Hey Larry, thanks for all that effort! ... even if it was a dismemberment
"Man's World": ...
The snare sounded like it was tuned for a nice tone, but had some muffling on it. I wanted to hear the overtones on your ghosts.
Same here. Alas, I got told to muffle it so I stuck some Blu-Tack on the edge until everyone was happy. I don't think engineers and other musos like open drums as much as us drummers do. But I'm a jellyfish who likes to please so I just obey orders
I'm sorry but the one crash has got to go. One of your crashes sounded really nice though. Sounded like a Paiste if I'm not mistaken
I have a Sabian HH 19" and a 20" Zildjian ride (the latter can be heard most clearly in the final two big crashes at the end). I'd cry if I lost the Zil so I'm hoping you mean the Sabian. If so, I might see about getting a large K crash and fully embrace the dark side
Since this is essentially a slow blues number, I thought you had a lot of latitude that you didn't explore. It was a little too basic at times.
I like that you kept the front part simple. But I felt you could have played nuances around the vocal more. After you went to the snare and ride, like during the guitar solo, I felt you could have stepped it up a bit intensity wise. Your ghosts were tasteful but I wanted a just tad more dynamics and aggressiveness, more drums essentially, bringing it up to a higher level at the end of the solo.
I wanted to hear intensity that kept building, the climax of the solo could have been much more effective IMO. But you did build it up, I just wanted to hear it built up more. Same with the last part of the song. It was good but I wanted more intensity, to more closely reflect the testosterone theme of the lyric. (hey I can play girly, you have to be able to play manly!)
At the end of the song, I thought instead of easing it down it would have been better to have built it up to the very end.
Also, Glenn's gender bending vocal timbre doesn't work for me on this song. Too fruity.
I know what you mean and I'm always looking for chances to break out more - but without being overbearing.
Unfortunately, the day we recorded Glenn had some stuff going on in his life that was bringing him down so his guide vocal was uncharacteristically wet. There wasn't much there for me to work with. Even his final vocal recorded later was less gutsy than usual. He's been working long hours of late which isn't helping his singing.
Meanwhile, our guitarist gets the heebies with studio work and played his solo super quiet (recorded live with the band rather than dubbed) - so quiet that the engineer had to clean up all that noise and then boost volume and thicken up the sound to achieve this version. So, again, I was trying not to make sure I could hear all his notes.
I agree there were moments where there could have been more starch in the shirt but it wasn't a good day in the studio ... still, musos are like postmen ... "through hail or snow or rain ..."
BTW, when did you ever play girly ya big bull artist! I reserve the right not to play in a manly way
When I do slow blues, I have a few different things I like to hear that work well, for example but not limited to: cymbal swell then choke, press roll buildups,
And you do them beautifully. I'm not good at those things. When we first played it I had a closed roll in there but I don't think I executed very well and it scared the horses.
flamming the one on the snare at the end of the solo
Yeah, that's a good lick. I keep forgetting to use that one because I'm old and tend to default to my old things.
switching from straight quarters to a shuffle pattern (on the hats or ride) for a bar or 2 during a buildup, switching from straight quarters to straight 8's for a bar or 2, etc. Slow blues is fertile ground for some really custom drumming, if you're tasteful, you can literally load it up w/ unobtrusive nuance.
Still friends?
Nope sorry - leave pass expired
... Ha, seriously, they're good ideas. Noted!
Re: First Time
Seriously I don't know if I like all those ghosts. I don't know the original, but I thought there were a little too many, and I didn't get the feeling you were committed to them as much as you should have been. They felt a bit tentative to me. I wanted more space anyway, and a straight beat. Sweet cross stick tone though. If I was playing this I would have kept it straighter, no skip note on the ride or hat. I would have stayed out of the way more.
I was fairly happy with this one. I've executed it better (and worse) but I like the groovy, ethereal concept.
The lyric...this person is remembering something, so in this instance, I feel space is more appropriate than extraneous notes, (So the listener has time to think and isn't distracted by unnecessary notes. Of course this is just my stupid overthinking of things, but that's what I do lol.) Plus this is a vocal spotlight song, the drums should not be competing. But what you did was your interpretation. It did sound retro in a way. Like 70's lol.
The idea is that the steady pulsing of the kick drum is like a subliminal heartbeat - the singer has the hots for someone and their heart's going boom boom etc.
Roberta F did a total diva thing with the backing waaay in the back. We wanted to present a more democratic version where the band mucks in more ... and since Glenn and his weekend warriors aren't exactly Roberta plus studio orchestra in a major mastered recording, it would be a big ask to expect him to carry the song without more gutsy backing.
So it's deliberate ... and, yes,
very retro
"On Broadway" was my least favorite of them all. I thought it was a little too happy and upbeat, not slinky enough, not yearning enough. If I could refer to the lyric again, this person is just fantasizing, he's a nobody. He's not happy. He's hungry and disappointed. He could be ugly. The music didn't reflect that to me.
Our view was that competing with The Drifters and George Benson was not an option, so it's our own own take on it - the guy is no shrinking violet. He's a tough guy on mean street and he has big dreams. He's angry and jealous but also optimistic - he's gonna be a big big man! I think that intensity is less apparent in the pros' versions. It's another angle.
Funny, I just tried to find another cover on YouTube as a comparison and it seems no one's covering it.
I didn't like the backbeat, I thought it was intrusive and too in my face. A halftime backbeat further back in the mix would have felt better, I wanted to hear you maintain the hi hat feel like in the beginning, (with some opens and closes) and iwhen it came time to notch it up a little, instead of standard backbeat, I thought toms would be more interesting, I was imagining something rhumba-ish half timeish... sort of. Not much snare.
Hmm, I might try pulling out some backbeats. The spot where the backbeat first comes in could be better. When it's introduced I probably should just play it on the 2 and then ramp up from there. Good idea but a rumba would scare the horses IMO
The "Ha!" Glenn sang after the guitar solo took me by surprise and startled me. I usually don't go for being startled lol.
Pah! It's fun! Harden up, petal
All 3 of these songs are perfect examples of why I turn to the lyrics for ideas for playing choices.
This comes back to that other thread and I agree to that extent.
I know all the words to these and have talked with Glenn about interpretation options a fair bit. I know I take quirky options but I'm a quirky old bird and that's naturally what I bring to the table. If a band wants classic interpretations they'll look for another drummer. No, I'm not overburdened with offers
Thanks for all the ideas, Larry! I'll be trying a few of those next time.