John Lennon says Ringo Starr was ‘a few years’ behind him in musical quality, and one song proves it

John Lennon suggested The Beatles’ drummer Ringo Starr was only “a few years” behind him in quality.

Lennon would share the song which proves Starr was catching up to him in an interview where he broke down the songs featured on Abbey Road. While songs from Paul McCartney would fail to impress Lennon, it was Starr and George Harrison who stood out best of all on The Beatles‘ studio classic. Some may interpret Lennon’s comments as a compliment, but others may find him saying he is a “few years behind” a rather brutal jab at his ex-bandmate. But Starr was favourably compared to Harrison, who would go on to be arguably the most successful of the Fab Four after their break-up. Lennon, breaking down Abbey Road, suggested Octopus’s Garden was a step behind what Lennon and McCartney were capable of doing.

He suggested: “It’ll be a few years before his production is going as fast as ours, it took George a few years. It’s a singalong singalong song.” Lennon’s comments on Starr’s production would lead to further praise from the Imagine hitmaker. The Beatles’ drummer received high praise from Lennon for a handful of his solo songs in a separate interview.

He shared: “I’m most happy for Ringo’s success because it always went round that Ringo was dumb but he ain’t dumb. He just didn’t have that much of a writing ability and he wasn’t known for writing his own material.

“There was a bit of a worry, although he can make movies and he does make movies and he’s good at it, but how was his recording career gonna be? And in general, it’s probably better than mine actually.”

Lennon and Starr would collaborate on the latter’s 1973 release, Ringo. It is the only post-Beatles album to feature Lennon, McCartney, George Harrison, and Starr. Despite the group splitting up in 1970, the members would frequently work with one another on solo projects.

Lennon would argue the band was better off broken up than together, citing a number of albums made after the break-up. He said: “George is suddenly the biggest seller of all of us. I think my music’s improved a millionfold lyric-wise and everything. And Ringo’s coming out and writing It Don’t Come Easy and now he’s going to write the title song for this cowboy thing he’s in, and he’s playing a really tough guy and all that. It’s really beautiful.

“The fact is, the Beatles have left school… and we have to get a job. That’s made us work — really work harder. I think we’re much better than we ever were when we were together. Look at us today. I’d sooner have [Paul McCartney’s album] Ram, John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band, George’s album, and Ringo’s single and the movies than Let It Be or Abbey Road.