The Beatles were not particulary accomplished when they first hit the US. Starr was a terrible drummer. The early Beatles songs are simplistic and repeatitive. I remember when they were first a phenomenon in the US, my musician friends and I could not figure out what the fuss was about. Their first ablum of sophistication was Revolver and their stoney stuff, from Yellow Submarine on, and including Magical Mystery Tour and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band were quite decent, as was the White Album and Abbey Road.
"Starr was a terrible drummer."
Admit it, you know nothing about drums. Not just mho:
"I think he's vastly underrated." - Phil Collins
"He's everything to me. I still think of him musically every time I sit down and play drums. He's a very important guy . . ." - Jim Keltner
". . . his influence in rock drumming was as important and wide spread as Gene Krupa's had been in jazz." - Max Weinberg
"I consider him one of the greatest innovators of rock drumming and believe that he has been one of the greatest influences on rock drumming today." - Kenny Arnoff
"He had great style. I never saw anyone play the way he did." - Dino Danelli
"He played a hell of a back beat, Man, and that's where it's at." - D. J. Fontana
"I think he did a wonderful thing for drums because drummers would see him and think, 'Hey, he's part of it, too.'" - Alex Van Halen
"Literally hundreds of thousands of players - including some of the greatest drummers playing today - cite Ringo as their first motivating influence." - Editor of Modern Drummer magazine
"Ringo is right down the center, never overplays." - Paul McCartney
"Ringo could be the best rock ''n'' roll drummer -- or at least one of the best rock and roll drummers . . . Ringo's got the best back beat I've ever heard " - George Harrison
"Ringo's a damn good drummer. He was always a good drummer." - John Lennon
I remember when they were first a phenomenon in the US, my musician friends and I could not figure out what the fuss was about.
This tells a lot because musicians tend to look at music differently than most people. I was 13 when "I Want to Hold Your Hand" came out and then "She Loves You" and I and millions of others were jazzed by the electricity of those songs and the other songs that came shortly after. I could have cared less about sophistication then, I loved the songs. Even after years of playing music sophistication is not even in my thinking as to whether I like a song or not. The first thing is do I like the song? First I listen to the melody because that to me is the most important thing. Then the words. Rhythm, bass, drums, chord progressions. Sure, if I like a song and it has sophistication I will appreciate it more simply on "somebody who wrote this knows music". I wonder what music did you like then? I can't see it in the pop rock scene before or shortly after the Beatles. Car songs, Lou Christie (barf)and a load of other very mediocre songs.