17 replies to this topic

[currygoat11]

Neil auditioned in July 74 and in August was already playing drum solos in their shows. Whose idea was it??

[J2112YYZ]

It was just the thing to do live back then, wasn't it? Most bands did the guitar and drum solos live in those days. I'm sure once the audiences took notice of Neil's one of a kind style and his technical abilities behind the kit, the band realized that they had something special and Neil's solo would morph into the legend it became.

[Entre_Perpetuo]

J2112YYZ, on 02 March 2021 - 08:31 PM, said:

It was just the thing to do live back then, wasn't it? Most bands did the guitar and drum solos live in those days. I'm sure once the audiences took notice of Neil's one of a kind style and his technical abilities behind the kit, the band realized that they had something special and Neil's solo would morph into the legend it became.

Yep, this exactly. In prog and burgeoning metal especially drum solos were already par for the course by 74/75. Queen did them, Zeppelin did them, Purple did them, ELP did them, Cream did them, etc. etc. As long as the band and drummer felt comfortable doing it, it was more likely they'd give it a go than not. As with many things, the idea of drum solos in the first place stems from jazz. In the spirit of inclusiveness and improvisation, drummers and bass players were given the chance to solo nearly as often as horn players and pianists in the world of jazz. It's just what you did.

[zepphead]

Interesting this - here is a real early jazz one - live from 1964, Dave Brubeck Quartet with Take Five featuring the great Joe Morello on drums -  although they were doing this from as far back as 1959

Edited by zepphead, 03 March 2021 - 03:11 AM.

[Entre_Perpetuo]

zepphead, on 03 March 2021 - 03:09 AM, said:

Interesting this - here is a real early jazz one - live from 1964, Dave Brubeck Quartet with Take Five featuring the great Joe Morello on drums -  although they were doing this from as far back as 1959

I love Joe's solo on that tune. It actually takes up most of the studio recording iirc, lol.

[Syrinx]

Gene Krupa was one of the first to bring the drums to the forefront.  And regarding Neil - yes almost every band was doing a drum solo back then.

[zepphead]

John Bonham would regularly do a 20min+ drum solo, and certainly on the 1977 tour he was clocked at almost 35 minutes in Landover Maryland.
To be honest on most of the full Zeppelin shows I have, I tend to skip over the solos if they are marathons!

[Mr Freeze]

Go one forward here.........why no Geddy or Al solo spot?........why does the drummer get free reign laughing emoji <<<<<<<

Edited by Mr Freeze, 03 March 2021 - 05:33 PM.

[Geddyleegenes]

Got curious and googled it.  The first drum solo (supposedly ever) was performed by a drummer named Baby Dodds in the 1920s.  Drum solos hadn't been performed previously because actual Drum Kits didn't exist until then.

It seems that prior to the 1920s, different musicians played each different percussion instrument.  (Different person on bass drum, different person on snare, different person on cymbal, etc.)  It was in the 1920s that someone got the idea of grouping them all together, arcing around one player.  (Not clear if it was actually Baby Dodds who had the idea.)

So, I suppose it must have been astonishing at the time that one player could play - what had been previously considered - so many different instruments at one time.

So maybe there would be long guitar solos if musicians like Alex could actually play a bunch of different types of guitars all at once.  Same with the bass.  (Sort of kidding about this, but it kind of makes sense.)

[chemistry1973]

zepphead, on 03 March 2021 - 04:18 PM, said:

John Bonham would regularly do a 20min+ drum solo, and certainly on the 1977 tour he was clocked at almost 35 minutes in Landover Maryland.
To be honest on most of the full Zeppelin shows I have, I tend to skip over the solos if they are marathons!

35 minutes!?!?

[Entre_Perpetuo]

zepphead, on 03 March 2021 - 04:18 PM, said:

John Bonham would regularly do a 20min+ drum solo, and certainly on the 1977 tour he was clocked at almost 35 minutes in Landover Maryland.
To be honest on most of the full Zeppelin shows I have, I tend to skip over the solos if they are marathons!

Certainly a 35 minute drum solo is either going to be transcendental when listened back to or totally boring by about the ten minute mark. Maybe live it worked really well...but I don't think I'd prefer to sit through it all on record.

[Entre_Perpetuo]

Geddyleegenes, on 03 March 2021 - 07:43 PM, said:

Got curious and googled it.  The first drum solo (supposedly ever) was performed by a drummer named Baby Dodds in the 1920s.  Drum solos hadn't been performed previously because actual Drum Kits didn't exist until then.

It seems that prior to the 1920s, different musicians played each different percussion instrument.  (Different person on bass drum, different person on snare, different person on cymbal, etc.)  It was in the 1920s that someone got the idea of grouping them all together, arcing around one player.  (Not clear if it was actually Baby Dodds who had the idea.)

So, I suppose it must have been astonishing at the time that one player could play - what had been previously considered - so many different instruments at one time.

So maybe there would be long guitar solos if musicians like Alex could actually play a bunch of different types of guitars all at once.  Same with the bass.  (Sort of kidding about this, but it kind of makes sense.)

Well it's no coincidence in my mind that the solo intersected with the creation of the drum set. Not that a great solo can't be played on just a snare drum, or just a couple toms...but for drummers using only one drum could be very similar to a guitarist using only one note. You can play that note a lot of different ways, get a pinch harmonic out of it, get some vibrato on it, add distortion, play it soft, play it loud... but eventually you're just going to want another note. Jazz was just coming out of the woodworks in the 1920s, and with it's heavy emphasis on improvised solos, it was only natural for a drummer who wanted to join in the fun to use a whole assortment of drums rather than just one. Not to mention its easier to pay one guy to play all the drums than pay half a dozen people, and its easier to fit one guy and a kit on stage too, which is important if you're touring.

[zepphead]

chemistry1973, on 04 March 2021 - 01:22 AM, said:

zepphead, on 03 March 2021 - 04:18 PM, said:

John Bonham would regularly do a 20min+ drum solo, and certainly on the 1977 tour he was clocked at almost 35 minutes in Landover Maryland.
To be honest on most of the full Zeppelin shows I have, I tend to skip over the solos if they are marathons!

35 minutes!?!?

Oh yes! I have a couple of Zeppelin full show CD boxes where the drum solo takes up the best part of a single CD. Great for completionist purposes ..... but a bit boring on the ear!!

[ytserush]

 Syrinx, on 03 March 2021 - 03:30 PM, said:

Gene Krupa was one of the first to bring the drums to the forefront.  And regarding Neil - yes almost every band was doing a drum solo back then.

And Krupa was an early influence.

[Weatherman]

Entre_Perpetuo, on 04 March 2021 - 01:57 AM, said:

zepphead, on 03 March 2021 - 04:18 PM, said:

John Bonham would regularly do a 20min+ drum solo, and certainly on the 1977 tour he was clocked at almost 35 minutes in Landover Maryland.
To be honest on most of the full Zeppelin shows I have, I tend to skip over the solos if they are marathons!

Certainly a 35 minute drum solo is either going to be transcendental when listened back to or totally boring by about the ten minute mark. Maybe live it worked really well...but I don't think I'd prefer to sit through it all on record.

I sat thru a 25-minute guitar solo at a Parliament-Funkadelic show once. It was the most godawful boring thing ever.

[GeddysMullet]

Would it be sacrilege to say that I much preferred the short solos scattered through the show that Neil  did on the last few tours to the one long one he always did before that?

[Relayer2112]

The drum solo was the idea of a singer who had a sore throat.

[Lurkst]

GeddysMullet, on 01 April 2021 - 06:45 PM, said:

Would it be sacrilege to say that I much preferred the short solos scattered through the show that Neil  did on the last few tours to the one long one he always did before that?

Not to me anyway.

I wonder if John Rutsey ever played one?