| Oscar J 10.10.2014 18:40 |
Hey all, after mainly listening to May/Mercury for years, I've become increasingly fascinated by Roger's clever drum work. Thought it'd be interesting to hear your opinions on this: which beats/fills/solo's do you consider being Taylor's best and why? Some hot licks: the Bonham-triplet-intro in Invisible Man and the mini-solo from Dragon Attack, for example. The KYA drum solo from the November Rainbow show is great as well. Your take? |
| tomchristie22 10.10.2014 18:49 |
The big descending fill at the end of the second verse of Fat Bottomed Girls has always been one of my favourites. link |
| Oscar J 10.10.2014 19:22 |
Holy cow, have never seen him nailing it like that live before. |
| The Real Wizard 10.10.2014 20:35 |
Hell yeah. Rog at his best. He is criminally underrated. These days he's not up to par, but in the 70s and 80s he really held down the fort. He never, ever missed a beat or a backing vocal. |
| Cruella de Vil 10.10.2014 20:52 |
Hi there, Try Liar live, the De Lane Lea demo of Jesus, live versions of Father to Son, or the improv's of Son & Daughter, Great King Rat (Rainbow, NOv '75), the end fills of Loer in the End, Dead on Time....so many really! |
| tomchristie22 10.10.2014 20:54 |
link The segue from Brian's solo back into Son and Daughter is terrific. The Rainbow is the best quality recording of it we have, though it isn't quite as tight as the way they usually pulled it off. Still great. |
| waunakonor 10.10.2014 21:01 |
I love what he does in the outros of Father to Son and White Queen in the studio. |
| *goodco* 10.10.2014 22:33 |
Brighton Rock, Flick of the Wrist, Stone Cold Crazy, and, listen to them before you laugh ....Good Company and My Melancholy Blues. The latter two probably aren't 'licks' per se, but the subtlety adds so much to me. Always thought that 'My Baby Does Me' would have been a superb track with the simple MMB type percussion.. |
| matt z 11.10.2014 01:12 |
Wow. You guys might as well be archivists. I was just going to say pulling off IILWMC while singing AND playing. Pretty good feat. I dig his muted trumpet on live versions of Dreamer's Ball |
| tomchristie22 11.10.2014 02:03 |
matt z wrote: Wow. You guys might as well be archivists. I was just going to say pulling off IILWMC while singing AND playing.That's true - he adds lots of nice drum fills in there too. Of course, his singing was never quite as good as the studio version, but we can't expect his phrasing to be spot on and measured while he's also trying to nail it on the drums. |
| lemonysnick123 11.10.2014 02:10 |
Brighton Rock studio drum performance. Simply amazing. |
| moonie 11.10.2014 07:35 |
The bass toms and snare triplet fill at the end of It's Late is one I've always liked. |
| The King Of Rhye 11.10.2014 13:28 |
I always liked the drumming in White Man..........and there's a few badass little fills in Tenement Funster............definitely an underrated drummer! One-half of the 'sonic volcano' as they say....... |
| Oscar J 11.10.2014 15:45 |
CruellaDeVille wrote: ... the end fills of Loer in the End...Ah, you have a good ear! Those actually made me remove the fadeout on that song and replaced the original in iTunes. tomchristie: the March version is tighter: link goodco: SCC has crazy drums, musta been a real workout. Hope you've heard this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJibC1dHiGA Also check out the fill at 2:05. By the way - similar drum work by him can be heard here: http://youtu.be/UW3L9BphQgY?t=2m52s lemonysnick: true, that drum track is a song on its own. I fire that up every now and then and just sit back and enjoy. moonie: It's Late is probably as close as Roger ever got to Bonham, and yes, those triplets sound huge. KoR: White Man has some really heavy drumming. Such a guilty pleasure. Funny that you mention Tenement Funster though - always when I listen to that, I think "come on Rog, this is your track, let it rip already". |
| Cruella de Vil 11.10.2014 22:16 |
Sorry to come back again, but I had to support yje observations about White Man, and add The Prophet's Song, (The drum blast before 'Flee for your life..." over the time change just nails it superbly. Also a vote for Sweet Lady; there's not many drummers that can lay down a beat to make a song in 3/4 work so solidly as a rock song. I would like to add snippets of tracks from the Miracle & Innuendo: (IWA, Party and Khasoggi's Ship, Was it all worth it and HItman). And yes, as a teenager in 73-78, blasting Stone Cold Crazy and Sheer Heart Attack over the home stereo really got me going and annoyed the shit out of the neighbours! Cheers |
| TomP63 12.10.2014 04:30 |
Sheer Heart Attack did not annoyed the shit out my neighbours, my parents, my brothers and my sister too. At one point they hide my copy of SHA, which was pointless, as I still had my Queen and Queen II albums. But back on te topic, I really dig his drumming in Great King Rat, Fat Bottomed Girls, It's Late, Dead on Time. Maybe not much drumming here, but the way Roger 'fills the gaps' in Who wants to live forever is in my humble opinion also stunning.... Tom |
| matt z 12.10.2014 06:06 |
Yeah. Wwtlf was unique. I like the echoing bass drum bit that's a little off and different. One could read into it a heartbeat. Total opposite of the great roto Tom sounding bit in SHA the song. IT'S LATE, WHITE MAN, that great big drum fill. But my favorite for HEROIC drumming is PARTY. Killer! |
| Djdownsy 12.10.2014 18:18 |
The chorus in 'Sweet Lady' is incredibly complicated. Also love the drum work on 'Let's Get Crazy'. |
| The King Of Rhye 13.10.2014 19:59 |
If we're talking solo stuff...........I always loved the intro to Airheads! |
| The Real Wizard 14.10.2014 00:46 |
matt z wrote: But my favorite for HEROIC drumming is PARTY.Hate to break it to you, but those aren't real drums .. ! |
| brENsKi 14.10.2014 02:38 |
The Real Wizard wrote:La Toya's ass, again?matt z wrote: But my favorite for HEROIC drumming is PARTY.Hate to break it to you, but those aren't real drums .. ! |
| tomchristie22 24.10.2014 06:47 |
Another great one, the live arrangement of Flash, with drum fills that weren't present on the studio version. They make it a more energetic rendition I feel. Of course, they don't come close to the grandness of the multilayered vocals and guitars on the original recording, but it's still good listening. link |
| Oscar J 26.11.2014 09:59 |
http://youtu.be/-S6OsZt7Ekg?t=3m16s Best ever ending of TYMD? |
| The Real Wizard 26.11.2014 11:27 |
Hell yes. Those rototoms sound killer. |
| matt z 27.11.2014 05:16 |
The Real Wizard wrote:I'm pretty sure I was joking. Just rechecked this page.matt z wrote: But my favorite for HEROIC drumming is PARTY.Hate to break it to you, but those aren't real drums .. ! They sound so trapped and enclosed that I never would have thought they were really drums. I think I was being an asshole. Just like suggesting the opening drums of THE INVISIBLE MAN 12" |
| Oscar J 02.01.2015 15:22 |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imTap0DyNfo This isn't exactly a lick, but great drumming all around. The small ride cymbal (or whatever that is) accents at e.g. 0:12 and 0:19 are just gorgeous. |
| Viper 03.01.2015 05:11 |
I know very little about drumming. Nevertheless, I cant ignore Roger's work on both Rainbow 74 shows. Especially Father To Son and Great King Rat from the march concert! Even on Rock Montreal and Live At The Bowl he has some great drumming parts all around! Very energetic! |
| Oscar J 03.01.2015 08:59 |
Agree about FTS, that version is a stunning performance from all four of them. This is pretty much the definition of a great rock shuffle. link Also you gotta love how Roger takes Jailhouse Rock to Stone Cold Crazy speed at 1:01:00-ish. Back in the day when he didn't need a double bass pedal to do double strokes in double time. |
| 7thStranger 04.01.2015 16:01 |
Roger's material tends to be really hit and miss with me, but I will say that Fight From the Inside is Top 5 Queen for sure to me. |
| tomchristie22 04.01.2015 16:53 |
I've been really enjoying the drumming on Leroy Brown recently, e.g. at 0:35: link |
| Oscar J 04.01.2015 16:59 |
Yeah, and the hihat groove at 0:41! |
| Oscar J 19.02.2015 15:48 |
When did Roger learn "Bonham" triplets? First time on record (I think) is at the end of It's Late, and then he got increasingly good at them as his career progressed (check the beginning of Invisible Man for example). |
| tomchristie22 19.02.2015 15:52 |
Are the only two times he uses them? |
| ludwigs 19.02.2015 16:34 |
He used it 'live' very often. |
| Oscar J 19.02.2015 16:46 |
Not at all, he did it quite often live: http://youtu.be/SopSV_Erwzs?t=45s http://youtu.be/mUOExv_RZ-w?t=30s Also perfect for their mid 80's boomy endings: http://youtu.be/lkZGvdIIA6k?t=5m4s http://youtu.be/f-SPB2kF4Qg?t=57m33s http://youtu.be/f-SPB2kF4Qg?t=1h25m4s |
| Oscar J 19.02.2015 16:54 |
ludwigs wrote: He used it 'live' very often. Do you know if he did it live in the 70's? (except for in It's Late) |
| paulosham 19.02.2015 17:55 |
I've always loved his playing on I Go Crazy, this part is my favourite. link |
| Oscar J 19.02.2015 18:15 |
Yeah, and the drumming is very high in the mix as well. I remember that being my first reaction when I heard the song for the first time. |
| liam 20.02.2015 08:19 |
The rolling toms during the solo to Flick of the wrist have always amazed me; especially during the end. |
| tomchristie22 20.02.2015 22:42 |
My #1 fav Taylor lick. link |
| Oscar J 22.02.2015 16:31 |
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| cmsdrums 23.02.2015 10:21 |
tomchristie22 wrote: Are the only two times he uses them?From memory I think there's an instance of something similar to this on his reworked version of 'Final Destination' (on the Foreign Sand single). A few people tend to think that because Yoshiki played the drums on 'Foreign Sand' that he also played them on FD; that's incorrect and it's Roger. BTW, I believe there are (like in 'Staying Power') a couple of smatterings of real drums on 'Party' too! |
| The Real Wizard 24.02.2015 09:28 |
One that comes to mind is the tom fill towards the end of C-lebrity. Seriously. It's one of the best drum sounds I've ever heard. |
| Oscar J 24.02.2015 09:32 |
The Real Wizard wrote: One that comes to mind is the tom fill towards the end of C-lebrity. Seriously. It's one of the best drum sounds I've ever heard. The little fill at 2:50? The drum sound is great, like a crackling thunder, but the fill itself is pretty standard IMO. |
| The Real Wizard 25.02.2015 19:54 |
Oscar J wrote:Exactly. Less is more - doing precisely what's right for the song, not for being showy.The Real Wizard wrote: One that comes to mind is the tom fill towards the end of C-lebrity. Seriously. It's one of the best drum sounds I've ever heard.The little fill at 2:50? The drum sound is great, like a crackling thunder, but the fill itself is pretty standard IMO. And that's why Roger Taylor has always been excellent at what he does. |
| Oscar J 25.02.2015 20:01 |
You've certainly got a point there. |
| The King Of Rhye 27.02.2015 09:09 |
Another one I always loved was the fill at the start of Battle Theme, works perfectly after the end of Vultans Theme! Always gets me doing 'air drums' for a second :D |
| Oscar J 27.02.2015 09:19 |
The King Of Rhye wrote: Another one I always loved was the fill at the start of Battle Theme, works perfectly after the end of Vultans Theme! Always gets me doing 'air drums' for a second :DIf you like that, have a listen to the October 1980 version of the Hero (if you haven't already). The toms sound absolutely huge. |
| Oscar J 27.02.2015 17:16 |
http://youtu.be/-UHsxZyUtpA?t=4m4s http://youtu.be/-UHsxZyUtpA?t=6m43s http://youtu.be/-UHsxZyUtpA?t=15m31s http://youtu.be/-UHsxZyUtpA?t=19m53s Great stuff on here. And man was Staffel a stunning singer. Doing stuff Freddie could only dream of doing on Polar bear. |
| hobbit in Rhye 02.03.2015 15:17 |
I haven't fisnished Queen yet and you spoiled me with a whole Smile album. Didn't expect it to be that good. For me the second song (Blag?) has very nice drums from Taylor. |
| The King Of Rhye 02.03.2015 16:14 |
I always thought it would have been interesting to hear Queen attempting some of those Smile songs (aside from Polar Bear!).........Earth or April Lady maybe....or even Step On Me, that could have been awesome with Freddie singing it :D |
| Oscar J 02.03.2015 16:25 |
Smile had some great tunes for sure. Polar Bear is definitely my favourite though, it's just gorgeous. |
| hobbit in Rhye 02.03.2015 17:53 |
I can't seem to enjoy Polar Bear. Also the song reminds me of Some Day One Day (both have nice instruments and weird singing). Could you enlighten me please? |
| tomchristie22 02.03.2015 19:22 |
I doubt there's any way to explain it that would make you suddenly enjoy listening to it. I think it's a terrific song. The alternating vocals between Brian and Tim are very effective and contrasty, and the lyrics are excellent: the metaphor of the polar bear behind the glass, then the real situation of longing for somebody who seems out of reach, and the character development and resolution - 'I guess I'll learn to look without a grasping hand...' |
| Estranged 03.03.2015 08:28 |
Nothing really complicated, but I really like the groove on "Fight from the Inside". The mini solo during "Dragon Attack" is an obvious favorite -even if John's one is better! Love the drums on "Ogre Battle", too. |
| Holly2003 03.03.2015 11:31 |
Oscar J wrote: Great stuff on here. And man was Staffel a stunning singer. Doing stuff Freddie could only dream of doing on Polar bear.It hurts my ears listening to Staffel hit those high notes. That never happened with Fred, |
| ludwigs 03.03.2015 11:40 |
tomchristie22 wrote: - 'I guess I'll learn to look without a grasping hand...'I always believed it was..."without addressing her" Listening again, seems ' a grasping hand' fits. Thanks |
| Oscar J 03.03.2015 11:49 |
Holly2003 wrote:I didn't mean anything about that except that Staffel had an extremely flexible range. Of course we all prefer Freddie. Having said that, I rather like Staffel's high notes. It's in the middle and lower registers he's unstable and goes off-pitch.Oscar J wrote: Great stuff on here. And man was Staffel a stunning singer. Doing stuff Freddie could only dream of doing on Polar bear.It hurts my ears listening to Staffel hit those high notes. That never happened with Fred, |
| hobbit in Rhye 03.03.2015 14:30 |
tomchristie22 wrote: I doubt there's any way to explain it that would make you suddenly enjoy listening to it. I think it's a terrific song. The alternating vocals between Brian and Tim are very effective and contrasty, and the lyrics are excellent: the metaphor of the polar bear behind the glass, then the real situation of longing for somebody who seems out of reach, and the character development and resolution - 'I guess I'll learn to look without a grasping hand...'Thank you. I haven't turned to fully enjoy it yet, but the more I listen the more that song get to me. The lyrics are indeed excellent (I'm not good at english listening so I have to google the lyrics). I think it's Tim's unstable voice (that Oscar mentioned) that put me off at first. Nonetheless the instrumental is wonderful. Now i'm looping "The Man From Manhattan" like crazy. |
| Oscar J 12.03.2015 11:31 |
https://youtu.be/M2c6qblEwnQ?t=4m32s If I could frame that fill and put it on my wall, I would. |
| tomchristie22 13.03.2015 05:45 |
Holly2003 wrote:I know what you mean: link Still, you kind of have to give him the benefit of the doubt since the Queen albums were more professionally and attentively mixed than the Smile stuff. There's plenty of Freddie notes that could be ear piercing if mixed too loudly, e.g. those really high wails in It's Late. I really like Tim's voice overall. Earth is delivered (and written) excellently, and I never found Freddie's Polar Bear vocal came close to Tim's, but then again the Queen version was just a demo as I understand it.Oscar J wrote: Great stuff on here. And man was Staffel a stunning singer. Doing stuff Freddie could only dream of doing on Polar bear.It hurts my ears listening to Staffel hit those high notes. That never happened with Fred, hobbit-in-Rhye wrote: I think it's Tim's unstable voice (that Oscar mentioned) that put me off at first.If you're talking about the verses, that's Brian. All the softly sung parts are him. Tim's voice is unstable in a sense too; his vibrato is very wide and wobbly. Back onto drumming: Not a lick or fill or anything, but I'm always astounded by the speed with which Roger hits the high-hat in the 'Born to be kings...' section of Princes are the Universe. I'm not a drummer, so maybe I'm wrong in thinking it's particularly impressive, but it still sounds awesome. Also, I think real drums on Love Kills would've been killer - that same fill which appears throughout isn't bad in itself, but it gets repetitive (it's the one which opens the song). |
| dysan 13.03.2015 06:19 |
I agree about the ridiculous FBG drum fill as mentioned by tomchristie22. Another cheeky bit I loved as a kid was in GOFLB after the 'you taste the wine' line. I love Roger Taylor, and dig most of his early song writing attempts. SHA, Drowse and Coming Soon are among my all time faves. |
| cmsdrums 13.03.2015 13:12 |
Nice pick on the little fill with the cymbal catch on GOFLB; love that!! :-) |
| Chief Mouse 13.03.2015 14:14 |
Just saw this. I'm no drum expert, but this old guy left me speechless. . |
| Oscar J 13.03.2015 14:22 |
Yeah, you can go on about Roger Taylor all you want, but these legends like Buddy Rich are on a whole other level. "Old guy" hehe. |
| cmsdrums 13.03.2015 14:45 |
Yeah.....but could Buddy Rich have programmed the drum machine on 'Radio Ga Ga'?!! ?? |
| ludwigs 13.03.2015 14:49 |
cmsdrums wrote: Yeah.....but could Buddy Rich have programmed the drum machine on 'Radio Ga Ga'?!! ??Probably not but he'd still keep better time ;-) |
| hobbit in Rhye 14.03.2015 04:19 |
tomchristie22 wrote:I know that Brian sang the verses (Polar Bear) and I like the verses ^^hobbit-in-Rhye wrote: I think it's Tim's unstable voice (that Oscar mentioned) that put me off at first.If you're talking about the verses, that's Brian. All the softly sung parts are him. Tim's voice is unstable in a sense too; his vibrato is very wide and wobbly. It's Tim's section that was a little bit strange to me, but I'm getting used to it, and Tim does have a good voice. |
| dysan 14.03.2015 10:31 |
cmsdrums - glad you like the GOFLB bit I picked. Among with the FBG fill, my fav bits to air drum to. |
| Oscar J 21.07.2015 09:44 |
https://youtu.be/ZCfCj3EZwWY?t=5m33s Roger had gotten so good at those bass drum triplets by this point in his career. Giving the late, great Bonham a run for his money here. Roger still had chops in the mid 80's, he just rarely used them other than in these big endings. |
