10 Best Drum Solos In Classic Rock
8. The End - The Beatles
Throughout Abbey Road, the Beatles brought everything to the table to make one final artistic statement for their fans. With the back half of the record dominated by a dizzying medley of songs, it was only fitting that this operatic structure end with a bang.
As the band was working on "The End," they wanted to have a chance to highlight each player's abilities. At the start, they wanted to include a drum solo, by Ringo Starr was not having any of it. Though Starr took his craft seriously, he always preferred to play for the song rather than using a tune as an opportunity to grandstand. After much convincing though, Starr turned in a performance for the ages.
The solo is the perfect kind of catchy hook, with much of it dominated by a pounding kick drum. The way that the toms play off each other don't so much feel like a percussion instrument as they do a singer carefully picking out notes during a long scale run. By the time you're out of it, you're floating above the clouds in musical ecstasy. People tend to see Ringo as the least talented musician of the group, but this solo will show just how great a technician he really is.