“Let There Be Drums”

Tubs, Skins, Kits, Traps…..DRUMS! If you’re a regular reader of SMS, ( and we sincerely hope you are ) you know we have examined and inquired about your favorite Rock ‘n Roll screamhttps://www.sixtiesmusicsecrets.com/thee-best-rock-n-roll-scream/ and your favorite Lead Guitar solo from The 60’s. https://www.sixtiesmusicsecrets.com/thee-best-lead-guitar-solo-from-the-60s/Just to mention a couple!     Well, once again, listen closely and you can hear our latest can of worms unsealing right now!

Like no other musical instrument, The Drums are the cornerstone, keystone and bedrock of any musical genre or period. And never more so, than in the 1960’s. Seeing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan and specifically Ringo, shined a new spotlight on Drummers and their craft! From that moment on we became keenly aware of every crack of a Snare drum,  every open stroke roll and crash of a cymbal. In the Sixties, we’d eagerly tune in one or our favorite songs, anxiously waiting, NOT for the lead singer or the shredding guitar riff during a great chorus, No!  We’d patiently wait for that simple / exciting drum Riff or Fill virtually ignoring everything else going on!

We know you’ve been there, and that’s why we’re here today!  What is your favorite Drum fill or Break from The 60’s?  We, of course understand that, like no other instrument, drum breaks are Very personal, we all tend to think “Nobody will understand or appreciate this! But you’re wrong, We get it!  And more importantly We live for it !

But, perhaps the best way to illustrate our question is to share two of our favorite drum fills from the 1960’s, and our two choices are as diverse as The 60’s themselves!

Our first choice, we believe, perfectly represents the simplicity and uniqueness  of what 60’s music was all about: Remember “Itchycoo Park” by The  Small Faces? Of course you do! BUT, we’re certain it’s that Simple, Psychedelic drum roll going from “Low Tom to High Tom with that magical effect called “Flangeing” that swirled around your radio, right after Steve Marriott would sing “It’s all so beautiful” And it was! That “Flangeing sound was everything, we had never heard it before and couldn’t wait to hear it over and over again! Deftly  executed by the band’s drummer Kenny Jones in 1967 We couldn’t wait for class to end, jump in our car, turn up the radio, singing along and playing “air drums”  to “Itchycoo Park”

Our second choice comes from 1960 and the great Bobby Darin, with a record that is the Polar opposite of ”Itchycoo Park.”  “Beyond The Sea” is a “Big Band”/ Rockin powerhouse with a drum break you would, once again, wait  forever for!

Master “Tub Thumper” Don Lamond, Who had played with everyone from Woody Herman to Quincy Jones was Darin’s go to guy and played drums on most of Bobby’s records including “Mack The Knife” But Don’s solo on “Beyond The Sea” is soooo great it almost sounds wrong! Right after the horn solo’s Don launches into a complicated cacophony that almost sounds like one long mistake, until he abruptly recovers, driving the forceful horn parts forward and giving us a nano second to catch our breath! Whoa, Spectacular is the only word that comes to mind!

To begin, here’s “Itchycoo Park”

And, “Beyond The Sea” ( wait for it! )

But! Here’s the most important point to this weeks post! What is your favorite Drum Break, Drum Fill, or even SOLO? From the 1960’s? We’re interested in every detail!

We’d also love to know if you have a favorite drummer from the period. We loved Johnny Barbata from The Turtles and Jefferson Airplane, Dino Danelli from The Young Rascals, and of course our grand idol John Bonham from Led Zeppilin!

Don’t be shy, and never let anyone ever tell you to Take your drum and beat it!

~SMS