[MikeNoun]

I saw the special, and disliked it. The only decent moment was Jeff Lynne and Dhani Harrison singing "Something", which I thought they sounded great on.

The CBS special was simply to get younger artists to play Beatles tunes to help boost sales of The Beatles current LP releases (yes, they repackaged them again).

Ringo really can't play drums anymore. He doesn't practice at all, and he focuses on his solo career as a singer, and as Beatle Ringo. That's ok with me. When he plays nowadays, he plays with a backup drummer. Ringo just plays the straight beat, while the other drummer does the actual drumming (fills, rolls, etc).

At one point, McCartney (who is a decent drummer in his own right), Lennon, and Harrison all filled in for Ringo when Starr walked out of the recording session for "Back In The USSR". Later, when asked if Ringo was the best drummer in the world, Lennon said, "He's not even the best drummer in The Beatles". Typical biting Lennon sarcasm, but they truly loved Ringo, and needed him.

Ringo was a great drummer in his own way. Not flashy, not fast, but memorable fills and steady playing.

My earlier comment about The Beach Boys harmonies was that they were VERY talented in their singling, and Brian Wilson's arrangements. Their lack of talent was in their ability to play their instruments, which is why they used studio musicians during their recordings.

[sdbob]

Remember reading Life mag about beatles history. I liked back then car songs,surf,blues,folk,and country.Then the 'invasion' changed all that.

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by MikeNoun

I saw the special, and disliked it. The only decent moment was Jeff Lynne and Dhani Harrison singing "Something", which I thought they sounded great on.

The CBS special was simply to get younger artists to play Beatles tunes to help boost sales of The Beatles current LP releases (yes, they repackaged them again).

Ringo really can't play drums anymore. He doesn't practice at all, and he focuses on his solo career as a singer, and as Beatle Ringo. That's ok with me. When he plays nowadays, he plays with a backup drummer. Ringo just plays the straight beat, while the other drummer does the actual drumming (fills, rolls, etc).

At one point, McCartney (who is a decent drummer in his own right), Lennon, and Harrison all filled in for Ringo when Starr walked out of the recording session for "Back In The USSR". Later, when asked if Ringo was the best drummer in the world, Lennon said, "He's not even the best drummer in The Beatles". Typical biting Lennon sarcasm, but they truly loved Ringo, and needed him.

Ringo was a great drummer in his own way. Not flashy, not fast, but memorable fills and steady playing.

My earlier comment about The Beach Boys harmonies was that they were VERY talented in their singling, and Brian Wilson's arrangements. Their lack of talent was in their ability to play their instruments, which is why they used studio musicians during their recordings.

I love this video of Paul. It show the true fire in his gut for music. IMO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwSNa--Iilo

[TempestFugit]

Originally Posted by MikeNoun

The CBS special was simply to get younger artists to play Beatles tunes to help boost sales of The Beatles current LP releases (yes, they repackaged them again).

Exactly! My Wife got sick of me complaining & saying that same thing while watching, so I shut up and listened with my 21st Century ears, and some of it was not bad. Still it was not the 50th Anniversary special that I was hoping for. Yoko was dancing all the way to the bank... I don't think she enjoyed them that much back then.

Originally Posted by MikeNoun

"He's not even the best drummer in The Beatles". Typical biting Lennon sarcasm, but they truly loved Ringo, and needed him.

Ringo was a great drummer in his own way. Not flashy, not fast, but memorable fills and steady playing

That's hilarious. I think his strength was in doing exactly what he was told, no more, no less, (and in being Ringo). He certainly was no Keith Moon.

[MikeNoun]

McCartney also drums on John's 1968 classic "Dear Prudence", and Paul had some wonderful fills and rolls at the end of that song. Again, this was at the time when Ringo had walked out, leaving them in a lurch. There has always been debate as to whether McCartney is truly the drummer at the end of "Dear Prudence", and I for do not believe that's him. The drumming is to professional, and I believe when Ringo came back to the group, he added the ending to the song. I know Paul's drumming, he's drummed on dozens and dozens of his solo albums, and I can always pick him out. He's basically a capable drummer, but not as steady and consistent as a professional drummer.

Not many know that McCartney was actually the drummer for The Quarrymen, which was Lennon's band before The Beatles. Paul would alternate between the acoustic guitar, piano, or drums, depending on which song they were playing.

The Beatles always had trouble securing a drummer in the early days (good rock drummers that could play other styles were rare back then). The Beatles were John, Paul, George, and John's best friend Stu Sutcliffe, a beginner bass player that wasn't very interested in music, but he was John's best friend.

The Beatles were signed to play in Hamburg, Germany for a length of time, and they needed a drummer. Out of desperation, and at the last minute before leaving for Hamburg, they hired Pete Best, the son of a woman who owned a club where they played gigs, known as The Casbah. Pete Best never fit in with the band, wasn't a very good drummer, and they eventually fired him and hired Ringo just as The Beatles were scheduled to record their first record, "Love Me Do".