On this day in 1968 Ringo came back and rejoined the Beatles to finish recording The White Album.

What you never knew he left? Few people did.

He discovered that McCartney had bee re-recording the drum parts on to of Ringo’s when he was not looking. Mr Starkey was not best pleased, as you can imagine and stormed off. He went on a Mediterranean cruise and after a couple of weeks he went back.

You can only surmise why he came back. No one else wanted a not very good drummer? The money was too good to resist? No pride? No matter, the Fab Four were back together (well Fab three and the other one).

In case you are wondering these are the tracks from The White Album that Ringo did not play on;

Back in The USSR (all the other 3 played drums on this…..)
Dear Prudence (much loved by Gordon Brown apparently, but he’s gone off it recently)
Wild Honey Pie
Blackbird (obviously)
Julia (equally obviously)
Mother’s Nature Son
Revolution 9

All a bit of a storm in a teacup really. In fact there were lots of tensions within the band. Perhaps the biggest source of tension was the way that the royalties and touring profits were divided between the band. Ringo and George 1.5% John and Paul 15 – 30%. Even given that J&P wrote most of the songs it seems very unfair.

Ringo was not the only Beatle to quit. Harrison left on January 10th, 1969. He was upset that while he had a growing number of songs that remained unrecorded The Beatles were concentrating John and Paul’s songs. he was also miffed that John no longer really spoke to the others preferring Yoko to to attend band meetings. John wanted to replace George with either Hendrix or Clapton (surely that was joke?). He also wanted to break the news to the press. No need, Harrison himself did that. However after a few days he was back in the fold.