Tom Petty Drums

[drumsound]

this is not the exact picture I had in my head, but this is close to what I always think of when I hear Stan Lynch and the "Tom Petty" drum sound... big drums. big fat muffled snare too.




I also have to ask - is the Steve Ferrone hatred with Tom Petty all his fault? Or is it a result of being overly Pro-tooled and forced to a grid, or told "make this sound like a drum machine"? I've never seen him play live (at least not in person) but I have heard recordings he played on that I like. ZZ Top albums used to have a lot more swagger too when Frank Beard actually played the drums

No I just think it's how Ferrone plays. I remember when he was playing in Clapton's band and I thought the same thing. Specifically if you can find the Clapton version of Stone Free from the Hendrix tribute record for the early 90s. STIFF STIFF STIFF, like he's never even heard Mitch Mitchell.

I agree, ZZ Top is about 100 times better with drumming!

[roscoenyc]

Opening for those guys for a few weeks in '04 and seeing them play every night I'd have to say that I was amazed by Steve Ferrone. I didn't want to like him, mainly based on the Clapton stuff and his use of that walker lookin' cage that he attaches his hardware to.

Ferrone played the hell out of all the songs from the whole Tom Petty catalog. The Stan stuff the session guy stuff from the solo albums and the stuff that he had recorded with the band. He copped the feel and the sound. It was amazing. I stood there 15 feet away with my buddy who's been there guitar tech forever.
Really was some of the most dynamic playing I've ever heard.

I saw them several times years back with Stan Lynch and always liked the band but what I saw them do night after night with Ferrone was really amazing.

[the finger genius]

And the great debate rages on...

[mertmo]

Ferrone is a killer drummer, no doubt about it. Just too "on" the beat for me.
I like Lynch's swing better. When I play drums, that's how I approach it...

Dangerously behind the beat.

[Jitters]

On the one hand I saw Tom Petty a couple years back with Steve on the drums and thought the band sounded great and never once thought that the drums were lacking.

On the other hand when trying to find a good variation of the bo diddly beat as reference material for a drummer I came across this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0wVtFY7ojo

And even though the part was 'right' I ended up not showing it to the drummer because it was just to wooden.

[alex matson]

Have to say, kudos to Neil for the Yakus article, which is arguably more to the point of this thread. Had to Google and then go for the cached version of the Prosound Web article for some reason. But I also found a page of some fun anecdotes from various tracks -
http://discog.fleetwoodmac.net/discog.php?pid=211

[Nick Sevilla]

Ferrone is a killer drummer, no doubt about it. Just too "on" the beat for me.
I like Lynch's swing better. When I play drums, that's how I approach it...

Dangerously behind the beat.

Yeah... I hear you.

But... then why did software like drum replacer come along? And beat detective?

I like both drummers, as they both have their own thing going on.

Trying to compare the two does not do justice to either of them.

Lynch grew up before the advent of MIDI and technology forcing drummers to play very much in time, whereas Ferrone is a studio cat, who was always expected to deliver what the client wanted.

Cheers

[drumsound]

On the one hand I saw Tom Petty a couple years back with Steve on the drums and thought the band sounded great and never once thought that the drums were lacking.

On the other hand when trying to find a good variation of the bo diddly beat as reference material for a drummer I came across this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0wVtFY7ojo

And even though the part was 'right' I ended up not showing it to the drummer because it was just to wooden.

That's exactly if for me to. He's just too damned academic.

[drumsound]

Ferrone is a killer drummer, no doubt about it. Just too "on" the beat for me.
I like Lynch's swing better. When I play drums, that's how I approach it...

Dangerously behind the beat.

Yeah... I hear you.

But... then why did software like drum replacer come along? And beat detective?

I like both drummers, as they both have their own thing going on.

Trying to compare the two does not do justice to either of them.

Lynch grew up before the advent of MIDI and technology forcing drummers to play very much in time, whereas Ferrone is a studio cat, who was always expected to deliver what the client wanted.

Cheers

Kurt Bisquera and Jim Keltner are also studio cats that can play to a click for weeks at a time and they don't sound stiff.

Drum replacer, beat detective and all that other shit came along because people don't spend time in the fucking practice room!

[losthighway]

Drum replacer, beat detective and all that other shit came along because people don't spend time in the fucking practice room!

That, and some people decided they like music better if it sounded like it was made by a machine and not a sweating, burping, human drummer. Some of the best jazz drummers change tempo consciously, some of the best rock drummers do it on accident. Whether you want Max Roach behind you, or Crazy Horse, you will achieve two very different feelings but either way Beat Detective is like marrying a Stepford Wife. Which is also why Kraftwerk is so interesting, because listening them makes you question humanity and robots.

[cgarges]

I think we have Roger Linn to thank for Beat Detective in a roundabout way.

You know, there's been all this talk about Steve Ferrone and no one's mentioned AWB. I was first exposed to Steve Ferrone as the drummer in Duran Duran, but it was his work with AWB that really showed me what he was about. Robbie MacIntosh was a total MF and hearing Steve Ferrone on that stuff was cool in an academic sort of way, but it never felt as good as the stuff that Robbie MacIntosh played on. In a lot of ways, I've always felt that way about everything I've heard Ferrone do-- the Clapton gig? Never as cool as Ginger Baker (of whom I'm not a huge fan), Jim Gordon (who is?), Jamie Oldaker, etc. The Petty gig? Stan Lynch. Stan FREAKING Lynch. Sorry Scott, but Stan Lynch is cool as hell, not matter how you put it.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[MoreSpaceEcho]

whatever man. you big mean mods are ganging up on me.

[drumsound]

I think we have Roger Linn to thank for Beat Detective in a roundabout way.

You know, there's been all this talk about Steve Ferrone and no one's mentioned AWB. I was first exposed to Steve Ferrone as the drummer in Duran Duran, but it was his work with AWB that really showed me what he was about. Robbie MacIntosh was a total MF and hearing Steve Ferrone on that stuff was cool in an academic sort of way, but it never felt as good as the stuff that Robbie MacIntosh played on. In a lot of ways, I've always felt that way about everything I've heard Ferrone do-- the Clapton gig? Never as cool as Ginger Baker (of whom I'm not a huge fan), Jim Gordon (who is?), Jamie Oldaker, etc. The Petty gig? Stan Lynch. Stan FREAKING Lynch. Sorry Scott, but Stan Lynch is cool as hell, not matter how you put it.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

I don't know the AWB stuff beyond "pick up the pieces" but everything else you said is spot on (no surprise there)!!!

whatever man. you big mean mods are always right.

Fixed your post. [/big mean moderator]

[MoreSpaceEcho]

ima stuff both you and garages in stan lynch's comically oversized rack tom and roll you down a hill.

[@?,*???&?]

Ferrone is a killer drummer, no doubt about it. Just too "on" the beat for me.
I like Lynch's swing better. When I play drums, that's how I approach it...

Dangerously behind the beat.

Yeah... I hear you.

But... then why did software like drum replacer come along? And beat detective?

I like both drummers, as they both have their own thing going on.

Trying to compare the two does not do justice to either of them.

Lynch grew up before the advent of MIDI and technology forcing drummers to play very much in time, whereas Ferrone is a studio cat, who was always expected to deliver what the client wanted.

Cheers

Kurt Bisquera and Jim Keltner are also studio cats that can play to a click for weeks at a time and they don't sound stiff.

Drum replacer, beat detective and all that other shit came along because people don't spend time in the fucking practice room!

I worked on one Keltner session. He never played the same thing twice. I also worked on one Kurt Bisquera session and he hits simplistically direct. Same spot on the drum always a little too hard with a basic groove. Keltner has more feel, but I would almost call Keltner 'loose'.