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In praise of Ringo

Ringo was unique, in a great way. Listen to Rain, or his fills on the coda of God, or his entry after the second verse of Hey Jude, to name just the first three that come to my mind.
 
My sadly deceased mate Martin Lickert was a fan of Ringo. In the Apple years he became his chauffeur and in addition to driving duties Martin became Frank Zappa's bass player for 200 Motels with Ringo's approval.
It was all down hill from there. Martin became a bookie and then an ( occasionally ) winning race horse owner. Then a Barrister. He is very much missed.
The Beatles wouldn't have been the same without Ringo.
 
“A Day In The Life” for me. I read a review, might’ve been in WHF? when “Pepper” was first issued on CD, that described his work on that song as “sinister”, which I think sums it up perfectly.
 
I think I've seen him mention before that the uniqueness to a lot of his sound comes from being a left handed drummer playing a right handed kit which means he has to do a lot of stuff backwards/differently than a traditional set up.
 
matt j said:
I think I've seen him mention before that the uniqueness to a lot of his sound comes from being a left handed drummer playing a right handed kit which means he has to do a lot of stuff backwards/differently than a traditional set up.
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That is correct, his cymbal work is unusual. McCartney is also left handed I believe. There is an excellent piece by David Hepworth on Ringo in his book 'Uncommon People', he is very different from how he's portrayed.
 
Some lefties learn to play a wrong handed guitar upside down, that can result in some interesting things going on. As a lefty, restringing only works if done properly with a new nut etc. it's not just a case of swapping the strings around.

I think McCartney has always played left handed instruments whilst in The Beatles, whether he did or not prior to that I doubt would have had any effect on what he created playing properly. Where as Ringo learned to play a right hand kit as a left hander and continued to do so even when he could have chosen to change, which is the difference I think.
 
Much maligned drummer, often due to "Ringo isn't the best drummer in the world. He isn't even the best drummer in the Beatles" which was attributed to John Lennon but actually said by Jasper Carrot. Recognized by many top drummers as one of the best.
 
I’ve never really understood the disdain for Ringo Starr.

I wonder if it comes from a time when people would compare and rank musicians (“best guitarist in the world”) rather than engaging with their artistic output.

For me does his playing add to or detract from the rest of the Beatles in each song? His playing and style seems integral to their sound and with it the artistic impact.
 
My Son drums and labels Ringo as "soundly economical..and fills in the gaps"
On YouTube lately..the full 1969 rooftop video is back on..unedited!
Ringo in nice red Peter Storm mac.
Teatowels from Apples kitchen on floortom and snare.Yikes! Billy Preston was loud..no wonder Keef used to tell him off!..
Ok he is no Joe Morello...but....
 
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