Why Did The Beatles Let Pete Best Go?

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Mon Jun 04, 2001 4:23 am

I've never understood why this has always been considered such a big mystery.

The moment Ringo comes into the picture, you can hear the group snap into action. He truly had the big beat sound; Pete Best, with his light, airy, somewhat uncertain style, was not capable of generating nearly as much excitement. Can you honestly imagine Pete Best playing the Hollywood Bowl? Listen to that record, 'ol Ring anchors the whole damn thing with astonishing power.

The Beatles were no milquetoasts; they were hardened professional guys who made the hard professional decision, which was good for the band, not so good for Pete.

One indicator, IMO, that Pete Best lacked the Beatles spirit, is that he sank into lethargy and went to work in a bakery despite his own rabid following, instead of picking himself up and going balls-out and making himself into a star in his own right, which he might have been able to do. I feel he wasted potential for his own success; that the Beatles actually gave him a wide open runway. He was great looking and by all accounts was and is a lovely guy. But that's not enough in this brutal business; you have to have focus, power and the killer instinct, which the Beatles had and Pete didn't.

NickD

simer4001 · Post by **simer4001** » Mon Jun 04, 2001 2:09 pm

McCartney's point should be gospel. Pete didn't fit, period. I recall he fired a drummer named Geoff Britton from Wings, not because he wasn't a good drummer, but because he didn't fit in. I personally think it's crazy that this is getting so much attention. Why doesn't anyone talk about Stu? His death had just as much impact on the group as Pete's firing, in my humble opinion. Would Hofner have one of the most recognizable basses, had Stu not died? Just a thought. I know he was probably leaving anyway but who knows. Anyway continue on boys...

The_Ed · Post by **The_Ed** » Sat Jun 09, 2001 10:46 am

No Brian, you're absolutely right. This Pete Best thing is about as mysterious as a sunny day. I think there are simply folks on this board who need to maintain a PC posture on every issue. Pete Best was not a good musician. Period. Even for the time, where people played different, had smaller kits, yadda yadda yadda. The recorded evidence proves it and George Martin's assessment and actions in late 1962 prove it. Prove it. Not McCartney's opinion 35 years later on network television, not some "cavern insiders" who remember Pete Best as the second coming of Buddy Rich and not the folks on this board who simply (for whatever self motivated reasons) can't acknowledge this. Seems like most people on this board have been in or are in a band or play, etc. Nobody would deny the existence of group synergies, attitude, presentation - a whole host of esoteric variables that make a band great. But before any of that comes musicianship - and I'm not speaking of raw chops. Feel, basics, timing (especially with a drummer). I mean, is there anyone on this board, any musician, who listens to the Anthology "Love Me Do" or the decca sessions and says "Hmm, that guy may be simple on the set, but he can keep time"? Again, as alwys, this is hardly an attack on Peter Best, the man. The man who, incidentally, is now quite wealthy from his early days with the Beatles. So (although I know I will be rebuked by the "experts") can we please put an end to this "fascinating question"? Hmm?

I didn't think so....

It's all just my exceptionally HO.

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue Jun 12, 2001 3:10 am

Ed: Your points are well taken and at this point it may not be possible to determine the most salient factor responsible for "Pete's sacking." It must be remembered that even Ringo did not get the nod for "Love Me Do." All things considered I think that The Beatles would have been famous regardless of who was drumming. Ringo is a fine drummer and added a "personality" that Pete did not have. I think McCartney's latest comment on Pete is the most relevant and forthright to date. It would seem that Pete's personality was central to his ousting. That Ringo was better known and was a more flamboyant and proficient drummer also provides for an equally plausible hypothesis. This question is one of the more frequently asked by fans. I don't think it will ever go away.

simer4001 · Post by **simer4001** » Tue Jun 12, 2001 2:44 pm

Peter,

I would disagree! Pete Best would have eventually been replaced, but would it have been in time? Would they have been able to keep George Martin's enthusiasm with Andy White, session drimmer, behind the kit? Are you telling me the movie Beatlemania(original working title)would have been as successful as A Hard Days Night, (Ringo's saying that inspired the title)and let's not even talk about Yellow Submarine, With a Little Help From My Friends etc...No Peter, we would not be speaking of the Beatles today with Pete Best as the drummer. Paul and George and John, if he were here would tell you the same. Why can't we accept the fact that Pete wasn't the man, and that the Beatles knew that and they canned him? Why do we have to speculate? They say he sucked, so he sucked. They knew, and certainly George Martin knew that in order to be a success, Pete needed to be removed. It's as simple as that. They didn't want him because he would drag them down. Or maybe they would have been bigger with Pete! Has anyone thought of that? Just kidding! Pete still sucks! Sorry Pete!

rkbsound · Post by **rkbsound** » Tue Jun 12, 2001 4:57 pm

A thought in Ringo's brain after joining the band: 'My god, this band is going somewhere. I'd better play hard, look good, and get a personality or I'm done like Pete -- I'm NOT going to turn this band into another Spinal Tap!'
(OK, a bit before his time, but it could've happened!)

carr · Post by **carr** » Tue Jun 12, 2001 10:57 pm

Another angle; was Pete Best too much of a pretty boy for Paul?..There being room for only one.. and thus Pete had to go.. Personally I dont give a toss but I had a few moments to idly speculate

John

admin · Post by **admin** » Wed Jun 13, 2001 1:35 am

Brian: In your post of Monday, June 04, 2001 - 09:09 pm you wrote Quote:"McCartney's point should be gospel. Pete didn't fit, period." McCartney's most recent explanation for Pete Best being asked to leave was Quote:"Pete Best was a great drummer but he just wasn't like the rest of us." McCartney's comment focuses on Pete's personality rather than his competency. I would agree with you that Ringo is a great drummer and his style a unique one. For most of us growing up with The Beatles, Ringo was the only drummer that the group had as we did not really know much about them until 1963 at which point Ringo was well established. To think of The Beatles without Ringo is unthinkable. Nonetheless, the Lennon-McCartney-Harrison force was not to be held back in my view, and while The Beatles may have been different with Pete Best or someone else as a drummer, I consider that they would have been successful. Going back to "Love Me Do" the sound was there. The fresh new composition, the harmonies and the electric performance. "To the toppermost of the poppermost."

larrywassgren · Post by **larrywassgren** » Wed Jun 13, 2001 6:32 am

If you ask anyone who was there at the time(Liverpool in '61-2) they will tell you it was jealousy. Whether we want to believe it or not, Pete was the most popular Beatle at the time in
Liverpool which was the only place they had a
huge following at the time. And they will tell you Pete was a great drummer with the 'atom beat'
which other Liverpool groups started to copy. John, you have a good point when you say there was
only room for one pretty boy in the group. I think Pete was the biggest threat to Paul and then
George. From what I've read and heard from friends in Liverpool, John and Pete were great mates who hung out together. John didn't really
want Pete out of the group because of this, but
had to go with the majority who wanted him out and
Ringo in. People from Liverpool to this day still like The Beatles best when they had Pete Best for their drummer. They were very irritated when The Anthology came out and the cover of Anthology 1 has the photo of the Savage Young Beatles, with Pete Best's head 'torn' off and replaced with Ringo's head. Just take a look at your copy now and you'll have to agree that was not a very cool thing to do. Pete had his 2 years in Beatle history, why try to take that away from him? Like Peter said, we look at
things differently from the US and Canada because
we first saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan and didn't
hear about Pete Best until later. I do agree that
we can't imagine The Beatles without Ringo and he
was a great drummer. Could The Beatles have made
all those great recordings with Pete Best as drummer? I don't know. His atom beat was great for the early rock and roll, Chuck Berry, etc. music they were playing live in Hamburg and Liverpool. When The Beatles quit touring and went into the studio and made Sgt. Pepper it's hard to visualize Pete Best in the band at that point, playing that style of drumming. One of my
favorite Ringo, drumming songs is Rain. With Pete
Best on drums it would probably have been a lot different. No matter what we debate here, I think Ringo had the right personality and was a
great drummer who made the Beatles whole.

rick12dr · Post by **rick12dr** » Wed Jun 13, 2001 11:59 am

"One of my
favorite Ringo, drumming songs is Rain". Larry, isn't Ringo on record as saying "Rain" is His personal favorite of all his drum work?

rkbsound · Post by **rkbsound** » Wed Jun 13, 2001 2:54 pm

Rain is probably one of my fav. Beatles songs. No one ever talks about this song! Didn't Todd Rundgren do a cover of it? What album was that on? (Sorry, I'm not the most knowledgable fan). I could listen to it over and over and over!!! Wish it was as long as I Want You/She's So Heavy. Maybe there's a long boot of it somewhere? I just picture it as an 8 minute song.

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Thu Jun 14, 2001 10:38 am

"Rain" didn't appear on an LP until 1969 when the album "Hey Jude" (The Beatles Again) was released. In 1966 it was a 'B' side single with "Paperback Writer" being the 'A' side. And yes, it is a VERY cool track. I think the collective opinion is Paul used the 4001S on "Rain"....

whitfordstholmes · Post by **whitfordstholmes** » Thu Jun 14, 2001 1:26 pm

All the Beatles info is on the money, and I think The Todd Rundgren album is called "Faithful". He did a really cool thing on the backwards fadeout of 'Rain' singing a pastiche of Beatles psychedelia- specifically "She said, she said", as I recall. I think he also covered 'Strawberry Fields' on that record, along w/ other 60's classics such as 'Good Vibrations' and 'If 6 Was 9'

rkbsound · Post by **rkbsound** » Thu Jun 14, 2001 3:31 pm

Just listening to the very distinct instrumentation on Rain is fascinating. That bass playing IS one of the coolest I've heard. It's like 3 different songs melted together as 1.

simer4001 · Post by **simer4001** » Fri Jun 15, 2001 4:45 am

Peter,

True, the sound was there, but it isn't just sound that gets you to the top. Personality has a tremendous amount to do with it. Their are several good bands that you and I have heard and seen, that never got a record deal because maybe they lacked charisma or personality. I'm not saying that Lennon, McCartney and Harrison wouldn't have been as talented with Pete Best, but in my opinion they needed the final piece to the puzzle. Pete's drumming on Love Me Do is hardly an indicator of how he would have played on later material. And certainly the fact that George Martin let Ringo play on all subsequent records shows that he had more confidence in Ringo's ability. Even if it was jealousy, which no one can prove, Ringo put the icing on the cake. And to me it is evident that Ringo is a better drummer and has been since day 1. Was Pete an important part of Beatle history? Absolutely! But if he had remained, it would have been a short and unmemorable history. Anyway Peter, these are the last words I have to say on the matter. I find that this subject is beginning to bore me like Pete Best does. No offense Pete