Charlie Watts

I noticed him not playing his hats on the 2 and 4 when I saw TRS live in 1978 on the Some Girls tour. I toyed with that style here and there. He does not like having to compete for the space with both hands playing crossover. .

I read that this was mostly a trick relayed to Charlie by none other than Jim Keltner in late 60's. Not so much to avoid crossover but for studio use in close micing.
In studio recording it 'can' result in the snare having a clearer voice, its own voice, on 2 and 4, uncontaminated by striking the nearby hihat (on 2 and 4) at the same time.
Charlie adopted it, and never stopped.
 
Almost anyone can play along Stones music, as long as the drummer doesnt show off with theatrical chops and all...... So technically, there wont be any difference if we hear a different drummer in Stones music, but to see the stones live without Watts is a sad thing, for millions of stones fans like me.

I'd have to disagree. You're obviously a big Charlie fan, as am I, and I think Charlie adds an unquantifiable quality to the Stones' groove that simply wouldn't be the same if another drummer attempted it.

I can't prove it, of course, but there's a nearly-parallel example that I can use: Chris Slade replacing Phil Rudd in AC/DC during the 80's. Slade is an awesome drummer, one of my faves in fact, and I doubt anyone would dispute that he's a better technical drummer than Phil Rudd. But while the stuff Slade did with AC/DC was powerful, rocking, and tight, it simply didn't have the same groove as with Phil. (Fortunately the Young brothers eventually realized this and gave Phil a call.)

I imagine a Watts-less Stones would be much the same experience. Keith Richards would almost certainly agree.
 
Interesting, fascinating close up look at the Stones recording in a studio with Charlie Watts playing along from 1968, very clear as if it was filmed yesterday.

Primarily working on Sympathy for The Devil.

YouTube link below starts at one part of Charlie's playing along, but the entire video is worth watching.

https://youtu.be/8t2D9v50IOE?t=1081
 
That’s a really cool look into a great band at their peak!! It’s funny I didn’t see Charlie playing his usual unusual style of not hitting the hats when he hits the snare, I thought I read somewhere on here he did that so when he recorded his hits sounded clearer.
 
For all it is possible to see and understand from this shot-Video Clips, drummer Charlie Watts doesn ' Swing that much,.!?,. The arms and wrists are rigid, the stick on the cymbals have no ..jazzing-sound,.!!,. Ciao fabio ..-

, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fh5r_aGkj8

CHARLIE WATTS.,5t Jazz '',From One Charlie..,
*Tv Japan,1991 The ^,Rolling Stones,^’drummer..,
Live ''Jazz Club'' by Tv-Japan.,Peter King.,sax. .Brian Lemon.,p.,
David Green.,cb.. Gerard Presencer.,tr. Japan Television .,
^,From One Charlie,^ 1991.t.50',Very Rare.,vd,1198,2.,-

- . -
 
For all it is possible to see and understand from this shot-Video Clips, drummer Charlie Watts doesn ' Swing that much,.!?,. The arms and wrists are rigid, the stick on the cymbals have no ..jazzing-sound,.!!,. Ciao fabio ..-

, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fh5r_aGkj8

CHARLIE WATTS.,5t Jazz '',From One Charlie..,
*Tv Japan,1991 The ^,Rolling Stones,^’drummer..,
Live ''Jazz Club'' by Tv-Japan.,Peter King.,sax. .Brian Lemon.,p.,
David Green.,cb.. Gerard Presencer.,tr. Japan Television .,
^,From One Charlie,^ 1991.t.50',Very Rare.,vd,1198,2.,-

- . -

Can't be any worse than Neil Peart.
 
Ask yourself, is it accurate or fair to sum up a persons 50+ year career of drumming in a 3 minute you tube clip? The dude has also led a big jazz band.
 
Ask yourself, is it accurate or fair to sum up a persons 50+ year career of drumming in a 3 minute you tube clip? The dude has also led a big jazz band.
I watched it, and I've got to say that I've gigged with drummers with worse swing feel than that. I didn't think it was bad at all.

But, to answer the question, it's absolutely not fair to sum up someone's drumming career in a short 3 minute video where there's only playing in about half of it. I know that reviewing my own recordings of drumming I've done, there are good days, and there are bad days, and it has nothing to do with the timeline - there are times that are more recent that I didn't feel like I sounded as good as I have in times more distant, so it's not even about time and experience - some days are just better days than others.
 
CW knows he's not Gadd or Buddy and with that in mind plays within himself.

You know that CW is not gonna do a bunch of single stroke six stroke rolls,flammed diddles or a lightning fast 32nd note bop ride pattern.

I can't fault him for what I've heard.

I'm not a big fan of CW as many other folks place him on the same pedestal as BR and Gadd.

To each their own.
 
Swing, not swing, 3 minutes or 3 days of video, he's richer than everyone else on this thread combined and has played some of the largest rock shows in history. I figure he can't have done it all wrong.
 
To me he swings..

And i would recommend everyone to listen as much as possible to everything that Charlie Watts played between the mid 60's and mid 70's, because you will hear the perfect example about what band-playing should be like and in the meantime you will hear some of the best popular music ever made..

And besides that, there is no drummer on this forum (and maybe even worldwide) that has this much a own sound like Charlie Watts has and thats also worth something (if not everything)..

People who criticize drummers like Charlie Watts, should try to play those simple songs better and more effective than him and my guarantee is that they will fail on that..
 
All these folks that find fault in others, blows my mind.

So what if he looked stiff - what did it sound like? OMG - he's not employing the common pyrotechnics and is actually playing with and for the band - that can't be right! How did this guy even have a career? Shame on him, trying to play!

I'm sure Charlie doesn't care what any of us have to say about his projects. I've actually listened to some of the boogie-woogie piano stuff he did just a few years ago and you can't tell me that stuff doesn't swing. Go check it out.
 
Watts personal preference is Jazz. He has played with numerous prestigious jazz groups. Which stands to reason he can do the job, but he seems more an emissary for jazz-and doesn't try to emulate jazz greats. He's inspiring though I'm an old rocker who wants to jazz and swing too. I too look like a duck out of water-but I keep swimming.
 
Watts personal preference is Jazz. He has played with numerous prestigious jazz groups. Which stands to reason he can do the job, but he seems more an emissary for jazz-and doesn't try to emulate jazz greats. He's inspiring though I'm an old rocker who wants to jazz and swing too. I too look like a duck out of water-but I keep swimming.

That’s the idea right there ^^^

I try to leave complaining about others in my college days ;)
 
All these folks that find fault in others, blows my mind.

So what if he looked stiff - what did it sound like? OMG - he's not employing the common pyrotechnics and is actually playing with and for the band - that can't be right! How did this guy even have a career? Shame on him, trying to play!

I'm sure Charlie doesn't care what any of us have to say about his projects. I've actually listened to some of the boogie-woogie piano stuff he did just a few years ago and you can't tell me that stuff doesn't swing. Go check it out.

Agreed. He was stiff while playing with the Stones. Maybe his stiffness has saved his back unlike other humped over drummers.
 
Swing, not swing, 3 minutes or 3 days of video, he's richer than everyone else on this thread combined and has played some of the largest rock shows in history. I figure he can't have done it all wrong.

The Stones are a shining example of why not much musical talent is needed for success in the music biz.

Jagger can't sing and Richards is a barely passable guitar player.

Charlie used to offer Ginger Baker tickets to Stones shows and Ginger would turn them down saying there was no reason to go because they weren't very good musicians.
 
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