Keith Moon

  • Thread starter tuckerduncan2002
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I will start by agreeing that The Isle of White concert is amazing;
that any one playing Who music in a band will always try to mirror what Moon did or else it does not sound quite right, including Kenny Jones who is a great drummer in his own right;

The tightest I have heard him is on "Pure and Easy" from Odds and Sods and everything on Quadraphonia, and I mean tight;

He opens up acoustic tracks with double bass licks.

I could go on, I listen and love lots of drum playing, all sorts and I am defiantly not stuck in any sort of genre of music and I consider Moon was a very creative drummer and explosive, like a full classical orchestra. And another thing crossed my mind, has anyone listened to a group that was not that good and said “but the drummer was dynamite”; perhaps the answer for some of you is yes but my point is that the argument is redundant. The Who and Who music would not be what it is with out the playing style of Keith Moon plain and simple and vice versa.
 
I love Keith Moon. HE IS truly one of a kind. His style, enthusiasm, and character cannot be matched. And think of the bands back then. Did anybody even try and do stuff like him? I think not.
Moon rocks .
In fact that how I try to play. I am not into playing the snare/ base drum/ hit hat alone most of the time with occasional tom tom rolls. Thats boring to me.
 
I was never a fan of Keith Moon. His style is always so sloppy and, a lot of the time, overplayed. And if there's one groove that makes my blood boil it's definately "You Better", or at least I think that's what it's called. It is just so annoying and never goes anywhere.

Now, I'm not saying he's terrible. He's been a big influence to many drummers, but I just don't like his style.




You better was played by the drummer who replaced moon after his death, Kenny Jones i think...... but i agree with you, that song definatley lacked the youthful energy that moon drummed with.
 
I dont exactly like keith moon also i find he drums to wildly and insane for just a song its like listening to a drum solo with singing,guitar,bass some times keyboards but im wondering do you think that zac starkey is doing a good job with the who like do you think he is playing the role of keith moon well?
 
I dont exactly like keith moon also i find he drums to wildly and insane for just a song its like listening to a drum solo with singing,guitar,bass some times keyboards but im wondering do you think that zac starkey is doing a good job with the who like do you think he is playing the role of keith moon well?



I think hes doing decent. No one could ever replace moon, but zac does a good job.
 
I haven't read all the posts on this thread so maybe it's been mentioned, but I remember hearing a quote from John Entwistle regarding Keith's death. He said something like "Keith will be greatly missed as my friend, but not necessarily as a drummer". I can't find the quote, so maybe it's just hear say. Has anyone else heard that quote?
 
what can you say, he is the most intense drummer of all time
 
Hello Matt,

Michael here. You sound to me like a real Who fan. I'm a fan also, but to put Keith Moon 2nd Best rock drummer of all time, is a bit of a stretch. Not to say he wasn't a great rock drummer, 'cause he was, but you're leaving out alot of other drummers that I believe were more influentual then Moon. Such as Paice, Appice, Bruford, Palmer, Copeland, Baker, Mitchell, Porcaro, Peart, etc... I would definitely put Moon at or near the top of the list for "Most Unique Rock Drummer Of All Time". And to say that Neil Peart is overrated is as far from accurate as you can get. Nice story about the Billy Cobham clinic, though. Thanks. Play On!

yup yup about peart being overated, if the man was that great, he wouldnt need a double kick for what he can do. its all about the heel-toe, im a big user
.
 
In my opinion, Kieth Moon was an extraordinary drummer. What he lacked in precision and dynamics he made up for in his ability to drive every song with his energy and groove. No question, his playing is a lot busier than a lot of guys like, and I completely understand that. But what made Kieth Moon so great was his attitude behind the set. I mean, he essentially invented (along with Bonham) the rock drummer image: crazy, flailing all over the place, playing flashy fills and solos, flipping' his sticks around and, above all else, playing with such a signature style, feel and energy that no drummer will ever be able to recreate what he could do for The Who. To me, that is greatest in its own right.
 
I was never a huge fan of Moon's style, but The Who would never have been as near a legendary band without his style. Keith is, and certainly deserves to be, a drumming legend. I've seen some decent drummers do Who material and try to copy Keith's chops. Some have the parts down cold. But none can do what he did - because he was an original - a "one off". I remember playing the raw, unpredictable and insane "Can You See the Real Me" years ago and deciding this was one cat I wasn't even going to try to copy.
 
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I think Keith was a true non-comformist, he did every thing a drummer shouldn't do, and he did it well. =p
 
Lot of great comments and observations so far. the Loon is definetely one of my faves of all time. Not just for the crazy, intense playing, but for the whole confidence - go for it attitude. While I don't condone his crazy alcohol and drug habits I think he trancended just being a great rock drummer. How many other drummers out there have movies made about their lives? None come to my mind at the moment. (am I blanking out or are there really no othere drummer bio-pics? Not talking about documentaries.) Wasn't there a Gene Krupa movie years ago?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482630/
 
Hello, fellows.

It's great when you manage your drums originally as Keith Moon did, of course everybody will give some lip. Enjoy the picture!

All the Best,
 

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I remember the Who during the late 60's. What impressed me as a young drummer was that he played the drums like an instrument in the song and not just to keep the beat. He was a wildman but it was wild times. While energetic he was pretty typical in his behavior, but he kept up much longer than most. hee,hee,hee. I always thought the energy he brought to a song just couldn't be recorded. It had to be felt. He kept that energy well beyond his youth.
 
just go and watch Isle of Wight, it should shut most of you up = ) A lot of ppl have a problem with Keith because he was a little too eccentric when it came to playing. I have absolutely no idea how you could say that he wasnt into his drumming. I havent seen a sole that is more into drumming live, well, ever. Hes got some of the fastest chops around and some very original grooves. And he was also a showman, he could hit his snare drum with his stick, and it would fly into the air, then he'd catch, and go right back into playing. IMO Keith Moon is monster on the drumset, for god sakes his nickname was the octopus for the way that he'd fly around that set.


Amen. Watch the DVD. Listen to "Whos Next" from beginning to end.
 
I just watched an old The Who concert (from 1970) on Palladia (used to be Music HighDef channel on cable TV) this week and I've got to say Keith Moon is either A> "genius" or B> "bozo" on the drums. He is quite a unique drummer (one of a kind) and I've always dug his drumming on The Who songs... but now that I've seen him perform I gotta wonder "what the heck is he doing"? Some very strange techniques, stick gripping, fills, heck I didn't even see a high-hat. Half the time I think he is playing out of time, but then jumps back "in time". He must be self taught... doubt he started with Haskell Harr Book 1. Regardless of how "unconventional" his technique is... he manages to make it work. I'll have to conclude Keith Moon is "amazing"...

Other's thoughts on Keith?
 
Yes, Moon was quite 'sloppy', I suppose.

But he was a fantastic showman who created his own unique sound on the drums.

Try listening to the Live At Leeds album, recorded before the booze really kicked in in the mid 70s.

The playing is massively undisciplned - but massively extciting and inspiring.

I remember miming along to it in my bedroom when I was a kid.

One of the first superstar rock drummers....
 
Check out Tommy Live , they play it a the Isle whyte Festival footage,or get the album.
I agree He Can be a bit hit or miss,his timing was notoriously sloppy in later years(due to drink and drugs) but the man is a genius, absolutely bloody mental, but a genius.
I must admit stealing a few of his fills in the past.
The Lack of Hi hat has always puzzled me aswell, but if it work it works, why follow the crowd.
some absolutely great stories about the man.

GENIUS!!!
 
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