Ringo Reassessed?

It's Sunday. It's almost time for "Breakfast With the Beatles" on the local classic rock station, 104.3. I sometimes, get tired of listening to this station, because they tend to play the same stuff, over and over again, and most of that stuff you have already heard hundreds of times before.

But one program that I listen to is "Breakfast With the Beatles".

Sometimes, I wonder why. After all, I have all the cd's (yes, I still listen to cd's), and have for some time. Heard almost all of the songs that they play on the program (although when newly released stuff from, say, the second BBC album, or Paul McCartney's new album, come on clearly I have not heard those yet). For that matter, it's not like I can't just go on the internet, to say, Youtube, and listen to whatever songs I want to there.

Yet, I still tune in just about every Sunday morning.

I love the Beatles, and somehow, while I have grown tired of almost every other major artists (including some that I love), I never seem to tire of the Beatles, for some reason. It's actually kind of weird.

One thing, as a Beatles fan, that I always thought unfair was how people perceive Ringo Starr. I know that he sometimes acted like a clown, and that this will not only not appeal to people, but in some cases, actively turn them off. There is this general perception that he got "lucky". I have know quite a few people who seem to argue this point of view (and that's really all it is, a point of view).

But this guy is a phenomenal drummer, period. He was an integral part of the band, and lent them musical credibility. Granted, he did not have the songwriting success of any of the other three Beatles. Yet, be careful if you try and diminish his musical contributions, because they are there, and they are real.

Will it turn around? Or will Ringo continue to be viewed as the weak link in an otherwise solid chain?

Here's an article that calls for Ringo Starr to be reassessed, and it's a very good read:

"Is it time to re-evaluate Ringo Starr?" by Greg Kot of BBC's "On the Record", 12 Decembre, 2013:

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131212-starr-quality