Listen to the isolated drumming of The Beatles’ original drummer, Pete Best
The legacy of The Beatles seems to transcend mere music. The band was lucky enough to reach full stride just as the globalisation of showbiz allowed for icon worship that would perhaps eclipse Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. With America’s Hollywood and rock ‘n’ roll spheres pervading the youth of post-war Britain, it was an unforeseen inevitability that a band would spearhead a British invasion of the US charts. With perfect talent, timing and promotion, The Beatles did everything right to put their stamp on history.
One of the early pivotal moments for The Beatles was the ousting of Pete Best, the original drummer, for Ringo Starr. From the modern perspective, it’s hard to fathom anyone else appearing in the band but the Fab Four. Over time, Best has been swept aside as a mere footnote to the band that took on the world. Starr has received his unfair share of heckling over the years concerning his drumming talent, but Best is often assumed to be a few tiers worse. Whether this is true or not is a matter of great contention.
After a shuffle of temporary drummers, Best joined the Beatles in August 1960 and played with them through their early rise to national acclaim. In January 1962, aspiring businessman Brian Epstein became the band’s manager, who, by the following month, had swung them a recording contract with George Martin of EMI.
As the band began their initial recording sessions later that year, it was reported that Martin and the band felt Best’s drumming wasn’t up to scratch for studio work, and he was promptly fired. As The Beatles welcomed Ringo Starr, the drummer from Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, it became apparent that Best was particularly popular among many of the local fans.
An array of accounts suggest different reasons for Best’s dismissal. Some claim that Best was as good as Ringo, if not better. Instead, it was frequently opined that Best had been sacked because of his comparative good looks compared to the other band members. As the Mersey Beat magazine reported at the time, The Beatles stated: “Pete left the group by mutual agreement. There were no arguments or difficulties, and this has been an entirely amicable decision.”
Alas, the mag claimed: “This official Beatles’ comment, issued by Brian Epstein, was false. Pete was to tell Mersey Beat: ‘The news came as a big surprise to me as I had had no hint that it could happen and didn’t even have the opportunity of discussing it with the rest of the group.'”
“Local fans went wild with fury, and hundreds of letters and petitions of protest were sent to Mersey Beat,” the article added. “When the Beatles were due to appear at the Cavern with Ringo on Sunday, August 19th, 1962, the Best fans were out in force. Ray McFall arranged for Brian Epstein to have a bodyguard and, during scuffles, George Harrison was given a black eye by Bruno, a Best fan. Fans were chanting ‘Pete for ever, Ringo never’ and ‘Pete is Best.'”
“The boys want you out and Ringo in,” Epstein told Best, as the latter recalled in his autobiography, Beatle! The Pete Best Story. “I was stunned and found words difficult. Only one echoed through my mind. Why, why, why? ‘They don’t think you’re a good enough drummer, Pete,’ Brian went on. ‘And George Martin doesn’t think you’re a good enough drummer.’
“‘I consider myself as good, if not better, than Ringo,’ I could hear myself saying. Then I asked: ‘Does Ringo know about this yet?’ ‘He’s joining on Saturday,’ Eppy said.”
“So everything was all neatly packaged,” Best reflected. “A conspiracy had clearly been going on for some time behind my back, but not one of the other Beatles could find the courage to tell me. The stab in the back had been left to Brian, and it had been left until almost the last minute. Even Ringo had been a party to it, someone else I had considered to be a pal until this momentous day.”
Understandably, it was a difficult day for Epstein and Best. While the whole truth behind Best’s expulsion might never surface, his contributions to the band’s early rise to national prominence mustn’t be forgotten.
Listen to a rare audio track from Pete Best’s drumming on The Beatles’ 1962 recording of ‘Like Dreamers Do’ below.
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