<< Give me the old big bands of the thirties and forties… >>

I’m with you there snake.

This one has been a favourite of mine for 35+ years…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n92ATE3IgIs

So Boazy, is the Lord a drummer too? If he's really still alive, is he still playing? Perhaps you could provide a YouTube link...

Seriously, I have incredibly eclectic musical tastes ranging from classical to blues to C&W to jazz to rock to R&B to whatever - even big band stuff. I think that anybody who can dismiss the Beatles on musical grounds is clearly a philistine, or at least has no appreciation of either rock and roll or pop music.

Yes, Ringo is probably the weakest Beatle in terms of musical ability and vocal talent, but nonetheless 'Yellow Submarine' and 'Octopus's Graden' have delighted generations of kids since they were recorded. I loved them as a kid, my kids love them and now my grandkids do.

Ivan Rebroff doesn't have quite the same effect ;)

Heh - quite coincidentally, the 'Australian Story' episode on the ABC now has a beautiful old Beatles song as its soundtrack - 'Here Comes the Sun', popular music at its best!

Ah CJ ya nawty!

<"Sorry runner - at least Ringo's still alive. Last I heard Jesus is dead.">

I doubt that people 2,000 years from now will know who Ringo was or that he'll have made much impact on history, whereas Jesus revolutionized civilization and culture and continues to inspire millions worldwide.

<"Nearly two thousand years ago in an obscure village, a child was born of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village where He worked as a carpenter until He was thirty. Then for three years He became an itinerant preacher.

This man never went to college or seminary. He never wrote a book. He never held a public office. He never had a family nor owned a home. He never put His foot inside a big city nor traveled even 200 miles from His birthplace. And though He never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness, throngs of people followed Him. He had no credentials but Himself."> (Bancroft)

http://www.why-jesus.com/history.htm

He's a genuine superstar :)

Actually Ringo is very well respected among musicians for his drumming skills. He has only several equals for the style and genre he plays.

If anyone was born after the mid 50s, then they'd not understand the musical revolution and social impact of the Beatles at first hand basis. If you were born in 1960 you were only 3 years old when the Beatles impacted on the world, and by the time you were 10 they were no more.

You had to be there to truly know that no act prior, or since, has come even remotely close regarding impact, both socially and musically. Lennon and McCartney are the most successful songwriters in popular musical history....... by a LONG way. Listen to John growl "Twist And Shout", or Paul sing "I Saw Her Standing There" or George's masterful vocals on "Roll Over Beethoven" ..... those guys could s-i-n-g. Their musical arrangements are legendary to this day among a wide, eclectic array of musicians the world over. George was an incredibly gifted instrumentalist.

But.....

No matter how great the musician there's always some nobody out there in loser land who thinks the music is pretty much junk, and the musician just got lucky. I've heard losers criticise the music and ability of Mozart, Joe Pass, Segovia, Bob Brozman, Jeff Lang, Joan Sutherland ..... the list is almost endless. It takes no talent to be an anonymous internet loser, while it takes talent to make good music.

But bloody hell! Ringo's 70. Damn Mother Nature.

If you are worried that you are not as young as you were,

Remember that:

You are not as old as you are going to be!