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Post by poopypants on May 12, 2007 13:57:26 GMT -5
As some of you may know, I am a drummer, and with that I read a number of publications pertaining to the drummer. There are alot of them out there, some better than others. There are ones in which the target audeince are the younger drummers, so they feature the "Flavor Of The Month" on the cover, usually with the drummers mouth wide open (I can't understand this, but it happens quite frequently), then there is Modern Drummer, which features current hot drummers while also acknowledging past ones. There are about 6 or 7 out there, and all of these come out monthly.
There is one however, that only comes out 4 times a year, and it is without a doubt the classiest of all of them. It's called "Classic Drummer", and it's geared towards older drummers who play either/and custom drums or vintage drums, or just appreciate the features on more obscure drummers. (BTW-I fall into the latter category. I own a couple of Vintage kits.) The new issue just hit the stands, and on the last page they list what drummers will be featured in the next issue (Which won't come out 'till August). Sure enough, next month will have an article about "Paul Whaley of Blue Cheer"! I thought, finally, some long overdue recognition, and from the classiest, most intelligent drum magazine out there. I know a few of the guys who write for it via a drum forum much like this one, but I wasn't aware of this. Needless to say, I eagerly await the next issue.
Sorry, but I am rather excited by this, and I knew you folks could appreciate not only my excitement but the fact that Blue Cheer is finally, FINALLY getting recognition in this country. They deserve it!!
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Post by gypsyball on May 12, 2007 15:54:52 GMT -5
About time.
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Post by mr maltese on May 12, 2007 20:20:38 GMT -5
I think that's great because for the longest time guys like Paul Whaley, Mitch Mitchell never get mentioned,....it's always the usual ones like Peart,Bonham etc.etc.....I've gotta check that out when it comes out,...
What kind of vintage kits do you have Poopy? You can't beat the warm sound of those Ludwig, Slingerland and Gretsch kits,...I have a vintage white marine pearl Ludwig early 70's - they sound beautiful
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Post by poopypants on May 13, 2007 6:31:11 GMT -5
I agree; While Peart and Bonham were very influential, it is a bit tiring to constantly hear about them, especially when there are many great not-nearly-as-famous drummers out there. (Me personally, I prefer Ian Paice over both Bonham and Peart.) But, that's the great thing about Classic Drummer; They interview drummers who were not as famous as the aforementioned names but still inspired many drummers.
I own a beautiful late 1962 blue sparkle Slingerland set in Jazz sizes (20" kick, 12 and 14" toms) with African Mohogany interiors. Because of this, it is a bit "darker" sounding than a maple kit. I have a blue sparkle solid-ply Artist Model snare to go with it.
I also have a mini gold sparkle set from Slingerland. It consists of a 20" kick (From the mid 60's) and a 70's gold sparkle 15 X12" floor tom (Converted from a parade snare) along with a 1965 Chrome Over Brass Gene Krupa model snare. I have a 13" tom tom from the 70's as well but it needs a few lugs and a new wrap, and although I use this kit from time to time, my ultimate goal is to have the kick and 2 toms re-wrapped in either a green sparkle or a purple sparkle.
My favourite kit is my 70's Ludwig set in classic sizes (22" kick, 13" mounted tom and 16" floor tom and a 5 X 14" Supra snare). The mounted tom is a 3-ply from the early 70's and the floor and kick are 6-ply from the later 70's and the entire kit has been re-wrapped in Champagne sparkle and looks absolutely beautiful and sounds even better. Those 3-ply Ludwigs sing (Yours is probably 3-ply) while the 6-ply gives a bit more volume. It works for me because often times 16" floor toms can get a bit "muddy", but this one sounds terrific. I also have a 6 1/2 X 14 Supra from the 70's as well, which is the kind Bonham made so famous, and with good reason; It it a great sounding snare. I also have a Ludwig Acrolite from the 70's, which is a great bang-for-your-buck snare.
While it isn't vintage, I recently rescued a Yamaha Rydeen set from the dumpster. $37.00 later and it's fully functional. It's not a maple set or anything, but for basically free, who am I to complain? It's great for playing outside and not having to worry if it gets damaged.
WOW! Sorry if I got a bit carried away, but get me started talking about drums and it's over! Shoot, I haven't even started talking about cymbals yet. While mine aren't vintage, I only own one that was bought brand new.
Oh yeah, I might add; That 1962 Slingerland kit is completely original, including the wrap. It was well taken care of from it's previous 2 owners, and it proves that quality drums were made back then. Slingerland in particular had the best chrome in the business, and there isn't a drop of rust on my kit.
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Post by Scott T on May 13, 2007 10:39:08 GMT -5
Damn right it's about time,I've been a fan since the begining.I'll never forget the time that you guys were on the Steve Allen show,I thought his eyes would pop out of his head.I wished I could have seen it live.
Scott T
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Post by gypsyball on May 13, 2007 11:09:27 GMT -5
Damn right it's about time,I've been a fan since the begining.I'll never forget the time that you guys were on the Steve Allen show,I thought his eyes would pop out of his head.I wished I could have seen it live. Scott T I wish the Steve Allen Show footage would have survived. It also would be nice to see his interview with the band. |
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Post by isis on May 13, 2007 12:12:02 GMT -5
an interview with Whaley....can't wait to read it  |
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Post by Slaine on May 13, 2007 14:12:44 GMT -5
hey guys, it's actually an interview with Whaley... you mean, you mean, it's not an interview with Duck talking about Paul? you mean to say ... i mean, this is just so unique and how cool and insider of you to notice ... this is an article about Whaley with WHALEY being interviewed? AWESOME It is so cool to see the entire band finally getting some artistic props ... rock on, rock on |
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Post by Slaine on May 13, 2007 14:30:20 GMT -5
isn't this good that Paul has gotten interviewed? can you explain what artistic props that Paul is doing in this magazine? HUH? Your comments make NO SENSE Whatsoever ... Whoever you think I am ... what the f**!@ is that all about? I am just sick and tired of reading your sorry ass 'scoops' that are usually rehash of what someone else posted. And no, I am not going to get into a pissing contest here. I am sure you would 'win' as ugly is as ugly does. And as we all have been unhappily accustomed to ... you will whine and bitch on until you feel you have gotten the last word, which will undoubtedly be a hands on hips fish wife shrill 'peace out'. As for Paul and the band, which this BB is supposed to be about ... Yea! for them. I know they work very very hard. It takes amazing fortitude to hang in there after all these years. It is a very cool to see them begin to get the recognition they deserve. |
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Post by poopypants on May 13, 2007 16:06:55 GMT -5
Looks like i missed something, which in this case is not a bad thing.
In any event, I don't know what's meant by Paul's "Artistic Props", but as an avid reader of Classic Drummer, I can tell you that the story isn't done by some hack. This magazine IS NOT a corporate magazine. Yes, they have advertisements, but again, it's usually by folks who specialize in custom drums (Ever hear of Frondelli Drums?) or those who sell, buy, trade or refurbish vintage drums. It is put together by a team of drummers who grew up in the "Classic" era of Rock music (As well as Jazz), and are able to see past the current flavour of the month. Last month they featured Stanton Moore, who is an incredible drummer who is part of a band (Galactic) as well as leading his own band. No, he doesn't have 7 piercings and 20 tattooes, which is what Classic Drumer avoids.
I say all that to say this; That this magazine, more than any other drum publication, means that the article will be written as a labour of love and not because Blue Cheer has a current hit album on the charts. Who knows, this article could actually spur sales of their new album. You wouldn't believe the amount of drummers on the message board I go to who grew up liking Blue Cheer but had no idea they were even still together, let alone touring the States.
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Post by Slaine on May 13, 2007 18:42:11 GMT -5
I don't know what's meant by Paul's "Artistic Props". means glad to hear Paul is getting recognized for his talent by the music community, glad to know that with this article more people will be aware that Paul is alive and well, you know like that |
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Post by mr maltese on May 13, 2007 21:15:54 GMT -5
Poopy,
sounds like you have a pretty awesome collection of vintage kits,....I know a guy here in N.J. who has got an amzing variety of vintage kits,...he's the guy I bought the Ludwig kit from I went through all of his kits and I was set on that White Marine Pearl kit the second I heard them ,...at first he didn't want to give that particular kit up but I eventually talked him into .... so gald I got them I used those from 1995 - 1998 when I was playing in a Jimi Hendrix tribute band at that time....I also recorded with tem as well....beautiful warm sound,......I also have a Sonor Phonics early 80's kit in rustic oak veneer very rare finish,....they're nice but totally different sound from the Ludwigs they are more thuddy and dry sounding probably because the shells are much thicker they are nine ply beechwood,...I'm thinking about selling those they are worth some bucks for sure
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Post by poopypants on May 13, 2007 22:04:34 GMT -5
Yup, there's a reason that Ludwigs have stood the test of time. You really can't go wrong with a set of Luddies. I got mine last year through a trade (Which is also how I got my Slingerland kit, but that's a story in itself). This fella on the board I frequent was "cleaning house" and was selling the champagne Ludwig kit amongst other kits. The previous year I had bought a Gretsch catalina Birch set, and although I liked the toms I hated the 22 X 18" kick. I bought the Ludwig set and sold the Gretsches less than a week later via Craigslist. The Gretsches were an intermediate semi-professional set of drums, but had a gorgeous blue/green "lacquer" finish. I don't regret the trade one bit.
On a Blue Cheer note, Whaley played a set of Rogers in BC's heyday, and Rogers drums from that era are a pretty hot item in vintage circles at this time, and have been for awhile. Paul said he needed a set that could withstand his pounding, and many vintage affiandos claim that Rogers hardware was some of the best in the business at the time.
That pic from inside OutsideInside; Whaley in full flight on his black Rogers kit....Damn, it just brings a tear of joy to my eye!
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Post by mikethedrummer on May 14, 2007 12:32:31 GMT -5
I agree that Classic Drummer is a first-rate magazine, and I'm glad to hear that they're going to be covering Paul. Do you know if it will be an interview, a profile, or what? After spending over an hour with him driving to and from their recent Pittsburgh show, I can testify to the fact that he's a very interesting guy.
It's a shame that there don't seem to be many pictures in circulation of Paul's drums. From what I can tell, he recorded "VE" using a 5-piece kit (one bass drum), then added a second bass drum (unmatched finish) sometime before their "American Bandstand" appearance on 2/10/68. I think this set was Rogers' Blue Onyx finish. It must have been shortly this after that the solid black set pictured in "Outsideinside" was purchased, no doubt after they started making more money from the records and touring. Paul told me he never had an endorsement deal with Rogers (or anyone else, for that matter).
Rogers did make great drums back then, although I don't think the Swiv-o-matic hardware, cool as it was, stood the test of time (if the sets I played for much of the 90's are any indication). For the most part, though, I've always preferred Ludwigs, too, going back to my first set in '71.
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Post by Slaine on May 14, 2007 13:01:15 GMT -5
I agree that Classic Drummer is a first-rate magazine, and I'm glad to hear that they're going to be covering Paul. Do you know if it will be an interview, a profile, or what? After spending over an hour with him driving to and from their recent Pittsburgh show, I can testify to the fact that he's a very interesting guy. They said it was an interview. btw, got an stories you want to tell? when I saw them in 1968, he was definitely the original human being ... very, very cool guy, nice as can be, a little spaced out  |
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