Two Little Drummer Boys
Posted by David Wright on 30 April 2008 - 7:26am.
Last night on Jools Holland, I had the displeasure of watching James using two drummers on their opening song. There is surely nothing stranger to watch is there? It just looks a bit daft and makes one feel slightly uncomfortable, a bit like a band with two bass players.
Why do you need two, one's is surely loud enough at the best of times. Any other recent spottings of two people snare bashing at once?
It used to be quite a common sight on The Princes Trust concerts in the eightes, when the recently re-loved Phil Collins had a drum battle with Chester Thompson (see pic above) sometimes percussionist Ray Cooper would even join in! Have you any evidence when two drummers is a good thing?
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The Band
The Band, in their 90s incarnation, had two. Mind you, even at The Last Waltz, Ringo sat in with Levon. Can't see the problem, personally.
Lambchop
toured the UK in the early part of this decade with a line-up that included two bass players and two drummers (plus about 3 keyboard players, 3/4 guitarists, and possibly that fella who played old cans, bottles, engine parts, etc*)
*Actually I'm fibbing about this last. C Scott Chase - the percussionist in question - had stopped playing with them by that point.
Recent is relatively rare.......
Never had a problem, 'tho, with the dual drums of the Allman Bros (currently 3, according to the website) or the Dead. The Rise Up Like the Sun incarnation of the Albion Band also had 2, in Dave Mattacks and Michael Gregory, and it was a delight as they both have distinctive and individual styles.
Glitter Band also had 2, if I recall........
Glitter band?
Did they have two drummers or did I imagine it?
Adam and the Ants had two as well (Merrick and Terry Lee if Ant Rap is to be trusted;) ).
Gary Glitter..
.. had two drummers when I saw him live in the 80s, can't remember if the actual Glitter Band did in his heyday but it sounded great. Nowt wrong with it.
Keith Moon joins Zeppelin onstage...
and Plant goes behind the drumkit.
Wind on to around 5.36 in the clip....
http://ledzeppelin.com/video/l-6-23-77-w-keith-moon
Behind The Wall
I think Pink Floyd may have had two drummers when they did the Wall concerts at Earls Court. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they have another band playing behind the Wall!
Animal and Buddy Rich
I give you...
...Phil Collins and Bill Bruford, Cinema Show, Seconds Out, 1977 (76?).
Not sure it's any louder than it would have been with one drummer. But it's a great deal better. And it has the added advantage of keeping Phil away from the microphone for a few minutes.
Adam And The Ants
Merrick and Terry Lee, if memory serves. They made hell of a noise together.
BB King also had two drummers when I saw him in 1995. One was enough.
Adam And The Ants
Even if it doesn't work anywhere else, that sound is just incredible on Kings Of The Wild Frontier.
(No subject)
At the other end of the spectrum...
God I love the Butthole Surfers
but why stop with two?
The Fall
The Fall have had two drummers at various points in their history; the Perverted by Language album and also more recently. I came across a clip on you tube of a two drummer line up but can't find it now.
The Fall
The Fall had 2 drummers for a while - around the Hex Enduction Hour period. Didn't really have much effect on their sound though...
It's back-up
In case one has to be sacked halfway through the set. Doesn't take any chances, old Mark E.
Fall Bass
And they had two bass players as well on their tour last year.
Fall Coincidence Conspiracy
2 Fall posts at exactly the same time!
Is that their new album?
'Fall Coincidence Conspiracy' has a good ring to it...
Steely Dan
First UK tour, Rainbow Theatre, early 70's. Two drummers. Fantastic.
No one's mentioned...
The Doobie Brothers
And, yes, the Glitter Band wer efamed for having two drummers back in the glam hey day... that was their "THING"
And as for the Wall there was indeed a "fake band" who opened the show playing "In the Flesh" wearing life masks of the real band members. On the live recording of the 1980 tour "Is there anybody out there" the mirror band were...
Snowy White - guitars
Willie Wilson - drums, percussion
Andy Bown - bass guitar,
Peter Wood - keyboards
Cropredy 2007
Dave Mattacks and Gerry Conway doubling up for FAirport Convention was fabulous. I wonder, does one nod at the other as if to say "You take this fill..."
Let's not forget
..The Allman Brothers mighty combination of B Trucks and Jaimo.
And The Grateful Dead's Hart and Kreutzman.
Hawkwind had two drummers for a while, but nobody noticed because Stacia's tits were in the way.
No need at all
for two drummers live. Saw Genesis last year and when both played it was way too much and at times way too loud and the mix went from decent to a mess in a beat - certainly quicker than the sound guy could move!
I don't mind seeing extra percussionists(sp!) as quite often the additional instuments(EG Bongos) add to the overall sound of the song.
However there is no need for more than one drummer - it's just wrong :)
Two's better than one?
Macca is handy behind a kit, to wit The Ballad Of John & Yoko (minus Ringo, I believe). Tusk by Fleetwood Mac and Berundi Black Berundi sound as if they have whole tribes of skinsmen. BTW Keith Moon sounded like two drummers!
John & Ringo
After Ringo had been voted Worlds's Best Drummer (in Melody Maker?) I believe John said "He's not even the best drummer in the Beatles".
Mad Dogs and Englishmen
At least two drummers with Joe Cocker. The two Jims - Gordon and Keltner and then various others.
Worked well in that context.
The Timelords
Doctorin' The Tardis. A great TOTP performance with the two drummers. Quite hypnotic to watch.
here it is (hope it works)
More Glam
Showaddywaddy also had two drummers, Malcolm "The Duke" Allard and Romeo Challanger, not that you could hear them,mind. Glitter Band drummers were Tony Leonard and Pete Phipps, who went on to drum with XTC.
Rialto
Britpop-era also-rans Rialto had two drummers.
Two Drummers, One Kit
Stay tuned to this recent Eels performance in Brighton where E and The Chet perform their party piece during Flyswatter.
Two drummers never enough...
Why have only two drummers? Anyone that's witnessed phantasmagoric Japanese psych-rock combo The Boredoms knows three drummers is the true path to aural heaven!
Unknown Support Act with Cold Chisel + Slade
On Slades' final UK Tour with Noddy they were supported by Aussies Cold Chisel and an additional UK act that I was drinking next to pre-gig in the Clarendon(?) at Hammersmith ... they had female vox (two I think)a naked guitarist (definitely not The Captain) I believe Peel referred to him as "Squat" and two drummers sharing 1 kit (laid out in a straight line) - the whole band made a wonderful noise too. I remember a blinding version of WitchDoctor but my lubricated memory at the time (20+ Xmas ago)never retained the groups monica.
C'mon WORDSTERS somebody must know, please?
The Drummers of Burundi
How many drummers were there in that band?
safri duo
A Danish Dance Band consisting of 2 drummers and not a lot else
OK, OK, lets get silly
Stomu Yamashta, anyone?
I'm not sure what you mean
Stomu Yamashta was (is?) the antithesis of this thread in that one man flailed around to good purpose doing the percussion work of 2 or more drummers.
But wasn't the Red Bhudda Theatre show.....
..him and stacks of other drummers playing his stuff? Or am I muddling him up with the japanese drummers who seem to pop up on TV regularly, with massive timpani-like drums?
Santana
always had a few banging around, but I guess only one was an orthodox drum kit, if timbales etc are not.
Ultravox - three/four drummers!
It was only for the one song, but Midge and the boys did a great version of The Voice with a climax involving three, or possibly all four of them, playing a drum at the front of the stage and with no other music. Enormously powerful, particularly when they all stopped at once.
all fours...
I have it on VHS tape from some OGWTfest way back when I still had knees
perhaps one, or both of our "Leaders" may care to expand...
Unrelated bar the drums.......
Oysterband used to finish their set with Lee (their drummer)beating a soldiers type drum about his neck as they all filed off stage. V atmospheric it was too. The above somehow reminded me of that.
Nick Cave...
...had two drummers in his Bad Seeds when he played Dublin Castle on Saturday. Awesome performance. Not entirely clear what the extra drums added, mind.