Pete Best Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
As we become increasingly aware of the need to protect our non-renewable natural resources, it becomes obvious that the musical community is not making adequate use of the dwindling supply of former Beatles, and as Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr can hardly be expected to keep the world supplied with Beatles-related material forever, another onetime member of Liverpool's finest, Pete Best, has stepped forward to help remedy this situation. Sure, Best was given his walking papers by the Beatles about three weeks before they cut their first single for Parlophone, but he still counts as a former member of the band, and Haymans Green is his fifth album since returning to active duty in 1992, a few years before the release of the Beatles' Anthology 1 made him a very wealthy man and convinced him there was a disturbing gap between demand for Beatles solo recordings and the current supply. Haymans Green is the most Beatles-sounding album from a former Beatle to emerge since Paul McCartney became aware of his advancing maturity, but what's remarkable is that it recalls not the rough-and-tumble rock & roll of their early days playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg, but the ambitious pop of Revolver through Abbey Road, as if Best wants to prove to the world he could have helped make Sgt. Pepper's or the White Album if someone had given him the chance. Best also had a hand in writing the 11 songs on Haymans Green, something he's never done before, but guitarist Phil Melia and guitarist and keyboardist Paul Parry are also credited on all the tracks, and Pete's brother Roag Best (who doubles with him on drums) also pitches in on eight of the selections, so this falls a bit short as a defining personal statement. It also says a certain amount about Best's role in the Beatles that he's surrounded himself with people who write, play, and even sing like John, Paul, and George; 46 years after he stopped being a Beatle, he's still defined by the sound of his former bandmates even on his own solo album, as if he has nothing to say as a musician besides "I knew them when." As a Beatles pastiche, Haymans Green isn't quite up to the inspired appropriation of Utopia's Deface the Music or anything by the Rutles, but the quality is at least a couple steps up from Best's clumsy covers of beat-era material on his previous albums, and it is doubtless more satisfying than whatever Jimmy Nicol or Andy White have in the works. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'Casbah Coffee Club: Birthplace of the Beatles'
Release Date 2/29/2000
Tracks 15
Label Ozit
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Original Beatles drummer Pete Best's Casbah Coffee Club consists of old rock & roll standards that were originally on the jukebox in the actual Casbah Club. As fans know, the Beatles appeared there under the name Silver Beatles, but at that time Best was not their drummer (he joined after that, just before their famous Hamburg stints). The song selections are fine despite some performances that might be deemed lackluster, and the best moment on the album is the instrumental "Red River Rock." It is interesting to note that the lineup here is the same from Best's 1988 appearances -- one wonders, then, when exactly this CD was recorded. The front sleeve features a photo taken at the Silver Beatles' debut performance in the club. ~ Aaron Badgley, All Music Guide
'Live at the Adelphi: Liverpool 1988'
Release Date 1/1/1992
Tracks 13
Label PEBE-SPLASH/Cherry Red
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
By now everyone is familiar with Pete Best's story, being axed from the Beatles on the eve of their rise to fame. The story did not end in the '60s, though; Pete tried to exploit his name and his past involvement with the Beatles by releasing a number of singles and one album. In 1988, Pete Best formed a new incarnation of the Pete Best Band, and hit the road. This CD was taped at his "comeback" concert in Liverpool, and was originally released on his own label to be sold only at his shows. In 1996, Cherry Red decided to cash in on the success of the Anthology series, and reissued the album with a barely audible interview tagged on at the end. The question is, why? This CD is overall a mess -- sloppy playing, poor recording, and an audience who seems more interested in their drinks than the band. Overall, it is a dismal, embarrassing affair, essentially a boring bar band playing covers of classic rock standards. The version of "I Hear You Knocking" is particularly appalling. The only positive aspect of the CD is its humor; the introduction calling this "the greatest band ever" is too funny. For Beatle completists only; all others should pass. ~ Aaron Badgley, All Music Guide
