Man Becomes a Metronome
The Decline of the Percussionist
Revisiting rock music from the 1960’s and 1970’s, I realize something I had overlooked during my previous forays into British Invasion bands: the intricate musicality of the percussion section! From Ginger Baker to John Bonham, and Keith Moon, extending throughout the following decade with Bill Ward and Ian Paice (of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple respectively), I marvel at how involved drummers were in musical arrangement. Unlike music from the 1980’s onward, we do not find a basic, time-keeping beat reduced to a repetitive coordination of hi-hat, snare, and kick drum (peppered by the occasional fill or cymbal crash). Instead, we have a frenetic, lyrical jazz articulation cleverly-disguised beneath what appears to be, by all means, a classic rock rune.
While I can easily list examples of virtuoso percussionists from the genre of Prog-Rock, this would be counter productive. In elite spaces, virtuosity is the norm! There is no need to reiterate the talents of Carl Palmer or Neil Peart. What must be emphasized, in our dissemination of an underappreciated historical narrative, is that mainstream rock’n’roll was once complex, subtle, and clever…before a canon was established and rock music declined with the preferential treatment given to imitation of the classics. Nowadays, the blues pentatonic, the power chord, the circle of fifths, and the machine-like drumbeat have mechanized and standardized what was once vital, fresh, and life-affirming.
There was a time when the human metronome was exception to the rule! Charlie Watts, of Rolling Stones fame, was the only one of his kind. In fact, he was the first “drummer” in the history of rock’n’roll.
With the emergence of heavy metal in the 1980’s, there were fewer opportunities for elaborate percussion. The music became too fast, too compressed, and necessitated a regular beat. While we enjoy the music of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, we also realize that heavy metal is, and always will be, a guitarist’s genre.
Whereas keyboard players will eventually rise to prominence in synth-pop, the drummer will still need to look elsewhere.
It is a simple story, but one that is not told often enough! I would like to conclude this brief article by showcasing the talents of my favorite percussionist: Christian Vander.
Below is a fantastic interpretation of The Last Seven Minutes, performed by Vander’s group Magma.
Great article, MZ, I was a Rock n' Roll drummer during the majority of my productive years. The toughest critics, drummers in rival bands, said I was the best. No brag, just fact. Now that and 80 cents will get me a cup of coffee. The most valuable asset a drummer can possess is the ability to keep perfect time. (never fluctuate the established tempo). This can be developed to an extent but it is largely innate. One fellow in a rival band told me, "Man, I can set my watch to your playing." I considered that the highest compliment. My favorite drummers were Charlie Watts of the Stones, Mitch Mitchell of the Hendrix Experience, and Keith Moon of the Who. Many said I played like a combination of all three of them. Though the 1960s so-called "Counter-Culture" was a meticulously planned and engineered military & civilian Intel psy-op, undeniably the best bands and music were spawned in that decade. When you heard a song on the radio, you instantly knew who it was as all of the groups had their own unique audial identity, and a visual one as well. For some decades now all popular music has been computer created, totally homogenous and soulless, bereft of emotion. It is irritating trash. This too was planned and engineered years in advance of its coming into fruition.
Great point, I make music and we are indeed inundated by thudding 4/4 beats. I blame drum machines.