Tommy Aldridge

Hello, colleagues.

Few pictures to share regarding Tommy's drum-set.

All the Best,
 

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anyone have any pics of tommys sonors i'd kinda like to see those
 
Tommy is a great drummer and influence to a lot of drummers. A double bass master back in the day and now. The problem is that now w/the likes of, Lang, Minnimen, Donati, and Grant Collins they have taken double bass to a new extreme. And Jordison, Roddy, Adler and many more have extreme speed. So by todays standards, as great as Tommy is he could get looked at as average along w/ Alex Van Halen, Deen Castronova, Gregg Bissonette and others that have used it well but not gone to the extremes.
Still, Tommy is a big influence to many, many drummers. Myself included.

Please. All the drummers you mentioned are worth listening to. A lot of the "old school" players you listed have so much more going on than sheer speed or crazy independence. Guys like Gregg Bissonette have done such a wide variety of gigs including jazz, latin, big band, pop, ect. I wonder if some of the "extreme" drummers of today could be as diverse and make it sound authentic. A lot of them are mainly doing the freakshow clinic thing, demonstrating things that would be of little use to aspiring drummers.
Tommy Aldrige is clearly influenced by drummers like Bonham, Carmine Appice, ect. He has that rock sound and feel to his playing.
I've seen certain extreme drummers sit in on straight up rock gigs and a couple times I thought it just wasn't working. Like they were out of place, with a need to throw in all the busy crazy fills. In that respect you can say that many of the old school guys are better suited for rock gigs.
Sometimes speed for speeds sake might be to blame for what's killing the art of drumming. Speed is important but not at the expense of everything else like pocket and groove.
 
anyone have any pics of tommys sonors i'd kinda like to see those

Look for Randy Rhoads pics with Ozzy, they have Tommy in the background on one of his Sonors. Also, Bark at the Moon DVD. White Sonors... also a mix of Paiste and Zildjians..
 
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Please. All the drummers you mentioned are worth listening to. A lot of the "old school" players you listed have so much more going on than sheer speed or crazy independence. Guys like Gregg Bissonette have done such a wide variety of gigs including jazz, latin, big band, pop, ect. I wonder if some of the "extreme" drummers of today could be as diverse and make it sound authentic. A lot of them are mainly doing the freakshow clinic thing, demonstrating things that would be of little use to aspiring drummers.
Tommy Aldrige is clearly influenced by drummers like Bonham, Carmine Appice, ect. He has that rock sound and feel to his playing.
I've seen certain extreme drummers sit in on straight up rock gigs and a couple times I thought it just wasn't working. Like they were out of place, with a need to throw in all the busy crazy fills. In that respect you can say that many of the old school guys are better suited for rock gigs.
Sometimes speed for speeds sake might be to blame for what's killing the art of drumming. Speed is important but not at the expense of everything else like pocket and groove.

Ok. Thats exactly my point. Cant tell if your trying to rip me or what. Tommy is a great drummer. An Icon in the Rock world. I was saying he could be considered basic by speed guys that only know about speed. Bissonette is my favorite. A versitle drummer that cant even touch Speed drummers. But thats what appeals to me about Gregg. He can play just about anything that can keep him working and in demand. The "Extreme guys have their place, but guys Like Tommy, Alex, or Neil should not be forgoten for their contribution to the drumming world. Whether today or 20 years ago.
 
Ok. Thats exactly my point. Cant tell if your trying to rip me or what. Tommy is a great drummer. An Icon in the Rock world. I was saying he could be considered basic by speed guys that only know about speed. Bissonette is my favorite. A versitle drummer that cant even touch Speed drummers. But thats what appeals to me about Gregg. He can play just about anything that can keep him working and in demand. The "Extreme guys have their place, but guys Like Tommy, Alex, or Neil should not be forgoten for their contribution to the drumming world. Whether today or 20 years ago.

I just think the whole speed for speeds sake is getting out of hand. It can be frustrating when you have drum students that mostly are into the extreme and speed drummers because they have a lot of trouble learning how to make music with other musicians. I'm not trying to rip anybody, just making sure that the guys that matter get their due, including a guy like Tommy Aldrige.
 
Fellows,
Enjoy Tommy's picture.
Cheers,
 

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I just think the whole speed for speeds sake is getting out of hand. It can be frustrating when you have drum students that mostly are into the extreme and speed drummers because they have a lot of trouble learning how to make music with other musicians. I'm not trying to rip anybody, just making sure that the guys that matter get their due, including a guy like Tommy Aldrige.

I think we are on the same page. I think Van Halen, T.Lee, Castronovo, Peart, Bissonette, Aldridge, R. Castillo and more just solid rock drummers that are good at what THEY do get over looked. Because there are guys taking it to a whole other level. Drummhead mag. is out now and it a Superdrummers issue. There is a cd inside w/ Donati, Minnimen, Lang, G. Collins, Mangini, N. D'Virgilio and a guy I have not heard of. The stuff on the cd is AMAZING............for what it is. To me its not what the average or above average drummer could apply on a regular basic. They are the few out there doing just mind blowing drumming. But at the same token the guys at the top of this list should get recognition for what they have contributed to drums. Even if you (not you personally) don't like the bands they were in.
 
Please. All the drummers you mentioned are worth listening to. A lot of the "old school" players you listed have so much more going on than sheer speed or crazy independence. Guys like Gregg Bissonette have done such a wide variety of gigs including jazz, latin, big band, pop, ect. I wonder if some of the "extreme" drummers of today could be as diverse and make it sound authentic. A lot of them are mainly doing the freakshow clinic thing, demonstrating things that would be of little use to aspiring drummers.
Tommy Aldrige is clearly influenced by drummers like Bonham, Carmine Appice, ect. He has that rock sound and feel to his playing.
I've seen certain extreme drummers sit in on straight up rock gigs and a couple times I thought it just wasn't working. Like they were out of place, with a need to throw in all the busy crazy fills. In that respect you can say that many of the old school guys are better suited for rock gigs.
Sometimes speed for speeds sake might be to blame for what's killing the art of drumming. Speed is important but not at the expense of everything else like pocket and groove.

AMEN BRUTHA!! Extreme drumming is cool, no doubt about it and there's plenty I enjoy listening to, but I must say too much it lacks the toe tapping fun and last but not least, MUSICAL approach that makes drumming worthwhile. It seems to be a way to showcase the drummers talents and endurance and doesn't seem to be a vehicle for showcasing songwriting at least that I can hear. There of course are the exceptional talents like Derek and Flo who have time and again showed their abilities to incorporate other styles of music into their playing even though they are well known for extreme drumming.

On to Tommy,
I was quite fortunate to be able to see Tommy Aldridge with Ozzy right after Randy Rhoads passed away, it was bittersweet as it was my first time seeing Tommy in a band situation so I was excited to see that, but was sad to know Randy was gone.

I got to see him in a clinic setting out in New Jersey (a 4+ hour drive one way for me) and luckily I was there early enough to have been hanging at the local drum store there and Tommy was there hanging out too. He is a very nice man, sincerely interested in talking with folks as we found out and he was just havin' fun and cracked a few jokes as we checked out the store and conversed a bit.

I'm having trouble remembering the date and If I can dig it up I'll edit this post and add the date, but it was a clinic with Tommy Aldridge, Joe Franco and a couple of other drummers were there too, but I was so blown away with Tommy and Joe that I paid all my attention to them and I pretty much blocked out the rest! L0L!! Tommy and Joe were just mind bending, I wish I had a video to watch of that clinic.
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AMEN BRUTHA!! Extreme drumming is cool, no doubt about it and there's plenty I enjoy listening to, but I must say too much it lacks the toe tapping fun and last but not least, MUSICAL approach that makes drumming worthwhile. It seems to be a way to showcase the drummers talents and endurance and doesn't seem to be a vehicle for showcasing songwriting at least that I can hear. There of course are the exceptional talents like Derek and Flo who have time and again showed their abilities to incorporate other styles of music into their playing even though they are well known for extreme drumming.

On to Tommy,
I was quite fortunate to be able to see Tommy Aldridge with Ozzy right after Randy Rhoads passed away, it was bittersweet as it was my first time seeing Tommy in a band situation so I was excited to see that, but was sad to know Randy was gone.

I got to see him in a clinic setting out in New Jersey (a 4+ hour drive one way for me) and luckily I was there early enough to have been hanging at the local drum store there and Tommy was there hanging out too. He is a very nice man, sincerely interested in talking with folks as we found out and he was just havin' fun and cracked a few jokes as we checked out the store and conversed a bit.

I'm having trouble remembering the date and If I can dig it up I'll edit this post and add the date, but it was a clinic with Tommy Aldridge, Joe Franco and a couple of other drummers were there too, but I was so blown away with Tommy and Joe that I paid all my attention to them and I pretty much blocked out the rest! L0L!! Tommy and Joe were just mind bending, I wish I had a video to watch of that clinic.
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There ya go. That's what I'm talking about.

I hadn't seen Tommy Aldridge live in concert till more recently. I saw him play with Whitesnake maybe 4 years ago. I loved it, although he didn't do a drum solo. I think because they were on a double bill with the Scorpions so they had to do an abbreviated set. But it was amazing to see him play. That's what made me really become interested in his playing. My old drum teacher gave me a VHS copy of his instructional video from way back. Not sure if it's on DVD but they should release it that way because it's such a great video. I was also turned on to the Pat Travers record "Live: Go For What You Know" with Tommy. A definite classic.
Joe Franco is another guy I've heard a little about but should do more research on. Any key records with him to look into?
 
There ya go. That's what I'm talking about.

I hadn't seen Tommy Aldridge live in concert till more recently. I saw him play with Whitesnake maybe 4 years ago. I loved it, although he didn't do a drum solo. I think because they were on a double bill with the Scorpions so they had to do an abbreviated set. But it was amazing to see him play. That's what made me really become interested in his playing. My old drum teacher gave me a VHS copy of his instructional video from way back. Not sure if it's on DVD but they should release it that way because it's such a great video. I was also turned on to the Pat Travers record "Live: Go For What You Know" with Tommy. A definite classic.
Joe Franco is another guy I've heard a little about but should do more research on. Any key records with him to look into?

I'm not too sure what bands albums he's on, but I know he has a few instructional videos and books, I'm sure they're worth a check out!
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I've seen Tommy many times and he is absolutely amazing. In his style, I think he is the best. I saw him last January playing at the Yamaha Groove Night and he played a killer version of Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back In Town".

I don't have many things with Joe Franco. He did some sessions with Henry Lee Summer back in the late 80's. Probably his most famous recording is on Twisted Sister's "Love Is For Suckers". I really like this album. It is a bit more rooted than their other CDs.
 
Tommy Aldridge is an skin-beater supreme! He is action not words.
 
anyone have any pics of tommys sonors i'd kinda like to see those
Here's an OLD pic that might bring you some laughs!!
AldridgeSonorad.jpg


And another:
aldridge1a.jpg

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I just picked up a dvd of Tommy's old hot licks videos.

It has "Rock drum soloing" and "Beyond the groove". It's got some nice ideas on double bass variants vs just 16th's.

He is an interesting guy and a power drummer that is from the Appice/Bonham mold. He clearly decribes stuff Bonham did to influence him. And the new drummers aren't as "extreme" in difference as one might assume. Tommy has a ton of licks and he knows how to describe them.

I have always loved his work. I also have his Whitesnake DVD... Tommy rocks!!!
 
I just picked up a dvd of Tommy's old hot licks videos.

It has "Rock drum soloing" and "Beyond the groove". It's got some nice ideas on double bass variants vs just 16th's.

He is an interesting guy and a power drummer that is from the Appice/Bonham mold. He clearly decribes stuff Bonham did to influence him. And the new drummers aren't as "extreme" in difference as one might assume. Tommy has a ton of licks and he knows how to describe them.

I have always loved his work. I also have his Whitesnake DVD... Tommy rocks!!!
Tommy IMHO is the only drummer that comes close too Bonham when it comes too

playing with just your hands. One of my fav's.

Bonzolead
 
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