With the restored version of the 1970 Beatles documentary Let It Be premiering on Wednesday, May 8, on Disney+, Ringo Starr reflected on his relationship with his old bandmates in a recent video interview with music journalist Allison Hagendorf.
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Starr, who was an only child, said of his bond with Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison, “[They were] the three brothers I never had.”
The famous drummer noted that he had played in other bands before joining The Beatles, but he never experienced the kind chemistry he had as a member of the Fab Four.
“[T]he four of us, ’cause of the circumstances and the music and the nature of us, [we were] like psychic,” he said. “It didn’t take us very long to be, like, psychic. You know, for me, it was great … You could just feel it. We could feel each other, where [we were] going [musically], you know.”
Starr Recalls Recording “Yer Blues”
Starr then mentioned that one of his favorite Beatles tracks was “Yer Blues,” the rocking blues song written and sung by Lennon that appeared on the band’s self-titled 1968 album, a.k.a. “The White Album.”
He recalled recording the track in a small room with the band, with “no separation.” Starr added, “And John is great, and we just went for it.”
Looking back at his time with the group, he noted that he had “a lot of beautiful moments, on and off stage.”
Starr Shares His Favorite Thing, Sort of, About McCartney
Hagendorf also asked Starr what his favorite thing is about his fellow surviving Beatle, McCartney.
“Paul, he remembers everything,” he answered, then added, with a laugh, “Sometimes it’s my favorite thing.”
Starr also credited McCartney for motivating the band to record more new music.
He recalled that after The Beatles would finish making a record, he and Lennon would be enjoying some downtime together, but they’d invariably be interrupted by a call from McCartney.
“John and I, we lived close by, we’d be in the garden, [saying], ‘Oh, look at that green,’” Starr shred. “And the phone would ring, and we’d both know it was Paul. And he’d being saying, ‘Hey, lads, let’s go in the studio.’ So we did so much more work because of Paul.”
McCartney’s drive to create music with the band certainly was on display in Let It Be, which captures the band during January 1969 sessions that yielded the songs for the Beatles album of the same name.
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