"When's the last time you could tell who the drummer was?"

[Silver Sonya]

By now, most of you have probably read the Rolling Stone article about the death of sound quality in recorded music.

To a certain extent, this is kind of a *yawn* topic for us. The web is littered with zillions of articles on this topic: the music business is dying, the public doesn't care, sound quality sucks, the public doesn't care, the loudness war has reached insane proportions, the public doesn't care, etc.

But the most poignant and striking quote from this particular article is the 3rd-to-last paragraph.



Quoting:

"You can make anyone sound professional," says Mitchell Froom, a producer who's worked with Elvis Costello and Los Lobos, among others. "But the problem is that you have something that's professional, but it's not distinctive. I was talking to a session drummer, and I said, 'When's the last time you could tell who the drummer is?' You can tell Keith Moon or John Bonham, but now they all sound the same."




I was thinking... it's true! The age of The Drummer With A Distinctive Sound And Recognizable Personality seems to be over, for the most part. In recorded music, drums are all starting to sound the same. I went to the Police reunion tour last year and I was struck by how much Stewart Copeland always sounds like Stewart Copeland.

What do you guys think of Froom's quote? Does it break your heart as much as it does mine?

- c

[James Lugo]

Crue. Tommy Lee

People probably hear Danny Carrey.

[Me_Likey]

Originally Posted by James 'LA' Lugo

People probably hear Danny Carrey.

+1 thumbsup

[egan]

I think there is some truth to the statement but then again I think truly distinctive player are few and far between. Certainly BD and samples have homoginized things tho.
Danny Carrey, Thomas Haake, Brendan Canty and Mike Bordin come to mind personally....then again, none of those guys are new on the scene.

[mattasbob]

Jack Dejohnette and Steve Jordan come to mind. Carrey for sure!

[dbbubba]

The sad part is that this is true with so many instruments and players!

There was once a time when people were pioneering ideas, styles and such, but eventually the catalog of acceptable pop/rock or what-ever sounds became so vast that people started to feel content re-hashing the same old stuff.

Remember that rock as a style isn't that old really.
Rocket 88 was cut in Memphis in the early/mid '50s and the whole thing was born.
It almost seems hard to belive it, but the Beatles were starting to kick ass and be noticed by 1962 and that was only SEVEN YEARS after Elvis started to hit big!
It seems like a light year musically, but Led Zepplin's first record came out in 1969!
That is barely FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER Elvis came on the scene!
Now it seems like music from fifteen years ago is recent history!

These days it is just ridiculous!

I honestly think that it a problem of lack of familiarity with past music and a definite short cut to an accepted "hit."
I swear that writers and producers must hear an idea and say, "Well, Gee! That is a great riff or hook. I really feel comfortable with that musical idea. It moves me."
Well of course it does! It was already part of a hit song!

Example: Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Boston's "More Than a Feeling."

It might not seem that way to a neophyte, but if you were there when Boston hit the scene and was played and played and played, that rhythm figure was beat into your brain. The first time I heard "Smells Like Teen.." I thought "More Than a Feeling with different chords!" Been there... Done that!

There is definitely a musical cookbook that the "pioneers" formulated.
The days of juxtaposing styles and sounds is gone.

I don't know... Maybe a Gamelan orchestra with naked, Tibetian monks singing and T Pain adding some parts. Nahhh... probably been done!

[Sqye]

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.........to exhibit only a FEW...

[Retox7714]

I know he's already been mentioned, but it's kind of hard NOT to hear Thomas Haake once you know who Meshuggah is.

Danny Carey

Thomas Haake

...and for sh*ts and grins:

This guy

[cavern]

alvin lee..ten years after..yes..emerson lake and palmer..floyd..grand funk railroad..heck even devo.. i got a million of em ..i can pick out all those drummers..any one care to add some of todays artists..please only ones that mesure up...

[mikymike]

john dolmayan
matt mcdonough
joey jordison
jean-paul gaster
james sullivin
jeremy spencer
oh yeah, and
brann dailor!!!
michael torey mercurio

[travisbrown]

I think he's overstating or misstating the case. Between all the mediocre drummers, yeah, you can't tell the difference because -- wait for it --- they are mediocre drummers. Beat Detective and overcompression just adds to the homogeneity.

The really good drummers - the ones who, like Bonham and Moon, impart their personality into the music, you can tell. That's precisely what allows us to recognize them as distinctive, drummers. You don't even have to be a superb drummer to be distinctive - Phil Collins is someone who I always found to be a instantly recognizable drummer, but not someone who I'd say was world class. I guess Moon was sort of the same class.

Travis Barker comes to mind if he wants an upstart from the new generation of drummers. ?uestLove, John Blackwell, Ben Riley, Tyler Stewart.... I recognize all these guys when I hear them.

[bryancook]

Vinnie Colaiuta's sidestick on ten summoner's tales. what is it about his cross stick that sounds so much like him? such a woody midrange.

and any Matt Chamberlin recording, pretty much.

[cavern]

-

Phil Collins is someone who I always found to be a instantly recognizable drummer, but not someone who I'd say was world class. I guess Moon was sort of the same class

. im glad you weren't the drum judge at the world class competition...do you have any idea what your saying...in the air tonight?the who?..who are you ? never mind...already know.....

[vernier]

In Through The Out Door

[u b k]

ssayyyyyy...

i hear grampa simpson's voice saying "in my day we had drummers you could *recognize*!!!"

of course, at the time he was wearing an onion in his belt.

because it was the style.


gregoire
del
ubk
.

[3rd world order]

last drummer i could recognize was named "mpc 60"

[Mattct]

Matt Cameron and Matt Chamberlain

[heathen]

You guys should go listen to some Anthrax, then report back.

[Sqye]

Originally Posted by 3rd world order

last drummer i could recognize was named "mpc 60"

lol, same here.

heathen, are we supposed to eat the anthrax, or what?? because i tried that,
and i couldn't hear anything for like days afterwards...

[SMT]

Originally Posted by egan

I think there is some truth to the statement but then again I think truly distinctive player are few and far between. Certainly BD and samples have homoginized things tho.
Danny Carrey, Thomas Haake, Brendan Canty and Mike Bordin come to mind personally....then again, none of those guys are new on the scene.

Thomas Haake, I heard he programmed his drums with his "Drumkit From Hell" software on some albums??

[Oroz]

Originally Posted by SMT

Thomas Haake, I heard he programmed his drums with his "Drumkit From Hell" software on some albums??

Yes he did (DFHS) but that doesn't mean that he's not an awesome player, which he certainly is thumbsup. BTW wasn't Fredrik Thordendal (guitarist) the one who did all the programming?

[Oroz]

I forgot to mention Travis Barker thumbsup.

[PhilE]

You can always here Dave Grohl a mile off.

Who didn\t hear that QOTSA record and say "wow that sounds like DG"? or notice that the occasional Foos song sounds like him drumming still?

[narcoman]

Originally Posted by Oroz

Yes he did (DFHS) but that doesn't mean that he's not an awesome player, which he certainly is thumbsup. BTW wasn't Fredrik Thordendal (guitarist) the one who did all the programming?

The original post wasn't about being a good drummer - it was about having recognisable style. Same with Barker - very good, but replaceable.

Moon wasn't a good drummer in the technical sense - his timing was appalling, watch any live DVD.....however he had panache and style that made him awesome. THATs what matters. Its like Nigel Kennedy - he isn't a particularly technical virtuoso but he is an expressive artist. Emotive response is what we want and people like Moon deliver(ed) that.

As for recognising style. My brother - every record i hear with him on is so obviously him! From Spiritualized to Nic Armstrong and the Thieves - he's got that 60's vintage backbeat thing down to a fine art !!

[Oroz]

Originally Posted by narcoman

The original post wasn't about being a good drummer - it was about having recognisable style. Same with Barker - very good, but replaceable.

Moon wasn't a good drummer in the technical sense - his timing was appalling, watch any live DVD.....however he had panache and style that made him awesome. THATs what matters. Its like Nigel Kennedy - he isn't a particularly technical virtuoso but he is an expressive artist. Emotive response is what we want and people like Moon deliver(ed) that.

As for recognising style. My brother - every record i hear with him on is so obviously him! From Spiritualized to Nic Armstrong and the Thieves - he's got that 60's vintage backbeat thing down to a fine art !!

Both drummers have recognizable styles to me .

[cyjanopan]

Jim Black, Joey Baron, Simone Pace, Ben Koller, Zlatko Kaucic, Phil Elvrum, Phil Selway, Todd Trainer, even Meg White ! She`s not the "best" but fits in music very

[malfunction]

Myself being a drummer (not professional) i really like to hear the actual drummer playing his own style...Steve White, Dave Grohl, Danny Carey, Matt Cameron are just a few that come to mind.

[malfunction]

Strange that no ones mentioned Dave Lombardo so far...

[cyjanopan]

yes! Or Billy Martin from Medeski, Martin & Wood

[leaper]

Originally Posted by cyjanopan

Jim Black, Joey Baron, Simone Pace, Ben Koller, Zlatko Kaucic, Phil Elvrum, Phil Selway, Todd Trainer, even Meg White ! She`s not the "best" but fits in music very

Damon Che, Zakk Hill, the dude from Circle (Finland), Jacopo Battaglia, Brian from Lightning Bolt... all unmistakable after 10 seconds.
There's many more. (Christian Vander.. Vinny from unsane, guy from hanged up)
We are now in a unique position where we don't have to rely on commercial radio. There's a million internet stations out there.. get checking!