Robert Heaton

virfirjans

Member
I don't know if someone knows about this drummer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Heaton

He died in 2004 and, for me, a long time ago New Model Army fan, he's been one of the best and most original drummers of all time.
I like a lot of drummers like Weckl, Gadd, Steve Smith, Chad Smith, Brian Blade, and a long etc... but the less known Rob Heaton always made and makes me feel something special.
This post means a little "In memoriam" from myself.
 
I agree, he was a great drummer, the drumming on the NMA album "Thunder & Consolation" is first rate, I read somewhere he was asked to double track a portion of one of his drum tracks to produce a 'flam' effect on the ride cymbal, but he double tracked so accurately the recording engineer thought he had forgotten to record the track!

Found the part of the article:

As a drummer he was a powerhouse, pounding his kit with remarkable strength, but always with dexterity. Robert never subscribed to what he referred to as the ‘idiot school of drumming’, which explained his innovative style and incredible feel for mood and dynamics. He was metronomically precise, astonishing seasoned producer Glyn Johns with this ability. Glyn asked Robert to double track a small section of ride cymbal on All of This, during the recording of Ghost of Cain. Glyn was looking to produce a slight flam effect, but Robert struck the bell of the ride with such precision every time that the double track was undetectable. Glyn was convinced that either Robert wasn’t playing it, or the machine wasn’t recording it, because the two tracks were so perfectly synchronised. Having checked the tape, Glyn concluded that Robert was the most perfect drummer he’d ever worked with.

Respectfully copied from:

http://mooseharris.sevenpennynightmare.co.uk/blog/?page_id=679
 
Thanks for the info HMNY, a lot.
And yes, Thunder and consolation is simply a work of art.
 
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