Legendary music producer Quincy Jones dished on what he really thinks of some of his most famous collaborators, from The Beatles to Michael Jackson, in a wide-ranging interview with Vulture.
Though they're widely regarded as one of the greatest bands to ever play, Jones' first impression of The Beatles was hardly complimentary.
In fact, his initial reaction to the mop-top Liverpudlians was that "they were the worst musicians in the world. They were no-playing mother f**kers."
He took particular issue with Paul McCartney's bass-playing skills ("Paul was the worst bass player I ever heard") and Ringo's drumming ("Don't even talk about it").
Jones recalled a particular studio session in 1970 in which he was working on a version of "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" for Starr's debut studio album.
The producer said Starr was trying — and failing — for hours to master "a four-bar thing" and couldn't perfect it, so Jones suggested he "get some lager and lime, some shepherd's pie" and take a time out.
While Starr was gone, Jones said he called up jazz drummer Ronnie Verrell to master the bit in 15 minutes — and when Starr heard it, he was impressed.
"I said, 'Yeah, mother f**ker, because it ain't you,'" Jones recalled.
Jones did have some positive things to say about the state of music today, despite gripes that most modern artists don't have enough musical knowledge to create decent work.
He praised Bruno Mars, Chance the Rapper, Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith, among others.
"I like where Kendrick's mind is. He's grounded. Chance, too," Jones said. "And the Ed Sheeran record is great. Sam Smith — he's so open about being gay. I love it. Mark Ronson is someone who knows how to produce."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Rachel Desantis
Wednesday, February 7, 2018, 6:04 PM
Though they're widely regarded as one of the greatest bands to ever play, Jones' first impression of The Beatles was hardly complimentary.
In fact, his initial reaction to the mop-top Liverpudlians was that "they were the worst musicians in the world. They were no-playing mother f**kers."
He took particular issue with Paul McCartney's bass-playing skills ("Paul was the worst bass player I ever heard") and Ringo's drumming ("Don't even talk about it").
Jones recalled a particular studio session in 1970 in which he was working on a version of "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" for Starr's debut studio album.
The producer said Starr was trying — and failing — for hours to master "a four-bar thing" and couldn't perfect it, so Jones suggested he "get some lager and lime, some shepherd's pie" and take a time out.
While Starr was gone, Jones said he called up jazz drummer Ronnie Verrell to master the bit in 15 minutes — and when Starr heard it, he was impressed.
"I said, 'Yeah, mother f**ker, because it ain't you,'" Jones recalled.
Jones did have some positive things to say about the state of music today, despite gripes that most modern artists don't have enough musical knowledge to create decent work.
He praised Bruno Mars, Chance the Rapper, Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith, among others.
"I like where Kendrick's mind is. He's grounded. Chance, too," Jones said. "And the Ed Sheeran record is great. Sam Smith — he's so open about being gay. I love it. Mark Ronson is someone who knows how to produce."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Rachel Desantis
Wednesday, February 7, 2018, 6:04 PM