#186 – Don’t Pass Me By – Drummer Roundtable with guests Kyle Melancon and Andre Bohren

There’s an old joke…What was the last thing the drummer said before getting fired? “I’ve written a song…” Ringo first brought “Don’t Pass Me By” to the Beatles when he joined the band in 1962. Not until the free-for-all spirit of The White Album in 1968 did the band agree to take up his jolly country tune, and when we say the band, we mean just Paul. Dueling sources place both Beatles behind the drum kit, strangely, and we’re frankly not sure who it is because while it’s messy enough to be Paul, it’s weird and groovy enough to be Ringo . The song is filled with Sir Rich’s trademark charm, and certainly adds to the sonic journey of the band’s sole double album. Speaking of the band, The Band, it was their favorite track on the record, apparently.

To discuss this track, we’ve brought back two of New Orleans’ premier drummers…Kyle Melanon (Dash Rip Rock, Imagination Movers) who loves the track, and Andre Bohren (Johnny Sketch & The Dirty Notes) who does NOT. In our first in-person podcast, we discuss the pros and cons of being not quite professional, the difference singing versus being able to truly deliver a vocal, the weight of charm, and importance of letting your fiddle player tune up and make more than 1 pass on a track, while Julia drops a bomb that just may be the one overarching rule when it comes to The Beatles…. What do you think? Too high? To low? Just right? Be sure to follow along, leave your comments, and join in on the discussion on the rankings at Facebook (facebook.com/rankingthebeatles), on Twitter at @rankingbeatles, and on Instagram @rankingthebeatles. Enjoying the show and want to show your support? Check out https://anchor.fm/rankingthebeatles/support!