albums with missing drum kit elements

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When listening to Roger Waters last album I noticed that I didn’t hear a ride cymbal until the album was nearly finished, and even then it was very brief. This got me thinking, this is opposite to pink Floyd as Nick mason was very Ride heavy, his ride dominates most of the great albums! The cymbal choices in the Roger album work very well, I think the hats deliver that slightly ominous feel to the grooves. Its just different I guess.

Then I got to thinking of other examples of albums where some usual drum kit element is left out. I came up with talking Heads – Chris Frantz doesn’t use a ride on much of their stuff. And the ramones - I don’t think I heard a single drum fill on the whole album (leaving home).

Anyone else noticed this kind of stuff? Any other examples?
theres probably millions and I've just never noticed!
 
I can't speak intelligently on this topic but on a related note, I do notice on the songs that I just play kick and snare, no hi hat or ride...it creates a certain feeling. I don't know how to describe that feeling yet, but it really affects me in a good way. I lose the high freqs from the beat and it absolutely makes a certain vibe for sure, that I really dig. I'll come up with some good words for it.
 
Phil Rudd Of AC/DC hasn’t used a ride cymbal in his set up for years.
Several hundred divisions lower, at a gig a few months back the soundman looked at my kit and asked where my ride cymbal was. The answer was “at home” because in my Glam Rock band there was only one song in our entire 2 hour set that I used it for so I just leave it and it’s stand in the house and either use the bell of my 18” crash cymbal or hi hats for the minute or less that it’s needed.
 
Woolwich said:
either use the bell of my 18” crash cymbal or hi hats for the minute or less that it’s needed.
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Oh that's interesting, I might use that idea sometime!

(If my band ever get out of the rehearsal room - I've still never done a gig!)
 
Are you talking about that the drum element is there but it's very, very low in the mix or drum elements that aren't there altogether?

I have a nightmare story that sort of fits this -

I volunteered to help my church on a project probably 7-8 years ago. The guy who was doing all of the recording was new, never asked for my help, but whatever. The only help he got was from this gear-head guy who was all about MIDI, e-Drums, and all things tech. Granted he was a great player, but his favorite acoustic guitar was a Line 6 "acoustic." (Yes, they made them. Go google them.) I wanted to use my USA Pork Pie drum set, but I was shut down. I was told to use the ekit (high-dollar Roland deal). I was the only drummer at the time, so if I didn't do it, it wasn't going to happen.

I go in to record. It sounds like trash. Most of the pads have sounds, but the cymbals don't; however, he says that he's seeing signal on the computer, and that he and the techie dude are going to go back in and replace all of the drum samples anyways, so as long as he's getting signal coming through, we should be good to go whether I'm hearing anything or not. Fine. I finish the session, no problem.

A couple of months go by, and the recording is finished. During the final mixing, the guy that recorded mixes it. Techie guy listens to it and approves. The head worship pastor listens and approves. The sound tech listens and approves. It goes away to get pressed (500-700 copies maybe?). I get a copy, throw it in the CD player in my car.

No. Cymbals.

None.

No hats, no ride, no crashes.

Nothing.

I was hoping that my name was nowhere on the project, but sure enough, there I was. I sent a text out to those folks. I think it read something like "Just listened to the new CD. No cymbals." It became a running joke for about 5 years after that. From then on, we recorded my acoustic drums. Even still, my recorded parts were hacked to death on future projects (they would take like a 8-bar measure and loop it).

I stopped caring about their recorded projects long ago.
 
I was talking about decisions to leave an element out, but thats interesting point - maybe a lot gets buried in the mix! I don't think that's the case in the examples I gave (apart from maybe the Ramones?)

Chris Franz didn't like rides, so I read somewhere. And the Roger album probably doesn't lend itself to much ride

Porkpieguy - You've got me thinking about something else now though, probably better in the e-kit section but anyway - you mentioned your cymbals being removed in the mix - I didn't know this was possible, I thought it all one channel? I have an e-kit (td9) but I don't do any more on it than basic practice
 
larryace said:
I can't speak intelligently on this topic but on a related note, I do notice on the songs that I just play kick and snare, no hi hat or ride...it creates a certain feeling. I don't know how to describe that feeling yet, but it really affects me in a good way. I lose the high freqs from the beat and it absolutely makes a certain vibe for sure, that I really dig. I'll come up with some good words for it.
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I like this too. Sometimes you don't want the high end and busy rhythm of the cymbals, and playing on the floor tom would be too much. I think most drummers feel like they have to be doing something with their right hand all the time.

As for missing elements, I really like Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth's playing with Bent Knee. He comes up with very creative drum beats that eschew the typical rock music ride and high-hat patterns. A great drummer and a great band, check them out.
 
Keith Moon often didn't use hats, and for a while, Peter Gabriel (post-Genesis) didn't want hats on his tracks.

Must be a Brit thing. :O
 
A drum teacher once told me that the two fellas from Abba didn't want any crash cymbals from their session drummers, but dubbed in crashes on tracks that needed them afterwards.
 
Lars didn't use a ride for a while. There's no ride on the black album and I think on Justice too.

Brought it back on Load.
 
hawksmoor said:
A drum teacher once told me that the two fellas from Abba didn't want any crash cymbals from their session drummers, but dubbed in crashes on tracks that needed them afterwards.
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They overdubbed the cymbals on the first Slayer record (Show No Mercy). It's really obvious once you know. Might work for Abba but it's dumb in a metal context.
 
bermuda said:
Keith Moon often didn't use hats, and for a while, Peter Gabriel (post-Genesis) didn't want hats on his tracks.

Must be a Brit thing. :O
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Wasn't it crash cymbal ? I'm not sure , I think early P Gabriel were with almost no crash accent.
 
EricT43 said:
I think most drummers feel like they have to be doing something with their right hand all the time.
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It is a strange feeling, with one hand idle.

Way different than when I first started playing out and thought I

Had. To. Work. Just. As. Hard. As. I. Could.

Funny how things go round and round.

Less is more...just gets more profoundly meaningful with each year for me.
 
I could get by without toms.

I'd miss them terribly though.
 
My band does covers and I need a ride for the start of one song, cowbell for two, so the ride is off my kit.
 
Ramones - totally anti-drum fill. They would have beat up their drummer had he tried. Chris Frantz - you're right, his simple drums beast suited the music, all that was needed.
On contrary, I do at times notice minor added elements that I'd sometimes rather not hear. Roger Taylor, a monster drummer, likes opening the hats on 2 and 4 with snare, but this lick appears on almost every song on the 1974 Queen Live at the Rainbow. Over-used I'd say.

Playing with just 2 elements, say snare and bass drum, I lose the entire internal 'engine' that I have when 4 parts of my body are going. It feels unnatural.

I'd rather lose all form of crash cymbals or toms than the ride cymbal.
 
The on the song "I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow, there are NO cymbals, because the drummer was asked to come up drum parts that didn't use cymbals.

As mentioned, Lars Ulrich didn't have a ride cymbals for many years, and Keith Moon went many years without using a hi-hat.

Bill Bruford used unusual set ups for various years, often without hi-hats

Terry Bozzio hasn't used a ride cymbals since the 80's, but sometimes uses a gong as a ride.

And then there are artists like Tom Waits who doesn't want his drummers using traditional drum kits per se on his recordings.

The list goes on.
 
larryace said:
I can't speak intelligently on this topic but on a related note, I do notice on the songs that I just play kick and snare, no hi hat or ride...it creates a certain feeling. I don't know how to describe that feeling yet, but it really affects me in a good way. I lose the high freqs from the beat and it absolutely makes a certain vibe for sure, that I really dig. I'll come up with some good words for it.
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Arcadia (Duran Duran side project) had many songs on their album that sounded like there was no HH or ride but I think they were just really low in the mix. I don't like the sound of that at all. The song loses all it's "drive".
For example take a song with a verse that begins with no hh, then the hh comes in after a couple of bars; that is soooo satisfying.
 
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