George Harrison Said He Always Knew What He Was Going to Get When He Asked Ringo Starr to Play on a Song
While John Lennon and Paul McCartney were in their own little world being one of the greatest songwriting partners in music, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were forging a perfect partnership of their own.
George helped Ringo with classic Beatles songs like “Octopus’s Garden.” Despite the strange time signature of “Here Comes the Sun,” Ringo knew how to enter the song perfectly. The Beatles’ split did not affect their working relationship whatsoever. They continued collaborating as if nothing had happened.
Whenever George asked Ringo to play on one of his songs, he knew the drummer would do his best.
George Harrison always knew what Ringo Starr would bring to their collaborations
The “My Sweet Lord” singer explained that he always knew what he would get when he asked Ringo to appear in one of his songs during a 1987 interview.
“You couldn’t make an ex-Beatle record without having Ringo, could you?” George said. “It’s like a built-in thing.” The pair’s first post-Beatles collaborations started the same year the band broke up. George helped on Ringo’s Sentimental Journey, and Ringo contributed to George’s All Things Must Pass.
They just went on making music with each other because they knew how the other worked. They were bandmates and trusted each other as musicians. George said that if he played a song to Ringo, he didn’t even need to explain how he wanted the drums to go. He just played it, and Ringo knew how to join in perfectly.
Ultimately, George gave Ringo little direction. He went to the drummer because he knew he would do his job perfectly. They were comfortable and in tune with each other. The “Something” singer said Ringo had an excellent feel for the drums and what he wanted, making their collaborations effortless.
George said Ringo played the drums like he played the guitar
The former bandmates possibly worked well together because they were similar in the way they played their instruments.
During a 1987 interview on Dutch TV, George explained that his former bandmate was like himself as a musician. For years, they’d grown as artists and knew each other’s level of musicianship.
According to George, Ringo never practiced the drums, just as he never practiced the guitar. However, it didn’t matter because they knew how to do it perfectly whenever they needed to play.
“For my songs, he’s very good because he listens to the song once and he knows exactly what to play,” George said. “He was the kind of drummer who never likes drum solos, so he just plays, keeps good time, and he instinctively knows when there’s a little piece that needs a fill. And it’s the same with me. People call me a guitar player and in a way, I am a guitar player, but I never practice.”
The former bandmate’s best collaboration
George and Ringo collaborated so many times in their solo careers. They worked on George’s soundtrack for 1968’s Wonderwall, Ringo’s Sentimental Journey, and George’s All Things Must Pass.
Later, Ringo helped George with The Concert for Bangladesh, Living in the Material World, Dark Horse, Somewhere in England, Cloud Nine, Nobody’s Child: Romanian Angel Appeal, and Extra Texture (Read All About It). Meanwhile, George helped with Ringo, Ringo’s Rotogravure, Stop and Smell the Roses, and Vertical Man.
However, one of the best George and Ringo collaborations is Ringo’s “Photograph.” Ringo often had trouble writing his own songs, but on “Photograph,” George helped. The song is a perfect blend of George and Ringo and an excellent example of what the pair could do in the recording studio.
Ringo was also the only fellow Beatle George felt comfortable performing with in later years. It would’ve been great if the pair collaborated more in and out of the recording studio, but we’re lucky to have as many collaborations between George and Ringo as we do. The “second-class” Beatles’ collaborative work is something fans still treasure.
