Great record, terrible drummer

Of course, or else they would have fired him from the band much
earlier. The real question is, why did Pink Floyd require a
shitty drummer? Why didn't they demand a good drummer? Cause I've
only been playing drums for two years and I can play better than
Nick Mason.

_Fictitious Sports_ was good, though, I have to give props.
Better than most Floyd records, actually.

No, because he is very good at what he does.

Learning to beatmatch jungle wrought havoc on my enjoyment of live drummers. A recent Franz Ferdinand show springs to mind as one example where the tempos vacillated all over the place, within the same song, and not in some loose retro-hipster perfect-for-the -song fashion. Just in a youthful, unskilled, 'where did the tempo' go fashion. Ugh.

Most drummers who love Radiohead will still probably agree that the drumming is the weakest link. Which is not to say that he doesn't do a fine job, given the requirements of the band.

I will not tolerate any dissing of Mason here.

First of all, that video is from the Live At Pompeii movie and Mason himself bashes his performance on it because midway through, he loses a stick (additionally the movie crew lost the film reels of Gilmour, Waters, and Wright for that track and so all you see of "One Of These Days" is him losing the stick)

Anyway, Mason is exactly the drummer that PF needed - my proof is any live recording from the 1975 tour, especially the end of "Raving And Drooling"

i'll mention him; he used to be (circa '87-'90) absolutely terrifying. i saw sy three times in 1990, and each one he was totally channelling keith moon. ever since then he plays like someone dosed him with quaaludes. i can't think of a more dramatic example of a once-great drummer falling so far (not even moon himself).

Not me!

besides, drumming has changed over the years. it's become a bit more minimal. as much as i love keith moon or bonham, would they really sound right backing sufjan stevens, animal collective or the
microphones?

WTF R U Talking About

I think Keith Moon drumming with Animal Collective would sound pretty spot on, actually. Did you hear the cymbol crashes on "Grass"? GET ME TO A TIME MACHINE

http://www.comicsvf.com/scans/vocanc/whatifv1/22.jpg

I tend to doubt Clarke played on much of the Byrds stuff, especially the earlier recordings.

Steve Shelley really made SY's sound work for a long time, but when he stopped doing the Keith Moon constant rolls all the time, I really lost interest in their records.

I've always tend to thought that the drumming was a weak link in Blue Oyster Cult (that and too much keyboards on their later records).

It also seems a waste for ZZ Top to have some good tunes and waste their funky drummer having him play like a simple drum machine on Eliminator and their 80s synth recordings.

First of all, the crew obviously found the reels again, cause the complete performance is on YouTube. Losing a stick is the least sucky thing about his performance. His feel is terrible and his fills are sloppy as fuck. Maybe it was just a bad night. I always enjoyed his drumming on the albums. I'm all in favor of simple for-the-song drumming. Ralph Molina from Crazy Horse is one of my favorite drummers.

don't think he did, and when he did play on stuff, he hated it and was a dick about it (see: argument at the end of notorious byrd brothers bonus tracks)

David Crosby: "Michael, play drums right!"

Buddy miles is boring!

Battles drummer is amazing!

Often i find weak drumming can let down a track even though you dont realise its the drumming. Can make a track drag etc. much like a poor bassline.

"I've always tend to thought that the drumming was a weak link in Blue Oyster Cult (that and too much keyboards on their later records)."

Al Bouchard was a fucking great drummer. I agree with the paranthetical though.

OK, I'll be bonkers and say it.

"Night Train" by James Brown. James is drumming here, and is all over the place, bless him. I mean, it's still a fine track, and it's probably better for having him drumming on it, but hey.

nobody has mentioned "...and justice for all"??

I really like the 8th note feel on Night Train. It's kinda New Orleansy.

nobody has mentioned "...and justice for all"??

This has great drumming wtf?

Were you just watching the Metallica Shreds video, Tracer?

WAHT? The beat on Night Train is great!

the drumming killed that Delia and Gavin LP on DFA...

the steve shelley comments OTM upthread.

Jordan i guess lars hits all the beats (as well he should, i think the whole drum track is massively overdubbed? and he had to "learn it" when they went on tour?) but the tinny, weak-ass spoon-on-sheet-metal sound of all of it has been well documented - i would love to hear a remastered version

Steve Shelley is a great drummer, but I have sometimes thought they would have benefited from a more interesting, out-there drummer.

OTOH maybe he makes them more accessible.

i know, i know, but the sound never really bothered me. i don't really care if the parts are frankensteined together, at some point dude came up with all of those parts and fills and played them, and some of it is really inventive.

don't know if terrible but Ralph Molina

in some of Neil's songs, he is maybe too simple.

flagged post

there are so many fucked up posts on this thread i don't even know where to start

Steve Shelley circa 86-92 was the man

but by god did he (they) get boring after that

Is it him or is it the shitty drum SOUND on albums after 92?

metal box

Bob Bert was the master of the metal box.

lightning bolt
boredoms

haha wrong!

i always thought the drive like jehu records could've been even greater with a more pummeling drummer. a guy such as mac mcneilly or zach barocas would've made wonders for their sound, drums on most jehu songs are a bit too pedestrian and mechanical for my liking.

Tim Powles used to bug me a bit.
Makes me wonder how the Church would sound (now) with a punchier drummer.

Probably punchy ain't their point though, right? Yeah.

matt sorum on GNR. uninventive, awful timing, absolutely no swing. hate the guy.

Wow, hard for me to imagine "Yank Crime" being any better, though I guess the drums are the last part of the equation for me with that band (GUITARS!!! > Froberg's voice > tunes > everything else like the drummer). Would love for this band to make another album, which won't happen, but the idea of Mac McNeilly sure is an intriguing one.

Dirty Projectors ffs

imagine a drummer on par with those vicious, quasi virtuosic riffs by reis. a wet dream prob. i love the jehu but i've always felt the drumming was their weakest link (well, that and the fact froberg was a pretty sloppy gtr player but anyway)

I always thought the drums were fine, some cool parts (guy wasn't a BAD drummer, just not particularly special imo). Love Froberg's guitar playing, sloppy or no. Kept them from being too prog or virtuosic, which I think suited the feel of the music extremely well. Some of the rawness makes the band more vital, to me.