Cowbell!

[GuitarGeek]

... and Paul mcCartney was supposed to have played carrots on "Vega-tables" by the Beach Boys - though I think that may be urban myth.

Remind me again, which Area track is it where the bass clarinet player has the apple solo?

[Progbear]

Bobby Fuller Four used a Coke bottle (probably one of the old "No Deposit No Return" ones) on Let Her Dance.

Todd Rundgren played a Coke bottle and beer cans on...I forget, one of the songs off of The Ballad of Todd Rundgren.

Edgar Froese played a coffee machine through an Echoplex on “Fly and Collision of the Comas Sola.”

John Greaves played a drawer full of silverware on “The Collapso” by National Health.

[iguana]

[Halmyre]

Bobby Fuller Four used a Coke bottle (probably one of the old "No Deposit No Return" ones) on Let Her Dance.

Sounds like Jamie Muir tore a piece of construction paper on the studio version of Easy Money.

That Neil Peart guy played pieces of plywood on the studio version of YYZ.

Bev Bevan played a fire extinguisher on Mr. Blue Sky.

Ashtray on the Beach Boys' Barbara-Ann

Brake drums (and other stuff) on Tom Waits' 16 Shells from a Thirty Ought-Six.

[Progbear]

Ashtray on the Beach Boys' Barbara-Ann

Harley Feinstein played a “drum kit” comprised of ashtrays and pot-lids, etc. on the first Sparks (Halfnelson) album. Apparently, that was what he used on the demo recordings that first attracted Todd Rundgren’s interest because he couldn’t afford a real drum kit. Apparently he wanted to record on a real drum kit for their first proper album, but Todd insisted he use his setup for the demos, because it gave them a distinctive sound that set them apart from other bands.

[JKL2000]

I love cowbell in rock. I like all the auxiliary percussion in rock music. The Beatles had bongos, claves, maracas, tamborine, AND cowbell in the early days.

What was the band that played at ProgDay that had the dude who played all the extra percussion very flamboyantly? I actually thought he was very good, but it was kind of funny in retrospect. This was maybe 4 or 5 years ago.

[GuitarGeek]

John Greaves played a drawer full of silverware on “The Collapso” by National Health.

On the Judas Priest song Metal Gods, they used Ringo's cutlery (it was Ringo's house, formerly John's, that they were recording at) to get the sound of the marching robots. They put the cutlery on a tray and banged it against the kitchen floor, and did like a dozen overdubs of that. There's also a pool cue slashing through the air and a guitar cord being whipped against a road case (they tried to use the actual whip that Halford used onstage, but it didn't have good enough sound) in that song.

[Kavus Torabi]

My favourite cowbell is the single hit that appears in the middle of a Bill Ward drum fill at the beginning of the second verse of The Wizard from the first Black Sabbath album.
As far as I remember, that solitary hit is the only use that cowbell gets on the entire record.

Nevertheless, in my studied opinion, it represents the instrument's recorded zenith.

In my starving poor twenties I could get sustenance for a week just listening to its appearance in that drum fill a couple of times.

[Digital_Man]

One of the best examples I've ever heard(and I only recently found out it was a cowbell making the sound)is on the song "time has come today" by the Chambers Brothers.

[GuitarGeek]

My favourite cowbell is the single hit that appears in the middle of a Bill Ward drum fill at the beginning of the second verse of The Wizard from the first Black Sabbath album.
As far as I remember, that solitary hit is the only use that cowbell gets on the entire record.

Nevertheless, in my studied opinion, it represents the instrument's recorded zenith.
.

Which song on Sabotage has the cowbell in the middle? I can't remember if it's Thrill Of It All or Meglomania or The Writ, but I think it's one of those three.

[Vic2012]

One of the best examples I've ever heard(and I only recently found out it was a cowbell making the sound)is on the song "time has come today" by the Chambers Brothers.

Are you kidding?

[Kavus Torabi]

Which song on Sabotage has the cowbell in the middle? I can't remember if it's Thrill Of It All or Meglomania or The Writ, but I think it's one of those three.

Megalomania. It's coupled with a monster riff.
Man, what an album. Their best, I think.

[GuitarGeek]

Megalomania. It's coupled with a monster riff.
Man, what an album. Their best, I think.

Yeah, that one and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath are my favorites from them. But somehow, I can't link the titles on Sabotage to the actual songs, other than Am I Going Insane, which isn't hard considering that the title actually appears in the song multiple times (unlike the other songs on that record).

[Vic2012]

Been listening to Sabotage for the last week or so. Supertzar is amazing.

[Luckie]

Todd Rundgren played a Coke bottle and beer cans on...I forget, one of the songs off of The Ballad of Todd Rundgren

And in '83 he was hitting a piece of metal in the studio parking lot to record the hammer/cowbell sound in Utopia's Hammer In My Heart.

Another cowbell classic is of course Grand Funk's We're An American Band, which he produced.

[progholio]

Tull's Black Satin Dancer, pretty damn fine use of the cowbell in that one if you ask me.

[GuitarGeek]

And in '83 he was hitting a piece of metal in the studio parking lot to record the hammer/cowbell sound in Utopia's Hammer In My Heart.
.

That song had one of the craziest videos I've ever seen in my life. Probably the ultimate "What does this button do" video.

[Progbear]

That song had one of the craziest videos I've ever seen in my life. Probably the ultimate "What does this button do" video.

Have you seen the video to Todd’s “Something to Fall Back On”?

[Trane]

then there is the solo on the instrumental cover version of Still I'm Sad on Rainbow's debut album

[Luckie]

That song had one of the craziest videos I've ever seen in my life. Probably the ultimate "What does this button do" video.

Yeah - I almost embedded it with my post, but even as a mad fan I find it unwatchable.

[Luckie]

Have you seen the video to Todd’s “Something to Fall Back On”?

I'm not sure what that effect is called, but he was using it live at his one-man shows at the time (on the screen behind him in response to his live hand movements). Seemed pretty cool at the time, not so much now.

[StevegSr]

... and Paul mcCartney was supposed to have played carrots on "Vega-tables" by the Beach Boys - though I think that may be urban myth.

Coke bottles were featured in the song Caroline No on the BB's Pet Sounds album. But no cowbell. Or triangle for that matter.

[Luckie]

That song had one of the craziest videos I've ever seen in my life. Probably the ultimate "What does this button do" video.

Yeah - I almost embedded it with my post, but even as a mad fan I find it unwatchable.

But wait! Here's Todd playing it live just 2 weeks ago - Prairie Prince givin' it some cowbell.

[Digital_Man]

Are you kidding?

What other songs can you think of that use two cowbells to simulate the tick tock sound of a clock?

[Progbear]

I'm not sure what that effect is called, but he was using it live at his one-man shows at the time (on the screen behind him in response to his live hand movements). Seemed pretty cool at the time, not so much now.

It was the Video Toaster™ attachment for his Commodore Amiga computer. It seemed super hi-tech back in the day, and ridiculously dated now.

Yeah - I almost embedded it with my post, but even as a mad fan I find it unwatchable.

What is going on with their hair? Especially Kaz? Roger looks just like Portuguese pop star José Cid in this video (ridiculously obscure reference, I know, but still!).

My vote for most unwatchable video has to be “Boystown” by Rob Jungklas. I think that was a Godley & Creme-directed video. Won’t link it here, and I definitely don’t recommend anyone prone to epileptic seizures watch it!