Jump to content

Worst Rock Drummers


Dave James

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 144
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Meg White and Phil Collins.

Phil Collins was considered quite a facile drummer in his time. May not be your cup of tea, but listen to any Genesis album between 1973 and 1981.

I have a feeling that Phil Collins gets it in the neck more for his popular success, celebrity status and (in the UK at least) threatening to leave the UK if Labour got elected at one point (being a Tory rock musician has never been wise!). I'm no expert on drummers but he seemed to do the job perfectly well back in the mid-70s Genesis highpoint. Bill Bruford goes out of his way to present him as a very decent bloke in his recent autobio.

I've no grudge against drummers - just the chap in the recording studio who started turning them up in the late 70s, insisting they punch out a regular beat. Maybe the 'click track' should get the award for worst drummer.

Edited by Bev Stapleton
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dennis was the babe magnet, so his drumming didn't matter.

He also turned out to be BY FAR the group's best songwriter after Brian. And he was a hell of a singer.

And Hal Blaine played drums on the vast majority of those records, so it doesn't matter.

Up over and out.

I'm talking about live Beach Boys, not the studio version. There's no comparison between the two. Not only did Hal Blaine and Jim Gordon play drums with them on a regular basis in the studio, but the band has also included at one time or another, among scores of others, Glen Campbell, Billy Hinsche from Dino, Desi & Billy, John Cowsill from the Cowsills and Daryl Dragon from the Captain & Tenille. Brian had so little faith in his cohorts ability to play his music the way he envisioned it that he hired studio musicians to put down instrumental tracks while the band was on the road. They added the vocals later, when they were available.

Speaking of Clarks, I love the Dave Clark Five, but Dave Clark himself, while effective, was not very sound.

Up over and out.

Ah, that explains why the drumming on their studio songs sounds just fine.

I remember getting a used Dave Clark Five album in Boston, just after college, and I was giving it a spin...suddenly my roommate came in and said, "Jesus, that drumming's a joke." Or some close approximation of that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Meg White and Phil Collins.

Phil Collins was considered quite a facile drummer in his time. May not be your cup of tea, but listen to any Genesis album between 1973 and 1981.

Or Brand X, or all the studio sessions he participated in. He was a great drummer.

He sure was, I hated the big sell out though.

He can't play any more.

from Wiki"

In an interview with the Daily Mirror on September 10, 2009, Collins revealed that he would no longer be able to play the drums due to a spinal injury.
Edited by 7/4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

DAVE JAMES, YOU HAVE SERIOUS PROBLEMS. DENNIS WILSON BY NO MEANS IS WHAT YOU SAID HE WAS. WHY DO YOU SAY THAT? IS IT BEACUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM IN HIS PERSONAL LIFE? DONT BRING PERSONAL LIFE INTO THE MUSIC. IM NOT SAYING I LOVED EVERY COURSE HE TOOK IN LIFE BUT WHAT U SAID IS DEPLORABLE. DENNIS WILSON WAS THE SOUL OF THE BB'S. BRIAN WAS THE BRAINS BUT DENNIS WAS THE SOUL. THERE WOULD BE NO BEACH BOYS AT ALL WITHOUT DENNIS, IT WAS HE WHO ASKED BRIAN TO WRITE A SONG ABOUT HIS SURFIN' ADVENTURE HE WENT ON THAT DAY, WHICH SPAWNED THEIR FIRST RECORD: "SURFIN'" (X-RECORDS) DENNIS IS ALSO THE BEACH BOY WHO MADE THE GREATEST BB-SOLO-LP: PACIFIC OCEAN BLUE, ONE OF THE GREATEST RECORDS OF ALL TIME

AND FOR THE GUY OF GUYS WHO CRITIZED PHIL COLLINS, WORDS CAN NOT DESCRIBE HOW ILL-ADVISED YOU ALL HAVE BEEN ALL YOUR LIFE. I DONT SEE HOW ANY OF YOU CAN DIG THE ART BLAKEY SOUND IF YOU DONT DIG THE PHIL SOUND! PHIL PIONNERED HOW DRUMS ARE RECORDED IN THE STUDIO AND HOW THEY CAN "TAKE OVER" A SONG AND MAKE IT INTENSE THE SAME WAY THE LEAD GUITAR OR VOCAL USUALLY ONLY DOES.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would never hire Mo Tucker as a session drummer, but she often fit what the Velvets were doing and even if not it doesn't bug me. Now John Bonham, he bugs me. As do lots of other perfectly competent drummers, when they don't listen...

John Bonham? The prototypical heavy metal drummer? The straw that stirred the Zeppelin drink? Blasphemy! This cannot go unpunished! I sentence you to

three hours of cool out time in the Mr. Turtle pool.

Up over and out.

Edited by Dave James
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't think of too many bad rock drummers. Pretty much all of the well known ones, even Mo Tucker, we're good in their settings and served the sound of their bands well. I would say that my least favorite was Ginger Baker, because of his overlong, not-so-good solos. But as a timekeeper, and for decorating the sound of Jack and Eric, he was fine.

Jazz drumming is much easier to find fault in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Still not convinced Phil Collins is all that. :w

That's ok, I won't hold my breath! Your loss.

I would never hire Mo Tucker as a session drummer, but she often fit what the Velvets were doing and even if not it doesn't bug me. Now John Bonham, he bugs me. As do lots of other perfectly competent drummers, when they don't listen...

I'm afraid you're the one who's not listening.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just out of interest, why is Phil Collins a 'bad' drummer?

No axes to grind...I don't know enough about drumming and generally don't pay drums a great deal of conscious attention. Though I've always found the drumming on the instrumental passage towards the end of 'Supper's Ready' very engaging.

Just curious. Is he a 'bad' drummer full stop. Or did he become 'bad' in the late 70s when he seemed to be part of that move to fill up space with loud, echoy, regular timekeeping?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now John Bonham, he bugs me. As do lots of other perfectly competent drummers, when they don't listen...

Different strokes...but even if I didn't like John Bonham's style, I'd still use a phrase different from "perfectly competent" to describe him. He seemed to be much more than perfectly competent:

John Bonham - Moby Dick (Royal Albert Hall, 1970)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

DAVE JAMES, YOU HAVE SERIOUS PROBLEMS. DENNIS WILSON BY NO MEANS IS WHAT YOU SAID HE WAS. WHY DO YOU SAY THAT? IS IT BEACUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM IN HIS PERSONAL LIFE? DONT BRING PERSONAL LIFE INTO THE MUSIC. IM NOT SAYING I LOVED EVERY COURSE HE TOOK IN LIFE BUT WHAT U SAID IS DEPLORABLE. DENNIS WILSON WAS THE SOUL OF THE BB'S. BRIAN WAS THE BRAINS BUT DENNIS WAS THE SOUL. THERE WOULD BE NO BEACH BOYS AT ALL WITHOUT DENNIS, IT WAS HE WHO ASKED BRIAN TO WRITE A SONG ABOUT HIS SURFIN' ADVENTURE HE WENT ON THAT DAY, WHICH SPAWNED THEIR FIRST RECORD: "SURFIN'" (X-RECORDS) DENNIS IS ALSO THE BEACH BOY WHO MADE THE GREATEST BB-SOLO-LP: PACIFIC OCEAN BLUE, ONE OF THE GREATEST RECORDS OF ALL TIME

Chewy,

First of all, what was it I said he was? You know I'm a major fan of the Beach Boys and of Dennis Wilson. I've seen them live in all of their important iterations, including twice when Brian was still touring and one of their CD's is on rotation in my car as we speak. I love those guys. You're right about one thing, though, and that's that I don't think Dennis lived his life very intelligently. You could put his picture next to the definition of "hedonism" in the dictionary and you wouldn't be missing the mark. Nonetheless, for better or for worse, he lived his life doing pretty much what he wanted to do. How many of us can say that?

Dennis was the "soul of the BB's"? On what basis? I'm of a mind that Brian was both the brains and the soul of the Beach Boys. Everyone else was just along for the ride. Would there been a band without Dennis? Most likely. Without Brian? Not a chance.

I know there are a lot of fans of Pacific Ocean Blue in these parts, but I've never quite gotten it. I guess it's pleasant enough, and Dennis does have an effective voice, even if it's not great one. Honestly, I couldn't call the album anything more than OK. Lastly, your assertion that P.O.B. was "the greatest BB solo LP" is what Shakespeare calls "damning with feint praise." By that I mean, greatest BB solo LP compared to what?

Up over and out.

Edited by Dave James
Link to comment
Share on other sites

as i sit here w/ the feb. 2nd, 1984 issue of Rolling Stone on my lap, with the story: Dennis Wilson's final wave-- im looking at the recent picture of him and im thinking about what he means to the band, and dave james you have to understand the beach boys was not merely a vichiele (sic) for brians compositions. it was a -band-. all members were creative music parts that made it special.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...