What John Lennon thought of Pete Best in 1971 "a rare insight into the subject" + the butcher cover

It could man a lot of things. Since the two of them were in the same room together, why didn't Dave ask Lennon what his thoughts on Pete Best were after he tossed the Lp across the room?

 

It's just a misleading thread title. I'm sure most of this clicked on the thread thinking we would hear a quote from John Lennon about Pete, and then we have to read an extended story to find that there's nothing of the kind there. I'm sure nobody in a famous band would be pleased to see their band name being used to market unrelated music by a former member. But he obviously wasn't upset enough by it to sue over it, which Beatles/Apple/Capitol/EMI would have had every right to do.

 

If you agree with old saying "actions speak louder than words"
throwing the album across the room and hitting the wall bending the cover would indicate not overly positive thoughts regarding Pete Best no?

 

No, as I've posted multiple times (including in the post you quoted only part of, which was also misleading to do), it indicates to me that he is displeased by an album being marketed using The Beatles name in a misleading manner, which John neither plays on nor gets paid for. No reason to believe that Pete had the clout to control what the album was named, as I'm sure John realized given that the Beatles couldn't even control what their albums were named in most of the world at that stage of their career.

He could have been upset with Pete Best personally or not liked the music on the album or Pete's drumming. But I can't tell that from his action.

I got no insight (rare or otherwise) into John's feelings about Pete from this thread, and it reminds me more than anything of the misleading headlines one finds in tabloids and yellow journalism.

"John Lennon threatens to kill girlfriend" http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/beatles/runforyourlife.html

Why not call it "A story about a personal encounter with John Lennon"

 

A better title...John Lennon's throws Pete Best album across the room!!

 

The implication here is that Lennon disliked Best a great deal. The giveaway is the description of Best's face being circled. In Mallory Curley's excellent Pete Best biography Beatle Pete! Time Traveller Curley refutes this notion. Curley is fairly certain that Lennon collected Best's solo records, and it is clear that "Instant Karma" was inpsired by the Pete Best Combo's "If You Can't Get Her."

 

Huh? If anything, 'If You Can't Get Her' rips off 'Be My Baby'. That it inspired 'Instant Karma' is some of the most wishful thinking I've ever heard here.

 

I would have expected anything less from John...

 

how could he really dislike Pete? he spent years with him and I'm sure he felt bad about the way it was handled...showing disdain for Pete is a cover.

 

I guess he took the action as his answer...I would have dug deeper.

 

After reading Lewisohn's "Tune In" it's obvious why Pete was replaced. I wouldn't mind a new thread that discussed this topic specifically.

 

Honestly, I'm having a hard time hearing "Instant Karma!" in this thing...

 

What's the reason given in the book?

 

Many reasons but primarily that Pete was a loner and didn't make the effort to become friends with the other three. It got to the point where he would only see them at gigs, there was little to no socializing before or after. He was generally aloof and quiet and displayed little emotion when playing with the band. Of course there was the sticky issue of the Casbah which was owned by Mona "Mo" Best, Pete's mother and where the band often gigged prior to the Cavern. Being nearly destitute at the time, the John, Paul and George were forced to stored their equipment at Pete's house. There was a point where Pete was the only possible option or they would have had to cancel their first trip to Hamburg. Pete was no great shakes as a drummer but they were between a rock and a hard place and not only were they desperate but they (begrudgingly) benefited from the relationship with Pete's mother (who, by the way, was hooking up with Neil Aspinall who was Lennon's age and fathered Pete's brother!). Lots of twists and turns to the story.

Lewisohn spends quite a bit of time on this stage of the early Beatles, it's fascinating. J, P & G could be right pricks when necessary.

 

Pete's mum was putting it about with younger men. That's why Pete was shy and isolated himself from the others. He was both embarrassed and dominated by his mum. This affected his drumming dreadfully, as can be heard on all the surviving recordings. Ringo's mum never gave him any such trouble, thats why Ringo's a better drummer and the other three liked him better.

 

Here's an old thread that addresses that very topic.

Huh? My takeaway from the book was that his lack of drumming ability was the primary reason for his firing. Lewisohn cites quotations from the other Beatles as well as people like Bert Kaempfert and Tony Sheridan who attest to his poor playing. His aloofness probably didn't help, but if he'd been a great drummer I think they would have overlooked that.

 

There's a lyric; "Who d'you think you are? A movie star".....coincidence or had John heard the song and did he steal the lyric?

 

Given how dissimilar the songs are on every other level, I would indeed consider it coincidence. Rhyming "are" and "star" has been done before. And even if he did steal the couplet, which I doubt, it's a long way from saying the song "inspired" Instant Karma.

 

I agree completely. After years of reading all sorts of theories, Tune In - with its loads of new interviews of people who were there - painted an extremely convincing picture of a guy who just didn't fit in. Who didn't particularly want to fit in with the other three.

 

Pete was only in the band for something like 18 months, not "years".

 

Really it was just about two years: August 17, 1960 (first Pete Best gig in Hamburg) to August 18, 1962 (first Ringo gig).

Arnie

 

Thought the first Ringo gig was 8/18, no?

 

Sloppy fingerwork on my part. But thanks for noticing. I have fixed the older post to keep it all accurate.

Arnie

 

the 18th being my b-day, the date sticks in my mind