Charlie Watts, Steve White, and Gilson Lavis, all playing drums with Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra on the Hootenanny with Dave Swift on Bass. www.daveswiftbass.com
Many drummers play lightning-fast and flashy solos. Which I enjoy. But none has given me so much pleasure as Charlie Watts. He plays in the world's greatest rock band, but even in the straightest tunes you can feel how powerful the swing in him is. That's what's the very special rythmic side of the Stones is built upon. BTW, there are many guitarists who display much more virtuosity than Keith Richards, but none of their solos has given me as much pleasure as the opening riff of "Start Me Up".
@@SadChimchar I would not consider Beatles as a "rock group", except in the beginning. Many of their later (wonderful) tunes were far outside rock's scope.
@@19841947 I'd agree with you entirely if you meant rock-and-roll instead of rock... The Beatles definitely moved away from the rock-n-roll genre after 1963. But as far as rock goes, the Beatles pretty much defined the rock of the late sixties, didn't they? I've always found Revolver, Sgt Pepper, Abbey Road, etc being discussed as Rock albums
@@SadChimchar Well it's hard, and maybe not that important, to define frontiers, boundaries. But, except a few early tunes, would you define the Stones music as "rock'n roll" ? Could you imagine Eddie Cochran or Little Richard playing "Sympathy for the Devil", "Gimme Shelter", "She's Like A Rainbow", "On With The Show", "Miss You" ? Or the Stones playing "Rock Around The Clock" or "Tutti Frutti" ? Of course Beatles albums are discussed as Rock albums, because that's where they started, but they outgrew it. Maybe they are a category by themselves ;-) .
Charlie Watts may not be a 'technical beast' but he has a unique sense of solidity and uses simplicity to create his very own kind of drumming style. Just listen to that killer outro-lead-in he's playing at 3:31... It may seem simple but it's just the right things to play at the exact right moment. Anytime I watch that ending I get far more chills than when I listen to the so called 'difficult fill ins/ short solo parts' played by the other two cats.
Here's what you experts don't know about Charlie Watts: Charlie has said many times, he can't play fills well. Just as BB King couldn't play chords. You experts wanna give BB shit? Charlie Watts has the best backbeat of ANY rock drummer. One doesn't have to be Neil Peart or Phil Collins circa 1977 to be considered great If you're looking for a rock solid backbeat in the vein of simply R&B groove drumming, Charlie is your man. He's never pretended to be anything he isn't. He was smiling at the techniques of the other drummers because he obviously admired them. everyone is a critic from the couches.
+stevedrums I think BB didn't play conventional chords and that he knew what the basic chords were. But, that's not the point of what you were saying. Charlie is a solid drummer and the fills he does play, he has great feel and great time. You don't have to know a lot to be a solid drummer. Most bands would rather have a drummer who only knows two fills who can hold down the back beat and know where the 1 is vs a drummer who can play a lot of fancy shit, but can't hold the band together.
In reply to Stevedrums. I'm a drummer myself and I do agree with a lot of what you say. Yes, perfect drummer for The Stones. Backbeat man, for sure. Great gentleman, wonderful dresser, and humble enough to admit he can not play fills. Who am I, who are we, to deny him the indulgence of playing jazz, a music he so clearly loves. But really, he shouldn't. He just hasn't got the chops. And this is no way the worst example of him playing jazz on RU-vid. Like I said, I play drums., and my favourite music by far, by a long, long way, is jazz. But I don't play it myself, because I can't.
So what if Charlie didn’t do much during his little solo time, Charlie has always said he’s not a drum solo fan doesn’t mean he can’t he just chooses not too. He’s still a great drummer.
Slow the playback to 75%. Adds a little swing and gives it sex appeal. And Watts has nothing to prove. He's an accomplished hall of fame musician. He understands that instruments make a better sound when they blend, not when they stand out.
Utter nonsense. It's a drumming showcase - the one time you've not just license but borderline obligation to do something just a bit interesting. His performance is dull and feeble.
I always regret that I don't quite see/feel the same level of enjoyment when I see Charlie Watts play. Solid and laid back, I get that, but I just don't feel it. Y'know?
Yep, when it comes to rule free cage drumming fight to the death he did make the most fuss. Pity it wasn’t a rule free cage drumming fight to the death, really. I wonder which one is the best musician? 🤔
Lots and lots of people confuse their love of the Rolling Stones with how much talent their drummer Charlie Watts had. There is nothing wrong with loving the Rolling Stones. Nothing at all. However, that doesn't mean you have much knowledge about drumming and what makes a great drummer. It is fine to pay tribute to the late Charlie Watts. He had quite a run with the Stones and seems to have been a lovely guy. But for crying out loud please stop calling him one of the worlds greatest drummers. If that is what you think then you clearly have no idea what you are talking about. On the positive side this means that there are a couple of hundred drummers at the very least who you now have the opportunity to learn about and enjoy - all of whom are far more talented than the longtime drummer for the Rolling Stones.
Why don't you tell us all exactly what makes a drummer " Great"? No one can tell Charlie's story behind the kit ,no one , period . His unique sense of time , his fills ,his separation of hat and snare on 2 and 4 with a certain " pulled back " feel ? Every single one of these things makes him one of the greats .Nothing the Stones recorded would sound the same ,or feel the same .What you DON'T play, is what Makes you great.
I suggest you watch the discussion with Jim Keltner, Hal Blaine and Charlie about Charlie’s back beat and hi hat style which Keltner said he too adopted having watched Charlie. Hal doesn’t suffer fools gladly and wouldn’t have even been in the same room with him unless he respected Charlie’s playing. That’s good enough for me ! Was Charlie the world’s best drummer? No. Was Mick the world’s best singer ? No. Was Keith the world’s best guitarist ? Hell No - for a long time he wasn’t even the best guitarist in the Stones ! But put them together and they were part of the world’s greatest rock band and that, surely, is all that matters.
@@johnenglish929 Agreed and yes I've seen that clip. I agree none of them were the best ,but I don't use the word best when it comes to art or artistic expression .Mick was a vocalist ,Bowie was a singer ,Freddie? singer. The Stones all together yes wonderful . I've been playing for years and I can only play like me .I couldn't adapt any of Charlie's style if I tried , I can't tell someone else's story.
@@SalMichael Sal : my comment was mainly addressed to the original poster. I very much agree with the points you make. I actually find most of these ‘great or not great’ discussions pretty tedious. We’ve been blessed with some wonderful musicians and bands over the years. It’s up to anyone to listen to what they like and to skip what they don’t !
@@johnenglish929 Yes, I couldn't agree more , my aoplogies if I came off negative sir ,I was agreeing as well. points can come off as " pointed" at times . cheers
As a 40 year session, band and touring drummer, I’d be embarrassed as hell if I was Charlie. No effort at all even to do a basic roll. Pretty bad. I’d love to know what the other drummers were thinking of the great Mr. Watts.
For goodness sake people. This was not a competition between drummers but a piece of music to be enjoyed. I know Gilson Lavis through his work with Squeeze and he seems fine as a drummer to me but then I’m not interested in technique. As for Charlie Watts, who passed away last night, he played with one of the most known rock bands of all time and drummed on some of the most famous songs in rock music. Perhaps that makes him worthy of respect from you RU-vid experts. Love the music people. It is what it is for.
It is disappointing that when two or more drummers appear on stage the comment thread fills up with “who was best” comments - often quite childish ones. I suppose you can blame all the ‘drum battles’ from years ago and especially Buddy Rich who always set out to ‘win’ and be the best… I like what Ginger Baker said: “They’re not drum battles, they’re f***ing duets!!!”
Always a bit uneasy when drums are pushed out towards the front..Drums are an accompianing instrument which Charlie Watts knows all to well and is a solid drummer...Steve White is one of the Uks best a Giant in drumming i dont think that showed his massive talent...Gilsons OK..Got a good seat with Jools;)
@@jacquelinewylde7203 You’re right. I never understand why some people find it necessary to knock one artist to praise another. I feel sorry for anyone watching this who couldn’t just sit back and enjoy it - they missed a treat !
@2:27 I like to think this is Charlie Watts' realisation of how completely outclassed he is and now his incomptence has been captured on film for ever more.
