Bernard Purdie claims to have played on some Beatles tunes too.
Beatles - Come Together
- Thread starter Morrisman
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Bernard Purdie claims to have played on some Beatles tunes too.
Very interesting indeed. What a strange thing to remember incorrectly. Maybe Ringo was gettin' the good grass back then, haha
There's loonies who have gone to great lengths to figure this out and the going theory is he "beefed up" some badly recorded tracks for Atco, I can't recall now (see how that goes), either some of the Tony Sheridan tracks or the Hamburg live things (which would be Pete Best stuff) that were re-released after The Beatles got huge .
No one played for Ringo, except for Paul on a few tracks, and Andy White on the single of Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You.
Hollywood Jim
Platinum Member
Yeah, I didn't buy it either. That's why I said "claims", haha. Pretty bold move for him to make such a statement though.
Just looking at that, thinking of "R" as right, and "F" as foot, that looks like a Rick Allen fill right there.
Mongrel
Silver Member
Not that there is anything wrong with it....lol...
But does that drum track just have "stoner" written all over it or what? It just has that lazy, dragging, kinda "smile" to it. You can almost feel Ringo saying "oh bloody hell why bother using two hands on this part....I'll just tap me snare..." I think it adds a cool vibe to the tune...
Probably smoking a ciggarette with the free hand...lol...
(Disclosure: I am saying this as someone who has "been there done that" a few times myself).
But does that drum track just have "stoner" written all over it or what? It just has that lazy, dragging, kinda "smile" to it. You can almost feel Ringo saying "oh bloody hell why bother using two hands on this part....I'll just tap me snare..." I think it adds a cool vibe to the tune...
Probably smoking a ciggarette with the free hand...lol...
(Disclosure: I am saying this as someone who has "been there done that" a few times myself).
Here's another video (with people arguing it up in the comments), this guy does it on 3 toms, which kind of makes sense as Ringo had 3 at the time, why not use them.
It's funny, I always use to think no one ever played this lick right, not just which toms (I used to think it was actually just on one tom, but just with dynamics of quiet to loud), but the whole feel...now it seems like everyone is trying to figure it out just like the Hard Days Night chord.
I may put the song in a DAW and analyze each hit , but I'm not sure I care that much.
On a side note, something I've been wondering about lately is whether Ringo would tune his drums to the song (I doubt he bothered with the tea towels), but in other songs I'm thinking he did!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSPZcPHsl_U
It's funny, I always use to think no one ever played this lick right, not just which toms (I used to think it was actually just on one tom, but just with dynamics of quiet to loud), but the whole feel...now it seems like everyone is trying to figure it out just like the Hard Days Night chord.
I may put the song in a DAW and analyze each hit , but I'm not sure I care that much.
On a side note, something I've been wondering about lately is whether Ringo would tune his drums to the song (I doubt he bothered with the tea towels), but in other songs I'm thinking he did!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSPZcPHsl_U
Pocket-full-of-gold
Platinum Member
And I can accept this.....at least in part. It was a hell of a long time ago and if nuance and subtlety get lost along the way, then I can see how.
But as he stated in the vid. The choice to run from floor to mounted toms was neither musical nor stylistic. It was a choice born out of sheer necessity. His own limitations of him being left handed and struggling to lead with the right pretty much dictated what he could or couldn't do on a drum kit.
Who is ever gonna forget such a fundamental aspect of their own playing?
Honestly, this thread is perhaps the greatest example of a forum's ability to go from the sublime to the outright bloody ridiculous, that I've ever seen. At this point, the infamous seat belt thread made more sense.
This is our very own version of Python's Black Knight claiming "No you didn't cut off my arm. It's only a flesh wound".
Gold!!
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I love it, think it's one of the greatest overall sounds of all time. Perfect. The drums and bass and subtle understated guitar, etc.....swampy as I think Paul McCartney said.
I know some don't like the cardboard box drums, but I think it fits just right, gives it that dry, up front, smokey feeling in what otherwise would have been a normal Chuck Berry rock and roll song.
I gotta say, while I don't recommend it for any live performance (aside from maybe a "jam band" scenario), just jamming with some buddies after a few bong rips - while maybe not too interesting for the listener - is fun as f***
Dr_Watso
Platinum Member
Does anyone have pictures of how the towels were arranged on the tom/s?
When you put something on a drum, especially something flat-ish and soft it makes it very easy to get different sounds, and pitches depending on where on the drum, where on or around the towel, how hard you hit so that the resonance comes through and the towel isn't sufficient to damp... Hopefully I'm explaining this right. Point is, once the drums have been messed with to that extent, you can't totally rely on your ears to tell you what is what.
I have all sorts of instances where I'm sure that a run (especially a mixed-tom run) is played one way, even passably using my interpretation in covers, and then I go see the drummer at a show and get surprised to see them play it a different way.
But really, when we have the freakin man himself telling us it was one way, even with an interesting anecdote story to back up his memory, I'm inclined to believe that he didn't just make it up.
When you put something on a drum, especially something flat-ish and soft it makes it very easy to get different sounds, and pitches depending on where on the drum, where on or around the towel, how hard you hit so that the resonance comes through and the towel isn't sufficient to damp... Hopefully I'm explaining this right. Point is, once the drums have been messed with to that extent, you can't totally rely on your ears to tell you what is what.
I have all sorts of instances where I'm sure that a run (especially a mixed-tom run) is played one way, even passably using my interpretation in covers, and then I go see the drummer at a show and get surprised to see them play it a different way.
But really, when we have the freakin man himself telling us it was one way, even with an interesting anecdote story to back up his memory, I'm inclined to believe that he didn't just make it up.
I get what you're saying about a towel and pitches and whatnot...and the man himself and all....
But I went ahead and stuck the track in a daw...inspected each hit of the roll(s)...unless he switched his toms around and put the rack toms where his floor tom is and his floor tom where his rack toms are...well it just doesn't make sense!
and at this point I'm sticking with my million dollar bet...
are you in? any other takers?
Regardless of any of it, it SOUNDS more accurate to play it from high tom to low tom. 99% of audience members are going to base their opinion of a performance on if the song sounds right. How many people are gonna hear a part that sounds right, and then go "yeah, but his arms didn't move in the right direction"? I'm going to go ahead and say VERY few.
Dr_Watso
Platinum Member
I listened to the isolated tracks, and while I agree, it sounds higher to lower for the most part, there's also something confusing about it. I can't fully rule out that the recording, towels or my ears aren't deceiving me. Like I said, wouldn't be the first time I got it wrong with another drummer.
I agree it sounds deceiving. Like I said before, I thought it was one tom just with dynamics before these isolated tracks came along and before I got sort of obsessed with it!
And the 2 rack toms with towels, even the snare...they are almost interchangeable.
But if you listen to just the first hit edited by itself...and the last hit...the first one is very high comparatively...and the last one is deep and much fuller like a floor tom...there's just no doubt to me.
And then the floor tom is what he's hitting in the verses...it's the same pitch and all.
And then when you compare to the rolls later on, when he's hitting things more spaced out, you can hear the clearer difference between high and low, and what the floor sounds like.
opentune
Platinum Member
...as i said in my above post, just move towels and 'stuff' around on your toms, LOTS of variations in tones.
....and here is Ringo's setups during Abbey Road and other sessions
https://www.ringosbeatlekits.com/ludwig-maple-drum-set.html
Pocket-full-of-gold
Platinum Member
Hell no, old mate. In fact, I'm betting the farm against you and backing the poor sod who was not only there, but who originated it from the outset.
But that said. Your willingness to call a spade a fcuking shovel and pretty much label Ringo an idiot and/or liar, despite his own commentary to the contrary, takes a special kind of self-assurance.
And if I'm honest, strength in the full face of adversity is a self-assurance I've always admired.
We could definitely have some fun with this over a few pints at the bar, you and I.......even if we don't agree!!
