Phil Ehart

resqguy

Member
For years I viewed Phil just as an OK drummer but lately I have come to respect him more and more. As a member of Kansas he had his work cut out for him. He didn't seem to stand out for me because his fills seemed a little weak. As I listen to Kansas music now my perception of them is that they are sort of like a modern version of Classical music. Phil's role then becomes like the percussion section of a symphony. In that mode he does his job extremely well. (There are not a lot of places for drum fills in Classical music)

Kansas has had at least 3 lead players in the band at any given time over the years (including Steve Morse) yet Phil still emerges as their leader. He sets an perfect example of how a drummer should blend in with the rest of the players.

Phil has a flawless sense of time. That is a requirement with all the crazy time signatures that Kansas uses. It is also apparent that he has extensive knowledge of music overall and not just drums.

As usual, if you listen to Kansas' music that gets played on the radio you are missing their best. Here are some of my favorite tracks:

Device-Voice-Drum DVD. This one is highly recommended for Kansas fans. It takes a while for Steve Walsh to warm his voice up but the music is awesome. Phil's chops really shine on the updated version of Portrait.
Song for America
Icarus
The Pinnacle
Miracles Out Of Nowhere
Cheyenne Anthem - there is a live version of this on the Leftoverature CD (not great for drumming but a great track)
 
I have a deep respect & love for that band and Phil Ehart. Masque and Leftoverture are probably my favorite albums by them. If anyone is not familiar with the song Magnum Opus... you should be! what an intense piece of music!
I really liked a song by Kansas called Musicatto ( I think that was the name ) Steve Morse is my absolute favorite guitarist (not because of Kansas or Deep Purple). It's a shame he had to leave the band. he said it was basically because the original guitarist Kerry Livgren made more money off of new album sales and tours and he wasnt even in the band anymore, he just owned the name of the band still.
 
Ufipman If anyone is not familiar with the song Magnum Opus... you should be! what an intense piece of music! [/QUOTE said:
I totally agree with you there. It's almost not fair to call Magnum Opus a "song" because of all the unique and various parts in it. I think many have accurately labeled Kansas' music as Baroque-progressive-rock. I've always been a huge Ehart fan and I have always felt he has not received the credit he deserves for his talents.

I highly recommend for all Kansas fans Kerry Livgren's solo album from 1980 called "Seeds of Change." It has Phil Ehart and Barriemore Barlow of Jethro Tull playing drums on all but one track and the performances by both are simply perfect. Ronnie James Dio, Steve Walsh, Jeff Pollard and David Pack also appear on the album.
 
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but I always thought Phil to be very stiff

I would say that being "stiff" and having "flawless timing" could be subjective views of the same thing.

I think that this section of the forum is to highlight the strengths of various drummers and not to resolve who is the best. When someone needs help with a certain aspect of drumming they should look here for examples of drummers that are strong in that area. If someone wanted help with counting out something I would recommend listening to "Journey from Mariabronn" and playing along with Phil.
 
Just saw Kansas tonight in Biloxi and WOW I am impressed. The last time I saw Kansas they opened up for Yes and I couldn't hear the band as well as I would've liked. Got a great look at Phil and have a new found respect. Impecable timing, totally fluent. The rest of the band sounded great and of course Rich kicked butt.
 
I am a huge fan of Kansas, and I saw them last year. They sounded better than ever. Phil is great drummer who deserves more respect in the drum world. Visit the band's site www.kansasband.com . Peace.
 
Resguy,I can agree with much of what you are saying. I don't think Phil's "fills" are so much "weak" as they are just "commonplace," meaning that they do not stand out or blaze across the music the same way that other Prog-rock contemporaries like Carl Palmer's or Bill Bruford's fills do. In this way,Phil Ehart is typically American,with a playing style based more on the Blues than Stravinsky. And there is nothing wrong with that: European Prog is based on European sound sources such as Classical music while most American music (no matter how "Proggy" it pretends to be,) nods in the direction of Jazz and Blues with the Blues being the deciding factor. Therefore,Ehart's drumming would fit comfortably into any mid-1970s Hard Rock Lp but not necessarily into the European Prog variants that were in vogue at the time. Personally,I love both Kansas and Phil Ehart. Much of what Ehart plays sounds simple but is like hell to play along with. I love the writing and arranging in songs like The Pinnacle,Magnum Opus,Miracles Out Of Nowhere,Song For America and Lamplight Symphony; these guys were no slouches.I saw them afew years back in 2001 and they sounded like they were going through the motions which is too bad because when a band reaches that stage in their career they should just call it quits. Even so,some of the best music in the 70s was being made by these guys and as resguy says: if you think the hits were great,just dig into the other stuff. Check out this link to a performance of The Pinnacle on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert from 1975. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZzLPf_zyKk
 
Our band will be doing Carry On Wayward Son ....and I've been listening to pick up any nuances that may have been missed over the years...and wow...new found respect!!

2 things...

1) I thought he was Ludwig guy........all the old videos show Slingerland...hmmmm
2) What snare is he using on C.O.W.S ??
 
Our band will be doing Carry On Wayward Son ....and I've been listening to pick up any nuances that may have been missed over the years...and wow...new found respect!!

2 things...

1) I thought he was Ludwig guy........all the old videos show Slingerland...hmmmm
2) What snare is he using on C.O.W.S ??

I was just listening to the Two for the Show Lp, and in the pics, it shows a Slingerland chrome snare. It could be a chrome over Brass, because that snare sound is pretty solid sounding and fatter than a 'normal' steel chrome snare. I think it's a 6.5, but I'm not sure about that.
One (of a ton :p) of the best snare sounds on record IMO--it still sounds awesome when it's on the radio.

Phil was a Ludwig guy for a short time, just before he went with Yamaha I think....

I was just re-looking at PE's MD article from around 85 ( I love that black Yamaha kit he had!) and he said he really just considered himself a rock drummer that happened to be in a band that played odd sigs, and passages.
His parts were never that 'complicated', but they fit the songs, and are good to listen too.
I always liked the feel of Fight Fire With Fire, a totally simple groove, but it fits just right, and the time sig is perfect for that type of tune. And Song For America is fun to play along to as well.
 
I was just listening to the Two for the Show Lp, and in the pics, it shows a Slingerland chrome snare. It could be a chrome over Brass, because that snare sound is pretty solid sounding and fatter than a 'normal' steel chrome snare. I think it's a 6.5, but I'm not sure about that.
One (of a ton :p) of the best snare sounds on record IMO--it still sounds awesome when it's on the radio.

Thanks Karl....good stuff!

But,...I wouldn't assume that it was a chrome over brass because of it's sound....think Ludwig Supraphonic ;)

Which to me....that sounds like on Carry On....

Thanks again....
 
Actually...I always really thought it sounded like a Supraphonic myself...but since he was a Slingerland player, and those pics had that Slingerland snare...I assumed he used a Slingerland....

BUT, you're right, it does sound like a Supra...which is a waaaay better snare IMO...being a Ludwig guy :p.

That gong he has in those pics looks really cool too with the lathed, then un-lathed circles.
I have one of those 28" Wuhan wind gongs, but I wish I could get one like Phil had back then.
 
Ludwig guy myself! :)

BUT ...

You may have misunderstood what I said.....All I was saying is that that snare (while probably a Slingerland) wasn't necessarily a chrome over brass,....then I used the Supra as an example ;)
 
OK...
I get you.

Hey you know what...in my 'mind's eye'..not blurry after all these years haha!...I'm thinking that snare (in the pics I'm talking about) MAY be a wood snare with reinforcing hoops....
He has the snare pretty angled from what I recall too....without having the pic in front of me that is.
 
Karl,I believe the gong that Phil used in the 1970s was a custom-made Zildjian. I used to have a Zildjian catalogue at that time and it had several odd gongs that Zildjian no longer makes. In fact I still own a 30" Zildjian "Taiwan" Gong that I bought from that particular catalogue.The closest I could come to an example of Phil's gong can be purchased at this website: http://www.gongs-unlimited.com/22suoncabago.html
 
Thanks for the info ellenvannin105.
This is the gong I have. It's a 28" Wuhan Wind Gong. It's got a pretty cool sound.

CTOKit.jpg


I think my school used to have a gong ( a looonnnng time ago) that was like Phil's, but not striped. It was like the Wind Gong in shape, but smoother and a little thicker.

I found this on that site. It doesn't say what size it is...
http://www.gongs-unlimited.com/targogong.html
 
I have been a huge fan since I was 17. I saw Kansas in Don Kirschner's Rock Concert. Us old farts will remember that Don Kirshner introduced them as "progressive country".

I have seen them live a few times but the first time was the original band with Moorse. I was lucky enough to see them in the round from the front row, that meant as the stage slowest rotated I got to watch him play from behind about 8 feet away. I was a real treat.

Song For America is a masterpiece.
 
Karl,I think the gong in your link might very well be the Phil Ehart gong as well. I'd forgotten about that one. Anyway,it's a Ufip and the drummer with PFM also used a Ufip.Incredibly heavy gongs as I recall. Your own gong is pretty good; I am always thinking of buying a Wuhan wind gong but I wonder if it will go down well alongside my Paiste Symphonics. Gongs,quite fun,aren't they...?
 
I think the Wind gong would go pretty well with your Paiste Symphonics.

It would sound good with the Traditional series and the new Twenty series too.

I had been thinking of getting this for years, and finally had a use for it, so I went for it.

The situation for using it changed, and I only used it for one thing, but even with that, I don't regret getting it.

The price was good too.

I like it because you get the 'gong' sound, but it gets out of the way pretty quick and doesn't go "nnnnnnn" for 10 minuites behind you.

The loudest gong I ever heard was Bobby Rondineli's when he was with BOC a few years ago. I heard it from about 15 feet away on the side of the stage, and it was so freakin' loud, I was like....Holy crap that's freakin' loud!
And I saw the hit coming too!!

Booby is a cool guy too.

Hey rmandelbaum,

LUCKY!!!! That must have ruled.
 
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