Was Pete Best really that bad of a drummer?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by RichieSnare, Mar 17, 2013.

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  1. proudy

    proudy Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Dallas, Texas
    Maybe Not As Good As Ringo

    There's a potential band name
     
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  2. muffmasterh

    muffmasterh Forum Resident

    Location:
    East London U.K
    well i meant that he accepted responsibility on hiring Andy White regardless of the reasons why.

    Again everybody expects that memories of mundane operational issues then ( to them ) which are so important to history now should be pin sharp. Why is it not possible that after the first Sept session for which GM may or may no have been present/actively involved in that say Ron Richards had doubts on Ringo and had sufficient autonomy to hire or get permission from GM too ?

    Who's to say, even though Martin has now gone we know that his recollection of events is not totally satisfactory but why does that automatically make him a liar ? ( and a liar to deliberately protect Ringo and do down Pete Best ).

    Do you remember what you did on Sept 4th 1962 ? i could not tell you what i did on Sept 4th 2015 especially if it was just another mundane day in the office/studio.
     
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  3. goodiesguy

    goodiesguy Confide In Me

    Location:
    New Zealand
    Just came across this fabrication of what Please Please Me could have sounded like with Pete. I actually quite like it!

     
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  4. AppleCorp3

    AppleCorp3 Forum Resident

    I realize it's a hypothetical, and this was done with less malice than the A Day I the Life with Pete on drums video, but this pretty much sums it up why he had to go.

    The drummer does a pretty good approximation of Petes style and what he could pull out of his bag of tricks. But it does make the song a little less exciting, flatter. Even though it's obviously sped up.

    Again, it's all speculation. Perhaps Pete would have come up with some real fills besides just a snare roll for this song? Perhaps not.
     
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  5. mbrownp1

    mbrownp1 Forum Resident

    He was replaced by Ringo so...
     
  6. xilef regnu

    xilef regnu Senior Member

    Location:
    PNW
    It sounds like a sped up version of "Please Please Me" being played next to a teletype machine.

     
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  7. Diego Lucas

    Diego Lucas Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brazil
    Respect Pete , but not imagine an alternative world without Ringo in the Beatles , even more , which would be the band's movies without him?

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
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  8. That's certainly a very Lennonesque response.
     
  9. Upsiditus

    Upsiditus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cleveland, Ohio
    I commend the people who came up with the ignore feature on this forum. It makes coming on here far more enjoyable. Some have attempted to speak about my private life (under the mistaken impression that they know anything about it). I only speak about my personal life when it's relevant to the topic at hand.
    Some of these responses are quite amazing. I still don't understand why people would make comments on a thread about how they are not interested in a topic. I mean I don't like Led Zeppelin for instance, but I don't go on those pages and complain that others are writing about them.
    Some people are complaining that the events discussed on the thread are too old to discuss. I'm stunned by this. William Shakespeare died in 1616, that's over 400 years ago. Must we stop talking about him? I take it that it didn't take him very long to write Hamlet, do we have to stop talking about that? Closer to home Rubber Soul was recorded in less than 3 months. Are we still allowed to talk about it over 50 years later or should we just get over it? I really don't understand.
    Bill Harry answered this question in his Beatles Encyclopedia back in the 1990s. However, the subject won't die.
    I decided to come back on here because I just got finished reading the book The Beatles All Our Yesterdays, a graphic novel by Jason Quinn. He is clearly an anti-Pete Best guy. There was a claim made in the book that Pete Best slept during gigs, which is not accurate. No doubt he got that Mark Lewisohn, who clearly dislikes Pete Best a great deal. Where is that Anthology quote of Pete falling asleep during gigs? I was not able to find it.
    I cannot for the life of me understand how anybody who made any effort to look through the book Tune In could possibly not think Lewisohn is anti-Pete Best (though no doubt most who do, already agree with Lewisohn). Those of you who have the standard (edited) edition should notice there is no solo photograph of Pete Best there, although there is one Stuart Sutcliffe, and also other photographs of a minor people. For the extended (full) edition, Lewisohn did include a solo photo of Pete Best. The photo is terrible, almost certainly the worst he could find (no doubt after a long search). Pete is playing the drums and looks like he is about to fall over. Lewisohn claims this is how "most would describe him" which is way off. There were certainly much better photos available. Also, the title of the chapter where Pete is fired is called "the undesirable member." It's clear where Lewisohn stands.
    Pete clearly shows many signs of being someone on the autism spectrum. He didn't speak much. He claims he didn't change his hair because he wasn't told to. People often speak of him going off on his own during his time in the Beatles, as opposed to hanging around with the others. This is what is known as a "sensory break." People who claim he lacked a sense of humor are incorrect. If you want to get an idea of what his humor was/is like, think Sheldon Cooper of the Big Bang Theory. Sheldon Cooper did not understand sarcasm. Hunter Davies mentioned that the other Beatles would make sarcastic comments about Pete but that they would go over Pete's head. Again, that is something common for people on the autism spectrum.
     
  10. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    The bad news: this misbegotten thread has come back to life.

    The good news: posts not in green anymore! :pineapple:
     
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  11. AppleCorp3

    AppleCorp3 Forum Resident

    That's actually an interesting and potentially valid point. I'd never considered that Pete might have been on the spectrum and that led to his detachment from the group.

    Now, whether that would have made a difference once the rubber hit the road at EMI we'll never know. Meaning, if they liked him, would they have sacked him or just gotten a studio guy?
     
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  12. MarkTheShark

    MarkTheShark Senior Member

    IIRC that chapter title is a direct quote from a memo from Brian Epstein referring to Pete Best as such.

    You could be on to something. Or maybe he's just an introvert.
     
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  13. EddieMann

    EddieMann I used to be a king...

    Location:
    Geneva, IL. USA.
    So Mark Lewisohn dislikes Pete Best (I read the extended edition and I didn't get that at all). Even though I don't agree with that assertion, you can't "for the life of you" understand how that can be. Because, I've already made up my mind. Even though I never had an opinion one way or another before I read the book. Ok.
     
  14. Diamond Star Halo

    Diamond Star Halo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver
    Pete Best was a terrible drummer. Just listen to the Decca audition if you need proof. The poor guy didn't have a clue about how to play drums.
     
  15. Neil Anderson

    Neil Anderson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    I read Lewisohn's book, and didn't get the impression he disliked Best.
     
  16. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    That makes
    :pineapple: :pineapple:
     
  17. Marc Bessette

    Marc Bessette The King of Somewhere Cold

    But he didn't want Ringo either....case in point, Love Me Do
     
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  18. goodiesguy

    goodiesguy Confide In Me

    Location:
    New Zealand
    I sort of sway back and forth with this argument.

    One interesting this is that I noticed that an Australia hit from 1965 has the same/similar style of drumming that Pete Best had, beat on all four bars and the constant drum roll fills, It's called "Shimmy Shimmy" by Merv Benton & The Tamlas. I didn't actually notice or really pay attention to drums on recordings until recently, because I've been listening to Pete Best's stuff and comparing it to other various recordings to try and get a feel for things.

    I guess my current answer to this question is: I think Pete was good for straight Rock and Roll, but anything more complicated than that, no.
     
  19. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    :laugh:

    Although to be fair he abandoned green by page 77 and switched to blue. :)

    I was wondering when this thread would pop up again.
     
  20. guitarman1969

    guitarman1969 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    I also think Upsiditus may be on to something. From reading Tune-In, Pete seems to have been oblivious to a lot of what was going on during his time in the band, particularly what the other Beatles thought of him. He didn't socialise with them, he is frequently described as 'sullen' or 'withdrawn', and in many of the photos of them he looks almost expressionless. Even when they get to Abbey Road in June '62 (a huge moment), he says nothing, doesn't engage and acts 'surly'. Clearly, something wasn't right.

    I don't agree that Mark Lewisohn is personally biased against him - he tells the story of Pete's time in the band, based upon the available evidence and the recollections of those who were there. As he said in an interview before Tune In was published, it's overwhelmingly obvious throughout the book why Pete was sacked and also why he lasted for two years with them. There are still those who think there must be another reason - Spencer Leigh comes to mind - but people have known the reasons why for over 50 years. It just needed to be explained properly.

    I feel sorry for Pete but I'm mystified why people continue to debate his drumming skills. The aural evidence (and there's a lot of it) tells the story - his timing was unsteady, he tended to play one style all the time and he didn't improve. What more is there to say? Yes he was that bad. Harsh but fair.
     
  21. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Yup. Was/is Pete on the autism spectrum? Could be, but autism has become the Diagnosis Du Jour - after being underdiagnosed for decades, now anyone who doesn't yammer like Milhouse on a Squishee bender is called "autistic".

    Not every shy person/introvert is autistic!
     
  22. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    It's like the JFK assassination thread - just when I think it's done, it pops back to life! :eek:
     
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  23. Rich C

    Rich C Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northbrook, IL
    It's my understanding that it was common for a producer to pick the drummer for recording sessions in those days. I believe Mick Avory of The Kinks did not get to play on a record for quite awhile.
     
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  24. rednoise

    rednoise Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston
    As I recall, George Martin had heard little or none of Ringo's playing when he contracted Andy White to play that session. He did it as insurance, perhaps for the reason you mention, perhaps because the band's track record for drummers had been poor up until then. Martin soon saw the value in Ringo's playing and later apologized profusely.

    Ringo's playing on "Please Please Me" is stunning. I really do think that if that single had featured Pete Best, The Beatles might now now reside in the Where-are-they-now? file.
     
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  25. Lance Hall

    Lance Hall Senior Member

    Location:
    Fort Worth, Texas
    I only realized recently the joke about Ringo not being able to do a drum roll is actually a joke about Pete Best because a drum roll is the fanciest thing he was capable of.
     
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