Posts

In defense of Ringo

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 Yes, I'm now gonna post about the other disrespected Beatle, Mr Ringo Starr.   He's been called "the luckiest man in the world", "just along for the ride", and worse of all, straight out saying he sucked. For sure, if you're standard of what's good is John Bonham (unbelievable), Neil Peart (technically brilliant, but IMO, like a robot, not in a good way) or Keith Moon (innovative, but IMO not sometimes able to fulfill the basic requirements of a drummer, like playing a shuffle or in 6/8 or staying in time), then Ringo might come up short.  He's not gonna be flashy.  Can't do the technically brilliant things.  What Ringo does seems simple.  He sits in the song and doesn't stand out. Or does he???  It is well documented that in the 1970s with all the flashy drumming going around, a common phrase was repeated in studios all over the world, namely "play it like Ringo."  Which means, keep it simple.  Make the song look good, not you...
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George Harrison, the forgotten guitarist

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I'd like to write this post about George Harrison.  If this seems strange to you to start with George, imagine how much worse it was in the early 80s when I first got into the Beatles.  John had just been killed and got the most attention.  Paul had just spent a decade with a ton of hit records in the 70s and was still a force, at least commercially, having hit records with Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson.  George was mostly the invisible man.  Everyone knew about All Things Must Pass, but that seemed long ago.  It didn't help that unlike John and Paul, George had always seemed to avoid the spotlight. He seemed most happy just playing his guitar and writing songs.  He didn't do a lot of interviews and he didn't tour.  Books that I read in that period always focused on the relationship between John and Paul and either underplayed George's contribution as a Beatle or outright said that he was just lucky to be in the band, similar to Ringo.  J...
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The Last Shall Be First

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Welcome to Wanna Know a Secret Hello everyone!!  My name is Danny and I am a HUGE fan of the Beatles.  My obsession, and yeah that's what it was and is, started when I was about 12.  I wore out my Mom's cassette (young people, it's an ancient listening device, ask your grandparents) of the Beatles 1962-1966 ... aka The Red One.  I knew most of the songs on the 1st side because of my Mom, but it was the 2nd side that fascinated me.  Specifically Nowhere Man.  The whole thing.  The lyrics.  The lead vocal.  Those harmonies.  I had never heard guitars that sounded like that. And that wonderful chime at the end of the solo .... I didn't know what a harmonic was at that time .... I kept rewinding it (ask your grandparents again what "rewind" is). I also consumed books and articles about them.  Philip Norman's "Shout!" was the 1st book I read.  I now know it is a flawed book, deeply biased against everyone but John, but I'll give Nor...
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