Let me first say that I am by no means a Beatles completist, revisionist or even fanatic. I dig the Beatles first and foremost as a beat band, and I dig 'em in the same way that I dig other bands of the same time and place: Rory Storm & the Hurricanes, the Big Three, et al. My favorite aspects of the Beatles arise from their beat sensibilities and to that end, I find their earlier material the most intriguing simply because--brace yourselves--it rocks. I'll take "I'm Down" over "brilliant" sap like Sgt. Pepper's any day of the week. And before anyone starts going through the roof we'd all do well to remember that though many have made the argument that Pepper's saved or revolutionized rock 'n' roll, others have just as validly opined that it ruined it. But that's another story.
The reason I bring up "Sgt Pepper's" is to say that, while that "legendary" album has always left me largely cold save for a couple of songs, when I first heard this CD I was simply blown away, particularly by "I Wanna Be There" and "I Don't Know Why I Do (I Just Do)." I wasn't judging the songs or the record against the impossible-to-compete-with yardstick of the Beatles' entire recorded output; in fact I wasn't judging it at all, I was just screamin' "Yeah!"
As far rock 'n' roll goes, this material stands up more than admirably. You don't have to be a Beatles fan to appreciate Best's pop sensibility and the song writing is excellent. The band's good, the songs are good and the drive and inspiration create that all-important intangible quality that all great rock 'n' roll must possess. If you're expecting music that you can compare to the songs that rock critics have been telling us for years are so "important"--the Beatles, Zeppelin, Bob Marley, latter day Stones, etc--it might not stack up, but then again what would? U2?
On the other hand, if you're sick to hell of having that over-indulgent junk rammed down your throat at every turn of the mile--or you're just looking for some damn good rock 'n' roll that you can spin alongside the Ronettes, the Pretty Things, Bobby Fuller and other under-appreciated geniuses that played from the gut--invest in the Best.
Don't be swindled into believing that Pete was a pathetic coat tail rider either: None of the material here bears any resemblence to the Beatles beyond the fact that it's cast in the beat idiom. An honest-to-goodness artifact from an amazing era containing all the musical ingredients that made that era what it was. The Pete Best Combo not only blows Ringo's solo efforts away--no great feat in itself--it runs roughshod over every solo album EVER made by any member of the fab four.
Top reviews from other countries
Jose Molist Diaz
pete best, el mas humilde
Reviewed in Spain on January 17, 2013Verified Purchase
すかたん
買うのなら
Reviewed in Japan on July 14, 2022Verified Purchase
Ray Kaye
The WORST of BEST
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2006Verified Purchase
Smiddyboy
Not Half Bad
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2014Verified Purchase
