Keith Moon definitely understood how to play the drums. He just had an unorthodox style. He absolutely kept the beat, but he did so using melody rather than a pocket groove. The drum set is a pitched instrument. The snare, the toms, the kick, and the cymbals all have distinct pitches that can be used in the same way as notes on any musical instrument. And that is the way he played his drum set. It was frequently chaotic, but he DID keep the beat.
I’d compare his playing to Phil Lesh. Often busy, often goes off on unexpected tangents, more loose than a “pocket” type player, but ALWAYS kept that beat.
As long as the “debate” has been revived, I’ll continue with 3 comments:
in 1972 I played part of the Live At Leeds album for one of my teachers in college. Specifically the last 5-6 minutes of “My Generation” which is really the “overture” or “underture” from Tommy. Teach was a professor of music and a concert harpsichordist who always wanted to hear things that were new to her. She’d never heard of The Who.
I could see she wasn’t hating it by the way she was shaking her booty (as it were). Afterward for her first comment was - Who is that drummer? He really understands polyrhythms!
Several years later I saw a remark by Pete Townsend - “Keith has two metronomes in his head and can play to both of them.”
“A guy I used to know” was a true Who fanatic. His view was that they were the only band where the instruments were Lead Drums, Lead Bass, and Lead Rhythm Guitar. I agreed with him.
Yes his playing could seem chaotic, but IMO he always knew where he was and exactly what he was doing.
From my recollection, his timekeeping was the source of many arguments among some of the other Who band members. He totally worked for the band, and the Who without him just doesn’t sound like the Who, but his timekeeping can definitely be erratic.
Trying to find somewhere on the internet (hopefully it is apochryphal) where apparently Blackmore would fire some of Rainbow’s members by setting the foot of their bed on fire as they were sleeping. And laughing about it.
Yes, I really hope that’s just idiotic hearsay.
And Rainbow as wimpiest band name?
No. There’s a metal band, of all things, called Dew Scented. You cannot out-wimp that.
In my previous post it was niggling at me about ‘what was that other tight-knit band’ - Rush:smack:
I’ll bet Kraftwerk always got along.
SNFU’s Chi Pig definitely had to be the biggest pain in the ass in that gaggle.
While I can’t empirically back this, I wouldn’t be surprised, let’s say, if it turned out Danzig was a dyed-in-the-wool asshole with the majority of his bandmates.
Would also put money on GG Allin most likely not being a paragon of leadership, trust and respect with the members in his line-ups.
ETA: I was just a big fan of the way Kieth would play with really sharp-angled wrists in earlier stuff.
And pouting.
I remember a female fronted hard rock band called Baby Animals. They were probably the most inappropriately named band ever, other than Vomit Launch, who sounded a bit like Throwing Muses.
