Was Pete Best kicked out of the Beatles for a stupid misunderstanding?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 มิ.ย. 2023
- Life is usually a lot more boring and ridiculous than the stories that are passed on through the years, and this is no different. David Bedford, Beatles historian explains how a simple misunderstanding between the Beatles members and their studio recording overlords caused Pete Best to be removed from the band.
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David Bedford grew up at the bottom of Madryn Street, where Ringo Starr was born. He lives near Penny Lane, and his children attended the same school where John Lennon and George Harrison started their education.
When illness forced retirement upon David at the age of 35, he began a quest to discover as much about The Beatles and Liverpool as he could. His first book, published in 2009, is now on its Third Edition: Liddypool: Birthplace of The Beatles.
His second book, The Fab one hundred and Four: The Evolution of The Beatles, was published in 2013 to critical acclaim. It featured every family member, friend and musician who contributed to the story of The Beatles, including the previously unknown school friend of John Lennon who started it all.
In 2016, he was a co-author with Hunter Davies, the only authorized Beatles biographer, on The Beatles Book,
David was also the Associate Producer and historical consultant for “Looking For Lennon” a 2018 documentary about the life of John Lennon.
In 2021, ACC is publishing The Beatles Fab Four Cities, a book looking at the four cities that defined The Beatles' career: Liverpool, Hamburg, London and New York.
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I think you got it a bit wrong. It's all explained in Mark Lewisons book, Tune In. When the Beatles first wanted to Pete Best out, Ringo Starr wasn't available because he was playing with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes in another part of the country. At this point Brian Epstein tried to find a replacement, probably temporary as the band wanted Ringo all along. The drummers Brian Epstein asked all said no and they eventually waited for Ringo to return.
Tired of hearing about poor little Pete. He wasn't good enough. End of story.
Pete Best was a horrible drummer, he was a Mama's boy *(In a bad way)* , his so-called "fans" tried to punch Ringo in the face, and he stole the spotlight from John, Paul, and George.
This guy is the one changing the facts.
Because of his drumming and his personality, they didn't get along. listen to the records of pete in the studio and compare them to ringo starr. Pete cannot keep time at all, ringo on the other hand could. Ringo was friends with the beatles long before he joined the band and he joined the Beatles in concerts when pete was sick or out. George Martin stated many times he didn't think Pete was a good enough drummer for recording PERIOD. Little known fact is that Ringo also didn't play on the first single, he was subject to tambourine. Ringo earned his spot because he was a good drummer, Pete wasn't a good enough drummer and didn't really fit in with any of the other beatles either. Pete has spent a lot of time pretending he doesn't know the reason why he was kicked from the beatles even though its as clear as day. I will say that the way it was executed and how there was no contact at all afterwards seemed like a rude jesture, but that probably says something about the lack of friendship aswell. Pete seems like a good person and must have went through a hell of a lot when the beatles became the biggest thing ever because i mean who can relate to that, im glad he finally got paid for the anthology project
Thanks for this and for watching. I plan to watch the anthology series now as well.
@@knowmoreknowless another video is suggest if you want to know about Pete
Bests reason for getting fired is the video about Pete best made by pop goes the 60s on TH-cam, have a nice day
@@rodog9465 Umm, no. That video is a hatchet job against Pete, filled with lies, half-truths, and out of context information. I can refute every single point that jackass made against Pete and his drumming. smfh
Ringo did indeed play on their first single. The more known version you've mentioned was recorded a week later.
He only got paid for the Anthology project because The Beatles had a successful enough legacy to get those kinds of payouts at all 25 years after they broke up, only because Pete Best left the band to allow that to be the case
dont you think the host should have done even a small bit of research before this interview? questions like " who's Brian?" and " is pete still alive?" are just pathetic and shows zero preparation for this interview
I went into this interview purposefully ignorant, to learn as much as I could from David. That said, I still think he and I had a great chat. If you end up listening to the entire interview I hope you’ll agree. Thanks for watching! :)
@@knowmoreknowless i would say to that then let your audience know that upfront by saying i am not well versed in Beatles history so this will be a learning experience for me as well , or something along these lines, otherwise you just come off and totally unprepared
Hi Ralph! It’s in the episode listing as well as the audio intro to the episode guest. But if you listened to both of those and still expected something different, I’ll be sure to be more intentional and clear in the future for interviews like this. Thanks for your feedback and suggestion. Have a great weekend! :)
I believe Ringo. He was just a better drummer. End of story.
We can argue all
Day but it’s doesn’t change history it it what it is end of story
It's a clever angle for sure and I'm certain partially true. But even though Pete wasn't as bad as they've said, he didn't sync with the 'boys' psychologically.
I love how much discussion is still around this. As you alluded to, surely there’s a lot of partial truths that add up to how to actually happened. But seriously, poor guy!
why didn't they just go back and say they made a mistake and bring him back in?@@knowmoreknowless
@@lynnhubbard844 I thought of that as well, but I have a feeling there is some truth that he wasn't a good fit for the band, so this was their way to get him out. Otherwise it does seem rather silly that this is misunderstanding is the reason.
“Ringo was a better Beatle”, as one of them said.
If you read Spencer Leigh’s drummed out they were looking to replace Pete before their trip to Hamburg earlier in ‘62 long before they’re met George Martin
Ringo plays other The Beatles before being asked to join.
They already had a record contract when pete was their, they recorded 2 songs already
If George Martin didn’t know the Beatles had changed their drummer why wasn’t the session drummer there for the 4th Sept session since he had told them he was going to use a session drummer instead of Pete?
I really wish it had been all about personality, and that PB had been able to go on to have his own incredibly successful career as a drummer. And he had a leg up on every drummer in the world, being a former Beatle. And a popular, attractive, one at that.
But, unfortunately, it wasn’t just a personality thing.
Can I please ask. Where did the quote from Paul come from. Doc, book etc?
It might be from one of my guest’s books on the Beatles. He has written a few But I’m not sure. 🤔
Pete didn't want to change his hair and he was introverted unlike the others.
He was never asked to change his hair … and even Astrid said his hair was too curly anyway
Pete was never asked to change his hair, and it's not like it was a requirement to be a Beatle. The other 3 didn't get it at the same time, it wasn't a big deal at all back then, it was just a haircut. As for being an introvert, George was shy and reserved, too. But John and Paul didn't kick him out, because he wasn't stealing the spotlight from them like Pete was.
@@Cosmo-KramerLol!!! You talk as if you're there!!!
@@arlene8938 A lot of research, darlin'. You could learn a thing or two from my posts.
@@Cosmo-Kramer I've done decades of research, too, but this one seems so simple to correct...so many theories
Peat was heavy-handed and didn't have Ringo,finesse.
It has become a mythical part of Beatles "history" to portray Pete as a victim, but in the end he was not nearly as good as Ringo. Yes it was fairly standard practice to use studio musicians but listen to the Decca audition...his time-keeping is awful. Pete may have been dynamic live but he was not up to snuff for recording. End of story. He was not a victim of some foul conspiracy, he was just not good enough _ and did not fit in with the group dynamic - End of story.
The way he was sacked was pretty cheap, but he was sacked because he wasn`t up to snuff musically, and didn`t fit on a personal level. Ringo was the best drummer for the Beatles, and he was there at the right time. End of story.
Robert - I can’t believe how much Beatlemania is still out there from super fans like you who know the history so well. It’s amazing. Thanks for watching and commenting! :)
The Beatles became the Fab Four after Ringo joined….That’s it… history is made
Pete was an average drummer-not a bad one But the Beatles were successful because of their creativity and not their technical skills. Ringo was one of the most creative drummers in rock music history. Their sound was shaped by the four of them.
I watched the whole 4 minutes & 52 seconds. Nothing here I did not already know. 🙄
Thanks for watching!
Host asks 'Hold on a sec, Brian is...?' Hello, basic research? 'Is Pete Best still alive?' David deserves a better interviewer.
My show isn’t focused on Beatles or music knowledge. The interview was framed around my not being a Beatles fan or having any knowledge of their journey and wanting to know more. Perhaps be more curious and less quick to judgement and insult in the future.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
With Pete they were theee best band in Liverpool !!
That is until Pete Best got all the attention from everyone and the three boys were standing in his shadow.
Pete Best NEVER! Ringo Starr FOREVER!!
No, they were the most POPULAR band in Liverpool, and that was down to the personalities and vocals of the front line...the musicians who actually played on the scene at the time are pretty unanimous the BEST band, just judged as musicians, was The Big 3.
People are still putting Pete Best down, i don't think some of these people have even heard Pete playing drums they just going for the liars Lennon told.
Nice to finally see someone Pro Pete Best in the comments. 😂
Here's the story of how Pete Best was kicked out: John, Paul, and George needed a drummer in order to go to Hamburg, Germany. Pete had a drum kit, his mom Mona Best had a cafe at their home, and Pete was well known with the ladies. Only they didn't know Pete outside the music that much and pretty soon, he was beginning to steal most of the spotlight when they were performing at the Cavern Club. John, Paul, and George felt like they were now in Best's shadow and it was starting to feel like the band was Pete's.
While in Hamburg, the boys discovered a much better drummer from another band who was also from Liverpool. His name was Ringo Starr and he was in Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. At first the boys were scared of Ringo but found out he was a nice guy even of his appearance *(Gray sideburn and was growing a beard.)* . John, Paul, and George got to know Ringo more outside of the music, he got to play with them on nights when Pete couldn't perform, and they even wanted to trade Pete for Ringo. But Pete objected.
When Brian Epstein discovered The boys at the Cavern Club at November 1961, he wanted to manage them and help them get a record deal. Only there were some rules to it and that included appearances; hair and clothing. The boys got their mop-top haircuts except Pete, Pete kept his teddy boy hair. After a few objections, Parlaphone accepted the boys and that's where they met George Martin, their music producer. While recording the song _Love me Do_ , the drumming in it was very lousy but the rest of it like the lyrics and guitar playing was good.
In August 16th 1962, that was when the boys had enough. They wanted Pete out of the band because of his lousy drum playing and him stealing the spotlight. Only they were worried that if they told him the news, a fight would start and they also wanted to spare Pete the embarrassment. So they went up to George Martin and told him to go and tell Pete the news that they wanted him out. Mr. Martin couldn't do it either, that is when he went up to Brian and told him the situation. Mr. Martin told Brian he would find a new drummer in the process while Best gets to be told he is out.
After Pete was out, that was when the boys had their chance to go tell Brian to go and hire Ringo as their new drummer. In August 18th 1962, Ringo was brought in after playing one last gig with his old band and thus The Beatles were truly born.
Um No Lennon hated Pete's drumming and said it was terrible. I;ve heard Pete play and he can't play.
“ Im sorry, Brian is who?” 🤦♂️
The reason I invited David on the show is because I admittedly wasn’t a Beatles fan and wanted to learn more. I’m glad I did as it’s such a unique journey. Thanks for watching!
@@knowmoreknowless I forget sometimes, not everybody grew up watching the Documentaries and reading Bios and Beatles history books haha I did enjoy the interview thanks for the reply
I have a great deal of respect for David, but he's mistaken about two things he said in this clip. One, David said that producer George Martin pulled Lennon, McCartney and Harrison aside at the end of the audition, along with Beatles manager Brian Epstein, and told them all that he'd want to use a session drummer in place of Pete. That isn't true. Martin only told that to Epstein, who later relayed the info to Lennon, McCartney and Harrison. And the second thing David's wrong about is this notion that Epstein, Lennon, McCartney and Harrison were under the false impression that Martin had said to replace Pete or else no contract. The fact is, Martin explicitly told Epstein that his use of a session drummer would have no impact on the band, that session musicians were uncredited on records, and so no one would ever know. Martin told Epstein that Pete would remain The Beatles drummer and do all the live performances. When Epstein turned around and told that to Lennon, McCartney and Harrison, there was NO misunderstanding. The Beatles knew what session musicians were, for Heaven's sake, they had all been session musicians themselves twice in the previous two years, receiving no name credits, on Tony Sheridan recordings. As David said, the use of session musicians, particularly drummers, was commonplace in that era. The idea that The Beatles were somehow unaware of that fact is bonkers to me.
The "misunderstanding" argument also falls apart because Epstein fought Lennon, McCartney and Harrison on their decision to replace Pete, even to the point of enlisting help from other Beatles confidantes like Cavern DJ Bob Wooler, to try to talk them out of replacing Pete. So Epstein clearly knew Martin wasn't requiring Pete to be replaced. And if David wants to suggest that Epstein knew but the misunderstanding was in the minds of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison, well, I'm sorry to my friend David, but that just doesn't pass the giggle test. IFFFFFF Lennon, McCartney and Harrison were under the impression that Martin was insisting Pete be replaced in the band, not just the studio, then that misunderstanding would've immediately been cleared up when Epstein and Wooler tried talking them out of replacing Pete.
But just for the sake of argument, let's say that...hell, let's say ALL of them, Epstein, Lennon, McCartney and Harrison were under the impression that producer Martin was insisting that Pete be kicked out of the band, or else no contract. Well, Epstein received the official signed contract back from Martin A MONTH BEFORE they sacked Pete, or even had a replacement lined up to take his place. That contract has The Beatles as John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison & Pete Best, with all of their signatures on it. There is no stipulation in the contract that it is contingent in any way, shape or form upon Pete being sacked from the band. So ALL of them knew, AT THE VERY LEAST A MONTH BEFORE SACKING PETE AND FINDING HIS REPLACEMENT that they had a record deal and Pete did not have to be sacked.
But they sacked him, anyway. Why?? Because Lennon, McCartney and Harrison were extremely jealous of Pete's status the best-looking and far and away most popular Beatle Not just with the fans, but with the club managers who Pete special treatment, and the press who featured Pete in articles about the band, virtually ignoring his bandmates. John, Paul and George were artsy dorks, whereas Pete had been an athlete in school, excelling in boxing and rugby. This was an ultimate case of Revenge of the Nerds. Plain and simple. They'd wanted to sack Pete long before they ever auditioned for Martin, but were using him and his popularity to help them get a record deal. Well, as soon as they got the deal, they had no need for Pete anymore, and kicked him to the curb. Don't get me wrong, they were VERY worried about doing it, because Pete's fan club was WAY bigger than theirs. But the producer Martin gave them the cover they needed to move against Pete. Martin, unwittingly, served himself up on a silver platter for Lennon, McCartney and Harrison to make him the scapegoat. They spread the word (lie) that the producer down in London made them do it, they didn't want to do it, but had to or else no record deal. Ha! What a crock of schit. It was a hideous betrayal. smfh
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I do not agree with the dichotomy that you presented of Lennon and McCartney being dorks and Best not. Best was actually considered to have too much of a sensible personality by McCartney's standards. Best would refuse drugs, would not turn up to social events, would not be wild enough. Best will always big up the idea that he was very good friends with them and then got betrayed, but he would say that. It is very plausible that Best was the odd one out personality-wise, which would frustrate the rest of the band after a while when the chemistry continued to not fit and you are living with a personality clash.
You are also missing another point that The Beatles and their management also wanted to cut ties with Mona Best, who had some hangover management/contractual entanglements left to resolve with the band. Cutting ties with Pete Best would also mean Mona Best would be out the picture for good, who was an outspoken and controlling type of woman that caused on-off difficulties with The Beatles and later Epstein right from the beginning.
Also, if I am not mistaken, Harrison was the one who convinced Lennon and McCartney to get off the fence and eventually go through with sacking Best. It might not be such a simple case of clear reasoning, clear agenda. There were a multitude of reasons, and it involved a multitude of people. In the end, five men (band and manager) collectively settled on sacking Best based on a collective merging of reasons with all five influencing each other in different ways and directions
@@TheJthom9 Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison were dorks. Paul said as much when he said, *"Pete wasn't artsy like us, we were attending art school, and he was the more sensible type."* It's a typical tale of nerds vs. the jock. Pete was an athlete in school, excelling in boxing and rugby. He was also very bright, though, and was the only Beatle to score high enough on his exams to get into a proper university -- a path he sacrificed to join The Beatles. But Pete was plenty wild. He drank like a fish with the lads, and got into all kinds of mischief. Him and John, mostly. They would roll drunken sailors. If you don't know, that means beat them up and steal their money. John was the least dorky of the Fab 3, and that's a big reason why he became close mates with Pete. John wasn't as intimidated by Pete as Paul and George were. But yeah, when two girls came running into the venue after a show screaming that Stu was being attacked by Teddy Boys in the alley, John and Pete dropped the gear they'd been gathering and ran outside and beat up the Teddy Boys, John suffering a broken thumb in the process, while the wusses Paul and George stayed safely inside.
Mona Best had no remaining contractual rights or obligations with the band. She willingly and enthusiastically supported the lads when they asked her if she thought they should hire Brian. Did Brian feel threatened by her? Sure, she was their previous de facto manager. But he was as a paranoid a character as there ever was. The fact is, Brian FOUGHT the Fab 3 when they said they wanted to sack Pete. Brian liked Pete (he tolerated his mother), he knew Pete was the far and away most popular Beatle and would be their most marketable asset going forward. And he knew what a great drummer Pete was, having revolutionized rock drumming with his signature Atom Beat, that every other drummer in Liverpool and Hamburg (including Ringo) tried to copy. One band leader, Faron, kept firing drummers because they didn't sound enough like Pete Best. No, Brian actually enlisted the help of Cavern DJ and longtime Beatles confidante, Bob Wooler, to try to talk the Fab 3 out of sacking Pete, but they wouldn't budge. So just get that idea out of your head. Mona Best never caused any difficulties with the band, just in Brian's paranoid mind once in while, because she would still get the boys gigs when she saw opportunities, including their first time in front of TV cameras -- an event that Mona had organized months earlier but took place just 6 days after Pete was sacked. That's right, the Fab 3 deliberately waited 'til then, presumably when it would be too late for Mona to cancel the crew from Granada TV showing up. smh
Yes, Harrison was the initiator of the idea to sack Pete. But Paul didn't need any convincing. The only thing the calculating Paul wanted was to wait until they had a signed recording contract before dropping the axe on Pete. Lennon was the toughest sell, because he liked Pete, they had hit it off personally, and John opened up to Pete like he had with few other people. John also had a certain pride in having a stud drummer like Pete in his band. Pete wasn't just the most popular Beatle, he was the most popular rocker in the entire Liverpool-Hamburg circuit. And he was a Beatle! John dug that. Well, until the end, that is, when Pete's fans took things too far. They began putting up homemade posters and flyers all over Liverpool reading: *Come to Cavern Club to see PETE BEST & The Beatles!* John (and Paul & George) were also overhearing fans in the clubs referring to the band that way. And that was more than John could tolerate. This was JOHN'S band, and he was going to be damned if he was going to let some drummer, late-comer to the group, be the face and leader of HIS band. John was scared to death that once studio execs got a look at Pete that they would predominantly feature him in the band's promotions, that the gap between Pete's popularity and theirs would continue to widen, and that he and Paul and George would forever be under Pete's colossal shadow.
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Dumb rationalized idea...Pete was completely incompetent... Anyone who has heard Pete on anything with the Beatles and thinks he was even serviceable knows less than nothing about time and exrcution that are a must in music...I would hazard a guess that the guy defending Pete in this video is a personal friend of his....
David, my guest, is a Beatles historian having written several books on the Fab Four and also comes from the same part of England.
Please check out the video description for David’s full history and the titles of his popular books. Thanks for watching.
Jimmy Nichols was a way better drum player
Than Pete !
Get over it already, the guy wasn,t good enough so the guys replaced him by a better one. It Pete was that good he would have find an other band, someone would have make him an offer, but it didn,t happen. So stop rewriting history. This thing is really pathetic.