RIP Hal Blaine

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Well, I had to look him up. I had not heard of him. Quite a resume.

My age will show here but the drummer that comes to mind first as a famous rock drummer is Keith Moon. Sadly he left us early after consuming mass quantities of drugs as was usually the case back then. The circumstances of his death are eerie if you read what happened, including the location he died at.
 
"........considered one of the most recorded studio drummers in the history of the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles"
 
Anyone who's into early rock and roll needs to watch the Wrecking Crew documentary. Hal Blaine was their drummer:
 
Studio time is costly and the Wrecking Crew had the studio chops. A lot less time to get the recording right. Hal Blaine was more or less the CEO of the Wrecking Crew. Lots of the top hits from the 60's and 70's are these guys and gals (Carol Kaye on bass) playing, even Glen Campbell and Leon Russell were a part of the WC. Hal was a great drummer and obviously very versatile and a real gentleman to boot. RIP Mr. Blaine.
 
I've never heard of him either. I always thought the best drummer in the world was/is Neal Peart from Rush...
 
Originally Posted by grampi
I've never heard of him either. I always thought the best drummer in the world was/is Neal Peart from Rush...

Just like there is no best oil , there is no best drummer but there are many great ones.
 
Originally Posted by PimTac
Well, I had to look him up. I had not heard of him. Quite a resume.

My age will show here but the drummer that comes to mind first as a famous rock drummer is Keith Moon. Sadly he left us early after consuming mass quantities of drugs as was usually the case back then. The circumstances of his death are eerie if you read what happened, including the location he died at.


I agree,Keith Moon was awesome!! I just looked up his death. I had no idea he died while living in the same flat Cass Elliot passed away in. From Wiki:

*In mid-1978 Moon moved into Flat 12, 9 Curzon Place (later Curzon Square), Shepherd Market, Mayfair, London, renting from Harry Nilsson. Cass Elliot had died there four years earlier, at the age of 32;[145][146] Nilsson was concerned about letting the flat to Moon, believing it was cursed. Townshend disagreed, assuring him that "lightning wouldn't strike the same place twice".[147]*
 
Originally Posted by madeej11
Originally Posted by grampi
I've never heard of him either. I always thought the best drummer in the world was/is Neal Peart from Rush...

Just like there is no best oil , there is no best drummer but there are many great ones.


Very true....and I say that as someone who's played drums for over forty years and at one time did the club band / weekend warrior thing.

Hal Blaine wasn't about flash and pyrotechnics...he was a jazzer who became a studio drummer that got paid to do the recordings in the least amount of takes and play what's right for the song. If you have an innate sense of doing that while keeping good time you'll be called back for more or ( like Hal ) be blessed to get in with a core group that was the "go to" group. That wouldn't happen today...it doesn't work like that anymore.

You can't really compare him to the Neal Peart, Buddy Rich-type...he was more akin to Steve Gadd and the guys who did as many commercial jingles as they did recording sessions for big artists. His playing HAD to be simpler and more direct than rolling around the drum kit at 400 beats per minute and what he played was usually perfect for the song...sometimes even being the element that made the song.
 
Carl Palmer of Emerson Lake and Palmer is another one of my favorite drummers.



Fast forward to 1:44
 
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