Aside from Ginger Baker, how many drummers soloed? I love Ringo, always have, always will. Give Beatles credit for 1) capturing the feel of a generation and 2) growing musically and personally. When they played the anniversary concert even Yoko warmed to Ringo, he was so obviously having fun.
None of the Beatles were the BEST individual musicians, but collectively they were the best band. Synergy. I heard a classical music scholar say that, aside from Mozart, no one had the output and variety of Lennon/McCartney.
Anybody who doesn't think Ringo is a great drummer should listen to Rain. His simple sycopation on those fills and the sheet amount of them is amazing. He was probably the perfect song drummer.
depends on your tastes but the disco era and use of drum machines in pop music started playing 120 beat per sec perfectly timed robotic beats...Billie Jean by Michael Jackson...it was the trend....the human element dropped out of pop music drumming simply because of that. It's come back around a bit with new bands.
Drummer tend to dictate the timing of a song. 4/4 time or 2/4 time "in the pocket." It allows the bassist space for an interlocking rhythm. Some pop bands like the Stones and Beatles play ahead or behind the beat. It allows for them to have more interplay with the other members of the band. Charlie Watts will even play a little ahead of the beat. Keith Richards is always in tune with Charlie. Bill Wyman not as much. The Stones live tend to speed up as much as any band in history.
Quincy Jones is his own biggest fan. Disliked in the studios as an egotistical credit-leech with a rigid, pidgeonholed idea of what music is. Always has an insult ready for anyone more talented than him, which is a lot of people. Without Michael Jackson letting him work on Thriller few on this board would give him a second thought.
