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Post by gypsyball on Nov 12, 2008 21:15:07 GMT -5
I read on MSN that Mitch Mitchell passed away today. He was 61.
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Post by rowenafair on Nov 13, 2008 10:36:33 GMT -5
yes, as someone remarked online, now the jimi hendrix experience is having THEIR reunion. too sad. i hope dickie and paul are watching their health. long may they thrive.
mitch was a great and fearless drummer. who inspired LEGIONS. and he looked really cute in his girlfriend's blouses too!!
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Post by mrmaltese on Nov 13, 2008 16:28:55 GMT -5
It's hard to believe that all three members of The Jimi Hendrix Experience are gone from earth. Mitch Mitchell was one of my biggest influences my being a drummer and have played in JH tribute for over 13 years - this is a very sad day in rock n' roll history,...but yes there is quite a reunion going on in the heavens and also Buddy Miles who has passed last February.
No doubt he was one of the best drummers from that time period along with Paul Whaley,Keith Moon and Ginger Baker,....definitely very unique and ignited and really helped Jimi shine -I always felt he was just as important to the Experience and Band of Gypsies as Jimi was,.....never was acknowledged enough in the drim world probably because he was very unorthodox the way he played but nevertheless in my opinion one of the all time greatest in r n' r.
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Post by mikethedrummer on Nov 14, 2008 10:09:31 GMT -5
While I'm saddened by Mitch's death and agree that he was one of the best drummers from that time period (or any), I have to disagree that he was never acknowledged enough in the drum world. I believe it was Drum magazine that listed him as the greatest rock drummer of all time a few years ago. Other equally great drummers from that era that rarely, if ever, get their due include George Suranovich (Love) and Jon Hiseman (Colosseum). At least Mitch had the advantage of playing with one of the highest profile acts of all time, which helped bring his exceptional talent to a much larger audience.
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Post by FeedbackLourde on Nov 14, 2008 11:38:54 GMT -5
I have an interview with Noel Redding that was done about 20 years ago where he makes the claim that Mitch AND Jimi were both equal stars in the Experience (his role was to stay between them like luke-warm water). I have to agree with him. And on the side-subject of amazing drummers in this vein that don't get their due, I put my stock in Bill Ward of Black Sabbath. We hear so much about his contemporary and friend, John Bonham but personally I think Bill's got him beat.
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Post by mikethedrummer on Nov 14, 2008 13:50:11 GMT -5
Certainly Bonham was featured more with Zeppelin than Ward was with Sabbath, and the way they played gave him a more opportunity to interact with the other instruments. While Ward's drumming never appealed to me as much as some others, there's no question that it played a key role in Sabbath's success. The list of unsung drum heroes could go on and on, and it seems to me that elsewhere on this Board there was another thread that touched on it.
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Post by mrmaltese on Nov 14, 2008 13:54:01 GMT -5
well, the reason I say that he (Mitch Mitchell)wasn't recognized enough is because Jimi took a lot of the credit in the Experience even though The Experience was such a high profile act Jimi has received most of if not all the glory and the other two especially in Mitchell's case seemed to get overlooked or say overshadowed,....I have not seen the article in that magazine but you were talking about but much of what I've read and seen in the past drummers like Mitchell and Moon seemed to be overlooked probably because they were not technical players like the Brufords or the Cobhams and guys like that,......John Bonham seemed to share the glory much more than Mitchell or Moon and I would agree with FBL I prefer Ward over Bonham myself,......it just comes down to personal taste really - though Bonham was definitely at the forefront for the "straight ahead style" power drumming for sure
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Post by mikethedrummer on Nov 14, 2008 15:40:09 GMT -5
It's interesting - if you look back at record reviews in Rolling Stone (and we all know how objective they were!) they tended to favor Moon and Mitchell over, say Ginger Baker. Again, that was the opinion of the reviewer, which is what it all comes down to. I'd like to think that if Blue Cheer had maintained and built on the success they had in the first part of '68, Whaley would have received a lot more recognition, too.
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Post by ericalbronda on Nov 14, 2008 16:05:37 GMT -5
Mike the drummer , I agree with you except to many people Whaley was the best drummer in the world at one time and potentially still is . As a drummer I can see it in the way he attacks the drums his cymbal work is some of the best taking great pains to maximize the tone of each cymbal . He tunes his drums when he remembers and takes great care of his drums . Paul is also a master at tempo change and has the genius of the unexpected which in my book in an indication of a great drummer . Also , depending on how well you know Paul he is a humble dude but he knows how good he is . We have had many conversations about this topic and Paul is not at all shy about his prowess as a drummer .
Sure Bonham and Moon and Mitchell are all great but Whaley ---if you only could have seen Mitchell watching Whaley you would see what I mean
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Post by rowenafair on Nov 14, 2008 17:56:46 GMT -5
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Post by mrmaltese on Nov 14, 2008 21:08:55 GMT -5
Mitchell was a bit more finess than Whaley …Paul was a harder hitting drummer than Mitch - same goes for Keith Moon like PW a much harder hitting drummer,…
They are all in that same mode and style of drummers but Mitchell’s finess comes from his jazz influences guys like Elvin Jones ,…..Mitchell really was a rock drummer who faked playing jazz but because of the jazz influence is probably where he’s a lighter hitting drummer than Paul or Keith. When all three do a lot of their drum fills during songs that is where all three are similar in that respect,…..Keith tended to get a bit more sloppy Paul had the best of both worlds and knew when to change it up,…Keith Moon was more one dimensional of the three,…we cannot forget Ginger too he was really great as well
Was nice watching that Mitch Mitchell drum solo love the tone of those Gretsch toms!
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Post by gypsyball on Nov 15, 2008 3:25:56 GMT -5
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Post by rowenafair on Nov 15, 2008 12:09:04 GMT -5
paul may have been a heavy hitter but while he may have lacked technique per se he NEVER lacked finesse! his use of the toms always made me think of native american drumming, calling in the spirits; don't forget he also had a jazz background - gene krupa was one of his role models...and wasn't his dad a jazz drummer?? i agree about baker, and about moon being one dimensional. he was amazing too but so much of it was just bluster!!
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Post by mrmaltese on Nov 16, 2008 14:02:22 GMT -5
Yes, Paul Whaley does like Gene Krupa and I heard that from him myself when I spoke to him about drumming,…….I disliked using the term “one dimensional “ about Keith Moon too I only mentioned that because of my comparing him to the other two(Mitch and Paul),…still Keith was excellent at what he did and very unique,…The Who was never the same after he went. In cases with groups like these this is where having the most "technical" drummer doesn’t work,….case and example Simon Philips did a few tours with The Who now as great of a drummer that he (much more technically proficient than Moon) is – he did not fit playing with the band because it was a technical guy playing the drum parts and it is making the band sound totally different because of that,….you’re missing that “sloppiness” that you had with the original band because Moon had the unorthodox style of drumming,…Philips plays like a guy who’s been studying drums since he was eight years old – he works great with guys like Jeff Beck and more jazz fusion oriented or progressive type of music because it is more technical and structured whereas the type of style that bands like The Who, BC ,Hendrix or Cream play are very spontaneous and a guys like Keith Moon,PW,MM & GB are the perfect and only type of drummers for those types of rock bands,…that’s sort of where I’m getting at with that whole thing,...but definitely love the dialogue for sure
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Post by ericalbronda on Nov 16, 2008 14:40:20 GMT -5
Slightly off topic yet Paul identified with Greg Gilmore from Quick Silver messenger service
because he had way long hair and sat super serious behind the drums . Paul liked his playing on "Who Do You Love " he was older and Paul Played with them when he was in the Oxford Circle . Really he copied his attitude more than play style.
Jim Keylor of, Oxford Circle , Army Street Studios , presented me with a cd about 6 months ago . He was going through his quarter track tapes which were deterroriating from Army Street Studios and put together the cd which is Blue Cheer 1984 with Dickie , Tony, and Michael Fleck. If you would like me to burn you a copy please email me ericalbronda@finestplanet.com and include address and name,
Cheers
Eric
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