No Beatles without Ringo Starr’s drums!

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• a die-hard Beatles fanWada Shinji
  From Osaka Prefecture. I’ve been a Beatles fan for decades. I’ve tried many hobbies, but this is the only one that has stayed with me. As a storyteller of the Beatles, I want to pass on their greatness to future generations. A blog that explains the Beatles in a way anyone can understand.

Ringo Starr's talent is underrated!

When browsing the internet, I often come across articles along the lines of: “Why was Ringo able to become a member of the Beatles?”, “Ringo became famous because he was a member of the Beatles,” and “Ringo’s drumming skills weren’t that impressive.”

And in fact, not only in Japan but all over the world, similar debates have continued on the internet ever since the Beatles’ debut, for more than 50 years.

However, this is a tremendous misunderstanding, and it is no exaggeration to say that if Ringo hadn’t existed, the Beatles wouldn’t have existed—he was that exceptional a drummer.

This time, I will talk about this.

Why are apples underrated?

This is quite a difficult issue and not easy to explain in a single sentence, but there are a few possible causes.

1.

That the other three stood out in ability

John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison—especially John and Paul—were so exceptionally talented that one might get the impression they formed the core of the Beatles, with Ringo merely going along for the ride.

2.

Drummers are the unsung heroes behind the scenes.

Drummers, to begin with, form the rhythm section along with the bass and support the band from behind as the unsung backbone, so they are not originally meant to stand out.

The most prominent is the lead vocalist, followed by the guitar and keyboard.

3.

Pulled off something difficult like it was nothing.

I think this is where Ringo is very easy to be misunderstood: even when he’s doing something technically quite difficult, he pulls it off so effortlessly that it doesn’t stand out.

It may also be that he himself disliked standing out.

This is exactly what top professional drummers mean when they insist that it’s absolutely impossible to perfectly replicate Ringo’s drumming.

Tre Cool of Green Day said, “Even watching right next to him, I couldn’t figure out how he was getting that sound.”

4.

I didn't do a drum solo.

As this relates to what we discussed earlier, Ringo disliked drum solos and didn’t do them at all during the Beatles era, except on the song “The End.”

Of course, I could have done it if I’d wanted to, but I didn’t because I don’t like drawing attention to myself.

Also, many of the Beatles’ songs—especially from their early period—were under three minutes long, so lengthy drum solos weren’t necessary.

5.

There weren’t many moves.

One point used to evaluate drummers is how many notes they play—how busy their hands are when they drum.

Certainly, there’s no doubt that this is one of the points on which he is evaluated as a drummer.

However, even if there are many notes/fills, if that ends up disrupting the overall balance of the band, it will actually ruin the performance.

Ringo disliked it, so he kept the drumming to a bare minimum, simple and in time with the song.

If you don’t understand the idea of “wanting to go on the attack but deliberately choosing not to and keeping it simple,” you’ll end up underestimating him.

What’s so great about Ringo’s drumming?

So, specifically, what was so impressive about Ringo’s drumming?

1.

I opened the door of the locked drum.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when rock drumming began or to say definitively who started it, but there’s no doubt that Ringo was one of them.

In the 1950s, drummers were expected to provide precise rhythms for the band, and a delicate, light touch with restrained volume was the prevailing style.

However, Ringo made it clear how crucial the drummer is: laying down a powerful beat, locking in with the bass to form the rhythm section, and creating the overall groove of the band.

Therefore, after the Beatles broke through, many music producers asked drummers to play like Ringo.

This is a video that explains the differences between various drums.

2.

Originality over technique

Because he used fewer fills and didn’t play drum solos, Ringo is often said to be inferior compared to drummers of his generation—such as John Bonham, Ginger Baker, and Keith Moon.

However, it is meaningless to compare them on the same playing field in the first place.

It's like comparing which is better, Mozart or Beethoven.

Because Ringo’s greatest distinguishing feature lies in his originality—he developed a style of drumming so original that no drummer had ever conceived of it before.

For example, on “Tomorrow Never Knows,” he produces an extraordinarily unique, almost otherworldly sound—like heavy metal twisting in space—by using a drag (a technique where the stick is bounced on the drumhead).

He loosened the drum heads all the way and compressed the original sound with a limiter.

He chose this technique with a full understanding of the mystique of Oriental music that the piece evokes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah2ckzXgrx4

3.

"The Emperor of Feeling" or "Magic Touch"

One of the many who admire Ringo, Dave Grohl of former Nirvana, calls Ringo the 'King of Feel.'

In other words, he had a unique sensibility and played drums in ways that defied common sense.

Also, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers called Ringo's drumming a 'magic touch.'

He unleashed sounds with a mysterious touch that no one could fathom, as if by magic.

4.

The Beatles' drums were entrusted to Ringo.

Ringo just sat and listened intently to the guide performance when the other three wrote a song.

When he finished listening, he would casually pick up the sticks and start playing the drums, and by then about 80 to 90 percent of the drumming for that song was already complete.

Of course, the other three did sometimes make various requests.

There was even a time when John complained, saying, “It’s like the Beatles have two drummers,” because he was so particular about things. But basically, it was left to Ringo to decide how the drumming would be done.

Therefore, it’s fair to conclude that the Beatles’ unique drumming was almost entirely his idea.

For example, there’s a masterpiece called “Rain,” and Ringo himself has said that the drumming on it was his best performance during the Beatles era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHIVClXx2TY

For its time, the drumming was highly unique, and as the title suggests, it’s a quintessential laid-back groove with a feel like rain slithering lazily down a staircase.

Unusually for him, he’s packed in an abundance of filters, and the effect evokes the image of rain fiercely pounding the road surface.

As with any song, Ringo’s drumming meshes extremely well with Paul’s bass, and in this track they deliver a superb display of teamwork.

A common issue in bands is that the bass and the bass drum overlap in the low-frequency range and end up canceling each other out.

However, in this song, while Paul sustains the high notes in the chorus, Ringo holds back on the drums to support him.

He played the drums in a way that brought out Paul’s bass to the fullest in any song, without getting in the way of the vocals or guitars.

5.

Played the drums perfectly without practicing

Ringo hates practicing and gets bored after just five minutes, throwing his sticks aside.

Even so, producer George Martin asserted, “As far as I can remember, Ringo only messed up in the studio once or twice.”

A collection of songs that showcase Ringo’s outstanding drumming

In Ticket to Ride, they skillfully use syncopation to align the drums with the protagonist’s sadness, while a sound like rolling distant thunder lends a sense of weight to the entire track.

Years later, Ringo himself demonstrated the song’s unique intro.

He says that being left-handed—more precisely, ambidextrous—helped him create a unique sound.

On “I Feel Fine,” he laid down a superb R&B shuffle beat; on “A Day in the Life,” he introduced subtle sonic variations to shape the song’s dynamics; on “Come Together,” he deftly worked the hi-hat and toms to unleash an irresistibly danceable groove; and on “Help,” he used rimshots (striking the snare head and rim simultaneously) to convey the protagonist’s intense emotions.

Moreover, these are just a few examples.

Have you come to understand how greatly Ringo contributed to the Beatles’ sound?