I think that Paul, much like Mozart (don't crucify me), heard songs already completed in his head, and that's why he was so keen to try so many instruments - because he wanted to produce what already existed in that genius head of his.
What Paul McCartney has is an internal groove, which shines through on whatever instrument he picks up. People, who mainly focus on the technical aspect of playing, sometimes fail to hear that quality - and it is this crucial quality that often makes music make sense to the listener. That's why you can hear technically gifted drummers fail to make an 'easy' song like this work as well as it actually does - because they're not in the pocket - or guitarists fail to make Blackbird and pianists fail to make Martha My Dear feel as effortless as they do on the White Album. It is no coincidence that George Martin called Paul McCartney the most talented musician he worked with.
Well said Niclas, That is so true because he was distinctly gifted to create songs from nothing, and animate these through multiple forms of instruments at will. That's why the technical aspect comes only second. The primary is just embedded in his DNA & heart. There's just no formal schooling for that. No one can argue to someone like George Martin.
Yup, I find that all the time. In the piano world it's the classical snobs that are always saying everyone else sucks who aren't focused on the intellect in their music while their own playing sounds like a robot.
John and George both played drums on this song too. I wonder are they in the mix above? It does seem pretty simple, maybe what we hear above is only Paul playing drums.
We play this song in the band I'm in. Its not difficult. Hearing it isolated, I play it a bit different at the stops. I enjoy this one because the singer takes a bit of a rest, while I bellow out the main lyrics. The lead singer and two other members of the band sing the high ooooh oooh ooooh's. We play lots of vocal harmony songs.
Everyone saying Paul wasn't a good drummer blah blah blah, but if no one told you this track was Paul drumming and not Ringo, you wouldn't think twice. He was a solid pianist, ripping guitarist, insane bassist, master songwriter and good enough drummer. Not bad!
Not necessarily so. I recall years back, before I knew who played on what, and someone said Ringo was a crap drummer, this and 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' were the two tracks I couldn't defend. Of course Ringo played on neither. That said, I love Paul's outro to 'Dear Prudence' and wouldn't have it any other way. And this is a fine tune and the drumming does what it needs to do.
It sounds tight because you don’t have the other instruments to show you how many times Paul falls behind on the beat. This is also a composite of all the takes and overdubs. John, George, and Paul all overdubbed drum parts
To all the negative commenters: Buddy Rich or Neil Peart drumming would have been way out of place in this song. I'm not the Beatles' #1 fan, but - there are a million guitarists sitting on stools in guitar shops and shredding at the speed of light, and none of 'em could come up with She Loves You.
Great comment. I've worked in two music shops, for about 3 years total. We had all kinds of dudes come in and shred on guitar, but most of them had no clue how to play tastefully or come up with anything original. A lot of them also had no sense of timing, and those types are the ones who never played in real bands. To me, there are players and there are musicians. Paul McCartney is a musician. All the drum fills and guitar solos in the world don't matter if you can't write great tunes and groove with others in a band while playing your instrument in a complimentary manner.
nah its just part of the original guitar track leftover as artifacts because this came from the beatles rockband game. they wanted to digitally isolate each instrument of the song, which is why you hear that "slap" sound
Well said! Although there's a rumor that Ringo overdubbed some drumming on "Dear Prudence". I don't know if it's accurate but if not, Paul was trying to imitate Ringo's style more than on the bland drums of "Back In The USSR"
The magic about this track is how unremarkable it is, but how well it works with a fucking great song. It's all about arrangement, not virtuous performances. The background vocals, clapping, guitar, bass are all simplistic, but beautifully coordinated. Most importanly, you have to be able to come up with this shit to do it in the first place.......that is the genius.
I am a drummer and am surprised at this simple, bold and dynamic part. McCartney was a genius. If someone tried to play like that now, they would not be allowed to. The bandmates and the producer would say that this is not good, and that’s why modern bands can’t record good songs, they record mediocre compositions that 2-3 years will forget
Paul wasn't as good as Ringo, but he did an amazing job. I also love how whenever he strikes the snare, you can hear the drumstick cutting through the air.
I’ve been playing drums for 45 years: Paul gets amazing tone out of his drums and his eighth notes fills are as rock steady as any drummer’s. His playing is perfect for this song. It’s not like it would’ve sounded better with Neil Peart.
True. And what many people are missing, is the musicality, humanity, energy and groove in music like this. "Perfection" is a dead flaw, and skills only matter in the rare moments you actually need to show off your skills
Morten slight oversimplification... technique gives u a means to express all these things... but if they are already strong enough in a musician and the setting is right then great technique is not necessarily needed to express them
Paul played everything well enough to make an album of himself on every instrument. This is very early Paul on drums in 1968. Paul was the consumate musician in the Beatles and the motivational workhorse.
I see more comments defending paul’s drumming than actual hate comments. Great drumming tho, being a drummer, i hear absolutely nothing wrong in this drum track.
If you really want to hear Paul's drumming, listen to Dear Prudence. The fills and rolls over the last third of the song are both creative and well played. USSR wasn't a good measure of his capabilities.
You will find that an amazingly high number of people just can't get over the fact that Ringo wasn't even in the country when they recorded and mixed that and will NEVER believe that's all Paul on Dear Prudence! :-D
@@gutgolf74 I Know. Paul’s drumming on Dear Prudence sounds like his drumming on McCartney and Kreen Akrore but people just refuse to believe that Paul played the fills at the end. Sounds nothing like Ringo to my ears.
@@BigSky1 I'm not quite sure that Paul played all the ending fills on Prudence, but at the very least, if he did, they are very heavily Ringo-influenced (16th note triplets, general swingy feel).
How CZcams comments work: 1. Some people complain about an aspect of a video. 2. People come in to defend that aspect until that's all you can see. 3. People come in to comment on the fact that the original criticism isn't visible anymore. 4. Meta, self-referential comments start popping up.
Pauli manages to stumble onto 1 often enough to make this work. Truth is the sloppiness kinda made it all work within the entirety of the track. His drumming does serve the song. Thankfully Ringo came back to anchor them back into their famed tight rhythm section.
I hear hand clapping along with the snare. The hand clapping I'm thinking was added after the drums were put down. The two are darn spot on. Anyone surprised? I like the Tom drum fills. Reminds my of Ringo's style.
I can kinda play bass , I can sort of play guitar , I tinker with the piano , I try to sing. But I can definitely play drums. Considering Paul mainly played bass and guitar he did a good job :)
He was in The original Beatles group with Stuart playing Bass But when Stuart left,Paul became the main bassist and they got Pete Best to play the drums for the Decca auditions
McCartney WAS a drummer - and an extremely skilled one. He played drums on his first solo LP, "Cherries" (McCartney), Band on the Run, and on the White Album: Back in the USSR, and I Will. Nevertheless, Ringo was the greatest drummer of all time.
Paul does a serviceable job here, but honestly what this has really done for me is show just what sets Ringo apart as a drummer. Ringo is a lot cleaner than this. He had a lot more control of the momentum of his drumming and as a result he could give them the exact kind of presence they needed depending on what song it was. He also made much more identifiable rhythmic hooks. This, to me . . . Honestly just sounds like a stock drumbeat. It does it's job but isn't particularly memorable. What a lot of people don't really appreciate is that for many of the Bestles' very best songs, Ringo was the contributor of what could often be the most memorable part about it. Like the explosive Toms in Long Long Long or the drum roll in Come Together.
Non-drummers or multi-instrumentalists often play the drums with a certain freedom or lack of inhibition that drummers have lost. After playing drums for years, drummers get used to hitting the drums in a certain order and with particular sticking patterns. This can allow for the expression of more complex ideas on the kit but can come at the expense of flowing and 'getting lost in the music' type playing... I also think this track shows McCartney's confidence to just go for it. He doesn't strike me as the type of person to be paralysed by self doubt much.
He plays drums like a guitarist playing bass - not wrong but not right either - if there even *is* a "right". Funny how you don't notice how unorthodox it is when you're listening to the song!
@Daniel Natal Absolutely correct. When listening to Ringo play, its not often the old standard beat. Ringo played drums as an equally important element to the songs, and not just there to hold a backing beat.
As same as for all great musicians. They spontaneously know what to do when hell brakes lose. Which means. As long as you’re in tempo & time there will never be an interference, as long as you never overkill it by playing too much. Paul does it. He’s got a certain amount of pleasant timing. That goes for Ringo too. Very alike in their approach. Love the sound. Fat, still notchy. Playing vs. approach = Sound
@Hjnintendofan - back beat. and I heard that only John is the snare only - which makes sense because there are moments where you hear the hat and the ride cymbal at the same time and I doubt either Paul or George could play the left foot like that.
@@mosheparanov, I believe the basic track was cut with George playing a snare drum. What you hear here is Paul's overdub to that. You can't hear George's snare here, but you can hear it in the final mix. The weird ghosting noise before each snare beat is likely some artifact of noise reduction
All these negative comments are an insult. THINK! Remember The Ballad of John and Yoko...Paul played the drums. Next they’ll be saying Paul couldn’t play the acoustic on Yesterday. Ringo and George were always in a snit about something.
@@lauv1150 I've laid out this argument in detail elsewhere on this thread. Paul plays drums on Dear Prudence, as everyone knows. My contention is that he is not playing the fills after the coda. They're too Ringo-like. Nowhere else in Paul's entire drumming catalogue does he execute tumbling fills like he does back to back to back as in the coda of Dear Prudence. Paul is a straightforward basic drummer. It doesn't mean he's any less God-like to me. But he cannot (and has not) played similar fills before. All the "experts" insist it's Paul. I respectfully disagree.
@Katie Watts I love a lot of things about Mr McCartney. What bugs me about the drums on "Back In The USSR" isn't that they're terrible. They service the song okay, although not as well as Ringo could have done. What bugs me is WHY Paul is on the drums. He nit-picked and rode Ringo about his playing until Ringo took off on a short holiday. Then Paul promptly sat down and recorded the drums w/o him even though there were plenty of songs on that album that didn't have drums on them that they could have recorded until Ringo returned.
Love hearing this. How many of you snap your fingers along to a digital alarm clock? The answer is none of you . On time to a digital clock isn’t music. Nothing in our natural world functions as a computer click. It can work for techno i suppose as it creates an aesthetic. But it’s the reason why rock before the computer seems to rock more.
He did a pretty good job! They could have done one of three things, sat on their hands till Ringo decided to return, hired a session drummer or played the drums the best they could.
Paul, George and John all play drums on this song Paul McCartney - double-tracked vocal, backing vocal, piano, bass guitar, drums, lead guitar, handclaps, percussion John Lennon - backing vocal, rhythm guitar, six-string bass, handclaps, drums, percussion George Harrison - backing vocal, rhythm and lead guitars, bass, drums, handclaps, percussion
Love it! This is one of the two drum tracks on Back in the USSR. Its great to finally hear clearly what (I believe to be Paul) is playing on the kit. The think the other track is just a snare backbeat. Maybe played by George?
As a semi drummer (I am a guitarist first), if he played drums to a prerecorded instrument track , that is amazing. I have had friends give me tracks of them playing piano or other instruments and it is damn near impossible to play along without drifting off in either direction, especially when the music that was prerecorded does exactly that.
@@onesyphorus I say that because I learned to play drums at 11 years old without formal lessons. I played in some bands but switched to guitar but can still play like Paul. But at my best, I find it near impossible to keep exact time with a pre-recorded song, especially when the original performer weaves in and out of tempo.
It wouldn't be possible to seamlessly punch in and out with cymbal crashes sustaining. To my ears, it just sounds like a sloppy, one-take 'get it down on tape' drum track. For all we know, Ringo was out that day and Paul's drums may have initially just been intended as a 'scratch', or a guide track for recording purposes, possibly not as a usable take.
whatevershebrings No. Ringo had just announced he was quitting the band. Paul sat in out of necessity. Of course Ringo’s departure was short lived, but Paul’s drum track was used in the final cut
While I agree it doesn't sound that great by itself, when you put the rest of the music around it fits perfectly and sounds great. It's the lament of all drummers. By yourself a song sounds stupid but with the rest of the band you fit right in.
Fantastic drum track both in the unique style in which is played and for the really interesting sound that it has. Perfect pickups and fills for this song too.
I'll never understand why people can always be so critical I played drums my whole life and the gold is in the song not the quality of the drums Paul just fine.
It’s always funny to hear people gauge how, “good,” a player is. The metric they are judging EVERY TIME is technical proficiency. That alone means NOTHING to a real musician.
Imo a good drummer is one that serves the song, enhance the vision of the songwriter, not to ruin it with over playing, or sometimes over playing is required! All depends on the song, context and genre. It definitely is stupid to say Paul is a bad drummer because he serves the song.
drummer guy both of you guys are so right, people nowadays only think of technical shit just cuz people are focused on those internet musicians where it’s just over the top tech playing because it’s what gets ppl’s instant internet (clickbait essentially). Honestly at that point it’s not music it’s sport/math. I feel like musicians are getting selfish, instead of forming bands they make solo projects and videos showcasing them so they don’t have to share any glory. I jammed with some young adults my age (21) and everyone was just soloing as hard as they could without listening to eachother. It’s sad but playing to serve the song isn’t what people care about anymore :(
Technical proficiency is everything. And no, "technical" doesn't mean fast. Technical mean general technique. A slow ass blues solo can be very technical in the sense that that the bending and vibratos are executed very well.
@@thedrummerdude2431 I agree, so it's only natural that the reply wasn't for you, but rather the lad above you that blatantly claims that technicality alone means nothing to a "real" musician, when in fact, it does. As a bandmate? Perhaps not. As a studio musician or a hired musician? Technicality alone can mean everything. Of course, if you can't stay in time, you're pretty worthless. But then again, if you're the Guthrie Govan or the Gavin Harrison of your instrument, good time is kinda implied :)
Jeez. The man could (can) put out whole records (great records!) on his own. He's not Vinnie Colaiuta, hell, he's not Jaco Pastorius either. So what? It's the sum of the parts which counts, not each part on itself.
He's a more standard, driving and forceful drummer than Ringo, who empathises with and enhances a tune, but what a brilliant job he did (for a bassist!) - it suits the song down to the ground. It would have been different with Ringo, but would it have been better? Who can say?
LennyJohnson5 I think it would've been a better song had Ringo played. Ringo added a lot to the Beatles' songs-people who know music, and especially people who know music and play drums, realize this. I've never really liked this song; it's one of the few Beatles songs where I fast forward to the next song. I don't know if that's because Ringo's not playing or because it's simply a mediocre song (at least by Beatles' very high standards).
zoznack oh, I completely agree that Ringo is a fantastic drummer and the unique ‘Beatles’ Sound’ started to develop when he replaced Pete Best in 1962, but I don’t think Back in the USSR is an archetypal Beatles’ track, so Ringo’s absence is less noticeable. Like all Beatles’ fans I would have preferred him to have been drumming on it, but then you get into the territory of would While My Guitar Gently Weeps have been a better track with George on lead guitar instead of Eric Clapton.....
something i noticed that no one rlly seems to mention is the fact that this sorta sounds like ringo. i think paul was trying to go for a ringo feel which is kinda sweet considering that it was because of pauls criticism that ringo walked out. before i knew paul played on this track, i assumed it was ringo. and thats not just because i didnt know the context of the recording, it was because paul knew that ringos feel was perfect for the beatles so he tried to copy that feel. or at least thats my opinion.
Yes! I dare you. Grab some sticks, record yourself playing this song and see how tight you are. Assuming you aren't a professional drummer, you will then realize how gifted he is.
I'm a "lefty" drummer (kick and ride from the left). The only three others I know that you may have heard of are Ian Paice, Fito de la Perra, and Phil Collins. It's as interesting that Paul isn't one of them as it is that I play guitar traditionally.
Ringo actually quit The Beatles. Too stressful. All that adulation, fame and fortune. Went to Sardinia and came up with and wrote Octopus Garden, then returned. Big deal.
What people are totally missing about Paul's drumming is that he'd been dead for at least a year by the time of this song! So it's actually really good all things considered 😊
Duncan. Yes, his vocals are there. The drum track has been isolated from the vocal track etc. What you're hearing is 'bleed' from the other tracks. Listen carefully at the end & you'll hear the weird phased outro of the aircraft engine that is present on the finished track.
Hard to be critical of a musical God like PM, however, as a drummer myself, I promise you that this drum track is nothing special. But then it didn't have to be.
Yes, it's very special because it makes Paul a really COMPLETE musician: best writer,greatest singer,amazingly talented bass player,even great guitar and piano player,and let's say decent drummer,despite the fact he sure could not have much time to practice drumming.. How many musicians do you know as complete as him? Do you know any? Not even the great Mike Oldfield
@@javierdepaizpaetow9603 Relax Francis...I promise you I'm as big a McCartney fan as there is. But the fact remains that the drumming required for the song is pretty basic.
Hi brother, I get your point and I bet you get mine. I' m not saying he is a very good drummer, I 'm saying he is the most complete musician,which is much better. And if he practices just a little,he could become as good as he wants
I think that Paul, much like Mozart (don't crucify me), heard songs already completed in his head, and that's why he was so keen to try so many instruments - because he wanted to produce what already existed in that genius head of his.
I always think of him exactly that way,he doesn't write,he goes fishing songs
Yo también escucho mis canciones terminadas en mi cabeza y no soy Mozart
That’s what I do but I’m no genius
paul waa a musician ringo waa a drummer
@@123agidee_2 Same here. "Writing" music is simply transcribing what I'm hearing in my head. Probably the same for most songwriters.
What Paul McCartney has is an internal groove, which shines through on whatever instrument he picks up. People, who mainly focus on the technical aspect of playing, sometimes fail to hear that quality - and it is this crucial quality that often makes music make sense to the listener. That's why you can hear technically gifted drummers fail to make an 'easy' song like this work as well as it actually does - because they're not in the pocket - or guitarists fail to make Blackbird and pianists fail to make Martha My Dear feel as effortless as they do on the White Album. It is no coincidence that George Martin called Paul McCartney the most talented musician he worked with.
Well said Niclas,
That is so true because he was distinctly gifted to create songs from nothing, and animate these through multiple forms of instruments at will.
That's why the technical aspect comes only second.
The primary is just embedded in his DNA & heart. There's just no formal schooling for that.
No one can argue to someone like George Martin.
Definitely a gifted all around musician and vocalist.
Niclas Johannesen
Bingo!!
Thank You 🙏🌹🙏
nope. he sucks. listen to lame guitar solo on Maybe I'm Amazed.
Yup, I find that all the time. In the piano world it's the classical snobs that are always saying everyone else sucks who aren't focused on the intellect in their music while their own playing sounds like a robot.
The Beatles are probably the only top100 band that had two left-handed drummers.
heh.
probably :-D
@Wrong That just makes it all the more impressive.
@Wrong no, but the players are still left handed
What The Fact! 😀
wow i never realized how simple they were. They sound so much more complex within the context of the song
John and George both played drums on this song too. I wonder are they in the mix above? It does seem pretty simple, maybe what we hear above is only Paul playing drums.
Really not simple at all. Very subtle, but interesting, and totally perfect for the arrangement. That’s a drummers job.
We play this song in the band I'm in. Its not difficult. Hearing it isolated, I play it a bit different at the stops. I enjoy this one because the singer takes a bit of a rest, while I bellow out the main lyrics.
The lead singer and two other members of the band sing the high ooooh oooh ooooh's.
We play lots of vocal harmony songs.
@MagicalMysteryTube Great comment. It's amazing what a 'heavy' rock song it is!
"Less is more"
Paul McCartney is like a professional bank robber,he don’t drop many notes
nice
Midnight Toker Why don’t you go read some Spider-Man comics, Beavis.
Midnight Toker You’re just mad because your parents got divorced.
Midnight Toker you're losing lol
Midnight Toker give up. it's what, 20 people against 1? you're throwing punches at mid fucking air and you're missing.
Everyone saying Paul wasn't a good drummer blah blah blah, but if no one told you this track was Paul drumming and not Ringo, you wouldn't think twice. He was a solid pianist, ripping guitarist, insane bassist, master songwriter and good enough drummer. Not bad!
and he still is
I would think this sucks if John Bonham did it.
Dont forget he Is a magistral singer and his first instrument was the trompet
Brilliant post!!
Not necessarily so. I recall years back, before I knew who played on what, and someone said Ringo was a crap drummer, this and 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' were the two tracks I couldn't defend. Of course Ringo played on neither. That said, I love Paul's outro to 'Dear Prudence' and wouldn't have it any other way. And this is a fine tune and the drumming does what it needs to do.
Im a drummer and this sounds bloody tight and the fills fit nicely. Kudos to Paul🙏🏻🙏🏻
Andre Rebelo me too
Me too
It sounds tight because you don’t have the other instruments to show you how many times Paul falls behind on the beat. This is also a composite of all the takes and overdubs. John, George, and Paul all overdubbed drum parts
@@guyincognito5706 Yep! Documented proof that it wasn't all Paul.
First one doesn't.
To all the negative commenters: Buddy Rich or Neil Peart drumming would have been way out of place in this song. I'm not the Beatles' #1 fan, but - there are a million guitarists sitting on stools in guitar shops and shredding at the speed of light, and none of 'em could come up with She Loves You.
Can I get an Amen to that brother!
@@johnshaw873 amen
Well said
Totally agree
Great comment. I've worked in two music shops, for about 3 years total. We had all kinds of dudes come in and shred on guitar, but most of them had no clue how to play tastefully or come up with anything original. A lot of them also had no sense of timing, and those types are the ones who never played in real bands. To me, there are players and there are musicians. Paul McCartney is a musician. All the drum fills and guitar solos in the world don't matter if you can't write great tunes and groove with others in a band while playing your instrument in a complimentary manner.
Damn, some of the comments are overly critical. You do realise that Paul wasn't a drummer? I'd love to hear Ringo's attempt on Bass.
actually he did play paul bass in 60s but none of recording he did on it
IT WASNT Paul it was faul
i dont give a frick its Paul or Faul still he did some music i like
@@cacheteinflado1 even if this fake rumor was true, your still an ass because you clearly know what everyone's talking about.
It was Paul, Harrison and lennon
The snare almost sounds like a 80's-90's cartoon slap sound
it has a bouncy cartoon vibe to it
John on snare overdubs
@@betsyduane3461 think I was just high af last time I listened to it
It’s handclaps, you can tell because it’s present when he doesn’t hit the snare a couple times.
nah its just part of the original guitar track leftover as artifacts because this came from the beatles rockband game. they wanted to digitally isolate each instrument of the song, which is why you hear that "slap" sound
I love when listening to The White Album and you hear those first two beats of Glass Onion and know instantly that Ringo's back in the drum seat.
Ringo's snare sound is iconic.
@@abc456f Indeed it is! And apparently some bands were building studios and moving walls to try to copy the Abbey Road drum sound.
Well said! Although there's a rumor that Ringo overdubbed some drumming on "Dear Prudence". I don't know if it's accurate but if not, Paul was trying to imitate Ringo's style more than on the bland drums of "Back In The USSR"
@@kirbygene Yeah, I've heard the same. Definitely seems plausible. If it is Paul he does a damn fine job.
@shillslayer Well, have a listen to Back in the USSR and then Glass Onion and see which one makes you move.
The magic about this track is how unremarkable it is, but how well it works with a fucking great song. It's all about arrangement, not virtuous performances. The background vocals, clapping, guitar, bass are all simplistic, but beautifully coordinated. Most importanly, you have to be able to come up with this shit to do it in the first place.......that is the genius.
Not unremarkable. Excellent drumming. Ur not a drummer obviously
I am a drummer and am surprised at this simple, bold and dynamic part. McCartney was a genius. If someone tried to play like that now, they would not be allowed to. The bandmates and the producer would say that this is not good, and that’s why modern bands can’t record good songs, they record mediocre compositions that 2-3 years will forget
Paul wasn't as good as Ringo, but he did an amazing job. I also love how whenever he strikes the snare, you can hear the drumstick cutting through the air.
@Shallex is it a primitive type of click track?
@MusicalElitist1 this name
I wouldn't call it amazing.
@Shallex My thought is this mix is picking up on some hand clapping
@Midnight Toker Woah, dude, calm down. I made a mistake, there's no need to be rude about it.
I didn’t even realize Paul played drums on this song, good job Paul.
I can’t hear anything wrong with his drumming. For a part time drummer he does a pretty good job.
Well George and John did some fills and snare overdubs, but the most stuff is done by Paul. He did a very good job and it fits the song perfectly
Exactly and he plays drums right handed even though he’s a lefty
@@Mes799 well i mean same as ringo then yea?
@@nahnope8581 exactly
I’ve been playing drums for 45 years: Paul gets amazing tone out of his drums and his eighth notes fills are as rock steady as any drummer’s. His playing is perfect for this song. It’s not like it would’ve sounded better with Neil Peart.
Harry Joiner Well said.
True. And what many people are missing, is the musicality, humanity, energy and groove in music like this.
"Perfection" is a dead flaw, and skills only matter in the rare moments you actually need to show off your skills
Harry Joiner
Bullseye!!!
Thank You 😊🙏🌹🙏
Should be noted that part of the tone is how much the track was sped up after they recorded it in a much lower speed.
Morten slight oversimplification... technique gives u a means to express all these things... but if they are already strong enough in a musician and the setting is right then great technique is not necessarily needed to express them
Paul is a total music man. He just lives it. Even if he was never famous he would have been 24/7.
0:34 ᵇᵃᶜᵏ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᵘ.ˢ.ˢ.ʳ
yes
Paul played everything well enough to make an album of himself on every instrument. This is very early Paul on drums in 1968. Paul was the consumate musician in the Beatles and the motivational workhorse.
Yes -- I quite agree, like his 'McCartney' album (1970).
Paul is a multi instrumentalist.
Paul was a respected drummer in Liverpool. He played drums in the band before Pete Best came along.
I see more comments defending paul’s drumming than actual hate comments. Great drumming tho, being a drummer, i hear absolutely nothing wrong in this drum track.
Me neither. All the crap that gets spoken about the Beatles drummer, I'd like to have been in a band half as good as them....
I feel like his hi hat skills could use some major practice but overall he is a fine drummer
Ikr like I'd like to see them do better
If you really want to hear Paul's drumming, listen to Dear Prudence. The fills and rolls over the last third of the song are both creative and well played. USSR wasn't a good measure of his capabilities.
You will find that an amazingly high number of people just can't get over the fact that Ringo wasn't even in the country when they recorded and mixed that and will NEVER believe that's all Paul on Dear Prudence! :-D
@shillslayer Paperback writer is not Paul drumming, neither is TTR, but Paul came up with the famous drum pattern Ringo does.
@@gutgolf74 I Know. Paul’s drumming on Dear Prudence sounds like his drumming on McCartney and Kreen Akrore but people just refuse to believe that Paul played the fills at the end. Sounds nothing like Ringo to my ears.
@@BigSky1 I'm not quite sure that Paul played all the ending fills on Prudence, but at the very least, if he did, they are very heavily Ringo-influenced (16th note triplets, general swingy feel).
@@thoof2001 I will agree that the fills are Ringo influenced. It just sounds like Paul is impersonating Ringo.
"A good drummer is a musician's best friend."
Except if he's an asshole. Then he is the worst enemy. But yeah. Good quote.
Drummers are musicians
for a guy who wasn't really a drummer this is actually really good.
the tuning of the Tom is perfect you actually hear it in the song and it really shapes the sound of the song
Who else was 1). Recommended this without searching for it and 2). Bombarded with nothing but comments defending Paul’s drumming skills
I was
Me too. Still, a good way to occupy 2:44.
How CZcams comments work:
1. Some people complain about an aspect of a video.
2. People come in to defend that aspect until that's all you can see.
3. People come in to comment on the fact that the original criticism isn't visible anymore.
4. Meta, self-referential comments start popping up.
@@samh9642 and so on...
I was watching a video testing anti-seize compounds. (Project Farm, if anyone's wondering.)
He’s a Beatle. He can do what he wants! 🎶🕶✌🏻
Pauli manages to stumble onto 1 often enough to make this work. Truth is the sloppiness kinda made it all work within the entirety of the track. His drumming does serve the song. Thankfully Ringo came back to anchor them back into their famed tight rhythm section.
He’s probably a better drummer than the lot of you. 🤷♀️
Yes. Wankers. Would have been lucky to have been selected to pass Paul the bog roll when he had done
.. a lot? ...the vast majority I'd say.
Than
Jason Gallman Fuck, than and then are the ones I always get mixed up. Thanks mate
naw hes no
I see nothing wrong with his performance
Its a little to simplistic for the song
@@thebluelobsterking8695 You mean it doesn't have complex fills?
Try listening instead of seeing!
- Dale is that a problem? It's Beatles not rush
Big Sky I am I godamn drummer so piss off. I can make up my own opinion
I hear hand clapping along with the snare. The hand clapping I'm thinking was added after the drums were put down. The two are darn spot on. Anyone surprised? I like the Tom drum fills. Reminds my of Ringo's style.
I can kinda play bass , I can sort of play guitar , I tinker with the piano , I try to sing. But I can definitely play drums. Considering Paul mainly played bass and guitar he did a good job :)
Considering he was a bassist, he did a very good job in this one!!! Go, Paulie!!!
And adding to that, he had to learn the bass when George was given the role of lead guitar
Paul is a great drummer
0:30 idk why, but I really love this part. It’s empty in a good way.
Lmao same
the isolated makes you realise how much of a fantastic job on the drums.
I think Ringo was the best drummer in the Beatles 😂 no offence Paul he did a decent job considering he wasn’t a drummer
He was in The original Beatles group with Stuart playing Bass
But when Stuart left,Paul became the main bassist and they got Pete Best to play the drums for the Decca auditions
ᗪAMoήrỮ ➈➆ Yeah he was their drummer for a little while, in fact he taught Pete best some beats
ᗪAMoήrỮ ➈➆ Pete was drumming a couple years before the Decca auditions they got him because they needed a drummer in order to go to Hamburg
McCartney WAS a drummer - and an extremely skilled one. He played drums on his first solo LP, "Cherries" (McCartney), Band on the Run, and on the White Album: Back in the USSR, and I Will. Nevertheless, Ringo was the greatest drummer of all time.
He actually did play drums in this track tho, because Ringo left the band for a small period of time
While the drum is passable here, this is really a testament to how good Ringo is.
Paul does a serviceable job here, but honestly what this has really done for me is show just what sets Ringo apart as a drummer.
Ringo is a lot cleaner than this. He had a lot more control of the momentum of his drumming and as a result he could give them the exact kind of presence they needed depending on what song it was. He also made much more identifiable rhythmic hooks.
This, to me . . . Honestly just sounds like a stock drumbeat. It does it's job but isn't particularly memorable.
What a lot of people don't really appreciate is that for many of the Bestles' very best songs, Ringo was the contributor of what could often be the most memorable part about it. Like the explosive Toms in Long Long Long or the drum roll in Come Together.
Non-drummers or multi-instrumentalists often play the drums with a certain freedom or lack of inhibition that drummers have lost. After playing drums for years, drummers get used to hitting the drums in a certain order and with particular sticking patterns. This can allow for the expression of more complex ideas on the kit but can come at the expense of flowing and 'getting lost in the music' type playing... I also think this track shows McCartney's confidence to just go for it. He doesn't strike me as the type of person to be paralysed by self doubt much.
I think the 3 Bealtes shared parts here. They need to combine 3 talents just to fill in Ringo's part. Ringo is the BEST!
POV : youre looking for the rude comments, but only see the positive ones talking about the negative ones
He plays drums like a guitarist playing bass - not wrong but not right either - if there even *is* a "right". Funny how you don't notice how unorthodox it is when you're listening to the song!
@Daniel Natal
Absolutely correct.
When listening to Ringo play, its not often the old standard beat.
Ringo played drums as an equally important element to the songs, and not just there to hold a backing beat.
@Daniel Natal ha, fair enough - well I didn't notice anything wrong with it! I was always listening to the guitars I s'pose :P
You know what's not right is making a guitar out of a tin can. Jk, looks like fun
@@yyguuyg haha, most of the time!
how is this unorthodox
While Paul is certainly no John Bonham or Ginger Baker (and never expected him to be) he does a more than respectable job here.
As same as for all great musicians. They spontaneously know what to do when hell brakes lose.
Which means. As long as you’re in tempo & time there will never be an interference, as long as you never overkill it by playing too much. Paul does it. He’s got a certain amount of pleasant timing.
That goes for Ringo too. Very alike in their approach.
Love the sound. Fat, still notchy.
Playing vs. approach = Sound
Composite drum track. Paul- George-John playing.
@Hjnintendofan - back beat. and I heard that only John is the snare only - which makes sense because there are moments where you hear the hat and the ride cymbal at the same time and I doubt either Paul or George could play the left foot like that.
@@mosheparanov, I believe the basic track was cut with George playing a snare drum. What you hear here is Paul's overdub to that. You can't hear George's snare here, but you can hear it in the final mix. The weird ghosting noise before each snare beat is likely some artifact of noise reduction
I had no idea that it was Paul. Althought it doesnt matter entirely, to me - drumms sounds and fits song perfectly nice!
Exactly. Everything else is just “what if”. Who cares?
The drums parts are impressive on a era that punk did not born yet, paul nailed it
All these negative comments are an insult. THINK! Remember The Ballad of John and Yoko...Paul played the drums. Next they’ll be saying Paul couldn’t play the acoustic on Yesterday. Ringo and George were always in a snit about something.
NO! Paul is gifted from heaven with talent. But he is NOT playing drums at the end of Dear Prudence. It is beyond his abilities
@@BeatlesCentricUniverse He didn't say that right?
@@BeatlesCentricUniverse where the hell did you hear him say he's playing at the end of dear prudence
@@lauv1150 I've laid out this argument in detail elsewhere on this thread. Paul plays drums on Dear Prudence, as everyone knows. My contention is that he is not playing the fills after the coda. They're too Ringo-like. Nowhere else in Paul's entire drumming catalogue does he execute tumbling fills like he does back to back to back as in the coda of Dear Prudence. Paul is a straightforward basic drummer. It doesn't mean he's any less God-like to me. But he cannot (and has not) played similar fills before.
All the "experts" insist it's Paul. I respectfully disagree.
@Katie Watts I love a lot of things about Mr McCartney. What bugs me about the drums on "Back In The USSR" isn't that they're terrible. They service the song okay, although not as well as Ringo could have done. What bugs me is WHY Paul is on the drums. He nit-picked and rode Ringo about his playing until Ringo took off on a short holiday. Then Paul promptly sat down and recorded the drums w/o him even though there were plenty of songs on that album that didn't have drums on them that they could have recorded until Ringo returned.
Paul plays the drums Brilliantly... for years I thought it was Ringo...lol...✌🏻🇬🇧
Love hearing this. How many of you snap your fingers along to a digital alarm clock? The answer is none of you . On time to a digital clock isn’t music. Nothing in our natural world functions as a computer click. It can work for techno i suppose as it creates an aesthetic. But it’s the reason why rock before the computer seems to rock more.
No matter if Paul is or isn't a great/a good drummer: the point is that the drum part fits perfectly the song, and that's all.
He did a pretty good job! They could have done one of three things, sat on their hands till Ringo decided to return, hired a session drummer or played the drums the best they could.
Oof that hi-hat is so crisp. I’m in love
Reminds me of Ringo's drumming on The End.
it was Paul on The End that because RIngo hated doing Drums Solo so Paul did it
@@wavelesstime914 Ah. No. The other Beatles persuaded Ringo to do it, considering it was a one-time thing.
Paul, George and John all play drums on this song
Paul McCartney - double-tracked vocal, backing vocal, piano, bass guitar, drums, lead guitar, handclaps, percussion
John Lennon - backing vocal, rhythm guitar, six-string bass, handclaps, drums, percussion
George Harrison - backing vocal, rhythm and lead guitars, bass, drums, handclaps, percussion
Underrated drummer
that shirt though
Paul: Hold my beer
Who's watching in '20?
A movie brought me here
Awesome, I know this song on bass so I just jammed to it. Fun times! Thanks for the upload.
McCartney can play any instrument ..On his first two solo albums he plays all..
aye so can i, i just cant play them well. guess i have something in common with paul then
Now we also have "McCartney |||" :)
this is beautiful, didnt know that was paul's drumming
I've been a pro drummer for over 50 years... Like Ringo... He played for the song. Get over it.
Doesn't matter when it goes with the rest of the music. it sounds great
Love it! This is one of the two drum tracks on Back in the USSR. Its great to finally hear clearly what (I believe to be Paul) is playing on the kit. The think the other track is just a snare backbeat. Maybe played by George?
Yeah the snare overdub is George
@@jkbeatles, I think it might be the other way around - Paul overdubbed TO the snare....
*It's the finished piece of music that is appreciated and enjoyed - not the process of its creation*
As a semi drummer (I am a guitarist first), if he played drums to a prerecorded instrument track , that is amazing. I have had friends give me tracks of them playing piano or other instruments and it is damn near impossible to play along without drifting off in either direction, especially when the music that was prerecorded does exactly that.
"semi drummer"
@@onesyphorus I say that because I learned to play drums at 11 years old without formal lessons. I played in some bands but switched to guitar but can still play like Paul. But at my best, I find it near impossible to keep exact time with a pre-recorded song, especially when the original performer weaves in and out of tempo.
@@trusso11783 I like that phrase. it has a nice ring to it
@@trusso11783 yeah timing on the deums is scary for myself and I know that it is something built up overtime but I find it very scary.
I like how the drums progressively get more busy from about 1:18 onwards
The drums in this song were done in a series of overdubs. All the fills were overdubs.
source?
@@rk-fc5vm its not hard to hear the cuts
It wouldn't be possible to seamlessly punch in and out with cymbal crashes sustaining. To my ears, it just sounds like a sloppy, one-take 'get it down on tape' drum track. For all we know, Ringo was out that day and Paul's drums may have initially just been intended as a 'scratch', or a guide track for recording purposes, possibly not as a usable take.
whatevershebrings No. Ringo had just announced he was quitting the band. Paul sat in out of necessity. Of course Ringo’s departure was short lived, but Paul’s drum track was used in the final cut
@@rk-fc5vm The book "the Beatles Recording Sessions" by Mark Lewishon. Details every take of every studio song recorded by the Beatles.
The man is a whole band by himself. . 😄😊💪👌👍
While I agree it doesn't sound that great by itself, when you put the rest of the music around it fits perfectly and sounds great. It's the lament of all drummers. By yourself a song sounds stupid but with the rest of the band you fit right in.
Fantastic drum track both in the unique style in which is played and for the really interesting sound that it has. Perfect pickups and fills for this song too.
I'll never understand why people can always be so critical I played drums my whole life and the gold is in the song not the quality of the drums Paul just fine.
This is SUCH leftie drumming -- it's amazing that Ringo is a leftie too and doesn't play like one.
It’s always funny to hear people gauge how, “good,” a player is. The metric they are judging EVERY TIME is technical proficiency. That alone means NOTHING to a real musician.
Imo a good drummer is one that serves the song, enhance the vision of the songwriter, not to ruin it with over playing, or sometimes over playing is required! All depends on the song, context and genre. It definitely is stupid to say Paul is a bad drummer because he serves the song.
drummer guy both of you guys are so right, people nowadays only think of technical shit just cuz people are focused on those internet musicians where it’s just over the top tech playing because it’s what gets ppl’s instant internet (clickbait essentially). Honestly at that point it’s not music it’s sport/math. I feel like musicians are getting selfish, instead of forming bands they make solo projects and videos showcasing them so they don’t have to share any glory. I jammed with some young adults my age (21) and everyone was just soloing as hard as they could without listening to eachother. It’s sad but playing to serve the song isn’t what people care about anymore :(
Technical proficiency is everything. And no, "technical" doesn't mean fast. Technical mean general technique. A slow ass blues solo can be very technical in the sense that that the bending and vibratos are executed very well.
@@emilp993 Not saying technical proficiency isn't important, but saying it's not the ONLY criteria for what makes a good Drummer
@@thedrummerdude2431 I agree, so it's only natural that the reply wasn't for you, but rather the lad above you that blatantly claims that technicality alone means nothing to a "real" musician, when in fact, it does. As a bandmate? Perhaps not. As a studio musician or a hired musician? Technicality alone can mean everything. Of course, if you can't stay in time, you're pretty worthless. But then again, if you're the Guthrie Govan or the Gavin Harrison of your instrument, good time is kinda implied :)
Sounds like this belongs in a 90s sitcom.
Jeez. The man could (can) put out whole records (great records!) on his own. He's not Vinnie Colaiuta, hell, he's not Jaco Pastorius either. So what? It's the sum of the parts which counts, not each part on itself.
Thanks! always loved playing drums along with this track and whole album. Nice to hear the drum track on it's own for once!
He's a more standard, driving and forceful drummer than Ringo, who empathises with and enhances a tune, but what a brilliant job he did (for a bassist!) - it suits the song down to the ground. It would have been different with Ringo, but would it have been better? Who can say?
LennyJohnson5 I think it would've been a better song had Ringo played. Ringo added a lot to the Beatles' songs-people who know music, and especially people who know music and play drums, realize this. I've never really liked this song; it's one of the few Beatles songs where I fast forward to the next song. I don't know if that's because Ringo's not playing or because it's simply a mediocre song (at least by Beatles' very high standards).
zoznack oh, I completely agree that Ringo is a fantastic drummer and the unique ‘Beatles’ Sound’ started to develop when he replaced Pete Best in 1962, but I don’t think Back in the USSR is an archetypal Beatles’ track, so Ringo’s absence is less noticeable. Like all Beatles’ fans I would have preferred him to have been drumming on it, but then you get into the territory of would While My Guitar Gently Weeps have been a better track with George on lead guitar instead of Eric Clapton.....
Paul McCartney is beyond anyone's imagination with his across the board creative abilities, skills, and talents.
something i noticed that no one rlly seems to mention is the fact that this sorta sounds like ringo. i think paul was trying to go for a ringo feel which is kinda sweet considering that it was because of pauls criticism that ringo walked out. before i knew paul played on this track, i assumed it was ringo. and thats not just because i didnt know the context of the recording, it was because paul knew that ringos feel was perfect for the beatles so he tried to copy that feel. or at least thats my opinion.
Paul did an excellent job on this. Way better than just keeping time! Good job, Sir Paul !!
Yes! I dare you. Grab some sticks, record yourself playing this song and see how tight you are. Assuming you aren't a professional drummer, you will then realize how gifted he is.
A good drummer is tight with good timing. This audio speaks for itself!
Listening to isolated tracks whilst socially isolating. How fitting.
ive been a drummer over 40 yrs
every good drummer has its own dna
evrybody hits differently.
i can tell wen its paul for sure
dna does not lie!
Del 1:42 al 1:46 me encantan esos redobles😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
I'm a "lefty" drummer (kick and ride from the left). The only three others I know that you may have heard of are Ian Paice, Fito de la Perra, and Phil Collins. It's as interesting that Paul isn't one of them as it is that I play guitar traditionally.
Mike Gibbins of Badfinger was also left handed and played a left hand kit
I also play lefty and have wondered this, if you watch one of few videos of him playing he does lead with his left hand on fills
Faul was right handed !!!
SHUT UP YOU FUCKING LATIN CLOWN, GO BACK TO THE JUNGLE¡¡¡
I love that Ringo said he was in a band with 3 frustrated drummers 😂
Ringo actually quit The Beatles. Too stressful. All that adulation, fame and fortune. Went to Sardinia and came up with and wrote Octopus Garden, then returned. Big deal.
I have no idea why I enjoyed listening to that as much as I did.
What people are totally missing about Paul's drumming is that he'd been dead for at least a year by the time of this song! So it's actually really good all things considered 😊
Oh do shut up, you bloody idiot.
That ride tom sounds amazing!!
I can hear Paul's voice singing along to his drum playing. Probably captured from the overhead drum mics??
No
@@OcurrenciaTV You must hard of hearing. I can hear speaking/singing very quietly in the background, almost like whispering.
Duncan. Yes, his vocals are there. The drum track has been isolated from the vocal track etc. What you're hearing is 'bleed' from the other tracks. Listen carefully at the end & you'll hear the weird phased outro of the aircraft engine that is present on the finished track.
My favourite performance by Ringo
Hard to be critical of a musical God like PM, however, as a drummer myself, I promise you that this drum track is nothing special.
But then it didn't have to be.
I agree, but to say he isn't a Drummer I think he did a pretty decent job and it works for the track.
Yes, it's very special because it makes Paul a really COMPLETE musician: best writer,greatest singer,amazingly talented bass player,even great guitar and piano player,and let's say decent drummer,despite the fact he sure could not have much time to practice drumming.. How many musicians do you know as complete as him? Do you know any? Not even the great Mike Oldfield
@@javierdepaizpaetow9603
Relax Francis...I promise you I'm as big a McCartney fan as there is.
But the fact remains that the drumming required for the song is pretty basic.
@@azilionzoman6721
Who said he isn't a drummer? Looks like you missed my point.
Hi brother, I get your point and I bet you get mine. I' m not saying he is a very good drummer, I 'm saying he is the most complete musician,which is much better. And if he practices just a little,he could become as good as he wants
Who are you to say a word about Paul as a drummer?! He is great! HE is the most capable all round musician ! and I fantastic singer! SHUT UP!
Hearing it isolated, it’s so obvious Ringo didn’t play on this track. Paul’s drumming is pretty standard, but Ringo’s will always be crazy unique.
Unwritten_Zephyr I thought his Tom fills sounded quite like Ringo’s style. Odd, like a lefty was hitting them on a righty kit.
Those fills are pretty solid.
Paul’s drumming fits this song perfectly, at some points on the verge of being off time, as he was trying to emulate Ringo