UPDATED. All bets are off. Listen to the full solos in all their jamtastic glory!
Today JAMuary honors the drummers, beginning with an Identify the Drummer game. Following are a dozen roughly 30-second clips of well-known rock (and one soul) drummer…on his own…unencumbered by his bandmates…soloing! See how many drummers you can identify. Following identification of each drummer, we’ll let that drummer cut loose with his full solo. Is there a drummer in the house? This promises to be an All-Star Jam that’s only fitting for this special month-long celebration.
Drum Solo 2, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie
Drum Solo 4, Barriemore Barlow (Jethro Tull)
Drum Solo 5, Phil Collins and Chester Thompson
Drum Solo 10, Ron Tutt (with introduction by The King)
Drum Solo 11, Terry Bozzio (with Zappa)
Thanks for playing along. Bet you’re kicking yourself for not having identified Moon, even with the clue I kept running out there.
3. Bill Ward
5. Phil Collins
9. John Bonham
12. Neil Peart
Well played, Oats! You have guessed three of our drummers – well, really 2.5, but I didn’t specify that one of the solos was a joint effort. As your reward – and a reward for all of us – I’ve posted the full solos for each of your correct guesses. In most cases, when I post these jams, I’ve edited out all the pointless bass and guitar riffs that set up each drum solo.
Do I sense a shortage of stones, a fear of unlocking these full solo drum performances and their jamtabulous powers? Fear not, you will be rewarded in highly charged Rock Nerd Points if nothing else!
Not fear just ignorance. None of these ring a bell, even the ones that have been guessed already.
Not all of these are from songs, per se, but pure drum solos and/or instructional recordings. I think most of the few that are not are representative of a characteristic of that drummer’s recorded style, especially the first excerpted solo. I’m counting on General Slocum to get at least one of these, if not two. Two of the solo excerpts are from pretty legendary recordings from the late-60s. Some of you will kick yourselves when another Townsperson gets them. I know these are tough. None of the excerpts is from “In-a-Gadda-da-Vida” – I can tell you that much for now. Good luck.
Is number 3 Ginger Baker? Toad?
Number 8 sounds like one of those loops you purchase for computer recording. They sound great until you try to actually use them in a song.
I never dreamed you’d stoop to using instructional recordings. Is that what’s going on in number 1?
I’m gonna go ahead and confuse myself here: even though #2 has sections that actually sound like a few Experience songs (the roll in the intro from Up From the Skies and the groove from Little Miss Lover), I’ll guess Mitch Mitchell for #3, because that pummeling bit actually sounds like one of his drum solos.
Gonna have to listen a little more, but I’m gonna guess that rat-a-tat #1: Steve Gadd or Simon Phillips; Quaalude Thunder #3: Tommy Aldridge.
Is number Michael Shrieve and some number of Hispanic named percussionists from Santana?
Numbers 1 (Gadd), 3 (Baker), and 8 (Shrieve) have been guessed correctly. The full solos shall be revealed in the morning! I knew you could do it.
Too indistinguishable to pick anything out
That’s funny, Andyr, others who make no claims to being expert drum arrangers have unlocked 6 of the 12 solo excerpts that I’ve posted.
The remaining drum solos include one by a drummer who served royalty, one by a drummer who served a court jester, and one by a drummer who was a court jester. Don’t give up now.
Is 6 Mick Fleetwood? I saw them once and he did a thing where he got everyone to clap and then he did a roll on his snare and everyone went crazy. not as crazy as they went when he made a funny wrestling face, with his hand to his ear and a leather drum under his arm that he’d hit with his ear hand to great applause. I think it’s where The Rock got his schtick.
I love drums. Especially great sounding drums that are really crisp and sound like I’m in the room with real drums, but I don’t have the patience for drum solo’s.
#6 is not Mick Fleetwood, but you’ve got the right nationality. This entire JAM, 2K, was inspired by something you wrote a few weeks ago about how any drummer that does more than one solo is an asshole. I’m still chuckling over that.
Is 2. Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste from The Meters?
4. Roger Taylor
6. Keith Moon
7. Manu Katche
11. Micky Hart and Bill Kreutzman.
I’m not optimistic about my guesses because the only one I thought I knew for sure was Phil Collins and Chester Thomson and I thought they were number 3.
I can tell you, helpfully, that Keith Moon is NOT the drummer on #6. I was certain that General Slocum would get #6; perhaps he has not yet checked in.
#2 is not the Meters’ drummer, but you have identified the one drummer known best (at least as he’s publicly acknowledged) as a soul drummer.
Is #2 the Beatles “real” drummer, Bernard Purdie?
Geo has revealed #2! I highly recommend checking out the full clip: it’s concise, musical, informative, and fun.
Of all the clips, #4 may be the toughest for anyone to get. The mystery drummer may be the best-named drummer in rock history.
I’m still counting on General Slocum to come through with #6. Mwall probably grew up air drumming to this guy as well. Slokie and Geo probably know #11 but are ashamed to admit it.
I wouldn’t be ashamed to admit it if I knew, but I assume now that Number 11 is a Zappa drummer, Ruth Underwood on percussion and, let’s say, Chester Thompson? Terry Bozzio?
I got Purdie partly by your hint, but also because I thought the clip sounded like some stuff from Areta’s “Rock Steady”, but I didn’t know specifically who the drummer was on that until you gave the hint.
THANK YOU for pointing out the connection to the excerpt I made to “Rock Steady”!!! THIS is just the kind of thing that an astute drum expert like Andyr should have picked up on instead of writing, “Too indistinguishable to pick anything out.”
#11 will be revealed shortly!
OK, #11 has been revealed. I posted the whole song just so you can see how it fits in. Are you happy now, Zappa fans?
Here are my clues for the remaining tracks, in no particular order:
One features a clown prince of rock.
One features a member of the royal family, or at least its backing band.
One features, perhaps, the best-named drummer in rock history.
One features a guy who taught General Slocum – and possibly Mwall – a thing or two about air drumming.
I don’t think I realized Ruth Underwood was still around on the Zappa records with Bozzio. I had pretty much bailed by then.
Is #6 Ian Paice, with Deep Purple?
Track #6 shall be revealed in the morning. Nice work, kurtz! Are you taking notes from the new kid in town, Townsfolk?
All bets are off. All drummers and their solos have now been revealed. Thanks for playing along.
What this exercise says to me is that as soloists all drummers pretty much sound alike, however much we might think their styles are unique as accompanists. I wonder if the same is true of bass players.