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"Ringo Starr is one of the greatest drummers of all time," says Rich Pagano, drummer and co-vocalist for The Fab Faux, one of the world's premier Beatles tribute bands. "But like many of the greats, he made it look so easy. That's what happens with true originals and innovators, and as a result, people take for granted the artistry behind what they do."

It was in 1998 that Pagano, a seasoned sideman who has produced, recorded with or played drums live for artists such as Patti Smith, Rosanne Cash, Robbie Robertson, Ray Davies, Joan Osborne, Levon Helm and Ian Hunter, among others, formed The Fab Faux with Late Show With David Letterman bassist and session ace Will Lee, guitarist Jimmy Vivino (who now leads Conan O'Brien's TV house band) and session men Frank Agnello and Jack Petruzzelli.

"We started small, playing clubs for free or little money," says Pagano, "but we stuck to one rule: honor the music." Twelve years later, The Fab Faux are going strong, routinely playing 3,000 to 4,000-seat venues - not to mention a sold-out 10th anniversary show in 2008 at NYC's legendary Radio City Music Hall (capacity: 6,000).

Ringo Starr rocks during The Beatles' riotous concert in Washington, DC on 11 February 1964. © Bettmann/CORBIS

"Our goal was always to take the music apart like mad scientists and re-create it live," says Pagano. "I mean, there's tons of Beatles tribute bands, and some are excellent, but we wanted to be the best around. And the only way to do that was by honoring the music 100 percent. To that end, I had to analyze Ringo and put what he did under a microscope. His early years [see the above video, performed on a vintage WFL kit, for examples] are fascinating because you're hearing a lot of pure drumming - fantastic grooves, swing parts and patterns that came from his years of playing in clubs in the late '50s and 'early '60s.

"From 1966 onward, The Beatles really accelerated the way music was recorded," says Pagano, "but as we all know, this coincides with when they stopped touring. They treated the studio as a second home, doing 45 takes of one song, changing ideas all the time. Through all of this, they pioneered the use of overdubs and how songs could be layered. This included the drums. Sometimes, what you hear on cuts like Something [shown in the second video, performed on a mid-'70s Ludwig Vistalite set, on the next page] are really two drum takes stacked on top of each other. So for The Fab Faux to play this in a show, I have to make choices on how to economize what Ringo did in the studio but still render it like a single live performance. It takes ears…and practice."

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