From: kozinn@aol.com (Kozinn)
Newsgroups: rec.music.beatles
Subject: Re: A Musical Vindication for Pete Best
Date: 9 Dec 1995 23:19:59 -0500
It was previously written:
And I, at long last, understand that your ouster from the Beatles was
motivated non-musical factors. (Jeez, maybe, just maybe, your mother was
right...it was motivated by jealously or envy. Amazing after all these
years to finally understand this.)
I really disagree. I've known Best's drumming for a long time -- from the
(complete) Decca audition, from the (undoctored: more later) Sheridan
tapes and from the couple of sessions he recorded with the Beatles for the
BBC. I find his drumming to be extremely dull tapping -- not a lot worse
that many other bands had, but with nothing like the character that Starr
brought to the group.
To my Beatle brethren who've been so intent on maligning Pete's
performance on "Love Me Do": I entreat you: listen again. Without
prejudice. It's a beautiful arrrangement.
I agree that it's an *interesting* arrangement -- by far the most
energetic and interesting drumming I've ever heard from Best. And my
impression listening to this outtake is that it could have been very good,
perhaps even better than the released version, if Best had the technique
to bring it off. But he doesn't: he sounds very unsteady and awkward, to
these ears at least. (And so does Andy White, surprisingly enough, on
Please Please Me.) If you want to read this as "my Beatles right or
wrong," that's up to you. However:
I further challenge you to goback *one year earlier* and listen to his
exemplary work on My Bonnie andCry for a Shadow.- where's he's not only
demonstrating his abilities as atime keeper, but is handling tight rolls
with aplomb- then tell me howthese skills could somehow desert him a full
year later when it came torecord Love Me Do.
Well, here we have a little problem, because on the Sheridan cuts, it's
not *just* Best that you hear. There are two versions of those recordings:
the undoctored version has reliable-but-dull-old Best, unvarnished. But
when the Beatles hit it big in the US in 1964, and MGM was getting ready
to release a cash-in album of the Sheridan stuff, *they* thought the
drumming was dull, and brought in a studio player -- *possibly* Bernard
Purdie, who has for years been claiming to have dubbed Beatles recordings;
these are the only likely candidates -- to liven up the drumming.
I haven't compared "Bonnie" and "Cry" lately, but because someone has asked
specifically which version of "Ain't She Sweet" was used, I dug out a
pressing of the undoctored version and made a comparison with the
Anthology CD -- and sure enough, they used the embellished one. It's quite
interesting: after the first verse, and indeed, after most of the verses,
there's a deft little roll; and heading into the bridge, the high hat is
introduced. Neither of these touches are on the pure-Best version. So if
it's that kind of detailing that impresses you, that's fine, but it's not
Best's work.
he was probably Ringo's equal, or close to it.
I really don't think so. Listen to the drumming on the Swedish radio
stuff. And then, beyond the Anthology, listen to the drumming on Paperback
Writer, Rain, Strawberry Fields -- I can't see Best having come up with
that. His style was extremely light (with the exception of the Love Me Do
instrumental break); Ringo's was always considerably more vital and
varied.
Before I depart: A quick message to the "My Beatles Right or Wrong
Brigade" who frequent rmb...and who somehow, (thru fancy or myopia), have
failed to grasp the dangers of blind adulation (see Presley, Elvis,
American Popular Singer, in your local library for details) I say this:
this is not about equating Pete with Ringo. I love Ringo. This is about
righting a grievous wrong.
You may theorize that the reasons were extra-musical -- and undoubtedly
there were also extramusical reasons (there have been cited many times).
But my feeling is this: If I were in a band with a guy that didn't quite
fit in (extra-musical) and who I thought was serviceable but not great,
and I went for a recording test only to have my judgement vindicated by a
producer who said he'd use the band but would bring in a session drummer
(and what was Martin's extra-musical objection, please?), I would
consider looking for another drummer. In the Beatles' case, they knew one,
but until that point (i.e., having a record deal) weren't in a position to
offer him anything he wasn't already getting in his own band. The contract
-- particularly coming as it did with Martin's objection to Best -- made
the difference.