Ex-Beatle Ringo Starr with his wife Barbara Bach at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hamburg. — Photo by Christian Charisius/dpa/Corbis

At 71, ex-Beatle may be getting his due as a drummer and musician

by: Chris Willman | from: Concord Music | January 24, 2012

No one loved the cleaned-up and remastered versions of the Beatles' albums that came out a couple of years ago more than Ringo Starr. "And do you know why?" he asks, followed by a pregnant pause.

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"Um," we hesitantly reply, "because now you can make out all the drum parts?"

Bingo, says Ringo. "You can hear the drums, yes! It's like, wow! And suddenly people say, 'Ooh, we better re-look at his playing.' Because sometimes that's been in doubt, in a lot of people's minds. Of course, with Lennon and McCartney, what do you expect? And now suddenly people are saying 'Maybe he could play,'" Starr chuckles, long past the point of being defensive, but still a little protective of his legacy.

To read more and see the video: http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/music/info-01-2012/ringo-starr-album-release.html