Was classic rock drumming sort of abandoned?

JimmyM said:
On Sweet’s early stuff they were writers, but after Desolation Angels they wrote their own songs. Don’t know about sessions. Slade always wrote their own songs and I’m pretty sure they played in studio.
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I think you mean Desolation Boulevard. Desolation Angels is an album by Bad Co. LOL!
 
Duck Tape said:
I was born in '84 and in high school I was introduced to the usual rock bands of the time. What I've noticed since joining a band that plays a lot of 70's stuff is that lots of classic rock drumming has been forgotten, it's like they abandoned the swing, the jazz based licks, shuffles and all the good stuff that I'd been missing out on. Many of the licks, fills, beat and styles I've had to learn to play in my band were brand new to me, aside from what I'd picked up from guys like Chad Smith.

Is it just me and my unfortunate musical taste or did they stop carrying the torch in the 80's and 90's?

Some of the great drummers I'm discovering are Mitch Mitchell, Ian Paice and John Bonham. Are there any other legends I need to check out?
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You are probably overwhelmed with suggestions by this point, but just in case you want more recommendations, Bonham was influenced by Carmine Appice and Ginger Baker. Both drummers had and have interesting careers. Carmine's little brother Vinny Appice is awesome too. Someone already mentioned Grand Funk's drummer but i second him and also Ian Paice simply because both drummers make what they do SOUND easy. Also, Tony Williams is the most ROCK-sounding/playing Jazz drummer of all time IMHO. It would be an interesting listen for you. Kinda like a juxtaposition kinda thing. :)
Also, a few posts back someone said study your hero's heroes. I couldn't have said it better myself. I think Buddy Rich is in your future....IF you follow that suggestion. :D
 
Chris Whitten said:
From my memory most of the glam rock bands (like Slade and Sweet) had fairly rudimentary, poorly skilled drummers.
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I find that Mick Tucker was very skilled, maybe I’m wrong in that assumption but I (who have studied with excellent drum teachers for years) would never cut it playing Set me free or Sweet F.A. Don from Slade did a great job as well, maybe not as ”schooled” as Mick but he sure did a good job for Slade’s entire career.
 
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I feel pretty abandoned at this point…😭
Cry Reaction GIF by SpongeBob SquarePants
 
Duck Tape said:
Are there any other legends I need to check out?
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I think there's a tendency for aspiring Rock musicians to listen to nothing but Rock, and then wonder why their stuff sounds a bit stale. The older Rock drummers listened to Blues and Jazz. Going to the source might be a good idea - or maybe find your own source for inspiration.

Personally, I'm amazed by how many people play Rock and can't understand why I suggest they listen to Blues once in a while. "I don't know anything about Blues. I only play heavy metal."
 
blinky said:
I find that Mick Tucker was very skilled, maybe I’m wrong in that assumption but I (who have studied with excellent drum teachers for years) would never cut it playing Set me free or Sweet F.A. Don from Slade did a great job as well, maybe not as ”schooled” as Mick but he sure did a good job for Slade’s entire career.
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It's funny you should say that

 
Woolwich said:
It's funny you should say that

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Not my favorite song of theirs but good playing all around. For me, Give Us A Wink represents their pinnacle, although some of their album cuts that Chinn and Chapman didn’t write were pretty good. And who doesn’t love Blockbuster? ;)
 
GretschedHive said:
SO good.

I just realized with a jolt that these days when I think of Simon Kirke I don't immediately think of how much I like his stuff back in the day, but of his actor progeny.
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I just noticed this song the drum track sounds a lot like Motley Crews Dr Feelgood? Heater Skelter? One o them tunes
 
Duck Tape said:
I was born in '84 and in high school I was introduced to the usual rock bands of the time. What I've noticed since joining a band that plays a lot of 70's stuff is that lots of classic rock drumming has been forgotten, it's like they abandoned the swing, the jazz based licks, shuffles and all the good stuff that I'd been missing out on. Many of the licks, fills, beat and styles I've had to learn to play in my band were brand new to me, aside from what I'd picked up from guys like Chad Smith.

Is it just me and my unfortunate musical taste or did they stop carrying the torch in the 80's and 90's?

Some of the great drummers I'm discovering are Mitch Mitchell, Ian Paice and John Bonham. Are there any other legends I need to check out?
Click to expand...
I just noticed this song sounds like Motley Crews “Helter Skelter? Dr Feelgood? One of their songs
 
Duck Tape said:
I was born in '84 and in high school I was introduced to the usual rock bands of the time. What I've noticed since joining a band that plays a lot of 70's stuff is that lots of classic rock drumming has been forgotten, it's like they abandoned the swing, the jazz based licks, shuffles and all the good stuff that I'd been missing out on. Many of the licks, fills, beat and styles I've had to learn to play in my band were brand new to me, aside from what I'd picked up from guys like Chad Smith.

Is it just me and my unfortunate musical taste or did they stop carrying the torch in the 80's and 90's?

Some of the great drummers I'm discovering are Mitch Mitchell, Ian Paice and John Bonham. Are there any other legends I need to check out?
Click to expand...
Neil Pert? Arejay Hale from Halestorm
 
Duck Tape said:
I was born in '84 and in high school I was introduced to the usual rock bands of the time. What I've noticed since joining a band that plays a lot of 70's stuff is that lots of classic rock drumming has been forgotten, it's like they abandoned the swing, the jazz based licks, shuffles and all the good stuff that I'd been missing out on. Many of the licks, fills, beat and styles I've had to learn to play in my band were brand new to me, aside from what I'd picked up from guys like Chad Smith.

Is it just me and my unfortunate musical taste or did they stop carrying the torch in the 80's and 90's?

Some of the great drummers I'm discovering are Mitch Mitchell, Ian Paice and John Bonham. Are there any other legends I need to check out?
Click to expand...
In a shameless self plug, you might want to get a copy of my book, Great Rock Drummers Of The Sixties, to learn more about the drummers of that era. When rock drumming was still in its youth in the 50's and 60's, drummers still knew how to swing a beat, because they listened to guys like Krupa, Rich, Papa Jo Jones, and the Bop guys like Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Chico Hamilton, et. al. Guys like Ringo and Charlie Watts, and even Keith Moon, had a swing feel. We gradually morphed into an era when hard rock drummers tend to bludgeon the beat to death.

Drummers like Charlie Watts, Mitch Mitchell, Ginger Baker, Aynsley Dunbar, Kenney Jones, Bobby Elliot, and someone mentioned Jerry Edmonton from Steppenwolf, were jazz influenced in some way.
 
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someguy01 said:
Computers don't swing man, the grid is life bro!
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Chris Whitten said:
It's just a recording medium, the notes can be anywhere you want. You can programme midi in real time, playing the part.
people like Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock embraced electronics and computer programming decades ago.
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Even though this was a joke and computers can be made to "swing", it does seem that the way people drum was heavily influenced by machines, not just swinging (or lack thereof), but drifting time (lack thereof), plus the sound (often sample replaced).

If you listen to many more modern isolated drum tracks, even real drummers often sound like very straight, very quantized, very compressed drum machines.
 
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ricky said:
Even though this was a joke and computers can be made to "swing", it does seem that the way people drum was heavily influenced by machines, not just swinging (or lack thereof), but drifting time (lack thereof), plus the sound (often sample replaced).

If you listen to many more modern isolated drum tracks, even real drummers often sound like very straight, very quantized, very compressed drum machines.
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I think it’s changing to a certain degree, but dance music will always be that way. Plus with remote recording being so popular, folks are going to use clicks. I hate it but I don’t have the power to change it. I do, however, have the power to bump tempos if I think a fill needs to be faster, or change the time sig completely.
 
ricky said:
Even though this was a joke and computers can be made to "swing", it does seem that the way people drum was heavily influenced by machines, not just swinging (or lack thereof), but drifting time (lack thereof), plus the sound (often sample replaced).

If you listen to many more modern isolated drum tracks, even real drummers often sound like very straight, very quantized, very compressed drum machines.
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Yes but I think the danger is that people assume it’s a bad thing. I don’t really think it is - it’s just a choice and a set of tools. I think Classic Rock drumming (whatever that is) has gone away because Classic Rock has (fortunately) gone away and the public consciousness has moved on.

I used to think years ago we needed more Classic Rock bands. Then The Darkness happened and I was suddenly happy to admit I was wrong…
 
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