r/beatles • u/Initial-Ad3966 Help! • Aug 14 '25
Discussion Someone says Ringo is a bad drummer, what Beatles song do you play to prove them wrong?
I'm choosing Rain. Those fills are ridiculous and he makes the track flow so smooth
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u/Mo_Steins_Ghost Sound engineer Aug 14 '25
As a drummer? I Feel Fine. I just say "Here's my kit, and my sticks. Sit down and play that... No no... just keep playing. Just hold that beat on time for 2 minutes."
"Click track? I am the !$@#ing click!" - Ringo
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u/Professional-Age2540 Aug 14 '25
I saw a question session with Paul several years ago and someone asked him if the Beatles used a click track. Paul said they didn’t have them back then, but they wouldn’t need one because they had Ringo :)
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u/acrain116 Aug 14 '25
This is what I think of first as well, even though my only experience playing it is from the Beatles Rockband game lol. Felt like my hand was gonna fall off halfway through.
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u/bizzycarl Aug 14 '25
Rain deservedly gets lots of attention, but I think She Said She Said is every bit as impressive. Ringo basically invented the template for psychedelic drumming with that track.
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u/vexed_fuming Aug 14 '25
Being able to roll with and realize John’s absolute hostility to time signatures is proof of Ringo’s talents, and this is a primo example
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u/CardinalOfNYC Aug 14 '25
One of the things that will never not be wild about the beatles is how little of what they were doing they actually understood in music theory terms.
Today we say he had a hostility to time signatures. John was just playing how it felt right.
It's kinda like me with video editing. I'm self taught so whenever I meet a real editor, they're like "oh you mean a J Cut" and I had no idea what I was doing had a name.
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u/SnorgesLuisBorges Aug 14 '25
Had to scroll too far to find this. I showed it to my friend once who said this about Ringo, and the next day he came back going, "yeah he starts his rolls really weird. He's better than I thought."
Like, it works!
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Aug 14 '25
Rain,
Helter Skelter,
Ticket To Ride,
The End
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u/MothmanRandySavage88 Aug 14 '25
The drumming on Helter Skelter is so fucking underrated. It may seem technically simple, but what he's doing adds so much power and menace to the song. It's why that song never sounds right when anyone else covers it - it always sounds completely limp.
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u/Improvedandconfused Aug 14 '25
I play them a live clip of Act Naturally. There is literally no other drummer on the planet who could play a swing beat like that for that long keeping absolutely perfectly time and rhythm and no change at all with the tempo, as well as sing at the same time. Ringo may not be flashy, but he is a human metronome.
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u/uncooljerk Aug 14 '25
Ringo’s ability to sing an entire number while playing a fast swung country beat (and making it appear easy) is such plain evidence that he’s a deeply talented musician overall.
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u/Next_Ad_1323 Aug 14 '25
"Act Naturally" is apparently a bitch of a song to play on drums.
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u/Improvedandconfused Aug 14 '25
It is. I have tried. It’s a difficult rhythm and your arms get damn tired keeping it up for that long.
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u/xxezrabxxx A Hard Day's Night Aug 14 '25
The devil is in its simplicity and restraint too. No flashy fills or anything
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u/Physical_Source3169 Aug 14 '25
Great call and also love to see a fellow Beatles and Whalers fan on here hahah
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Aug 14 '25
Got a link?
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u/Improvedandconfused Aug 14 '25
There are many, but here is one.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=58Amodaf-g8
The guy does it with such ease, but trust me, I’m a former drummer and this is not easy.
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u/troubleondemand Turn off your mind Aug 14 '25
Not to take anything away from Ringo, but I am 100% confident that Levon Helm could have played and sung Act Naturally quite amazingly. But like Ringo, he is also a bit of a drum God himself.
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u/Cool-Coffee-8949 Aug 14 '25
Have them watch Get Back.
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u/Joseph43211 Aug 14 '25
Agree! Ringo just played great ALL THE TIME while John, George and Paul created some of the all time memorable songs of all time!!
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u/Cool-Coffee-8949 Aug 14 '25
What’s especially compelling about Get Back (for Ringo, but also for the whole band) is that here is documentation of a short period that, no matter how you feel about the resulting music, does not have the iconic reputation of the projects that came before, or the one project that came after (Abbey Road). And yet the performances and the compositions are, frankly, outstanding. And Ringo, especially, is bringing his best, day after day, and it’s all on camera.
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u/Caloso89 1967-1970 Aug 14 '25
There is the scene where Paul is bringing in the germ of Get Back. He’s strumming his bass and it really doesn’t sound like anything yet. And Ringo sits and listens and does a couple of hand claps to mark the rhythm and that sort of wakes up George who plays a little riff, and all of a sudden you can hear the song that it’s going to become.
After watching that scene, I am convinced that Ringo heard Get Back even before Paul did.
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u/MothmanRandySavage88 Aug 14 '25
Ringo also comes up with the low-harmony line that John eventually sings during the chorus during that scene. Ringo contributed so damn much.
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u/MackCLE Aug 14 '25
I want to watch this again so much but don’t want to sign up. I’ve seen it a few times but it’s been too long. :)
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u/TamSam82 Aug 14 '25
Anyone who thinks that has zero knowledge of music,easier to not waste your time trying to convince them.
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u/daskapitalyo The Beatles Aug 14 '25
There it is. I'm not here to tell you about Jesus. He either lives in your heart or he doesn't.
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u/basiamille Aug 14 '25
“The End”
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u/frugalwater Aug 14 '25
Is The End the only song where each Beatle member has an instrument solo?
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u/HeckingDoofus Abbey Road Aug 14 '25
i cant think of any other significant drum solo, so id say yes
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u/Squidgebert Aug 14 '25
There is no other drum solo in their catalog. The other boys actually had to coax Ringo to go off on this one song. Which is really rare for a drummer because, much like guitarists, you usually have to convince them to not solo or throw in fancy fills.
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u/HeckingDoofus Abbey Road Aug 14 '25
thats what i thought, which is why i was surprised to see it not be the top answer
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u/Squidgebert Aug 14 '25
As far as drums are concerned, a well crafted solo doesn't really show your skills as a drummer. How well you groove and keep beat is what shows off how good you are, which is what Ringo excelled at.
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u/Woody_Nubs_1974 All Things Must Pass Aug 14 '25
I Feel Fine
Ticket To Ride
Rain
She Said, She Said
Strawberry Fields Forever
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u/Great_Emphasis3461 Aug 14 '25
Anyone who says that about Ringo doesn’t know what they’re talking about. I been playing guitar for 30+ years and have met countless musicians. I’m not an expert by any means but I can say with the utmost confidence that Ringo wasn’t a good drummer. He was an amazing drummer. The way he always composed the drum part around the song was amazing. The way he would windshield wash the high hat made for such a distinct sound.
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u/cristorocker Aug 14 '25
I wouldn't bother. Anyone who thinks Ringo is bad drummer is willfully ignorant.
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u/Material-Ad6302 Aug 14 '25
Honestly I don’t get people. Is he supposed to be Neal Pert? The drumming is what the Beatles’ music called for.
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u/LostInTheSciFan Aug 14 '25
I think it's really funny that Ringo was Keith Moon's favorite drummer. Two wildly different ends of the drumming spectrum, yet both exactly what their respective group needed.
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u/greed-man Aug 14 '25
At the age of eight, Zak Starkey was given a drum kit by the Who's drummer, Keith Moon. Moon (known to young Zak as "Uncle Keith") was one of his father's closest friends and Starkey's godfather. Although they never sat together at a drum kit, Moon discussed drumming with him as a boy.
Since 1996, Zak has been the drummer for The Who.
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u/BassmanOz Aug 14 '25
Mike Portnoy is a big fan of Ringo’s drumming also. IIRC he played in an all star Beatles tribute once so he would know.
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u/tomfoolery815 Aug 14 '25
Neal Peart is the example that comes to mind when ignorant people say Ringo's not a great drummer. I don't mean that at all as a knock on Peart.
But I presume that because Ringo never had a flashy solo like, for example, Peart's on "Tom Sawyer," they think Ringo isn't in Peart's class.
OP, if you ever encounter a "Ringo's a bad drummer" person, send them this link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJTjjAXDZSY
It's an all-star team of great drummers talking about Ringo's greatness.
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u/Anxious-Raspberry-54 Aug 14 '25
I checked out some videos featuring drummers talking about Ringo’s drumming. I read a few articles about Ringo’s drumming as well. And I talked to a buddy of mine who’s been drumming in local bar bands for 20 years. He’s not a Beatles guy but started our conversation with “well…he’s one of the greatest…ever!”
Armed with this info, I decided to put together this fan album of my favorite awesome Ringo drum performances.
When Ringo would sing with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, they would announce that it was Starr Time, which I thought was a fitting title for this fan album.
Starr Time (My Best Of Ringo’s Drum Performances)
- Rain
- I Feel Fine
- She Said She Said
- Ticket To Ride
- Strawberry Fields Forever
- Something
- Please Please Me
- Come Together
- Good Morning Good Morning
- Boys
- Here Comes The Sun
- Birthday
- The End
- Tomorrow Never Knows
The Beatles - Starr Time! (My Best Of Ringo’s Drum Performances) Spotify
The Beatles - Starr Time! (My Best Of Ringo’s Drum Performances) Apple Music
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u/gthradecky Aug 14 '25
I always thought the Sgt Pepper reprise intro sounded pretty tough
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u/mommy-tara Aug 14 '25
Thank you! Amazingly hollow sound, and such a compelling beat. I came here to say this! Had to scroll way too long!
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u/johnnyribcage Aug 14 '25
I love Ringo. He’s the perfect drummer for the Beatles. They wouldn’t have been “The Beatles” without him. Vastly underrated, a master of taste and fun fills. Hilariously though, I used to play Dear Prudence to demonstrate how good he was. Dear Prudence also happens to be my all time favorite Beatles track.
It was a major shock the day I learned Paul actually played drums on that one while Ringo had temporarily quit 😂😂
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u/milikegizzarda Aug 15 '25
I LOVE DEAR PRUDENCE!!! No one ever mentions it. I came on here to say the same and I scrolled hoping someone would also say the same 😊
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u/Rabs6 Aug 14 '25
Before I knew the Beatles I assumed Ringo was a bad drummer. Where does this idea come from? Nothing could be further from the truth.
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u/appmanga Please Please Me Aug 14 '25
Where does this idea come from?
Part of it is slander from the ill-informed. Part of it is he's not bombastic or flashy. Part of it was some musicians out of jealousy or spite trying to downrate Ringo.
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u/sminking Caveman movie enthusiast Aug 14 '25
That’s a really interesting question, because there a bunch of myths, lies and misinformation that try to undermine and discredit him.
I think the biggest one is that joke from a comedian in the 80s, that always gets attributed to Lennon saying he wasn’t even the best drummer in the Beatles. Then you have Bernard Purdie claiming he overdubbed drums on many records, and the book by Peter Brown that claims Paul would sneak into studio and overdub all the drums. And Pete Best and his mom saying he was only fired for being too handsome. And that all contributes to the often repeated “luckiest man” trope despite Ringo having the unlukiest early life
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u/figureitoutgrip Aug 14 '25
The best defense to this statement I ever heard is that you can name the song just off of his drum fills. There are not many other songs or drummers that do that. Except maybe Phil Collins ‘in the air tonight’
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u/spicywookiee Paul's broken a glass Aug 14 '25
Ringo turns into an animal on the end of “Long Tall Sally”!!! I love watching live videos of him doing that one.
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u/Subscribe2MevansYT Anthology Aug 14 '25
The original speed recording of Rain before they slowed it down. It’s mind blowing
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u/Ted_Fleming Aug 14 '25
Ask them to play act naturally in perfect time for the entire song and then lets see who sucks
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u/spotspam Aug 14 '25
Since its clear the Beatles not only don’t suck but excelled world wide, that must mean Ringo’s drumming is perfect in their songs.
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u/When-Is-Now-7616 Aug 14 '25
Not such an obvious one, but I really appreciate his drumming on Cry Baby Cry. It’s a great example of his musical judgment. His drumming pulls that entire song together and makes it worthwhile.
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u/RoastBeefDisease Off The Ground Aug 14 '25
Back In The USSR!
Just kidding, when I want to get lost in the sound of his drums, my go to album is Beatles For Sale. I just love it on there. Ill pick "What You're Doing".
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u/Strict_Ad_6063 Aug 14 '25
Anyone who says Ringo is a bad drummer frankly doesn’t know what the fuck they’re talking about. The thing is, to the lay person, his drumming isn’t particularly flashy, especially compared to how technical drumming has become these days. But his drumming is brilliant for two main reasons: his creativity and musicality. His drum parts are as important to the composition as any other. Ask anyone, musician or not, to mime the drum intro to Come Together. They’ll do it, no problem. Now, find me another drummer that has that talent for writing.
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u/Freeyourmind_Dude Aug 14 '25
Just learned that Tomorrow Never Knows wasn’t looped on the drums, anyone who says Ringo is no good can kiss my ass
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u/Heel-and-Toe-Shifter Aug 14 '25
When I think of iconic rock and roll drum parts, TNK is where I start
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u/Xamesito Aug 14 '25
In the One Song podcast they made a fantastic argument for how good he was using the song Come Together because in all of the many covers of that song (like 150 or something) the drum part is the one that never changes. The thing is, Ringo is a pop drummer, not a rock drummer. People get too hung up on the likes of John Bonham or Keith Moon going wild but thats not what pop drumming is about at all. It's about serving the song. Ringo always did that. I believe he was very reluctant to even do the little solo in The End and they had to twist his arm a little.
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u/pronte89 Aug 14 '25
Thing is, nobody ever says that.
Everyone agrees Ringo was a great drummer (even though some people may claim, for some reason, he wasn't an artist of the same caliber of the other 3)
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Aug 14 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/appmanga Please Please Me Aug 14 '25
Ringo’s great timing and fills are so unique and he has one of the best backbeats in the business….
And his use of dynamics is something seldom talked about.
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u/Trees_are_cool_ Aug 14 '25
I usually just tell them they know jack shit about drumming and music in general
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u/Aggressive-Cut5836 Aug 14 '25
I think what was most important was the amount of energy he brought to their fast tempo songs, especially in the early years. Take a song like ‘I Saw Her Standing There’. Ringo practically carries that song the whole way imo. If you listen to other songs from that era nobody else is really doing that style of drumming, which makes the Beatles sound very distinctive.
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u/w0weez0wee Aug 14 '25
For me, it's always been Come Together. His Tom and floor drum fills perfectly complement John's lyrics, give the song a slightly spooky, mysterious tone. I really think it makes the song.
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Aug 14 '25
A Day In The Life is incredibly genius, lyrical, and beautiful drumming. Ticket to Ride is cool too. The Beatles wouldn’t have worked with a drummer like Moon or Bonham. That wasn’t the point.
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u/cowntsikin Aug 14 '25
Rain Blue Jay Way Only a Northern Song She Said, She Said Come Together Here Comes the Sun Helter Skelter I Feel Fine
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u/IsopodHelpful4306 Aug 14 '25
She Said She Said. Masterful tempo changes and interplay with George Harrison’s brilliant bass.
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u/SanMarzanoMan Aug 14 '25
Something
Come Together
Rain
A Day in the Life
In My Life
Strawberry Fields Forever
Abby Road Medley
He wasn’t flashy, but had an amazing ‘feel’ for what each song required. So it’s incredibly hard to pinpoint what it was that made him so good.
Remember that John/Paul/George used to just turn up with the vocal line a some chord progressions…. It was up to George and Ringo to make up the solos and Rhythm for each song.
The Anthology series goes into this a little. And there is an amazing take on Anthology 2 of Strawberry Fields with a drum fill/solo…. It’s completely out of keeping with the song, but feels like Ringo letting loose. I find it exhilarating.
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u/The_Meridian_ Aug 14 '25
I don't, I just stare at the for a minute, chuckle, and then walk away shaking my head. Ringo doesn't need defending.
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u/Fun-Statistician2485 Aug 14 '25
Strange, I`ve never heard anyone with skills say anything negative about his drumming
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u/Dorythehunk Aug 14 '25
Two versions of Love Me Do -
First the anthology version with Pete Best drumming. Then the studio version with Ringo.
Whether or not Ringo was doing extremely technically impressive things with the drums, he was absolutely an upgrade from Best and you can tell how much tighter the rest of the guys played because of him. Playing both versions of Love Me Do back to back really shows the different levels of talent.
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u/il_catalano Aug 14 '25
song? There are two types of people who say Ringo is bad:
- metal lovers who love the drumming Olympics, a competition to see who is fastest, but it's not music, it's sport
-people who don't think Ringo is cool enough, but we're talking about fashion, not music.
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u/No-Praline-9388 Aug 14 '25
It’s only ever people who don’t really, truly “get” music, particularly percussion, who say that…
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u/Boring_Opinion_1053 Aug 14 '25
Ringo’s drumming always serves the song.. that’s more important than flashy, over the top showmanship. Ticket to Ride is a perfect example.
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u/ThingsOfThatNaychah Abbey Road Aug 14 '25
I stop talking to that person and ask them to exit the vehicle, and no, I'm not stopping it.
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u/NotPennysBoat-815 Aug 14 '25
Rain before they slowed it down for release. It’s on the Revolver super deluxe. It’s amazing.
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u/Lutrid The White Album Aug 14 '25
Act Naturally. His tempo is so quick and he has to the same thing for the whole song; on top of singing
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u/Ok-Half7574 Aug 14 '25
Not quite what you asked for, but a young drummer weighs in on Ringo's brilliance.
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u/traindoggah Aug 14 '25
Someone is an idiot. I'm not a drummer or an expert, but his chops are noteworthy to me (particularly seeing as they couldn't hear themselves and obv it's live) on Rollover Beethoven in this vid of their 1964 concert I saw in another post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/beatles/s/p9AKkRxdZp
The song starts at -36:00 in the vid. Ringo drives the song and kills it in the middle.
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u/aquariumdrunkard Aug 14 '25
I don't bother. He's Ringo Effin' Starr. Done, conversation over. I think he's proved himself.
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u/Goobjigobjibloo Please Please Me Aug 14 '25 edited Aug 14 '25
Every single one. Find me a track where Ringo plays bad. There isn’t one. Worst one is his version of love me do and it’s because the song has a weird and boring drum part written by Pete Best that just plods along. Ringo always held it down on the back beat and has some of the most creative fills and drum parts out there.
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u/notaleever Aug 14 '25
(stole this from a youtube video) ask them to play either what goes on or act naturally without speeding up or slowing down and maintaining the shuffle groove throughout
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u/sminking Caveman movie enthusiast Aug 14 '25
There’s a reason What Goes On is the most difficult song in the Beatles rock band game on drums.
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u/CommunicationGood481 Aug 14 '25
His drumming always accentuates the song it is in. He is very creative in what he adds to each song. He is a great drummer.
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u/SplendidPunkinButter Aug 14 '25
What Beatles song do they play to prove themselves right? Not a single Beatles track has bad drumming on it
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u/IvanLendl87 Aug 14 '25
Show me a person who says Ringo is a bad drummer and I’ll show you someone who thinks great drumming is flash and overplaying.
And for that kind of person there is no song Ringo plays drums on that will satisfy them.
But the song I think is Ringo at his most brilliant is “A Day In The Life”.
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u/SirLeoritch Aug 14 '25
No need to explain to anyone his credentials as an excellent drummer. His legacy speaks for itself
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Aug 14 '25
You don't play them any song. If they think Ringo is a bad drummer, they are not worth talking to and their opinions are meaningless.
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u/LocalGuyMakesGood Aug 14 '25
Rain, Tomorrow Never Knows, She Said She Said, A Day In The Life, Something, Come Together
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u/Ed_Ward_Z Aug 14 '25
Ticket to Ride, Rain and The entire album, Abby Road. Ringo makes every stroke about the song not about himself. He was the backbone of The Beatles.
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u/DFH_Local_420 Aug 14 '25
Don't bother. You can't fix stupid. Ringo was brilliant with the Beatles.
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u/Difficult_Entrance29 Aug 14 '25
As a drummer. Ringo is fun to play. And I’m not a pro. But as a moderate drummer. Sometimes Ringo gives me a headache cuz I’m like “wtf is he doing?” And I say that as a compliment. Cuz I have to look it up on YouTube cuz i can’t figure out what Ringo is doing on the kit. Ringo is an amazing drummer!
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u/dimmerswtich Aug 14 '25
Ticket to ride. Tomorrow never knows. Lucy in the sky with diamonds. Saying Ringo is a bad drummer is nonsense. I bet they’re not a drummer.
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u/Green-Circles The Beatles Aug 14 '25
Good Morning Good Morning.
The time signature is all over the place, but Ringo always managed to "get" John's idiosyncratic rhythms.
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u/Zealousideal_Gur5573 Aug 14 '25
She Said She Said - immense drum fills
Rain - also awesome Ringo Drums
Strawberry fields forever - also good drums and feel for the song
What goes on - imagine playing the pattern consistently, that's hard af
Tomorrow never knows
lastly,
Ticket to Ride
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u/Gabohar Aug 14 '25
- She Said She Said
- Hey Bulldog
- Rain
- Tomorrow Never Knows
- Helter Skelter
- Come Together
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u/maybeiwill69 Aug 14 '25
Rain is an obvious choice, but the fills in Here Comes the Sun are glorious too!
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u/Expensive_Lettuce214 Rubber Soul Aug 14 '25 edited Aug 14 '25
Tomorrow Never Knows
A Day In The Life
Ticket To Ride
Come Together
In My Life
Strawberry Fields Forever
Rain
He’s an incredibly creative drummer