Oddly enough, I didn’t see anything locally about this on Wednesday, and I skipped it because I figured it would get lots of coverage. So here we go, a day late:
Ringo Starr has celebrated his 70th birthday [Wednesday] in New York surrounded by his wife Barbara Bach, family, and good friends….’I feel good,’ Starr said. ‘I’m still standing, I’m still playing, I’m touring, so it’s good.’
The only thing the former Beatle wants for his birthday? ‘Peace and love, everybody,’ he told Entertainment Tonight.
Starr went on to say he wanted everyone to send out “positive thoughts” to help make the world a better place. — MonstersandCritics.com
There are two schools of thought on Ringo. One is that he was a talented and innovative artist whose unique style complemented the most revolutionary and original musicians of their generation. The other holds that he is the luckiest man in the world, a ten-thumbed schlubb who could barely keep a beat, and who got and kept his job because he lacked the sort of ego that might insinuate itself into the other Beatles’ act.
I’ll take Door #2, Monty.
Like most musicians back then, I listened to and picked apart every Beatles composition – McCartney taught me a lot about playing bass – and Ringo’s beats struck me as pedestrian and uninspired. Any number of his contemporaries demonstrated greater insight and technique. He didn’t screw things up, but added so little as to become a negligible appendage.
The luckiest man in the world, even today.
But so what? He was a Beatle, one of the two remaining (the two lefties – interesting, yes?), and for what it’s worth, he’s still making music the way he did back then: surrounded by talented creative professionals with whom he somehow manages to keep up. And if it’s nothing I want to listen to, it’s nice to know it’s still happening.
Happy birthday, old sod.
Obalesque 
I disagree. Ringo was the perfect drummer for the band. They didn’t need a flashy power drummer or a jazz artist, just somebody to hold it together and accentuate the melodies. He introduced stylistic flourishes, mostly in the form of syncopated accents, which were picked up all across the pop and rock musical board.
I’m glad to see he’s still at it, too.
How did anybody ever find this guy sexy?
Oh, who cares. The Beatles are so like, Yesterday.
Are you kidding?! Ringo was the hottest one of the bunch. Even to this day, I wouldn’t Boot ’60s Ringo out of Bed. I think George was the ugliest one; in the beginning anyway… then John got pretty gnarly.
“Could barely keep a beat”???
You’re out of your mind, Squatty – those golden guides have been pushed in way too far, and YOUR BRAIN’S GONE.
Just listen to “I Feel Fine”, or pretty much anything from Revolver, or Rubber Soul – his drumming’s right on the money, and the sound is *perfect*.
AND, Ringo had the best-looking replacement wife, bar none – there’s just no excuse for ugly women when you’re a Beatle…no excuse.
Come again?
You sir, forget “You know it don’t come easy” and others of my brilliant repertoire of compositions. I too, was a superb bloody writer but got no credit. Yoko, shut the f*^K up, I still haven’t forgotten.
Oh no no no, I can’t take it no more . . .
You Squathole may call me Richard.
Squatty,
it may be a little of both. He is a charming guy with a great and funny personality. He was able to make fun of himself, a virtue many of us lack.
I thought the drum beat for the song Tomorrow Never Knows, was weird but is right on the money. He did his job the way it was supposed to be done. He in certainly is not Ginger Baker, but neither is the drummer for the Stones and they have managed to endure all these years. So, Happy Birthday Ringo! You made your mark in the history of Rock and Roll.