This video gave me new eyes to see the Beatles with.I still contend that Ringo is not all that. He played the parts John and Paul creatively told him or taught him to play. He had the right style for the songs, sure, but many other drummers, it seems, coulda done that. Neither an amazing musician myself nor a drummer I could be wrong. Have yet to be swayed. Anyone? That being said, this clip is a fun piece. ..
mjp also makes a great point. I recall hearing him make a similar point on one of his podcast episodes - this idea that it does not make any sense to say that 'I could do that' or 'anyone could have done that' when referring to the work of an artist. I think about that statement often since hearing mjp make it, and it does make sense to me.
However I don't know if it totally offsets what Philly Dave is getting at, namely that the Beatles were not only a highly productive band - they were also a highly produced band. Not only in the sense that they were certainly feeding off of each other, but also in the sense that they quickly became an extremely lucrative investment opportunity for the record label and management team. It is not hard to imagine huge piles of money and ideas being thrown at their growth as musicians.
In that context, it does make some sense to say that 'anyone could have done that.' If somebody invested a few million dollars in me or any number of us here, we could probably do some pretty awesome things. Partly because we're not total losers, but also partly because money can buy really good teachers, really good equipment, it can get you into conversations with really creative people.
As usual I don't have a particular point of my own to make. More just wondering if it's okay to be like 'yes .. and yes.'