I finally understand Ringo!

[Rich K.]

No but when you listen to the song the cymbals are difficult if not impossible to hear in some cases. So I question the accuracy of this "isolated drums" video as per everything. Bass drum sound, cymbal sounds etc. As I said, not sure the method used to isolate the drum parts. Until I am satisfied I call not true on any critique of the drums sound wise. This album was recorded with a 4 track recorder. How were the drums removed from the mix? If it was some type of EQ method then you're not hearing what the cymbals and drums actually sounded like during recording, anyways.

I thought the snare sounded more crisp and metallic than I thought Ringo's was...

 

[Mcjnic]

No but when you listen to the song the cymbals are difficult if not impossible to hear in some cases. So I question the accuracy of this "isolated drums" video as per everything. Bass drum sound, cymbal sounds etc. As I said, not sure the method used to isolate the drum parts. Until I am satisfied I call not true on any critique of the drums sound wise. This album was recorded with a 4 track recorder. How were the drums removed from the mix? If it was some type of EQ method then you're not hearing what the cymbals and drums actually sounded like during recording, anyways.

That's what I had said ...
"My guess ... it’s most likely due to the frequencies isolated in order to separate the drums. Man, I hope so"

 

[dsop]

The hi hat accents are in a cool place and add to the feel, but he's really inconsistent and it kind of ruins the groove.

Wait...what???

 

[Jackal Jack]

Feel. Harder to develop than technique and chops. Ringo had it in spades.

 

[TheBeachBoy]

Yeah. The ticket to ride crash is nice.
But the original song post ... man. Those hats and crash sounds were just not hitting my ears in a good way.

I was serious, Bandit. For whatever reason, those cymbals in the original post just grate on me. The other post was nice, though.

My guess ... it’s most likely due to the frequencies isolated in order to separate the drums. Man, I hope so

There's a ton of compression on that track too. That's going to play a big part in the sound.

 

[nickrobotron]

Wait...what???

I take it you don’t agree. If that were sitting out in front of a Tom Petty song, it probably wouldn’t be the take. I see that beat as less groovy and more percussive. Not sure if that makes sense. Damn, I already said I was a bad drummer. I ain’t apologizing for anything.

 

[swarfrat]

Boy that track shore is ....
I can't do it. Sorry. Move along

 

[p83]

as far as sound goes, it's not how the drums sound alone, it's how they sound when blended with the band on the record. how many of us have gone into a studio and thought the house set sounded like, wellllllll you know. you listen to playback, and they kill.

as far as ringo's playing goes, you either get it or you don't. but i don't see how you don't.

 

[vintagedrummersweden]

I remember a Modern Drummer issue where famous drummers asked questions to Ringo.
And in the same issue there was an interview with the producer of the latest (at that time) Ringo album. And he was so floored by the way Ringo knew his instrument.
He talked a lot about how Ringo hit the snare at the exakt same spot for each beat, but moved the spot to different areas of the snare for different parts of the song and by doing that changed the sound and the feel of the different parts.

Sounds like a master craftsman to me (big Ringo fan if I missed to mention that).

 

[CC Cirillo]

For me, there are some drummers I admire because their artistry seems superhuman, and then there are drummers I adore because their artistry is so very human.

God loves all his drummers equally, but he probably listens to The Beatles more than he listens to Tool.

 

[happyshump]

Nice!

 

[NewBeat]

No but when you listen to the song the cymbals are difficult if not impossible to hear in some cases. So I question the accuracy of this "isolated drums" video as per everything. Bass drum sound, cymbal sounds etc. As I said, not sure the method used to isolate the drum parts. Until I am satisfied I call not true on any critique of the drums sound wise. This album was recorded with a 4 track recorder. How were the drums removed from the mix? If it was some type of EQ method then you're not hearing what the cymbals and drums actually sounded like during recording, anyways.

Yeah, it's Ringo's part, but I don't think it's Ringo or his gear. I think it's somebody copying the part.

The Beatles recorded to 4-track, state of the art in 1966/67, so there's no 16 or 24 channel tracking master out there with the drums isolated. I believe they used two 4-tracks and kept bouncing the mix between them while adding more stuff (and God knows, they added tons of stuff). So, the bed track of drums and maybe rhythm guitar, piano, etc. (at this stage, Paul started overdubbing his bass parts towards the end of production) was likely performed all at once with judicious mixing and then recorded to a stereo pair, straight to mono, or mixed down to mono as the session progressed. Such high-fidelity, zero leak isolation in the OP would be impossible. Perhaps there's a 4-track work tape with one channel of drums that survived the entire production cycle that wasn't erased, tossed, or recorded over, but that would seem highly unlikely (plus you'd need something comparable to a working 1966 4-track Studer J37 to play it on).

Then there's the sonics of it - way too modern sounding, everything is punched up and in your face, perfectly eq'ed. Without each component of the kit separated, this would be very hard to achieve. The back beat doesn't sound or feel quite the same - the rim-shot style is correct, the pitch is right, but it's much more forceful than the album track. And finally, right off the bat, Ringo plays the very first snare note as a single, while the OP track plays a ruff.

 

[Pounder]

Am I hearing maracas during this tune? could that be Ringo playing them along with the drums simultaneously? I'm talking about the song, not this "isolated" track--which I'm taking with a grain of salt.

 

[Pounder]

I take it you don’t agree. If that were sitting out in front of a Tom Petty song, it probably wouldn’t be the take. I see that beat as less groovy and more percussive. Not sure if that makes sense. Damn, I already said I was a bad drummer. I ain’t apologizing for anything.

This was a highly experimental phase for the Beatles, the drum sounds were being played around with continuously for effect of the resulting tune. Impossible to compare Tom Petty and you're right, but Tom Petty was going for a very consistent sound. But I bet you if the Beatles, Ringo and Sgt Pepper never happened, the "sound Tom Petty was looking for in the drums" would be completely different than what it was a full 10 years later.

 

[Rock Salad]

I was watching some Kinks videos from back then. Love that British record industry's take on rock & roll, we wouldn't be where we are today without them. The sound and their demeanor is so different from the Americans'.

 

[rhythmace]

Before the Beatles, you had The Ventures and some early Beach Boys. Mostly very straight beats. Ringo had some swing and more feel. Now Hal Blaine had some swing with the TJB, but that was not his main playing. It was studio musicians that first gave Ringo credit as the "best man in his field." Ace

 

[frankmott]

I'll begin by saying that I arrived late to the party when it comes to listening to The Beatles. Yes, I've heard them throughout my life, know many of the songs, and appreciate and respect their contribution to modern music. I much prefer the older recordings and never cared much for Magical Mystery Tour or ironically, Sgt. Pepper's.

That said, this post appeared in my You Tube feed yesterday and blew me away. I'm enamored, and now completely understand the love and praise for Ringo. I can't stop listening and loving everything about it. I'm a big Steve Jordan fan and good lawd do I hear the influence now!

I've said it before but it's worth repeating - The best thing about music is that it knows no age, no time, and no circumstance. It's there for us always, waiting to be discovered and enjoyed, limitless in its reach and powerful in its influence.

Welcome aboard! I should have done that in my earlier rant; I just grow so weary of drummers who can't see Ringo's greatness. My appreciation for Sir Richard grows with every passing listen.

This seems like a good time and place to repost this:

 

[rhythmace]

Great video! Even though I think that Paul came up with the drum part on "Ticket To Ride" , Ringo actually played it. Ace

 

[steambent]

Just reminded me why I don’t like 60-70s A Zildjians and 60s wood Ludwig snare sounds.

 

[wflkurt]

While I love Ringo's playing, I think I prefer the early stuff mostly. At least from a playing point of view. Sure they got creative later on and released some of the most iconic albums of all time. I just think as a band, the four of them were the perfect compliments to each other. Ringo played exactly what was needed and (IMO) the Beatles would never have been as good with anyone else. It was the whole picture for me. Ringo has this great personality, charm and wit that jelled perfectly with the other guys. Do guitar players argue about George's guitar playing like this too? I love George and his songs are some of my favorite Beatle songs. He was certainly no Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton on the guitar but again he was exactly what the Beatles needed. It was an absolute blessing that he blossomed into such a great songwriter. If he had just played lead guitar would guitar players rag on him as much as some drummers rag on Ringo?