A GUITARIST LOOKS AT DRUMMERS

A GUITARIST LOOKS AT DRUMMERS

EXTENSION CHORDS

by Rob Simbeck

Rock n roll is a team sport, and a guitarist has to keep in mind that hes part of a cohesive unit. On the other hand, theres enough of a place in rock for posturing and egomania that a guitarist can be forgiven for that gnawing spot in the back of his mind that says the rest of the band exists just to let him show off his chops.

Guitarists, after all, are usually the front men, the writers, and the visionaries. Hendrix, Clapton, Johnny Winter, Neil Young, Frank Zappa and countless others have fronted varying collaborations of rockers, and while they may have tempered their visions to play off the strengths of their sidemen, there was never any doubt that these were their bands. A number of guitarists have carried the direction and flow of a career through different line-ups, but with the possible exception of Mick Fleetwood, how many rock drummers have done so? Carrying it one step further, the Who may not be the same Who without Keith Moon, but theyre still the Who. They wouldnt be without Pete Townshend.

None of this, of course, is meant in any way to belittle the role of the rock drummer. Its just that drum heroes have never quite sparked the fantasies of teenage females or teenage males dreaming of eventual stardom quite the way guitarists have.

So when a guitarist looks at drummers, hes also looking at the guitarists who have played with those drummers, trying to get a feel for what the man behind the kit offers in terms of embellishment, support and drive. The ultimate guitarists drummer would have both the technical skill and sense of feel to add coloring and flesh to a guitarists output, whether its a screaming solo, fills, or power chords at the same time, hed have drive and nervous energy to push the guitarist into playing a little better or carrying the vision a little further, and the sense of team playing to refrain from flash for flashs sake. Above all else, he would keep in mind that there has to be a solid rhythmic framework to serve both as anchor and starting point for the guitarist.

With that in mind, heres how four, of rocks premier drummers—Bun E. Carlos, Roger Taylor, Aynsley Dunbar and Car-; mine Appice—stack up as the heart of a guitarists rhythm section:

BUN E. CARLOS

Granted, Cheap Tricks Bun E. Carlos looks like he just escaped from the Sunday funnies; his rotund figure is draped in baggy pants and flimsy shirt, with minutely loosened tie and granny glasses surrounded by cigarette smoke. But that appearance offers no clue to his drumming style. He may take out his Louisville Slugger sticks once in a while for a brief but inevitable roll on the toms, but Carlos is the one picture of consistency in a sound created by a guitarist (Rick Nielsen) whose visual forte is loony tune antics, and a singer (Robin. Zander) whose forte is cuteness.

Carlos is the perfect drummer for a guitarist whos got the urge to pull out all the stops musically and visually. His stability is not to be confused with dullness, though. He simply knows the immense value of dependability: giving a guitarist just enough rope to flesh out any idea hes got, but not so much that histrionics get in the way of the momentum of things. His infrequent solos are relatively short, simple (heavy tom-tom use a la Ringo Starr), to-the-point, and—dare I say it?—tasteful.

Carlos does make minute adjustment in his style to suit Rick Nielsons particular moods. On the raw, excellent Cheap Trick debut LP, his work was strong yet succinct. The style was practically cloned for In Color, but the bottom lightened up on Heaven Tonight. On the bands more recent qutings, Carlos has become more aggressive and pronounced, but throughout the groups history, the beat—the Big beat—has always been there, making the bassists job a piece of cake. You dont need to be Stanley Clarke to keep up with ol Bun E. And if youre a guitarist, you know you can work out all the fantasy you can muster, and still have enough downto-earth backing behind you to keep from floating away.

Terms like consistency" and dependability" have been given short shrift lately, but Carlos has taken the best from both of these terms and made his mark with the band. After all, whos smart and simple fills are what crank up Live At Budokans Aint That A Shame"? With Nielsen having an obvious mania for going in two directions at once, some semblance of predictability is just what the doctor ordered. Sure, he couldnt replace Bill Bruford, but Fripp is Fripp and power pop is power pop.

Look at it this way—if youre a guitarist whos got an urge to play three guitars at once while spitting out guitar picks as if they were watermelon seeds, you couldnt ask for more than a drummer who keeps things under control. Like all good pop/rock drummers, the man knows, his role well in the scheme of things. Let him look like a Katzenjammer kid applying for a job as an accountant. Mania couldnt ask for a better anchor.

ROGER TAYLOR

Histrionics is also the forte of Queen. The bands approach brings to mind nothing so much as a rococo sledgehammer—moments of sheer piledriving (We Will Rock You," Another One Bites The Dust," Fat Bottomed Girls") balanced precariously against moments of attempted operatic soaring (Killer Queen," Bohemian Rhapsody"). VA guitarist in this setting needs a drummer who can switch from the ham-handed to the skitterfingered at the drop of a footswitch.

Brian Mays got almost everything he needs in Roger Taylor and, setting aside the groups fascist and misogynist elements for a moment, that almost is the reason Queen is an excellent band without being a truly great one.

Taylor can offer the solid backing on both fronts. He can convince you the Fourth Reich is stomping across the worlds biggest gym floor during the opening of We Will Rock You," then add enough solid-yet-colorful texture in Killer Queen" that despite the phased voices and other attempts at pomp, youre always aware that its only rocknroll.

As a guitarist, though, you want a drummer not merely supportive, but actually driving you on in a manner designed to inspire greatness rather than mere flash.

At Taylors finest moments, he does that. In Dead On Time," he takes a song that could be less than urgent if it was done with a standard approach, and makes it the stuff of dreams simply by double-timing his beat. He adds enough intelligence and nervous energy to drive May through the lead break rather than just accompany him, and takes a beautifully off-balance yet right segue into the ending.

Somebody To Love" offers another solid Taylor showcase. He uses concise, tasty rolls to string together sections with different rhythmic feels, punctuates guitar and vocal phrases with long cymbal splashes or short, metallic punches, and offers ponderous tom-tom intros that add weight and dimension to the beginnings of searing solos. Thats just what a guitarist wants from a drummer. The same strengths show through on Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and, to a lesser extent, Bohemian Rhapsody."

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But in places where the material is not totally compelling, there is more you could ask from Roger Taylor. In a band where changes in rhythmic feel are so vital and integral, you need to feel a sense of rhythmic command and certainty as a starting point, and a sense of nervous energy and one-step-ahead coloring as a departure point. In songs like Flash," Keep Yourself Alive" and Under Pressure," theres always a solid underpinning of sound, but never the total mastery that says to a guitarist, Im in total control of this section. Now, dont waste my effort— get out there and tear the roof off!" Its like the difference between a pitcher who mixes good pitches well and a pitcher who mixes the same pitches well, yet has a fastball that leaves em scratching their heads. Finally, with a song as nowhere as v Mustapha" from Jazz, what little chance the song has to spark any interest at all is lost in Taylors leaden approach.

All in all, Taylors got the variety to offer a guitarist solid underpinnings in a number of styles, but he lacks that crucial spark of genius that drives guitarists to greatness.

AYNSLEY DUNBAR

If Bun E. Carlos has got power pop mastered and Roger Taylor has the savvy to hold down a wide range of efforts within an eclectic band, Aynsley Dunbar has got both the mastery and the eclecticism with all rock as his field of play. Dunbar is as versatile a virtuoso as they come—hes a virtual Renaissance man of the drum kit. Having him back you up is like having a meal ticket. It doesnt matter if you live off power chords or jazz solo doodling, youre going to have excellent support.

Hes been more than up to the task of dealing with some of rocks more innovative creators. With all-American weirdrocker Frank Zappa, he handles everything from the big-band jazz of The Grand Wazoo to mini-operas like Live At The Fillmore's Mudshark" and Just Another Band From L.A.s Billy The Mountain. He even had the integrity to blow off Journey when he sensed that they were evolving into the rock megabuck corporation they are now.

Most great drummers have highly identifiable sounds, from Led Zeps John Bonham to Keith Moon to Charlie Watts to rim-shot Stewart Copeland of the Police, but Dunbar can adapt his style to a band so well that its hard to pick out one distinct Dunbar sound. This is why hes easily classified as a dream drummer for a guitarist aspiring toward a variety of sounds. What can be expected of him is that hell provide a strong, on-the-mark beat thats very clean. Even when hes soloing, his thunder is crisp and startling. Hes got the ideas and spark to give any guitarist he plays with a solid foundation for any direction, and enough verve to drive him to any heights. His powerful thrusts just may be the high point of Starships sound, and, in any case, hes probably making up for the years when he was underrated and, most likely, underpaid.

CARMINE APPICE

Carmine Appice may be one of the most famous drummers alive, but from a guitarists point of view, hes an anomaly. What self-respecting guitarist wouldnt want, at least once, to front a dream band such as Me, Bruce & Appice? The choice of Jack Bruce in this case was not made idly. He is to bassists what Appice is to drummers. Both can make a guitarist want to scream, Yes, I know youre good, but keep in mind what Im trying to do here!" Its hard to tear the rafters up in support of a song when youre involved in an instrumental dogfight, and thats the reason a guitarist would approach involvement with Appice somewhat warily if he wanted to execute his own vision.

During the transitional period of Cactus, Appice established himself once and for all as a bass players drummer rather than a guitarists. He hardened that position with his role in Beck, Bogert and Appice, a conglomerate that saw a meeting of musical individualists disintegrate in a clash of musical style and ego.

But Appices most recent effort changed all that came before. As part of Rod Stewarts band in the more rigidly defined world of dance music (read Disco), he iprovided the entire band with a monster drum sound that finally took its place underneath, rather than on top of, the sound. In the presence of multi-platinum success like Stewarts it might seem as if theres no other choice, but its a testament to what can happen when a drummer focuses his attention on supporting rather than competing with the musical vision around him. Theres that solid rhythm to bang out, and a technical mastery being shown off in context rather than out of it.

His new solo project will give us a chance to see if the Stewart experience was a one-shot deal, and a guitarist might still look warily at Carmine Appice as a drummer. But then again, he might relish it as the biggest challenge of all—taming that monstrous amount of talent, presence and ego in the service of a personal musical vision.