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Re: To the beat of a different drummer



> If that happens, I may switch over to the Mark Leaman camp of 'OH NO!
Don't
> do that to my Quad!'

Jeff:

Welcome to the camp, I guess you already know why I'm here.

> gushed in print about the subtle genius and (here's
> that word) innovation in Ringo's work.

Lee:

Ah, they're just a bunch of suck-ups. Ringo innovated nothing. Alan White
was a better drummer, according to George Martin.

> It's really not fair to compare rock and jazz
> musicians. If we do that, even John Entwistle would be underrated...

Lucas:

John Entwistle IS underrated.

> When I think of innovative rock drummers I think of Moonie, Neal Pert,
> even John Bonham, but never Ringo.  Sorry.

Rich:

Bonham? Is it an innovation to have the drums mixed higher than usual? Pert
never even caught my attention in the slightest. Rush is too damned much
like Journey for me. Yawn.

> Ringo launching the genre

What genre? Rock drumming? I guess no one used drummers in the 50's.

> To me, Ringo opened the door of funny, wacky, mad-cap, zaney, flashy,
> personality and drumming.

That funny wacky behavior came from Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, aka The
Goons. Many young Brits imitated it including John Lennon. And besides, the
only thing wacky about Ringo is that he'd shake his hair.

The Beatles are very popular, even today. Great songwriters, good singers.
With a lot of help from George Martin, they were innovative. But as far as
being musicians, it's only honest to acknowledge that they were never more
than average. Never. Ever. Still today. Entwistle and Moon were THE best
bassist and drummer going. Moon was far more innovative than Ringo (even if
no one can quite do it). Ringo was quite possibly the weakest musician in
The Beatles. Although John, Paul and George win no prizes. Townshend was
easily better than Harrison, and John wasn't as good as Harrison (not
quite).
Come on. Let's be honest about it.

And Happy Thanksgiving, too.


   "Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust..."
               Joe Strummer

            Cheers                        ML