He had to overcome the stiffness of the source recording, so the song's awkward, robotic beat isn’t really Starr’s fault. He had to work around the huge liability dumped on him, and it doesn't help that the song isn't up to the Fab Four's usual high standards.

I now have to admit that I was always wrong about Starr because after listening to "Rain" (his favorite personal performance) "Hey Jude," "Strawberry Fields Forever," and especially "A Day In The Life" intently for decades I eventually came to realize how unique and talented the man is. None of those songs are simple to play and it takes someone of Starr's ability to make them work. If you don't believe me all you have to do is listen to these four classics as proof that I'm right.

One of the reasons Starr didn't always receive the accolades he deserved is because he isn't a flashy player - no thunderous Keith Moon bashing about for him. Starr only played what a song needed and he never sought the spotlight. He does not like drum solos and had to be talked into playing his only Beatles' solo on "The End" from Abbey Road.  

I've always believed The Beatles were so talented that they would have been successful even if they employed a different drummer. I still believe that, but Ringo Starr certainly made them better. After all, if musicians as talented as Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison decided he was the man to provide them with a solid backbeat who am I to judge?


Comments

  1. whiteray4:52 PM, August 04, 2021

    Late getting here, but I agree completely. Every once in a while, I listen to "A Day In The Life" and marvel at Ringo's work.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

WHAT'S HOT TODAY!

Slower Than Slow: 16 RPM Records

Image
Have you ever heard of a long forgotten vinyl format, the 16 2/3 RPM record? They were half the speed of the 33 1/3 RPM albums that were the traditional standard for recorded music. Most record players in the 1950s and 1960s came with a speed setting to play these long forgotten discs that were considered novelties even during the years they were available. Because most, but not all, 16s had big holes and were 7" in diameter many of them were mistaken for 45 RPMs and at that size the speed allowed for up to 20 minutes of playing time per side. However, there was no true standard size and they were also manufactured to be 9, 10, or 12 inches in diameter, and these larger records played even longer. Just like the other speeds and formats 16s could be played one record at a time or stacked on a changer for continuous play. Radio stations often used the discs for pre-recorded radio shows containing interviews, dramas, and documentaries. More frequen
Read more

Why Do 45 RPM Records Have Big Holes?

Image
Today we're going to find out why 45 RPM records have much larger holes than 78s and 33s. Believe it or not I often wondered about this burning question when I was collecting hundreds of these little seven inch gems back the 1960s. According to several websites, including Answerbag , the reason for the large hole used by 45s was simple. It was difficult for the old 78s, with their smaller holes, to find their way onto jukebox spindles. The large hole effectively eliminated that problem. Strangely, seven inch 45s were often pressed with the smaller holes used for LPs in many countries outside the United States, especially in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Overseas the inserts (commonly know as spiders) were manufactured into the large holes at the factories but they could be punched out if desired. The Beatles' British single of "Love Me Do," pictured here, is a typical example. Why were the spiders built into English 45s? I was unable to fi
Read more

Buried Treasure: Do You Remember Cashman & West?

Image
Tommy West, one half of the early 70s soft-rock duo, Cashman and West, passed away on May 2, 2021. In tribute, below is a very slightly edited reposting of an article that was first published on Bloggerhythms on September 30, 2010.  My lifelong passion for the Philadelphia Phillies is second only to my passion for music. For those of you not in North or South America, The Caribbean, Japan, or South Korea, they’re a professional baseball team from The United States and in 2008 they were the champions of the whole sport. On Monday night The Phillies won their division title for the fourth straight year and earned a chance to play in their second straight World Series. If they do indeed make it to the final round I'm hoping they get to play Joe Girardi's New York Yankees this fall so they can show The Bronx Bombers that they are the new sheriff in town. The impending post-season got me thinking about baseball songs and Terry Cashman's "Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mi
Read more

The Worst Cover Version Of All Time: Blood, Sweat & Tears - Symphony for the Devil / Sympathy for the Devil (1970)

Image
It is not by design that this is the third article I've written about Blood, Sweat & Tears in less than two months. It just kind of worked out that way. For those of you who think that number is too many, please take note, I don't foresee another one coming anytime soon.  Until now, I've never heavily faulted an artist for genuinely heartfelt experimentation even if the attempt failed. That ends now. Even though it went all the way to number one  Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 was neither the artistic success nor the hit its predecessor was. That eponymous second disc went platinum four times. BS&T 3  had some good moments but based on the song we're about to discuss today it appeared that the popular horn band was trying too hard to be loved by music critics who never really embraced the post-Al Kooper lineup. Was "Symphony for the Devil / Sympathy for the Devil," their brief for
Read more

Last Albums: James Taylor - American Standard (2020)

Image
In 2022 I wrote a blog post on The Rolling Stones' Blue & Lonesome as part of Bloggerhythms' Last Albums series. Then Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and their friends ruined the whole thing by by releasing Hackneyed Diamonds two years ago. Despite that, I'm taking my chances that 76 year old James Taylor won't let me down too and release another album, even though that might not be such a bad thing. In 2020, Taylor released a set of tunes from the Great American Songbook, and it's a good one.  American Standard is a fourteen track record of cover tunes from the man who is often credited with jump-starting the entire 70s singer-songwriter movement. Taylor is no stranger to covers. Even though he's a songwriter of great importance he's recorded many singles written by others, most notably, Carole King's "You've Got A Friend," his only Billboard #1 hit from very early in his career. He also charted with "How
Read more