Paul Morigi/Getty ImagesQuincy Jones has crossed paths with many famous musicians during his illustrious career, and the legendary producer has no problem sharing his opinions, no matter how negative, about some of those artists.
In a new interview with Vulture, Jones blasts The Beatles for what he says is their lack of musical ability and also drops some bombshells about his frequent collaborator Michael Jackson.
Regarding his first impressions of the Fab Four, Jones declares, “[T]hey were the worst musicians in the world. They were no-playing m***********s. Paul [McCartney] was the worst bass player I ever heard. And Ringo [Starr]? Don’t even talk about it.”
Quincy then shares a story about being at a recording session with George Martin for Ringo’s solo album Sentimental Journey as Starr struggled with a simple drum part.
“Ringo had taken three hours for a four-bar thing he was trying to fix on a song. He couldn’t get it,” Jones recalls. “We said, ‘Mate, why don’t you get some lager and lime, some shepherd’s pie, and take an hour-and-a-half and relax a little bit.’ So he did, and we called Ronnie Verrell, a jazz drummer. Ronnie came in for 15 minutes and tore it up.”
Quincy says they played Ringo the track when he returned to the studio. “That didn’t sound so bad,” said Starr, to which Jones responded, “Yeah, m**********r, because it ain’t you.”
Jones does call Ringo a “great guy,” though.
As for the late King of Pop, Quincy says he “stole a lot of songs,” pointing out the similarity between “Billie Jean” and [Donna Summer‘s] “State of Independence.”
Jones adds that Jackson was “greedy” and was obsessed with plastic surgery because “his father told him he was ugly and abused him.”
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