I Feel Fine, Ray

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Lord Reith
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I Feel Fine, Ray

Post by Lord Reith »

I was watching McCartney 123 and Paul was talking about how they saw Ringo playing the drum part to What I'd Say in Hamburg and they were really impressed that he could do that. I then realised that is the drum part in I Feel Fine!

The Beatles were light fingered, but they only stole from the best!
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Tex
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Re: I Feel Fine, Ray

Post by Tex »

Lennon was also impressed when they performed "Rock and Roll Music" (evidently an early performance) and Ringo apparently changed the beat to match the lyrics about mambo, tango and congo like he does on the record. I would safely assume Pete Best never did that.

This was basically revealed in a post Beatles interview were can tell John has literally turned away from microphone as he is showing the interviewer that how he looked back during that song to look at Ringo in amazement.
Last edited by Tex on Sat Oct 02, 2021 1:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: I Feel Fine, Ray

Post by zaval80 »

Lord Reith wrote: Sat Oct 02, 2021 12:34 am I was watching McCartney 123 and Paul was talking about how they saw Ringo playing the drum part to What I'd Say in Hamburg and they were really impressed that he could do that. I then realised that is the drum part in I Feel Fine!

The Beatles were light fingered, but they only stole from the best!
Probably many groups do. There was an article in Guitar Player this summer, dedicated to the Doors' L.A. Woman. Although I was aware of many instances where they creatively reworked the harmonic progressions from others works, this article was an eye-opener in regard to how often they did that :lol:
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Re: I Feel Fine, Ray

Post by Lord Reith »

zaval80 wrote: Sat Oct 02, 2021 1:23 am
Lord Reith wrote: Sat Oct 02, 2021 12:34 am I was watching McCartney 123 and Paul was talking about how they saw Ringo playing the drum part to What I'd Say in Hamburg and they were really impressed that he could do that. I then realised that is the drum part in I Feel Fine!

The Beatles were light fingered, but they only stole from the best!
Probably many groups do. There was an article in Guitar Player this summer, dedicated to the Doors' L.A. Woman. Although I was aware of many instances where they creatively reworked the harmonic progressions from others works, this article was an eye-opener in regard to how often they did that :lol:
It's okay to borrow so long as you add to it somehow. In the days of classical music it was considered flattering to have another composer "borrow" one of your melodies. The Beatles always left more at the crime scene than they took.

But I think I Feel Fine also has its riff partly derived from Watch Your Step, at least rhythmically.

Interestingly, Ringo doesn't play the WIS beat on the first two takes. That must have happened in between takes. "Hey Ring, do What I'd Say!"
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Re: I Feel Fine, Ray

Post by Lord Reith »

Engonoceras wrote: Sat Oct 02, 2021 12:58 am Lennon was also impressed when they performed "Rock and Roll Music" (evidently an early performance) and Ringo apparently changed the beat to match the lyrics about mambo, tango and congo like he does on the record. I would safely assume Pete Best never did that.

This was basically revealed in a post Beatles interview were can tell John has literally turned away from microphone as he is showing the interviewer that how he looked back during that song to look at Ringo in amazement.
Yeah, I've noticed that! It's really cool!

I'm now imagining What I'd Say with the plodding Pete Best beat... arghhhhh...
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Re: I Feel Fine, Ray

Post by Tex »

We've all heard the joke that Ringo couldn't even play a drum roll (actually he did several).

It was only a few years ago I realized that joke must have originated as a back-handed dig at Pete Best because that's literally the only "fancy" thing Pete could do. Pest could have never advanced as a drummer and everyone knew it.

By the way John NEVER said "Ringo wasn't even the best drummer in the Beatles". A comedian or actor on a show actually said that and it's been mis-attributed to John. I had a drummer friend (who knows nothing of the Beatles) actually said that joke to me.
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Re: I Feel Fine, Ray

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Ringo like Pete developed a completely intuitive way of playing. He had no instruction. But whereas Pete had limited ability and imagination, Ringo had a tremendous sense of rhythm and a naiveté that made him try stuff that no other drum ever would have.

The way Ringo played the hi-hat cymbal slightly open the whole way through the song or part of the song... no-one else did that. Likewise, no other drummer except maybe Keith Moon used their crash cymbal as a ride cymbal. The drummers of the time were all tight-arses who'd had too much instruction from old jazz guys. Their ears must have melted and their sensibilities exploded to see Ringo bashing the living crap out of his kit. It would be another 15 years before the punk drummers intuitively went down the same path as Ringo and started doing the same thing. Then 20 years after that you've got all the grunge and neo-punk drummers doing the same thing. So Ringo was a man alone, a trendsetter decades ahead of his time.

I hate that polite drumming on the Andy White recording of Please Please Me. It's so tame and inoffensive. Then you've got Ringo's version which is just a total knockout. So I'll say for the hundredth time: Ringo put the BEAT in Beatles. If they'd had any other drummer, they'd have been less than half the band they ended up being.

Also, I love Ringo's crazy left handed fills. They are so idiosyncratic and weird. But I can honestly say with my hand over my heart that there is not a single Beatles song where I don't love Ringo's drum part.
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Re: I Feel Fine, Ray

Post by MarkRJones1970 »

Engonoceras wrote: Sun Oct 03, 2021 2:15 am
By the way John NEVER said "Ringo wasn't even the best drummer in the Beatles". A comedian or actor on a show actually said that and it's been mis-attributed to John. I had a drummer friend (who knows nothing of the Beatles) actually said that joke to me.
It was Jasper Carrot who said it. It boils my blood when I see people saying that as a 'fact' on Twatter! :twisted:
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Re: I Feel Fine, Ray

Post by beatlepaul »

If anybody says Ringo can't drum, play them 'Im Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry' from the BBC sessions, excellent snare work.
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Re: I Feel Fine, Ray

Post by ExDalek »

Mark Lewisohn states the "joke" was first on Radio Active in 1981. https://www.radiox.co.uk/artists/beatle ... t-drummer/
“I remember it like it was yesterday. Of course, I don’t really remember yesterday all that well.”
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