bsetzer.com

Rickabilly wrote:

CCUK - I take your point about the frustration in not knowing about the canceled UK dates. But I think until Jim's fully recovered and his arm has been tested on the drums, it would be irresponsible to reschedule the UK dates just yet. Keep the faith! I can't imagine they won't make them up sometime.

Jim has posted a message on his site which touches on this point....

Dave

i think tommys blog says everything that needs to be said..... and that should be the end of it.....

I got the XMAS dvd and one Xmas album because I love run run rudolph.
But I'm not mad on Xmas albums.
CC/UK

Rickabilly wrote:

Or are you just concerned that he's listening to The Monkees this morning?

What's wrong with you people? Isn't ANYBODY ging to defend the honor of one of the greatest bands ever to be artificially constructed by TV executives?

Daydream Believer,
Bear85

Don't misunderstand my post. I shamelessly own more than 20 CDs featuring the Pre-fab Four, the complete TV series on VHS and DVD, and Tommy's recommendation has me pulling my limited edition 3CD set of the Headquarters sessions. I'm not quite old enough to remember them the first time around, but they were a staple of my Saturday mornings. And just when I thought I had them out of my system, MTV started playing their episodes 'round the clock in the mid-80s.

Here we come...

For Pete's Sake-a-billy

....thats enough monkeying around for one day.... this is making me go banana's!

Sorry I just couldn't help myself

Cheers PP

Rickabilly wrote:

Tommy's recommendation has me pulling my limited edition 3CD set of the Headquarters sessions.

I'm dying to get a hold of that! I never knew it came out and I really thought I was on top of that Monkee-business.

Ever hear "Riu Chiu (TV Version)" off of the limited "Pisces, Aquarius..." 2-CD set? Friggin' great!

For Pete's Sake,
Mr. Webster

Wow, I guess I totally missed the rabid Monkeeism that's been going on around here! I caught the fever as a college freshman - too many hours in front of MTV watching those reruns. Saw them at the Wis State Fair in the summer of '86 - great show. Another thing I didn't find out until later - I'm a Believer was #1 when I was born. So I guess you could say I was born under the sign of the Monkees.

Just another Pleasant Valley Thursday,
Bear85

(PS: There now...isn't this much nicer than talking about the other website? Time to move on, I think!)

(PPS: Duh - I just read the what's in your music player thread...sorry I fell behind there!)

Maybe they've all gone "Ringo" on us.

Don't send me anymore fan mail,
hrg

Well, not ALL the Monkees have "gone Ringo." Just Mike and Peter.

BS Indeed-a-billy

What the heck is the matter with Ringo anyway?

Kiki wrote:

What the heck is the matter with Ringo anyway?

Kiki--
Did you watch his video? He's BUSY! The man has other things to do!!! Today is only the 16th, you can still send him something, and he'll reply.
I'm so glad someone else brought this up. For a while I thought I was the only one who saw the white elephant in the room!
By the way, I'm was just being sarcastic as h@&%. It's who I am!

Didn't see his video and won't be sending him any mail anyway. I just thought it sounded incredibly arrogant and ungrateful after the riches he has reaped from his career.

Tommy, we miss ye!

Hi everyone,
I didn't post frequently on the official site, but loved hearing what was happening on a daily basis. I almost fainted the first time I hit the contact link and was greeted by a real person, (Thanks, Tommy!) instead of a computer generated message.

Too bad, so sad, but glad to be here now.

Babs

Hot Rod Girl wrote:

Maybe they've all gone "Ringo" on us.

hrg

But did Ringo play on all the Beatles records anyway ????????


Let the debate begin.....

Dave

Dave wrote:

Hot Rod Girl wrote:

Maybe they've all gone "Ringo" on us.

hrg

But did Ringo play on all the Beatles records anyway ????????


Let the debate begin.....

Dave

Awww, c'mon!

Just because he's turned into an arrogant prick these days doesn't mean he's a bad drummer. OK, Paul played on a few tracks, but Ringo's THE MAN! His fills may sound easy, but if you listen closely, you'll find that you have to be quite techy to duplicate what he did. He's right up there alongside Earl Palmer, DJ Fontana (and Bernie Dresel )

My two cents...


Anders
(all I got is an ... ehhh... autograph? )

Personally I always thought ringo sounded like one of those clockwork windup toys - like a monkey or something - that just bashes out the same thing. For my money the single most over-rated and luckiest man in showbusiness!

Ringo was certainly a competent drummer, but you'll need to go back and listen to those Beatles records, if you think Ringo was anything like a windup toy. Ringo's limitations on the drums made him anything but clockwork. There was this show on HBO earlier this year where Ringo was interviewed by Dave Stewart and Ringo talked about how some of his more unconventional fills were simply compensating for a lack of ability. It doesn't make him a bad drummer. But it also doesn't make him one of the best drummers in rock-n-roll history, either. I think the man knows his limitations, and did a great job working within them. But being a Beatle has garnered him enough artificial praise to make any claims of "under-rated" sound downright foolish.

And even if he were one of the greatest drummers in the world, it doesn't change the fact that he's exercising his right to be a prick to his fans. It's not just the latest stunt, it has been going on for much of the last year. (It must be in the water. There seems to be a bit of that going around these days.)

Last month, I got my autograph from a Beatle drummer. Pete Best played in my town, and I have to say, if you are a fan of that early 1960-62 pre-mania era, then a show from this latest incarnation of the Pete Best Band is not to be missed. Pete's still Pete, but he has picked himself a great band of Beatle soundalikes to rock through those tunes from the Liverpool and Hamburg days.

Slow Down
What I'd Say
One After 909
Please Mr. Postman
PS I Love You
Roll Over Beethoven
Besame Mucho
Three Cool Cats
Til here Was You
You Really Got a Hold On Me

Then 3 songs from the new album, Hayman's Green:

Round and Around
Broken
Step Outside (the new single - it sounds like late 60s Beatles, with Paul on vocals and Harrison-esque slide guitar)

Long Tall Sally
Rock-n-Roll Music
My Bonnie
Some Other Guy
I Saw Her Standing There
Twist and Shout
Johnny B Goode


It's well worth the trip if you get the chance. And Pete seems to be a heckuva nice guy.

Hey, Kanye! Have you ever shaken hands with Pete Best?

Pete Forever, Ringo Never-billy

(OK, I haven't completely lost my mind - Ringo's probably a better drummer than Pete, but it was amusing hearing that chant at the show!)

It's really weird:
I never liked the Beatles stuff but some of their early stuff (rock n roll) was OK I just cannot stand Paul McCartney,even though he's a very talented bloke.
George was a great bloke and did some good stuff'as far as the rest go I COULD'NT GIVE A MONKEES!!

CC/UK

A friend of mine saw the Beatles numerous times in their Pete Best incarnation at Cavern and his take on it is that Pete Best used to draw the most female attention making the others visibly jealous - result draft in a bloke few would consider good looking!!!

Carbon Cat UK wrote:

It's really weird:
I never liked the Beatles stuff but some of their early stuff (rock n roll) was OK I just cannot stand Paul McCartney,even though he's a very talented bloke.
George was a great bloke and did some good stuff'as far as the rest go I COULD'NT GIVE A MONKEES!!

CC/UK

Mocking the Monkees, maligning the Macca... Such sads in these times!



Auntie Grizelda's Lonely Hearts Club Band-a-billy

It's always been kinda hip to "pick on" Ringo, and I don't think he's deserved all the negative comments he's had about his drumming through his career. IMO, if you do that, you haven't listened carefully enough.

Pete's good looks were probably a minor part of the deal, but if you compare Pete's drumming to Ringo's, you'll find that hiring Ringo was a HUGE improvement to the Beatles' sound!

Yes, he had his tecnical limitations, but he always played what suited the song. If one song had an 8th note fill, the "Ringo way" wasn't playing right-left-right-left-right etc; he used BOTH hands simultaneously (i.e. snare + tom) on all the notes. Consider the bpm on "Help" and do the same (that's what he does just before the chorus).

Plus, he's a rocker. Why did Carl Perkins use him (and not, say, Charlie Watts or somebody...) on the "...and friends" TV show? Carl knew what he was doin' (yes, I know the Beatles recorded several Perkins-tunes...)


Anders
(forever Ringo's defender - don't have an autograph, though... )

Im on your side Anders, Ringo was a great drummer. But i have a autograph! ..

Ringo's a Beatle forever. His contributions to that hugely influential group are there for all time, and should not be discounted. I enjoy the music of the Beatles, and, by extension, Ringo Starr. If I didn't, I wouldn't own all of Ringo's solo albums and 100s of discs worth of Beatle and Beatle-related music. I'm convinced he's a good, but not necessarily a great drummer. At least not one of the greatest.

Maybe the "overrated vs. underrated" arguments regarding Ringo cancel each other out.

I think Ringo gets a knock from some for being drafted into the band just as they were on the cusp of fame, (hence, the "luckiest musician ever" refrain) but even he wasn't allowed to drum on their first recording session, relegated to tambourine. He was fine for the Beatles - it's not like they needed Buddy Rich or Art Blakey - and he's done nothing to deserve any sort of scorn with respect to his talent. I only ever take issue when his drumming skills are placed on the pantheon of all-time greatest rock drummers.

As for Pete Best - Ringo was definitely an improvement. I don't know if they were that far apart in the talent department in August 1962, but comparing the Decca Auditions with Pete from Jan '62 to the Hamburg recordings featuring Ringo in Dec '62, I would say they made the correct decision. George Martin has since denied that he asked them to get rid of Pete. I think Pete's fan base, lack of chemistry with the other Beatles, borderline talent, and Pete's newborn little brother having been fathered by Beatles road manager Neil Aspinall all contributed to Pete's departure. But we'll never know for sure, as the Beatles cowardly had manager Brian Epstein fire Pete without giving him a specific reason for the decision.

I guess that's showbiz...

Bongo-billy

NICE ONE!!
Monkey-Macca-billy
Take Care Mate
CC/UK

PS
I think Ringo "rocks" remember he did all that stuff on Thomas The Tank Engine,kids programme.
And he played on the Carl Perkins Video with Slim Jim,Lee Rocker,George Harrison,etc,etc,etc At least the man has a personality