In a recent Instagram post, former drummer for The Police, Stewart Copeland (a groove monster in his own right) offers specific evidence of Ringo Starr's superior stills at achieving groove in a song.
Copeland suggests comparing the three different versions of "Love Me Do," the first Beatles recording. The first one is with original Beatles drummer, Pete Best, the second is with a hired session musician, Andy White, and the third is with Ringo.
At one point in Copeland's post, he claims that, when Andy White is on the throne, and George Martin has moved Ringo over to the tambourine, the groove of the song has actually migrated along with him. It's pretty subtle, listening to it here, but it's a fun thought.
Since there is so much perennial debate over Ringo's skill as a musician, it's nice to see a breakdown of his undeniable strengths, which as Copeland points out, are groove and inventiveness.
Peter Best version:
Andy White (with Ringo on tambourine).
Ringo version.
