Drummer here. You triggered me.
He is. Ringo Starr is one of the best drummers of all time and my favorite pop-rock drummer. Lots of studio drummers and band drummers know that. His timing is impeccable. The quality of the timbre he brings from the instrument is very good. His fills are original, creative and compliment the song. His influence on other drummers is enormous. Cue John Bonham: "I'm just a Ringo that hits harder."
His versatility is enormous, from latin rhythms ("i feel fine") to straight rock ("helter skelter") to experimental ("tomorrow never knows") to double-bass-drum-in-1967 ("good morning, good morning"), complex ballads ("something"), etc. He could keep the song in place even with so much noise from the crowd the group couldn't hear themselves.
The amount of originality he has brought to drumming is considerable, for example "ticket to ride", the intro to "come together", the bridge on "something", the fills on "i want you (she's so heavy)".
And most important of everything -- he's an excellent example of a drummer that contributes to the song. He never overplays and always plays exactly what the song requires.
To fully appreciate what I say, listen to the whole Abbey Road record. It is a drumming masterpiece, if you appreciate drums as the instrument that complements the song and makes it work 'just right.'
Ringo was the top drummer in Liverpool before the beatles were famous, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Ringo got his own spot in the show act, singing and playing. Paul's brother always suggested to bring Ringo to the Beatles, which they finally did; the rest is history.
John Lennon and George Harrison could have used any drummer after splitting from the Beatles. Guess who they called for playing in their first solo records? Ringo. (Paul was at odds with the other 3.)
In the beatles' own words:
"Ringo is right down the center, never overplays."
"We loved him. And we just thought he was the very best drummer we'd ever seen. And we wanted him in the group. We were big fans of his."
- Paul McCartney
"Ringo's got the best back beat I've ever heard and he can play great 24-hours a day."
- George Harrison (note also complimenting Ringo's endurance.)
PLAYBOY: Let's move on to Ringo. What's your opinion of him musically?
LENNON: Ringo was a star in his own right in Liverpool before we even met. He was a professional drummer who sang and performed and had Ringo Star-time and he was in one of the top groups in Britain but especially in Liverpool before we even had a drummer. So Ringo's talent would have come out one way or the other as something or other. I don't know what he would have ended up as, but whatever that spark is in Ringo that we all know but can't put our finger on -- whether it is acting, drumming or singing I don't know -- there is something in him that is projectable and he would have surfaced with or without the Beatles. Ringo is a damn good drummer. He is not technically good, but I think Ringo's drumming is underrated the same way Paul's bass playing is underrated. Paul was one of the most innovative bass players ever. And half the stuff that is going on now is directly ripped off from his Beatles period. He is an egomaniac about everything else about himself, but his bass playing he was always a bit coy about. I think Paul and Ringo stand up with any of the rock musicians. Not technically great -- none of us are technical musicians. None of us could read music. None of us can write it. But as pure musicians, as inspired humans to make the noise, they are as good as anybody.
Also, he was also a keen Spotmatic and Nikon F user. Talk about taste!
