Guns N' Roses "Welcome To The Jungle" Isolated Drums And Vocals

It looks like Guns N' Roses will be back touring again in some form and you can bet that one of the songs they play is "Welcome To The Jungle" from the band's first album. Here's an interesting version where you just hear the vocals and Steven Adler's drums. During the various interludes, solos and bridge you'll also hear some guitars, but it's mostly Izzy Stradlin's parts instead of Slash.

Here's what to listen for.

1. The snare drum has a fairly long slightly delayed reverb. It's pretty dark so it blends into the rest of the mix and just acts like a glue for the part.

2. The vocal has a shorter, wider gated reverb (sounds like a Lexicon 480) with a longer predelay and more upper midrange. It's also filtered differently so there's not much bottom on it. Again, this is designed to blend into the track more to give it a sheen rather than stick out.

3. There's a lot more cowbell in this song than I remember.

4. Listen to the rhythm guitar parts at 1:40 and 2:40. There are two different complimentary parts that are split left and right that you normally don't hear clearly in the final mix.

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The Guess Who "American Women" Isolated Drums

The Guess Who's "American Women" was a big hit for them and Lenny Kravitz, but it's basically the same riff over and over. It has a very interesting drum track though that's unusual for its time, as you'll soon hear.

I was told by one of the band's former road crew that the song was basically a jam that the band was playing one night while waiting for sing Burton Cummings to arrive. As the story goes, Burton walked on stage and began free-styling the words and a hit was born. It just so happened that a fan was tapping with a cassette recorder that night and the band managed to obtain a copy so they could relearn it. The studio version reportedly changed very little from what they did that night.

Here's what to listen for.

1. The kick drum pattern by drummer Gary Peterson is far more complex than the mix lets on. It makes perfect sense that the drum part came out of a jam because it would probably been a lot simpler had the song been written as normal.

2. The kick drum pattern is also a bit floppy. Peterson is a great drummer and his time is solid, but that doesn't mean that the kick doesn't flam on occasion. No problem, as you never hear it in the mix.

3. Yes, the drums are in mono and panned to the left. This was 1970 recording techniques, after all.

4. Check out the dry and tight sound of the tom in the intro.

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REM "End Of The World" Isolated Drum Track

Time for another isolated track and this time it's the drum track from the REM hit "It's The End Of The World As We Know It." The song is from their 1987 album Document, and actually originated as an unreleased Public Service Announcement that the band wrote. Here's what to listen for:

1. The snare has a nice room sound on it. It sounds very natural with very little predelay, medium decay and a little dark so it blends into the track.

2. Most of the beginning of the song is just kick, snare and hat, but when the cymbals come in they're panned pretty wide.

3. Listen how the drums develop, from a simple kick, snare, hat pattern, to more complex kick, to the addition of the ride cymbal and crashes.

4. The groove that drummer Bill Berry lays down isn't perfect by any means, as there are minute timing differences, but it works well with for the REM sound.

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The Beatles "The End" Isolated Drums

Abbey Road alternate album cover

Ringo Starr has always been an under-rated drummer, but while not flashy by any means, he was as solid and lyrical as they come. Here's the isolated drum track from "The End" from The Beatles now legendary Abbey Road album. Listen for the following:

1. Ringo's time is super solid even during a solo and drum fills, which is where most drummers have trouble.

2. The kick drum is very punchy, especially for the time.

3. The panning is rather odd. Although the drums are in very wide stereo, the snare and hat are leaning to the right side, while the toms go from the center to the left.

Stereo was still in its infancy in those days, so this was as good a choice as anything else at the time. Besides, it fits the track well and no-one has ever complained about the drum panning in the almost 50 years since.

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The Who "Eminence Front" Isolated Drums

The GMC commercial featuring The Who's "Eminence Front" has been all over television lately, which is actually a good thing because it's great to hear the song again.

Kenny Jones' drum fill entrance makes you want to hear a lot more of what he's doing, so here's the isolated drum track from the song. Here's what to listen for:

1. The reverb is interesting. It sounds like it has a 1/16th note delay on it, which at 100 bpm works out to be around 150ms. Although most of the verb is on the snare drum and toms (the cymbals are clean), the reverb leakage gives the kick drum an interesting swing that helps the motion of the song.

2. The panning is also interesting. The drums are mostly in mono but the kick is panned to the left.

3. There's some interesting percussion that enters later in the song that you don't really hear on the final mix. There's a cowbell at 3:55 and various percussion at 4:10, but they're muted at 4:33.

4. Jones was playing to the synthesizer sequencer, but the playing is extremely solid, except for a couple of ever so slightly lazy fills (I'm getting really picky here).

A few weeks ago I posted the isolated keyboard tracks from the song, which you also might want to check out.

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The Who "Who Are You" Isolated Drums

I just love listening to tracks from a hit song. It doesn't matter from which era, since each hit captures some kind of magic, and it's fun trying to sort out exactly what that magic is. Today we'll look at the drum track from a hit from The Who from 1978 called "Who Are You."

This was the last recording of drummer Keith Moon, as he died 20 days after the album was released. Moon was a one-of-a-kind drummer, especially when compared with the drummers of today, and you'll hear that his playing is almost garage-band like, although it was perfect for The Who at the time.

What's interesting was that the drums here were overdubbed, which is why all you hear is headphone leakage, and the leakage contains obvious overdubs. Here's what to listen for.

1. Listen to how dynamic the high-hat work is. Moony plays more than the beat, as the playing really breathes.

2. The sound of the drums is really the sound of the kit. This song used engineer Glyn Johns famous minimalist mic technique (as compared to today) so that the drums sound more like one instrument rather than what we hear today. Check out this video that will show you what he used.

3. The playing's not perfect, especially the kick. You can hear slight lags in timing in the kick, tom fills and the hat, although I'm sure that never bothered anyone listening to the record. Today we'd fix all that, most likely to the detriment of the song.

4. You can hear Moon singing and/or grunting at times throughout the song. Again, we'd probably fix that today.

5. At 3:30 you can hear a tympani overdub that isn't that obvious when listening to the entire mix.

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Rush "Tom Sawyer" Isolated Drum Track

There are some songs that we all know because they've been a staple of AOR or classic rock radio since their release. Rush's "Tom Sawyer" (from their big Moving Pictures album) is one of these, and even if you're not a Rush fan, you sort of know the song by the osmosis process of hearing it for so long.

Here's Neil Peart's isolated drum track from the song. There's a split of opinion about Peart's playing in that some think he's the best drummer on the planet, while others feel his playing is robotic and soulless. Regardless of how you feel, this is a great drum track that's worth checking out. Here's what to listen for:

1. Check out the flange effect on the cymbals on the opening downbeat

2. You can't miss the long dark reverb on the snare. You never hear it with the rest of the instruments because it's so dark.

3. Unlike many of today's mixes, the high hat is panned to the center rather than to the right as you see it.

4. The tom fills that start at 1:00 sound like they're really tightly tuned and almost out of place with the rest of the kit. That said, the floor tom fills that start at 2:40 still sound like they're tuned high, but are more in line with the sound of the kick and snare.



You might also like my Deconstructed Hits series of books that take an X-ray look inside hits from all genres. Check out some excerpts on the excerpts section of bobbyowsinski.com.

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Deep Purple "Highway Star" Isolated Drums

There are so many classic rock tracks that have become influential over the years, and Deep Purple's "Highway Star" (off their massively popular Machine Head album) is one of them. The track was supposedly written in the back of a van to show off to a journalist how easy it was for the band to write songs. They actually ended up performing the song on stage for the first time later that night.

Ian Paice (drummer for Deep Purple) doesn't get enough credit for how influential he's been to the drummers who've come after him, but a quick listen to the isolated drums on "Highway Star" will show that the guy is and was a true monster player.

1) Listen to the sound of the drums closely. The snare sounds pretty good, but the kick is definitely floppy sounding (not the tight sound that we mostly use today), and the toms are very small sounding, thanks to the fact that there was still only limited mics used on the drums during recording in 1971.

2) The drums are mostly in mono, except for a very slight pan of the toms, which might've been from leakage.

3) Speaking of leakage, there's a lot of it here, which doesn't hurt the end product one bit. Just another example of how leakage can be your friend.

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"Whole Lotta Love" Isolated Drum Track

Here's a really treat for all you Led Zeppelin aficionados. It's the isolated drum track from their hit "Whole Lotta Love" off of their 2nd album. This cut illustrates perfectly why drummer John Bonham's sound and style is still emulated to this day. Here are some things to listen for (the drums don't enter until :39).

1. The drum kit sounds like a single instrument instead of a series of closely related pieces. That's because that was the way recording drums was approached way back then (1969), where there wasn't enough mics or input channels to even think about miking each drum. As a result, the overall sound was more important than the individual drum sound and there's a lot of  space around the drums because they weren't close miked. Still, there's plenty of power in his kick and snare, because he played them hard!

2. Bonham plays a modified shuffle feel in the song that really makes it work. That's why you rarely hear a cover band play it as well, since most drummers never quite hear inside the beat.

3. Check out the cymbal pattern Bonzo plays in bridge. It sounds random, but it isn't.

4. You can hear him singing (grunting) along at 4:00.

5.  Bonham's fills are simple and powerful. Most drummers would flash technique in a song like this.

6. Listen for the song ending that you never heard on the record.

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An Outtake From The Incredible Mr. Starr

Ringo Starr is often overlooked for the great drummer that he really is, since his personality and legacy now seem so large. Here's a great isolated outtake from the outro of "Good Morning" from The Beatles Sgt. Pepper album that not only showcases his style perfectly, but his playing as well.

I'm not sure if he did this with double kick drums or with a double bass pedal (were they even available during the 60's?), but it's solid. He misplays a fill at around :18, but other than that I find this cut very impressive. You don't here drummer like this any more, unfortunately.

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"The Trooper" Iron Maiden Isolated Drums

My post regarding the isolated guitar tracks from Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" drew a great response yesterday, so here's the isolated drum track as well. Who knew there were so many Maiden fans out there? Here are some things to listen for.

1) I'm not sure how the drums were recorded, but the sound is very "old school" in that it almost sounds like a stereo pair of overheads and a kick drums mic, perhaps augmented with a snare mic. The toms sound a little distant compared to the kick and snare, which is usually a sign that most of the sound coming from overheads.

2) There's not a lot of snap on the snare, which indicates that a bottom mic probably wasn't used.

3) The performance is fairly consistent, but there are a few fills (like around 2;05) that seem rushed. That being said, this is a very complex beat that drives almost non-stop for 4 minutes. You've probably never heard anything seem rushed in the song when listening with the rest of the instruments, which is why it's so dangerous to listen to isolated tracks in the studio while you're recording. You can always find something not to like about an other otherwise great performance.

4) There's a lot of reverb on the drums, but it never gets in the way because both the high end and low end is filtered. This is a great trick that used to be a lot more commonly used than it is today.

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"Rosanna" Drum Track Explained By Jeff Porcaro

The other day we listened to John Bonham play a version of Bernard Purdie's "Purdie Shuffle" on Led Zeppelin's "Fool In The Rain." Here's the late, great Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro explaining how he adapted the beat to use on Toto's big hit "Rosanna."

Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on huge albums for every major music star in the business during the 1980's. He died of a heart condition in 1992, but you can experience a little of his greatness here.

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The Beatles "Come Together" Isolated Drums

Ringo Starr is one of the most underrated drummers in music, but he's always been not only a solid performer but an innovative one as well. As this isolated drum track from Abbey Road's "Come Together" shows, you could always expect something that was uniquely him. Here are a few things to listen for.

1) It's fun to listen to the banter before the song begins. Once again, it shows the boys having fun. All too often the studio is too much like work these days.

2) Listen to how muffled the toms are, which is a result of the use of tea towels draped over them. I think the snare had a towel on it as well, but you can still hear a lot of the snap.

3) While drum sounds were evolving at the time, Ringo's kit was still far from the typical drum sound we're used to today, especially the kick. A smaller drum sound was more the norm back then, although Ringo's sound was still a bit larger than most drummers of the time.

4) Listen to Ringo's fills into and during the solos. No one else plays like him.

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"Fool In The Rain" John Bonham isolated Drums

This week we'll look at drummers on The Big Picture. First up is Led Zeppelin's John Bonham on the song "Fool In The Rain" from the 1979 In Through The Out Door album, which was the last single that the band released before Bonzo's death.

The first half of the song is based around a beat made popular by the famed funk drummer Bernard Purdie call the "Purdie Shuffle," a beat he used so effectively on Steely Dan's Babylon Sisters. The 2nd half of the tune is a samba feel, which made it impossible for the band to play live since it required bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones to play multiple instruments at the same time. Here are some things to take note.


1) This clip isn't the final take since the album cut is a minute or so longer.

2) The isolation is great, since you can only hear the rest of the band at the intro of the 2nd half samba part. I'm not sure, but this part may have been cut as an overdub.

3) Like all of Bonzo's drum tracks, there's plenty of room sound thanks to the distant miking technique that he preferred.

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Bad Company "Feel Like Makin' Love" Isolated Drum Track

Staying with Bad Company and Feel Like Making Love, here's the isolated drum track. I always knew drummer Simon Kirke was a really good solid rock drummer, but he's a lot better than I thought after listening to this track.

1) The drum sound is pretty good and recorded in a modern style with multiple mics. The snare is pretty compressed, which takes some of the snap out of it, but it really punches. Same with the kick.

2) Listen to his kick drum work. I love it when a drummer can get creative yet stay solidly in time, which Simon can when he's just keeping time.

3) Simon does have a bit of a problem with fills though. Listen to the entrance into the second verse, which is a little late off the roll. There's also a late cymbal hit at 2;32. And late off the roll again at 2;39. Then at 3;40 it sounds like he loses his place or is just unsure what to play.

There are some other funny fills and hits, but I still like the drum track. Great feel! Also remember, this track was recorded 30+ years ago, and if the recent Bad Company television concert is any indication, Simon's fills are a lot smoother these days.

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"Who Are You" - The Who Isolated Drums

Since everyone seemed to like the last Keith Moon track that I posted so much, here's another one. This time it's the isolated drum track from another Who hit - "Who Are You." This was the last album that Moony recorded before his untimely death. Here are some things to listen for.

1) Listen to the hi-hat work at the beginning of the song. I especially like the way he emphasizes the two and four downbeat. Many drummers would just play this as straight 16ths. Moony was much more sophisticated in his technique than he's ever been given credit for.

2) Once again, he's playing to a pre-recorded sequenced synth track and he's very solid doing so. Not a big deal today, but not something that was done much back then in 1978.

3) His time wavers slightly during the double time chorus as he's slightly on top of the beat but he pulls himself back every time he drifts off tempo.

4) Listen for the tympani overdub during the tom part in the bridge. It's mixed back in the track a bit so you've probably never heard it before (I know I didn't).

5) The outro is typical frantic Moon, playing his signature tom fills like only he could. The tempo goes out the window, but that's OK because it lifts the track to a peak just when it's needed most.

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"Won't Get Fooled Again" -The Who Isolated Drums

Staying with our drum theme of the week, today we'll analyze the isolated drum track from The Who classic "Won't Get Fooled Again," off their seminal Who's Next album from 1971. Let's take a listen.

1) Keith Moon may have been the most unique rock drummer of all time. His style is so different that I don't think anyone has ever come close to duplicating it. But there is a method to the madness. As odd as the beat is, he is fairly disciplined at keeping it. Nonetheless, I don't believe there's a producer on the planet (or an A&R guy) that would stand for the style if he were just starting out today, which is a shame. How did he ever come up with that beat during the solo? And the one before the breakdown at about 5:30?

2) It's the fills that really set Moony apart. They often feel like a train wreck and are placed in odd places in the song, but it imparts an energy that's really at the heart of the sound of the Moon-era Who.

3) I'm not sure how the drums are miked but it seems like a departure for the time as they feel pretty close to the listener, especially the toms. It almost feels like the toms were close-miked as we do it today. I'll ask around as see if I can find the definitive answer. Actually, the picture on the video shows the toms individually miked, but I'm not sure what session that's from.

4) The tempo is pretty steady but that's because he was listening to the sequenced synth as a guide. Still, not many drummers were good at it back then. Occasionally he's on top of the beat a little but pulls it back after a bar or so.

5) At 1:20 he misses a drum hit and hits his stick instead. We'd replace that in a second today but it went right by and nobody noticed it back then (and even now when we listen to the final mix).

6) You can hear the other instruments and even the occasional vocal leaking into the drums, which is great. Who outlawed leakage anyway?

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"Gimme Shelter" - Isolated Drums

Today we take a look at the isolated drums on the Stones classic "Gimme Shelter," a song that's a staple of club band everywhere. The song was the opening track from the 1969 releases "Let It Bleed" and was a big world-wide hit at the time.

1) The first thing you notice is the guiro (a hand-held percussion instrument) playing along with the drums. Like all percussion, this provides movement to the arrangement that's subtle but very real. Maracas enter at the solo at about 2:00.

2) You always hear stories about what a light hitter drummer Charlie Watts is (he's been known to go years between snare drum heads), but that's not true in this song and he leans into it with some muscle.

3) The performance is very solid with great tempo, especially the fills. Many drummers have great time except when it comes to the fills but not in this case.

4) The sound is very 60's, with a lot of room as it was probably miked with only a couple of mikes. You can hear the rhythm guitar leakage, as I believe the basic tracks were only drums, rhythm guitar, percussion and vocals.

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"Sultans Of Swing" - Isolated Drums and Vocals

This week we'll analyze some drum tracks. The first one is the breakout hit from Dire Straits - "Sultans of Swing." This version also has a bit of the vocal in it, but it's low in the mix and more of a guide to where we are in the track. Let's take a listen:

1) Pretty good drum sound here. It's on the cusp of old school and new school method of drum recording in that it's clearly recorded on multiple tracks, yet the drums feel as if they were recorded as one kit. As we cross over into more modern drum recording, so often you hear each drum more individually, but you don't get that feeling here.

2) The cymbals are very present in the mix, which gives you more of that old school feel.

3) There's a nice long reverb on the snare, but notice how the fills are dry to bring them up front in the mix.

4) Excellent drum performance by Pick Withers. It's solid and has great time and discipline. The builds are all totally in time, something that even some great drums have a hard time with.

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Oasis "Wonderwall" - Isolated Drums And Bass

Once again from Oasis' Morning Glory album that sold 20 million copies, we'll have a look at the isolated drum and bass parts from the hit "Wonderwall." Here's what to listen for:

1) It sounds like there's no artificial ambience on the drum track and what you hear is all the room.

2) This is a really great drum track, well played by Alan White, especially the ghost notes on the snare. It's surprisingly busy for a mostly acoustic song, but oh, so very funky.

3) The sound isn't that great. Actually, it sounds like it's just a room mic as there are a lot of cymbals heard here, but it's  not that far from the final sound on the recording.



Here's the bass part for "Wonderwall."
1) It's very surprising how distorted the bass sound is.

2) Bass player, Paul McGuigan, gives a well played and solid performance that changes in intensity in conjunction with acoustic guitar (which we reviewed yesterday). There are very slight tempo flubs at 2:00, 2:22, 2:36, 2:49, and the outro is a bit shaky though.

3) This is a pretty well recorded track but you do hear the compressor snap occasionally on some transients. As with most of the imperfections that I pick out, you never hear it in the track.

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