People who were part of the group, but really weren’t involved in the bulk of the artistic work: Stu, Pete, and Billy. Contribution: virtually nothing.
People who played on a few songs. Contribution varied. Eric Clapton is mentioned for various reasons. For one thing, in certain respects he was a better musician than George. For another, a famous solo (While My Guitar Gently Weeps) was Clapton. George and Clapton were long-time friends and worked on various things together. But Clapton was not a Beatle in any sense.
People who supported the Beatles musically. George Martin had a huge influence, and played on many tracks. Since he was a classically trained musician, one would have to conclude he contributed substantially. (The Beatles couldn’t read music, for example. Nor were they familiar with how to use orchestral instruments.)
Hmmmm, do I believe Pete Best or Paul McCartney. (He discussed Stu on The Beatles Anthology)? I’m gonna trust Macca on this one. Especially since they actually showed photos of Stu playing with his back to the audience, and I honestly can’t think of a motive for Paul to lie about a young man he knew over 40 years ago who is long dead.
I always figured there were 2 true “fifth Beatles”. First, allow me to eliminate those who were never really “fifth Beatles”
Any drummer who performed with them who wasn’t Ringo Starr. Best was close, but nope, not really wasn’t one of them. Having a drum kit and a mom who owned a club didn’t make him one of the guys, just good enough till the right guy comes along.
Stu Sutcliffe: Nope. John’s art school buddy who won an art contest or sold a painting (don’t remember which) and got enough of a prize/fee to buy a bass guitar and amp. He wasn’t a musician, he was an art student “experiencing the Rock thing” for a while.
Murray the K: You’ve got to be kidding!
Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Ravi Shankar or any other musician who sat in with the fellows for a recording or two. Nope, not really. Just hired guns
So, who were the 5th Beatles? In a musical, creative sense, George Martin. As far as one of the guys, sharing the experiences in all the madness? Neil Aspenal.
Well, that’s my call on it.
What I could never figure out is how they could stand to be around each other long enough to put out Abbey Road, which was a hell of an album
I rank George Martin as the Third Beatle. With all due respect to the other Beatles, Martin had more of an influence on how the Beatles sounded on record than George Harrison or Ringo Starr did.
A note on keyboardist Billy Preston: He received a Grammy with the Beatles for Let It Be.
Second note on Preston: The Beatles were so impressed by Preston that he is the only person share label credit with them. “Get Back” is credited as “The Beatles with Billy Preston”.
I don’t think it was Jimmy Nichols who replaced Ringo temporarily. I think Nichols was the session drummer who played on the single Love Me Do at G. Martin’s request because he didn’t know what Ringo was capable of. (It was right after they fired Best.)
Jimmy Nichol did fill in for Ringo (who indeed had tonsilitis) for the Beatles’ 1964 tour through Denmark, the Netherlands, and Australia…and was never heard from again.