Or how about Tommy Moore? He was their drummer just before Pete Best. Moore decided to go back to his day job as a forklift driver -- one of the worst career decisions in history. But, it was mid-1960...
Imagine being kicked out of the biggest band in the world a month before they made it, then having to see the success grow bigger and bigger every year. At least Sutcliffe never knew it. It would have drove a lesser man crazy, straight to his death.
@@Rightk777 i really admire Pete for surviving that most people would of prob killed themselves in that situation. He said that his band were once booked as a support band for the beatles and they passed each other when petes band was coming off stage and the beatles on stage and he said that they didnt even look at him
That is very true. The Beatles were really hardly known worldwide and overall less popular with Pete Best. They skyrocketed when Ringo was asked to join. The recording, performing and popularity came to be for the Fab Four almost immediately. I don't believe the Beatles could have ever been the Beatles without Ringo.
Pete Best seems like such a great guy! I’m glad he finally received some royalties for two LP’s he played on! I understand that Ringo Starr replaced Pete Best because of a business decision but what is disgraceful is that never once did any of the other Beatles reach out to Pete Best and simply call him and say “Hello”. Pete claimed that they were all very good friends yet no one ever contacted him! That is sad!
Nothing personal against Pete Best but the Beatles became the one and only real true Beatles when Ringo took over. It seems his style fit in better with the sound and music they were recording at the moment Pete was outsted. Certainly Pete should have tried to somehow change the others decision as he did absolutely nothing to save himself. Personally I think that John, Paul and George liked Ringo's style of drumming better than Pete's. It's not that they despised Pete or wanted to be more recognized than him but they just liked Ringo's style and personality better. Very sorry Pete but you know that's the music industry. Certainly the others should have been brave enough to let you know exactly how they felt as you were playing together for quite some time.
He's a class act with a level head. Had the pleasure and honor of meeting him at a meet-and-greet he did after a gig his "Pete Best Band" played at a club in Wilmington, Delaware, a little more than 10 years ago. A sweetheart of a guy; very friendly and gracious. God bless him.
I was actually thinking that when you think about that whole situation the insanity of Beto mania took its toll on everyone of those Fab three and I'm sure pet e was saved from some of that horror
@@TwiggyArmstrongreally? As if Pete could get any more delusional. He never had a chance to succeed with the Beatles. It was always at zero because he wasn’t a good enough drummer!
I don't care who was the better drummer, Pete Best is and always will be a Beatle to me. He is forever part of their legacy despite getting sacked shortly before they became famous, at least he got royalties from the first Beatles Anthology album in which he plays on 10 tracks. I really hope I get the chance to meet the guy someday, I live in Merseyside and he still lives in Liverpool after all these years.
11:06 How true. Every band since The Beatles plays in their shadow. They came along at the right time, especially in America. We were still saddened over the murder of JFK and then they appeared on Ed Sullivan three months later and the rest is history. My uncle was a massive Beatles fan as a kid and described them as “Men from Mars with Liverpool accents”. That kind of uniqueness will never happen again.
According to an interview, Paul and John (maybe even George) saw Ringo playing in a club with (I think) the Hurricanes and knew right away that Ringo was the better drummer. The decision was made pretty much right there. It's pretty shitty, yes, but it wasn't the band's responsibility to tell Pete Best, that falls on the manager. It was a musical and business decision.
Joan Rivers was such a phenomena-- talented in many ways. I loved her talk show. She always seem to be a fan, she was like one of us in meeting these famous people and talking to them. I miss Joan Rivers.
Joan Rivers truly an astounding woman, human being. Another of the rare, it seems, persons who had been through a lot, and still had that indomitable loving hearts that would never be overcome no matter what.
I love Pete .. he founded love forever got his family .. the others got messy marriages divorces and Pete until now still a family man. He is better andhe will be always the must cute and charismatic.
In a recent publication I've read that someone did the math on The Beatles stage performances and it is estimated that Pete Best put in more hours playing with the band live, in a few short years, than Ringo did for the remainder of the bands touring years. Considering that during the Hamburg Germany years they played hours on end every night of the week and after stardom came, they played 30 to 40 minutes shows a few times a week until they decided to stop touring in 1966.
I have read and seen many interviews with George Martin about this. He flat-out did not think Best was a good enough drummer and he told Brian Epstein that. He said they could keep him in the band, but he would use a session drummer to record their tracks. Even after they got Ringo, he recorded Love Me Do with a session drummer because he had already decided to do it that way after hearing them demo with Best. But after that, he saw that Ringo was good enough, so he used him on the recordings. The Beatles' personalities did not fit with Best at all. Martin and Epstein are both on record as pointing out that Best was quiet, not as much of a hell-raiser, just not like the others. It was as bad fit personality-wise. And with George Martin telling them their drummer wasn't good enough, what should they have done? They did the right thing. You have to understand that to maintain a rock band, it's not just about being good enough musically. You have to fit in well with the others. It's almost like a marriage. And Pete just didn't fit. The other 3, Epstein, and Martin are not to blame. Replacing Pete Best was the right move for the band. It's just a sad set of circumstances. And Pete Best is, and always has been, a very class act, so it's tragic that he couldn't participate in such a great thing as The Beatles. He has never showed bitterness or rage about what happened.
+mmagliaro Martin did not say that. He said Pete Best was fine for live work. Studio work is very different. It was normal in those day to get in a sessions drummer for studio work. The first Abbey Rd 6 June 1962 session was not an audition. The Beatles were already contracted onto EMI. If Best knew this he could have sued the hell out of them. EMI was contracted to the The Beatles. Best was one of them. After Best left, EMI would have needed to have signed a new contract.
You're probably right but I wonder if he didn't have a couple wild drunken moments where he threw darts at the Beatles picture but I think it would be a good skit on Saturday night live to see some fantasy story of the best in his bedroom
the Beatles had a recording contract and the producer Martin went thumbs down on Best as the drummer. Rather than risk the contract, they knew he had to go. Ringo was the natural choice as he had sat in with them several times in Hamburg while Best was off horizontal jogging with a stripper. Ringo fit in well, better in their eyes Best was shy and too reserved for their wit and sense of humor. Ringo was a better drummer. The fact Best got most of the attention from female admirers was annoying but was a footnote to the general indifference they felt to him
I agree with you, and think that when Ringo did fill in for the absent Pete the band gelled. Also the fact that Pete's mum was a self appointed pseudo manager irritated the other three and Epstein. That I think was also a factor in his dismissal. It is unfortunate, what happened to Pete, and he always seems to be a nice understated, friendly bloke, but that's show biz.
Peaceall - Horizontal jogging... that’s hilarious 😂. Best going on TV with Mona Best, his mother, was pathetic. He may have thought that since she was an independent promoter that it didn’t matter that it was his mother and him crying foul on national TV.
@@michaelwood875 -- Martin used studio drummer Andy White on their first single, Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You. Ringo played tambourine on the version that was released, IIRC, although he played drums on an earlier take, as did Pete Best on the first version.
So called experts..just getting it wrong. Listen..I heard some early recordings of Ringo with the Beatles live at the beginning ok... he was absolutely ON FIRE.. Nothing like the crafty drumming he is more known for in Beatles recordings..he was plain and simply wow that guy is on fire. He stepped in when Pete was not able to make it and they were blown away..simple. They needed THE BEST cause they NEEDED to make it.Really I recommend the book Pete Best indirectly Authored "The Pete Best Story". It is an amazing thing to read and really such an ultra clear window into that period.For his first hand presence and down to earth clear view of that period he is a national treasure..
Imagine the portrait. The Beatles forced to keep Pete Best, bored to death with a martian in the back producing an impersonal sound and an erratic tempo. Just to be nice, was it worth it? But let it be said, it just could not have been otherwise, just as everything about the Beatles and all the phenomenon surrounding them is a kind of miracle. The story of the Beatles went above the Beatles themselves.
When I listened to Pete Best drumming on the early Beatles songs, the Beatles Anthology Vol. 1, I noticed that Pete was not a great drummer. Ringo, on the other hand was perfect. If I had to guess who was the driving force behind firing Pete, it would be Paul McCartney. Paul was a perfectionist.
Pete Best eventually got royalties for his work with The Beatles. In fact he admitted that he got a considerable amount of cash and he lives a comfortable life.
Yeah right. He’s lied about so much why would he suddenly be honest? He didn’t write anything. You don’t get royalties for performing drums, on mostly cover songs no less. Ray Charles got royalties from anthology not Pete.
I luv the Decca tapes, not for the drumming, but for those many songs George sings the lead. What a charming teen-pop star he was then (before Lennon-McCartney shut him up).
I have heard his drumming, and it is great. His job as a drummer wasnt the problem. 'He were hierd. He didnt change his hair because Pete knew he was a temporary drummer.
infancysguard you can listen to the Decca audition and Pete's playing on Love Me Do (audition for Martin) and hear for yourself that he couldn't keep time very well. The guys were probably looking for a good excuse to get Ringo in. Yeh, there may have been jealousy involved because Pete was popular with the fans, but so was Ringo and they didn't fire him. Ringo had filled in for Pete a few times and Paul remembers the first time Ringo sat in with them it really clicked. The drummer is so important to a band.
I heard u can't believe what these other chaps are saying other then Pete cause these fellows would dig through beatles garbage just to get stuff I heard and the one with the left earring Gilianoe is his name I think , came out with a book of all artifacts etc.
John also said they were sick of Pete . When Pete didn’t turn up for gigs they got Ringo in. That’s when they knew Pete had to go. Only a few made a fuss over Pete’s departure . Pete’s made a career of not knowing why he was fired but he knows full well , but still plays on it.
But, you gotta consider... Never in any other John, Paul or George interview did any of them ever say, "Plenty of other drummers we're begging to join us."
PETE BEST GREAT DRUMMER AND KICK ASS SOLID. WITH PETE THE OTHER 3 WOULD HAVE NEVER GONE TO GERMANY.. PETE MADE THE BEATLES WITHOUT PETE.. LOVE PETE 🥁🥁🥁🥁💖💖💖💖
Let us remember they had the brilliant George Martin behind and producing them. Also what about The Moody Blues, The Beach Boys, The Carpenters, 10 CC? They are and were brilliant too. The Four Seasons, some of their music is very advanced, as for being loved, The Seekers out sold the Beatles when at their height and were and still are truly loved.
***** yup..... could it be that in his old age Pete looks back and decides that not being with the group after '62 was the best thing to happen after all?
***** That is Pete's version..... and I think there is some truth to the tale that Pete was the Cavern Club heart throb and some jealousy was there.... but that's not the main reason Pete was given the boot. The fact of the matter is that Pete simply never fit in with the tight knit inside joking comradeship that John Paul and George had developed. Many others have commented on this too..... Astrid, Klaus, Horst etc. George especially wanted Pete out. John is on record saying that they had always planned on replacing Pete with a "better drummer" and when they realized that they were on the verge of stardom they went for their buddy Ringo.... who DID fit in (or to be accurate, they had Brian do the dirtywork which was a huge act of cowardliness on the part of the Fab 3).. It has been said that Pete was a great drummer and gave the Beatles the 'Atom Beat' that was the backbone of their early success and I wont deny that. However, but the time of their introduction to EMI their sound was already changing and Ringo was a better choice for the band..... he had better timing.... could pound away as well as Pete... and could also play in ways that were more varied than Pete's limited bag of tricks.... and Ringo certainly fit in as one of the boys. As for the Beatles ever becoming 'Pete Best & The Beatles' in any way, I find that laughable. John and Paul were the songwriters and the obvious front men and that alone meant that whoever the drummer was, he would be seen as a supporting player, as Ringo was. Not that Pete wouldn't have had his share of the fan base (as Ringo did), but the names of the Beatles would always be said in order of perceived importance.... John, Paul, George and..... the drummer.
Interesting interview but some pretty interesting threads were dropped by Joan Rivers, who was never the world's best interviewer. Bob Whitaker, btw, was the photographer who took the infamous "Butcher Cover" picture which originally appeared on the "Yesterday And Today" LP in the US.
He's the only Beatle I've ever met. Twice. Once at a Beatles convention in 1986 and the second time when the Pete Best Band played at a local high school in Massachusetts a few years ago doing basically the pre-Beatlemania set he played with them back in the day. He just wasn't the right fit for the band.
Hunter Davies who wrote The Beatles their authorised biography in 1968, "when the subject of Pete Best came up they seemed to cut off, as if he had never touched their lives. They showed little reaction"
I'm glad that Pete was able to sign on with another band. His removal by the Beatles as their drummer was highly questionable, even if they did replace him with Ringo, and Ringo is great. There's a reason for everything, I suppose. But it's good that Pete landed on his feet and got another good.
Brian did offer to set up a group and manage him but he went with his mother, a part time agent, he may have made it , but I think getting lawyers involved would have only split the group totally....
When you really look at Pete's life, at one time he either wanted to or did try to commit suicide. BUT all in all he was very fortunate to be born when and where he was. And he has MANY MANY GREAT memories of being something that Millions and millions of musicians would have loved to be. A BEATLE. Regardless, he was very lucky to be in the right place and the right time. Even though he was only a Beatle for two years it has given him an opportunity to be involved with the Beatles story, though indirectly his entire life. Beatle fans love Pete as much as any of the Beatles. The only down side of his life is being asked ALL THE TIME why he was fired from the Beatles. Every interview I have seen on tv of him has him being asked that same question. He pretty much has the answer worked out down to the period at the end of his sentence. Sure he was upset at first but he has matured well and has lived to tell his story. Unfortunately Stu did not live to neither see the Beatles success nor tell his story to anyone. Pete was very fortunate indeed.
The REAL reason Pete was sacked was because George Martin didn't like Pete's drumming skills. Even the Beatles said that he was able to keep a beat, but he wasn't a great drummer. Plus, they already were friends with Ringo and he played with them in Hamburg sometimes.
Never anyone else as good as the Beatles? I'd say Queen did a pretty damn good job of being just as uniquely amazing in their own way that no one has been able to duplicate since.
+bodensick It's unlikely he would have been able to afford a solicitor. Furthermore, at that time the UK was not as litigious as the US, and it's still not.
bodensick The fact that he didn’t go to a lawyer is indicative of why he didn’t fit in with them. He was a nice, pleasant guy, sure, but he was meek, introverted and dull. They were trying to enter show business and those are not the traits of success. At the very least, if I were him I would have confronted them where they were playing and demanded to know why or given a reason. Remember, it was a good 6 months before they became really big, insulated and famous when they let him go. He never bothered to confront them to ask why? At the time they were only a locally popular group and honestly, I really don’t think he cared that much.He lacked great enthusiasm and passion. Now later on, when they became the biggest thing in the world, I’m sure it killed him.
Sued the shit out of Brian and the boys. He was a Beatle,from the beginning up thru their Decca days. The guys and Brian had no legal right to dump him. If you're Pete you go to the best and nastiest lawyer in Liverpool for a share of future profits. Pete got screwed and any real Beatles fan knows it. Was Ringo better...yeah, but that's not a legal point.
I don't want to judge whether it was right or wrong to dismiss Pete, but in the story told by Pete (reiterated in other interviews), it seems that John, Paul and George woke up one day and suddenly decided to fire Pete and replace him with Ringo. Of course this has no sense. Pete should aksk himself why they fired him. Probably the Beatles did not consider, wrongly or rightly, Pete a good drummer and a good friend.
Unbelievable! How could these guys ever be considered professional authors and publish books yet couldn’t understand why Pete was fired. Every musician on the planet knows.
I wonder why none of them helped Pete out. Didn't even invite him round for tea for a catch up. it's not like RIngo or George were mad busy after the Beatles...
From the various comments here, it seems like Pete gave them all kinds of reasons to replace him. I doubt it that it came down to any one reason in the end.
The Beatles were formed by John, Paul and George who were also three great friends. Pete came after and they never considered him a good drummer and a real friend while they were Ringo's friends and esteemed him as drummer. So, when there was the right chance to change the drummer (EMI's perplexity on Pete), they simply fired Pete and took Ringo. John, George and Paul were not kind to dismiss Pete, but what did they have to do? To hold in the band a drummer who, they did not appreciate and consider a true friend?
i got sympathy for Pete Best but Ringo was a better fit, the chemistry with Ringo been way better... and in the end Pete got paid real well, just watch the videos after the Antology pay check he is a new changed man older and happier so its all good now
When the Beatles became millionnaires you'd have thought they'd have given Pete a few million for old times sake but they never did. I suppos it proves the old saying- "It's always hard to write a cheque, especially if you're a millionnaire". Even Lennon shunned Pete despite all his airy-fairy "good guy" stuff in 'Imagine'
People here keep talking about how George Martin wanted Pete out, but according to the Mark Lewisohn they'd been looking to replace him for a while and as Paul's induction speech of Ringo shows, they'd been eyeing Ringo for a while. Martin and the Beatles have all said in various interviews that Martin said they could use Pete on tour but they'd use a studio musician for the recordings, but The Beatles wanted Pete out anyway and saw it as the excuse to replace him. And if you've heard his drumming on those early recordings, you know why.
+The Applesauce Project As I said earlier Pete never mentions that Brian Epstein offered to manage him after he was sacked, he could have gone on to be a big star, but Pete said no and let his mother, who was a part time booking agent, take over
+jrgboy You're talking out your arse mate! The Beatles would have *never* let him be a huge star! They would have given Brian an ultimatum if he got close!
+jrgboy ???, Perhaps if Decca had promoted Pete and his group better he could have made it, Remember George Martin was The Beatles last hope, every one else turned them down , even Woolworths Embassy label didn't want to know, Pete didn't get the best treatment but other groups from Merseyside that became famous had members drop out before..
![Beatle Pete Best HILARIOUS Interview on Howard Stern [1986]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/m2_DJQm-72o/mqdefault.jpg)
imagine being Stuart Sutcliffe. He was in the biggest band in history but never knew it.
Or how about Tommy Moore? He was their drummer just before Pete Best. Moore decided to go back to his day job as a forklift driver -- one of the worst career decisions in history. But, it was mid-1960...
Wouldn't of mattered anyway he died in 1962
Imagine being kicked out of the biggest band in the world a month before they made it, then having to see the success grow bigger and bigger every year. At least Sutcliffe never knew it. It would have drove a lesser man crazy, straight to his death.
@@Rightk777 i really admire Pete for surviving that most people would of prob killed themselves in that situation. He said that his band were once booked as a support band for the beatles and they passed each other when petes band was coming off stage and the beatles on stage and he said that they didnt even look at him
Oh he knew it all right. Every day of his life. Poor guy
Nice guy Pete met him few years ago at the casbah club nice family enjoying life to the full
Ringo's personality proved to fit in better with the overall chemistry.
That is very true. The Beatles were really hardly known worldwide and overall less popular with Pete Best. They skyrocketed when Ringo was asked to join. The recording, performing and popularity came to be for the Fab Four almost immediately. I don't believe the Beatles could have ever been the Beatles without Ringo.
@@michaelrazza5391 They were the Beatles for 2 years with Pete in and got a recording contract with Pete.
exactly
@@liverpix both Decca and Parlophone said Pete’s drumming wasn’t good enough.
Pete Best seems like such a great guy! I’m glad he finally received some royalties for two LP’s he played on! I understand that Ringo Starr replaced Pete Best because of a business decision but what is disgraceful is that never once did any of the other Beatles reach out to Pete Best and simply call him and say “Hello”. Pete claimed that they were all very good friends yet no one ever contacted him! That is sad!
Nothing personal against Pete Best but the Beatles became the one and only real true Beatles when Ringo took over. It seems his style fit in better with the sound and music they were recording at the moment Pete was outsted. Certainly Pete should have tried to somehow change the others decision as he did absolutely nothing to save himself. Personally I think that John, Paul and George liked Ringo's style of drumming better than Pete's. It's not that they despised Pete or wanted to be more recognized than him but they just liked Ringo's style and personality better. Very sorry Pete but you know that's the music industry. Certainly the others should have been brave enough to let you know exactly how they felt as you were playing together for quite some time.
It's like John, Paul and George didn't even know Pete. That is very sad and trecherous on there part for sure.
It was summer I 1962
What business decision? It was based on art and music. Ringo was the better drummer.
He's a class act with a level head. Had the pleasure and honor of meeting him at a meet-and-greet he did after a gig his "Pete Best Band" played at a club in Wilmington, Delaware, a little more than 10 years ago. A sweetheart of a guy; very friendly and gracious. God bless him.
He’s a vain self-involved vain liar .
Pete is a nice guy with a long marriage.
Pete got lucky. He was saved from the insanity of the following years. Pete remained a human being.
So did Paul surprisingly
I was actually thinking that when you think about that whole situation the insanity of Beto mania took its toll on everyone of those Fab three and I'm sure pet e was saved from some of that horror
He wanted the "insanity". He almost committed suicide after hearing the beatles major success in America.
@@TwiggyArmstrongreally? As if Pete could get any more delusional. He never had a chance to succeed with the Beatles. It was always at zero because he wasn’t a good enough drummer!
Delusional
I don't care who was the better drummer, Pete Best is and always will be a Beatle to me. He is forever part of their legacy despite getting sacked shortly before they became famous, at least he got royalties from the first Beatles Anthology album in which he plays on 10 tracks. I really hope I get the chance to meet the guy someday, I live in Merseyside and he still lives in Liverpool after all these years.
Well, before John and George died they all became ex-Beatles.
got loads of money from the anthology releases though.
+shaftsbury94 *decades* later
Better late than never.
I'm glad he got some $.
Awesome ❤
When the Anthology came out Pete got his retirement pension for the work he did
11:06 How true. Every band since The Beatles plays in their shadow. They came along at the right time, especially in America. We were still saddened over the murder of JFK and then they appeared on Ed Sullivan three months later and the rest is history. My uncle was a massive Beatles fan as a kid and described them as “Men from Mars with Liverpool accents”. That kind of uniqueness will never happen again.
Pete is such a good soul, and he didn't deserve what happened to him. But he made out alright in the end.
He’s a vain spiteful liar , lazy,
What I heard is that during the EMI audition, producer George Martin wasn't happy with Pete's drumming.
Thats very true
According to an interview, Paul and John (maybe even George) saw Ringo playing in a club with (I think) the Hurricanes and knew right away that Ringo was the better drummer. The decision was made pretty much right there. It's pretty shitty, yes, but it wasn't the band's responsibility to tell Pete Best, that falls on the manager. It was a musical and business decision.
Joan actually being nice and sympathetic which isn't what I've ever seen from her since
theSPUK901 f
Joan Rivers was such a phenomena-- talented in many ways. I loved her talk show. She always seem to be a fan, she was like one of us in meeting these famous people and talking to them. I miss Joan Rivers.
Joan Rivers truly an astounding woman, human being. Another of the rare, it seems, persons who had been through a lot, and still had that indomitable loving hearts that would never be overcome no matter what.
Nice to hear that Pete Best got back on his feet. He seems like a nice guy.
Peter Best is the only and one early Beatle Sound!I liked this sound...kerp you well Peter..
.you are great still today!!
I love Pete .. he founded love forever got his family .. the others got messy marriages divorces and Pete until now still a family man. He is better andhe will be always the must cute and charismatic.
🙏🙏💙
What about Paul McCartney?
so? marriage is not everybodies goal in life dude. Anyone can have a marriage, even you, but being an icon in history of music?
So glad Pete finally saw some cash. I can't even imagine how it must have felt to miss out on Beatlemania.
he was a marginal drummer. he didn't like hangin' with the other lads. john was his friend from earlier but the other boys didn't like him.
Correct
Pete was a mediocre-ish drummer. Ringo was far better
That's the real story
@@sg3TGG - yeah, ringo was a better drummer than most people other than good drummers give him credit for. he really knew what he was doing....see
In a recent publication I've read that someone did the math on The Beatles stage performances and it is estimated that Pete Best put in more hours playing with the band live, in a few short years, than Ringo did for the remainder of the bands touring years. Considering that during the Hamburg Germany years they played hours on end every night of the week and after stardom came, they played 30 to 40 minutes shows a few times a week until they decided to stop touring in 1966.
I think if anyone on this panel knew the personalities of the Beatles it would be Pete Best not the other two muppets
Muy buena entrevista!(a diferencia d las otrs q stn en youtub), gracias
LOVE PETE BEST GREAT DRUMMER.. HE WAS A BEATLE...GREAT AMAZING DRUMMER AND GUY💖💕💛🥁🥁🥁🥁
George Martin told John Lennon the Beatles would not be a really "tight" band with Pete as the drummer
Im sorry for Mister Best but The Beatles drummer is Ringo Starr for 62 until now.
I have read and seen many interviews with George Martin about this. He flat-out did not think Best was a good enough drummer and he told Brian Epstein that. He said they could keep him in the band, but he would use a session drummer to record their tracks. Even after they got Ringo, he recorded Love Me Do with a session drummer because he had already decided to do it that way after hearing them demo with Best. But after that, he saw that Ringo was good enough, so he used him on the recordings.
The Beatles' personalities did not fit with Best at all. Martin and Epstein are both on record as pointing out that Best was quiet, not as much of a hell-raiser, just not like the others. It was as bad fit personality-wise. And with George Martin telling them their drummer wasn't good enough, what should they have done? They did the right thing.
You have to understand that to maintain a rock band, it's not just about being good enough musically. You have to fit in well with the others. It's almost like a marriage. And Pete just didn't fit.
The other 3, Epstein, and Martin are not to blame. Replacing Pete Best was the right move for the band. It's just a sad set of circumstances. And Pete Best is, and always has been, a very class act, so it's tragic that he couldn't participate in such a great thing as The Beatles. He has never showed bitterness or rage about what happened.
+mmagliaro
Martin did not say that. He said Pete Best was fine for live work. Studio work is very different. It was normal in those day to get in a sessions drummer for studio work. The first Abbey Rd 6 June 1962 session was not an audition. The Beatles were already contracted onto EMI. If Best knew this he could have sued the hell out of them. EMI was contracted to the The Beatles. Best was one of them. After Best left, EMI would have needed to have signed a new contract.
You're probably right but I wonder if he didn't have a couple wild drunken moments where he threw darts at the Beatles picture but I think it would be a good skit on Saturday night live to see some fantasy story of the best in his bedroom
"You've got your life to live, you've got to get on with it", you got to!
the Beatles had a recording contract and the producer Martin went thumbs down on Best as the drummer. Rather than risk the contract, they knew he had to go. Ringo was the natural choice as he had sat in with them several times in Hamburg while Best was off horizontal jogging with a stripper. Ringo fit in well, better in their eyes Best was shy and too reserved for their wit and sense of humor. Ringo was a better drummer. The fact Best got most of the attention from female admirers was annoying but was a footnote to the general indifference they felt to him
I agree with you, and think that when Ringo did fill in for the absent Pete the band gelled. Also the fact that Pete's mum was a self appointed pseudo manager irritated the other three and Epstein. That I think was also a factor in his dismissal.
It is unfortunate, what happened to Pete, and he always seems to be a nice understated, friendly bloke, but that's show biz.
Horizontal jogging?🤣🤣🤣First time Ive heard that phrase! 👍
John, Paul and George Martin agreed they needed another drummer, but Martin had someone else in mind. Would like to know who...
Peaceall - Horizontal jogging... that’s hilarious 😂. Best going on TV with Mona Best, his mother, was pathetic. He may have thought that since she was an independent promoter that it didn’t matter that it was his mother and him crying foul on national TV.
@@michaelwood875 -- Martin used studio drummer Andy White on their first single, Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You. Ringo played tambourine on the version that was released, IIRC, although he played drums on an earlier take, as did Pete Best on the first version.
This Bob Whitaker fellow really knows how to twist the knife and then pour salt into the wound.
So called experts..just getting it wrong. Listen..I heard some early recordings of Ringo with the Beatles live at the beginning ok...
he was absolutely ON FIRE.. Nothing like the crafty drumming he is more known for in Beatles recordings..he was plain and simply wow
that guy is on fire. He stepped in when Pete was not able to make it and they were blown away..simple.
They needed THE BEST cause they NEEDED to make it.Really I recommend the book Pete Best indirectly Authored "The Pete Best Story".
It is an amazing thing to read and really such an ultra clear window into that period.For his first hand presence and down to earth clear view
of that period he is a national treasure..
The Beatles had Pete Best. KISS had Pete Criss. Then The Beatles got Ringo Starr and Kiss got Eric Carr.
Coincidence? I THINK NOT!
What a dumbazz comment.
Imagine the portrait. The Beatles forced to keep Pete Best, bored to death with a martian in the back producing an impersonal sound and an erratic tempo. Just to be nice, was it worth it? But let it be said, it just could not have been otherwise, just as everything about the Beatles and all the phenomenon surrounding them is a kind of miracle. The story of the Beatles went above the Beatles themselves.
That's gig, glad Pete got another gig.
He's a nice guy. He is painfully shy. He just didn't fit in well with the others. What really happened was a misunderstanding.
+Don Diego Vega Misunderstanding my foot! He was in the band for 2 years!
I mean in the studio at that session.
Pete Best was the best. A great drummer and a Real Gentleman. I have great respect for that man. (Which I, by the way, also have for Julian Lennon.)
When I listened to Pete Best drumming on the early Beatles songs, the Beatles Anthology Vol. 1, I noticed that Pete was not a great drummer. Ringo, on the other hand was perfect. If I had to guess who was the driving force behind firing Pete, it would be Paul McCartney. Paul was a perfectionist.
Pete has some $$$ over the years...don't kid yourself!
Pete got, (approx) got £8 million from the Anthology etc
Pete Best eventually got royalties for his work with The Beatles. In fact he admitted that he got a considerable amount of cash and he lives a comfortable life.
Yeah right. He’s lied about so much why would he suddenly be honest? He didn’t write anything. You don’t get royalties for performing drums, on mostly cover songs no less. Ray Charles got royalties from anthology not Pete.
I luv the Decca tapes, not for the drumming, but for those many songs George sings the lead. What a charming teen-pop star he was then (before Lennon-McCartney shut him up).
I have heard his drumming, and it is great. His job as a drummer wasnt the problem.
'He were hierd. He didnt change his hair because Pete knew he was a temporary drummer.
George Martin said in an interview that Pete couldn't keep time very well.
infancysguard you can listen to the Decca audition and Pete's playing on Love Me Do (audition for Martin) and hear for yourself that he couldn't keep time very well. The guys were probably looking for a good excuse to get Ringo in. Yeh, there may have been jealousy involved because Pete was popular with the fans, but so was Ringo and they didn't fire him. Ringo had filled in for Pete a few times and Paul remembers the first time Ringo sat in with them it really clicked. The drummer is so important to a band.
@blue heeler
I am only aware of his hiring Andy White for the Love Me Do recording session. After that, it was Ringo.
I heard u can't believe what these other chaps are saying other then Pete cause these fellows would dig through beatles garbage just to get stuff I heard and the one with the left earring Gilianoe is his name I think , came out with a book of all artifacts etc.
Pete went on to join a great band. The Civil Service
John also said they were sick of Pete . When Pete didn’t turn up for gigs they got Ringo in. That’s when they knew Pete had to go. Only a few made a fuss over Pete’s departure . Pete’s made a career of not knowing why he was fired but he knows full well , but still plays on it.
Thumbs up for Pete and RIP Joan but I always found here irritating just as she is here.
+James Dunn I never found her irritating; thought she was extremely entertaining.
+Noelle Jordan To each their own. In part I find her accent harsh.
Dam Joan looks fine
But, you gotta consider...
Never in any other John, Paul or George interview did any of them ever say, "Plenty of other drummers we're begging to join us."
Pete best with another brand
jeff never turned round he was facing forward the whole time
Who the fuggs Jeff?
@@mikeminno5956 Pete says "Turned around and said" too much it makes me cringe
PETE BEST GREAT DRUMMER AND KICK ASS SOLID. WITH PETE THE OTHER 3 WOULD HAVE NEVER GONE TO GERMANY.. PETE MADE THE BEATLES WITHOUT PETE.. LOVE PETE 🥁🥁🥁🥁💖💖💖💖
Pretty boy Pete Best
Betrayal comes in a thousand forms.
Let us remember they had the brilliant George Martin behind and producing them. Also what about The Moody Blues, The Beach Boys, The Carpenters, 10 CC? They are and were brilliant too. The Four Seasons, some of their music is very advanced, as for being loved, The Seekers out sold the Beatles when at their height and were and still are truly loved.
Pete is a whole lot more emotionally stable than Joan Rivers, that's for sure.
***** yup..... could it be that in his old age Pete looks back and decides that not being with the group after '62 was the best thing to happen after all?
***** That is Pete's version..... and I think there is some truth to the tale that Pete was the Cavern Club heart throb and some jealousy was there.... but that's not the main reason Pete was given the boot. The fact of the matter is that Pete simply never fit in with the tight knit inside joking comradeship that John Paul and George had developed. Many others have commented on this too..... Astrid, Klaus, Horst etc. George especially wanted Pete out.
John is on record saying that they had always planned on replacing Pete with a "better drummer" and when they realized that they were on the verge of stardom they went for their buddy Ringo.... who DID fit in (or to be accurate, they had Brian do the dirtywork which was a huge act of cowardliness on the part of the Fab 3)..
It has been said that Pete was a great drummer and gave the Beatles the 'Atom Beat' that was the backbone of their early success and I wont deny that. However, but the time of their introduction to EMI their sound was already changing and Ringo was a better choice for the band..... he had better timing.... could pound away as well as Pete... and could also play in ways that were more varied than Pete's limited bag of tricks.... and Ringo certainly fit in as one of the boys.
As for the Beatles ever becoming 'Pete Best & The Beatles' in any way, I find that laughable. John and Paul were the songwriters and the obvious front men and that alone meant that whoever the drummer was, he would be seen as a supporting player, as Ringo was. Not that Pete wouldn't have had his share of the fan base (as Ringo did), but the names of the Beatles would always be said in order of perceived importance.... John, Paul, George and..... the drummer.
+Brammy007a Agree.
Brammy007a she shows her kinder side here, compare this with the letterman interview with Best, where he really makes fun of his predicament
yeah, she seems completely crazy
Did they seriously cut to commercial 5 minutes after the last one??
Interesting interview but some pretty interesting threads were dropped by Joan Rivers, who was never the world's best interviewer. Bob Whitaker, btw, was the photographer who took the infamous "Butcher Cover" picture which originally appeared on the "Yesterday And Today" LP in the US.
Personality..Personality..Personality
What more could I do.......;-) I'll be a fool for you.
Well done Joan.
Did you see Tobias Funke sitting in the front row?
Pete might not have been nuts enough to handle what happened after he left.
Met Pete in Thunder Bay ON Canada, when he played the university. He didn’t have much to say.
That's because you're a bore.
Bought a pair of Joan Rivers earrings in her jewelry line. The earrings tarnished within a year.
He's the only Beatle I've ever met.
Twice.
Once at a Beatles convention in 1986 and the second time when the Pete Best Band played at a local high school in Massachusetts a few years ago doing basically the pre-Beatlemania set he played with them back in the day.
He just wasn't the right fit for the band.
Hunter Davies who wrote The Beatles their authorised biography in 1968, "when the subject of Pete Best came up they seemed to cut off, as if he had never touched their lives. They showed little reaction"
I always liked Joan
How could these experts, in 1991, not know the reason Pete was fired?
I'm glad that Pete was able to sign on with another band. His removal by the Beatles as their drummer was highly questionable, even if they did replace him with Ringo, and Ringo is great. There's a reason for everything, I suppose. But it's good that Pete landed on his feet and got another good.
Its not yet late you can reunite with paul and ringo for good time sake...
Brian did offer to set up a group and manage him but he went with his mother, a part time agent, he may have made it , but I think getting lawyers involved would have only split the group totally....
WHY DOES PETE CLICK EVERY TIME HE TALKS??
When you really look at Pete's life, at one time he either wanted to or did try to commit suicide. BUT all in all he was very fortunate to be born when and where he was. And he has MANY MANY GREAT memories of being something that Millions and millions of musicians would have loved to be. A BEATLE. Regardless, he was very lucky to be in the right place and the right time. Even though he was only a Beatle for two years it has given him an opportunity to be involved with the Beatles story, though indirectly his entire life. Beatle fans love Pete as much as any of the Beatles. The only down side of his life is being asked ALL THE TIME why he was fired from the Beatles. Every interview I have seen on tv of him has him being asked that same question. He pretty much has the answer worked out down to the period at the end of his sentence. Sure he was upset at first but he has matured well and has lived to tell his story. Unfortunately Stu did not live to neither see the Beatles success nor tell his story to anyone. Pete was very fortunate indeed.
Pete was too nice of a guy to be a Beatle. John Lennon said it Best (No pun intended) "The Beatles were the biggest Bastards in The World"
Hold on to him, Dave,..he wants to get up,..don't let go,..ah, damn. He got up. "CUT AWAY".
10:48 Prescient. Pete was right on about U2
The REAL reason Pete was sacked was because George Martin didn't like Pete's drumming skills. Even the Beatles said that he was able to keep a beat, but he wasn't a great drummer. Plus, they already were friends with Ringo and he played with them in Hamburg sometimes.
@KILLING⚡HEROS he wasn't.
Never anyone else as good as the Beatles? I'd say Queen did a pretty damn good job of being just as uniquely amazing in their own way that no one has been able to duplicate since.
He also made around 4 million pounds from the sales of the Anthology videos, she's and cds
No he didn’t lol. According to who? Pete? Pete lies quite often about other things you know…
Talk about getting mileage over something that happened so long ago .Riding on the coat tails of famous people.
Pete Best...should have left Brian's office and gone straight to a lawyers office.
+bodensick It's unlikely he would have been able to afford a solicitor. Furthermore, at that time the UK was not as litigious as the US, and it's still not.
bodensick The fact that he didn’t go to a lawyer is indicative of why he didn’t fit in with them. He was a nice, pleasant guy, sure, but he was meek, introverted and dull. They were trying to enter show business and those are not the traits of success. At the very least, if I were him I would have confronted them where they were playing and demanded to know why or given a reason. Remember, it was a good 6 months before they became really big, insulated and famous when they let him go. He never bothered to confront them to ask why? At the time they were only a locally popular group and honestly, I really don’t think he cared that much.He lacked great enthusiasm and passion. Now later on, when they became the biggest thing in the world, I’m sure it killed him.
For what? Being butthurt?
And did what??
Sued the shit out of Brian and the boys. He was a Beatle,from the beginning up thru their Decca days. The guys and Brian had no legal right to dump him. If you're Pete you go to the best and nastiest lawyer in Liverpool for a share of future profits. Pete got screwed and any real Beatles fan knows it. Was Ringo better...yeah, but that's not a legal point.
5.54 ...that would nickle them? meaning?
Not nickelled . He said Niggled. Meaning to get on someone's nerves, annoy, get at.
I don't want to judge whether it was right or wrong to dismiss Pete, but in the story told by Pete (reiterated in other interviews), it seems that John, Paul and George woke up one day and suddenly decided to fire Pete and replace him with Ringo. Of course this has no sense. Pete should aksk himself why they fired him. Probably the Beatles did not consider, wrongly or rightly, Pete a good drummer and a good friend.
Maybe Peter had a better life overhall, he didn't had to deal with the end of the band, and he didn't get shot and he live longer than the other two.
JOHN WAS THE MIND, PAUL WAS THE HEART, GEORGE THE SPIRIT, AND RINGO THE BODY....FORMULA MAKE THE BEATLES
I'd like to see Paul, who can afford it, sending out to the Freeda Kelly people in his life, big fat Chistmas bonus checks.
The fact that Pete Best said that U2 was chasing The Beatles very fast in popularity seals his fate for me. How dare he. Btw George hated U2
The weakest Beatle song is by far better than U2's best song
Pete...LOL
Pete says to Dave no problem. Pete says to Joan almost cries.
Unbelievable! How could these guys ever be considered professional authors and publish books yet couldn’t understand why Pete was fired. Every musician on the planet knows.
fair enough havent heard him play yet? hmm may need some tissues
I wonder why none of them helped Pete out. Didn't even invite him round for tea for a catch up. it's not like RIngo or George were mad busy after the Beatles...
From the various comments here, it seems like Pete gave them all kinds of reasons to replace him. I doubt it that it came down to any one reason in the end.
And you believe what you read in CZcams comments sections??!! LOL
George Martin had a LOT to do with Pete Best getting dismissed.
George Martin had everything to do about it.
The Beatles were formed by John, Paul and George who were also three great friends. Pete came after and they never considered him a good drummer and a real friend while they were Ringo's friends and esteemed him as drummer. So, when there was the right chance to change the drummer (EMI's perplexity on Pete), they simply fired Pete and took Ringo. John, George and Paul were not kind to dismiss Pete, but what did they have to do? To hold in the band a drummer who, they did not appreciate and consider a true friend?
two words: george martin.
i got sympathy for Pete Best but Ringo was a better fit, the chemistry with Ringo been way better... and in the end Pete got paid real well, just watch the videos after the Antology pay check he is a new changed man older and happier so its all good now
The fans are much better behaved than they were at Letterman.
When the Beatles became millionnaires you'd have thought they'd have given Pete a few million for old times sake but they never did. I suppos it proves the old saying- "It's always hard to write a cheque, especially if you're a millionnaire".
Even Lennon shunned Pete despite all his airy-fairy "good guy" stuff in 'Imagine'
Pete actually tried to sue the Beatles in the 60's. It wasn't all on the Paul John and George. They had bad blood.
+Wafl Kone He didn't *try* to sue them, he did sue them, and eventually won £500,000... and rightfully so.
Paul London - Pete co-wrote a book with Patrick Doncaster in 1994 called "Beatle! The Pete Best Story', I'll try to read it sometime
Tungsten Kid I've met the man. He is so genuine and nice. He is also a huge Beatles fan and owns all their albums and singles! :o)
+Tungsten Kid I've got it. It's a good book
People here keep talking about how George Martin wanted Pete out, but according to the Mark Lewisohn they'd been looking to replace him for a while and as Paul's induction speech of Ringo shows, they'd been eyeing Ringo for a while. Martin and the Beatles have all said in various interviews that Martin said they could use Pete on tour but they'd use a studio musician for the recordings, but The Beatles wanted Pete out anyway and saw it as the excuse to replace him. And if you've heard his drumming on those early recordings, you know why.
+The Applesauce Project As I said earlier Pete never mentions that Brian Epstein offered to manage him after he was sacked, he could have gone on to be a big star, but Pete said no and let his mother, who was a part time booking agent, take over
+jrgboy You're talking out your arse mate! The Beatles would have *never* let him be a huge star! They would have given Brian an ultimatum if he got close!
+jrgboy - Pete was no treat to John & Paul, he couldn't write songs and they wouldn't give him a song...
jrgboy No threat? At the cavern fans were shouting "Pete Best & The Beatles". Clearly they felt he was.
+jrgboy ???, Perhaps if Decca had promoted Pete and his group better he could have made it, Remember George Martin was The Beatles last hope, every one else turned them down , even Woolworths Embassy label didn't want to know, Pete didn't get the best treatment but other groups from Merseyside that became famous had members drop out before..