BTW, why has this not been moved to the Techniques forum yet?

I wil get off my Beatles thing now, but consider:

The group was only together 10 years, and only famous for a little over 8 before they broke up.  In that time they went from "Love Me Do" to "Penny Lane," "Sgt Pepper," and "Abbey Road."  And after their first year or so of sprinkling in a few covers to meet the demands of cranking out albums fast enough, they created all their music, and—although people will argue—I believe the music was completely unlike anything anyone else had ever done.

Bill,

I totally agree. I was there (for nearly all of it). I was exactly 11 years old on the day they landed in New York and I was damned excited to see them on Ed Sullivan. I had seen the "advance" film clip of them on some talk show (don't recall which one) about a month earlier and was revved up even then.

konradh

the music was completely unlike anything anyone else had ever done. 

You could day they "changed everything".

konradh


I wil get off my Beatles thing now, but consider:

The group was only together 10 years, and only famous for a little over 8 before they broke up.  In that time they went from "Love Me Do" to "Penny Lane," "Sgt Pepper," and "Abbey Road."  And after their first year or so of sprinkling in a few covers to meet the demands of cranking out albums fast enough, they created all their music, and—although people will argue—I believe the music was completely unlike anything anyone else had ever done.

+10000
 
Some bands take 8 years between records. 
 
What I think is hilarious is when someone says they don't like the Beatles.  When your songs range from "Julia" to "Helter Skelter", how can anyone make a sweeping statement?

My dad hated the Beatles. Until the last five years of his life. Then he was crazy for them and told me he was sad that he missed out on it for so long. He passed away in 2002.

Much to say here.
 
For some reason, in recent years, it has become trendy to label Ringo as being “untalented” etc. in comparison to the rest of the Beatles.
 
Nothing could be further from the truth.
 
Ringo was subtle in his playing, and never indulged in drum grandstanding (which really took off in the late ‘60s and has been with us ever since). Thank God! It was his restraint and support for the melody that made (at least to a significant extent) those Beatles songs so great. Unlike his later contemporaries, Ringo always knew that the SONG was the thing - not how hard, or how long a player could hit the drums.

Unfortunately, too much of modern rock music has had its subtlety and melody driven out by overly-eager drummers who are unable to control their own indulgent instincts and always play loud/long/complex riffs – driving the beat instead of following it.
 
On another level, he was able to juggle and work with three HUGE ego’s, and he provided the glue both musically and interpersonally. He was always the guy having the most fun in the room, and was willing to go in the direction that the other three moved – an absolute necessity for the success of the group.
 
There. I’ve said it. Ringo was – and is – a great drummer. Without him, the Beatles may have been just a ‘60s footnote with a single “Greatest Hits” album sold today in the discount bin.

I saw them in 1964 in Dallas.  I can look out my window anytime during the day and see Memorial Auditorium where they performed a couple of blocks away.  I remember girls getting on their hands and knees to eat the grass on the lawn where they thought The Beatles walked.  I was a little kid but the whole scene made quite an impression. 

I'm looking forward to seeing Ringo in Tampa and Atlanta in a couple of weeks.

If you ever worry about getting old, check out Ringo.  He is past 70 and still as cool as anyone.

I call Ringo the human Beatle. Saw him on TV the other night and he was just a nice guy, very humble and honest. As for talent, he must be amazing. He's playing at Niagara falls this months and his all star band is a who's, who of rock royalty. None of them need the money so I can only imagine that they really dig Ringo.

Yawll might want to read this:   http://medisinmusicforthemasses.wordpress.com/historically-influential-drummers/