Dave Grohl

I kind of bashed Dave Grohl in my last post, so I thought I'd even it out by toasting him here.  Dave Grohl has managed to become one of the most melodic and distinctive drummers of my generation.

It took me a while to notice, actually.  It started when I tried playing drums on "Go with the Flow" on Rock Band.  (Yes, I love rock band.)  It occurred to me that the main hook of the song, rather than being a vocal line, or guitar riff, was Grohl's BA-ba-BA-ba-BA throughout the song, (especially just before the line "with the flow" in the chorus.)  Without that drum hook, the song loses most of it's individuality.


Examples abound on Songs for the Deaf.  Most of the songs have a very distinctive drum part, once you learn to listen for it.  The chorus of "No One Knows."  The intro to "Song for the Dead." Etc.  I just read he played drums on NIN's "The Collector" so, add that to the list I guess.

One of the things I love about music is noticing things on the fiftieth listen that you never heard before.  I've gradually learned to listen to drums, especially over the last year or so (thanks to Rock Band), and I'm starting to realize the ways truly great drummers can transform a band.

The other two drummers I think of, when I think of how someone like Grohl can take over a song, are Jimmy Chamberlain, and Keith Moon.  I love Smashing Pumpkins and the Who for many other reasons, but listen, for example, how "The Kids are Alright" could have been a midtempo ballad-y kind of song, until Keith's drums blow things apart.

There are a lot of drummers who I think of as excellent drummers who can't handle this kind of transformation - John Bonham was great, but I think Ginger Baker would have been just as good in Zep.  Contrast that to the Who, who I can't imagine without Moon.  Listen to "Geek U.S.A." and think how it would sound without syncopation.  Etc.