Serious question, do you really think Charlie Watts was a great drummer?
Obviously, "great" is a relative term. Many other well-known (and not well-known) drummers and musicians seemed to think Watts was a "great" drummer. Ginger Baker - who often liked to make controversial statements - once said he considered Watts a better drummer than Moon or Bonham - that those guys were "just bangers" and didn't really seem to know how to "swing" or consistently keep time. I don't necessarily agree with him - especially about Bonham. Pretty much every drummer I've known (and I've known quite a few over the years) admired Watts' style - consistent, tasty, and understated - he was playing in jazz bands before he hooked up with The Stones. It's better to compare him to R&B or jazz drummers than rock drummers. He always used a "modest" drum set - rarely more than four drums total - no gongs or wind chimes. He had more in common with drummers like Bernard Purdie or Joe Morello than he did drum "soloists" like Bonham or Peart.
Serious question, do you really think Charlie Watts was a great drummer?
Seriously? What were you doing in 1963? Still doing that last year? Able to get millions of people to shell out cash to see you do it one more time? Like him / his style or not, his resume makes him great.
Serious question, do you really think Charlie Watts was a great drummer?
No. He's a good drummer. He keeps amazing time and has a style all his own. Boring, but in the best way possible. Quirky. Ringo and maybe Max Weinberg types?
Great is Neil Peart. Great is Keith Moon...or even Dave Grohl...but not Charlie.
And then there is Bonham, who over the years I appreciate more every time I hear him. Speed, power, and unusual time signatures. A singular genius.
Maybe not a great drummer, but for the Stones...probably the perfect drummer.
He was not flashy, did not make himself the center of attention...but listen to any great Stones track and ask yourself "Does this need any more drum?"
And the restraint that showed was a mark of greatness.
Serious question, do you really think Charlie Watts was a great drummer?
Maybe not a great drummer, but for the Stones...probably the perfect drummer.
He was not flashy, did not make himself the center of attention...but listen to any great Stones track and ask yourself "Does this need any more drum?"
And the restraint that showed was a mark of greatness.
Those two vids are crazy in simul play.
