When Ed Cassidy of Spirit died a few years ago, NPR included part of the solo from "It's All The Same" in their year-end tribute montage to musicians who died that year. That was a nice surprise.
When Ed Cassidy of Spirit died a few years ago, NPR included part of the solo from "It's All The Same" in their year-end tribute montage to musicians who died that year. That was a nice surprise.
There are way less real drummers in music now than in the 70s. Drum boxes don't solo.Originally Posted by Czyszy
I only like one drum solo - sorry not exactly Prog - 'Little B' by The Shadows - Brian Bennett doing the honours.
'I would advise stilts for the quagmires"
^^ A high school chum was a drummer. Every time I'd walk into his house, there would be a drum solo playing on the stereo.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
Danny Seraphine: Motorboat To Mars (part of the Travel Suite on Chicago III)
There are several examples of featured -standalone- drum solos appearing as focus of entire tunes and almost destroying the end impressions of studio albums. Such as:
Steamhammer - Speech (1972). Their final offering and a musically interesting one at that; edgy, raw but intriguing arrangements and structures abound, and there's some major experimentation going on with harmonies. The story goes how the song with the drum solo was initially meant to be omitted but then was included anyway when Mick Bradley (the drummer) succumbed to leukemia in the end process of mixing - without even knowing he had the disease. As such it serves as tribute to him and arguably deserves its place on the record, but it's a weak spot.
Ibis - Sun Supreme. Underrated epic heavy progressive gem from Italy (ex-New Trollers, of course), donning vox in English and a couple of other traits not usually wanted from there. The drum solo on side 2 makes much of itself and sets back the remainder of it, 'though side 1 is pretty damn exciting.
The Trip - Atlantide. While Furio Chirico was obviously a great drummer and tries his hand at applying the battery as "noise-source" for illustrations of the conceptial theme on this album, it unfortunately only succeeds in dragging out proceedings into nowhere. Particularly when the record as such clocks in at mere 31 minutes or so.
Finjarn/Jensen - (same). Great, obscure artifact of Norwegian psych/proto. Short duration overall, let alone needs for exhibitionism. Pointless solo.
I'm not too convinced by all of those instances where the solo basically renders surrounding arrangements a mere framework of their purpose either. "Rat Salad" (Sabbath) is Ok, and Bunker's wildman bonking in "Dharma For One" is a hoot, but then there's "Nothing At All" on the first GGiant, a ballad whose melody I rather dig (the vocal harmonies especially) but where the drumming intersection is supposed to flesh out the total yet hardly fits as bit. Carl Palmer's "Tank", to me, was the low point of the debut ELP - although he plays terrifically. And I was never the dickhead of Zep's "Moby D." either, but then again I always found Bonham's brilliance to rest on the battery function within a song-context. His live drum solos on bootlegs etc. are neverending and unrewarding.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
I "professionally" edit any unaccompanied solo out of studio and bootleg
Unaccompanied solo are only "interesting" when you are at the concert and it's part of a one time event for you. It does not hold well with repeated listening I find. If there is one critic of the 70s music scene I would make, it's the unaccompanied wanking that bands felt the need to do (it was the time/era, I know)
Jim Gordon: a short but great drum solo (or is it fills)
I think that is more of a "drum break" (a few bars) than a solo.
Yup.
Most insane fill/drum break ever in rock, by the magnificently wonderful Uz Jsme Doma (from 2:06, but listen to the whole thing to get the idea):
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
I take it back. Apparently drum boxes DO occasionally solo.
I rather like the drum solo intro to "The Sheriff" by Carl Palmer
"Normal is just the average of extremes" - Gary Lessor
Zappa usually let his drummers solo live, but the only studio solo I remember was Vinnie Colaiuta for a minute or so on "Packard Goose" from Joe's Garage, after the guitar solo ends. Notable for being a solo over a vamp, which Tony Williams also did on one track from Believe It.
Great little intro and a sort of earlier ‘linear’ style which he doesn’t normally do and became very popular in the 80s with Dave Weckl
Yes and that is a good thing!
My progressive music site: https://pienemmatpurot.com/ Reviews in English: https://pienemmatpurot.com/in-english/
There are some drumsolos I like and a lot I don't like. If there is a story, I like it, often it just seems bashing around.
I remember once buying a Sweet Smoke album, because I heard the drumsolo in the store. Returned it when I heard the other music. Now I have it on CD.
There is a short drumsolo in Disco dry from Streetmark
Except for the click in the very start of it, that tune contains no drum box. This is just the kind of thing they -do- and are reasonably renowned for. Just the way it is, seems.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Inna Gadda Da Vida - Iron Butterfly
Ringo solo on "Dear Prudence" is much better than the one on "The End" !
I always found it hilarious that they left in Carl muttering "shit" on a break in the middle of that solo.
David
Happy with what I have to be happy with.
Duh! It was the first Trace album with Pierre. Ian Mosley played on Birds. And I want to personally thank whoever mastered that first Trace CD, for banding the drum solo as its own track for easy skippage.
Last edited by Progbear; 01-19-2023 at 04:01 PM.
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
Milan Novy absolutely destroying it there.
When they did a remake of the Pohádky Ze Zapotřebí album in 2012 Novy was long gone and the new drummer Jaroslav Noga made a decent fist of replicating the drum break, but I don't think it has quite the crispness of the original.
Milan Novy disappointingly doesn't have a very extensive discography, but he plays on a one shot 1996 album by a band called Pseudo Pseudo that also featured his bass colleague from UJD, Pavel Keřka. They slay throughout. It's a very fun album that may appeal to UJD-heads:
John Abercrombie, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette: Gateway - track: Sorcery I
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