Yes many people can play rudimentary 4/4 don't take long to learn but when you throw in a tonne of style and Ur own mark that's what matters, and Nicko regardless of his age does that in bucket loads for decades. Plays what's needed and fits for the song. Overplaying is a huge problem nowadays and the vibe of grooving is disappearing. Technicality in Ur instrument isnt the be all and end all. I've played with many technical musicians and they are most often useless in bands because they can't groove because it's all about them. Eff that no fun in that. Im 50 and been drumming and playing bass since high school. And in my opinion give me a groove master over a technical wizard any day. Nicko is a legend ✌🏼
@@kippsguitar6539 Great stamina alright ...imagine this at his age for a whole gig and then consider a full tour at his age. This dude really is a trooper.
@@kippsguitar6539 tell me you watch youtubes about drumming but have never sat behind a kit for a full set without telling.. oh never mind, you told. Time signatures are great, and all, and Nicko actually plays a metric crapton of non 4/4 since they have been playing Prog Metal since the late 80s, buttercup. 7/8, 7/4, 15/8, etc. There's also a huge difference in being able to PLAY something and being cable to compose it. After you compose one single 12 yr old simple 4/4 track that is half as big as Maiden's most basic stuff? Feel free to speak up.
That's how I play drums too. The overall structure of the song, I follow perfectly. The tempos of a song may vary slightly, but all of the musicians I play with can handle slight variations in tempo. The different beats follow the same idea every time, but may vary. Essential breaks (that cue in others) are done the same way, but every other break, where I choose to put accents that are drums only, stuff like crash endings, little mini-breaks... all of it is free game.
I remember seeing Maiden on Top of the Pops with the first single with Blaze (what was that, 94? 95?) and Nico had just a totally bog standard 5-piece kit and a couple of cymbals. Having worn out my Donington '92 VHS, it was SO weird to see!
Nicko owns a barbeque restaurant, Rock n Roll Ribs, down here in South Florida. Every year (mostly) they have an anniversary party open to the public. He plays with a bunch of friends - mix of Iron Maiden and other stuff, and tells stories. I've gone a few times when it was basically just a large tent in the parking lot. Each time, I was standing less than 10 feet to his side watching him play. I was surprised by how low he sits behind his kit.
Because Maiden don't use a click track, there was a point in the song (I think it was where the first chorus ends and goes back into the main riff) where the tempo seemed to slow down ever so slightly, but Nicko caught it perfectly.
Alex Van Halen and Nicko were my favorite drummers growing up. Here i am in my mid 50's and loving seeing Nicko still going strong and how much joy he still gets from his music. Still a beast!
I commented back along about reacting to the Trooper. His single kick is phenomenal - its a pity the video didn't have a camera on his feet to fully appreciate this!
So looking forward to seeing them here in September! Nico STILL looks like he's having so much fun when he's playing even after all these years. Edit: One of the greatest things about being at a live concert is the difference from the studio track and how the audience response affects the performance.
He was not playing to the album version. Can clearly hear that in the first solo. its live. and that solo is doubled. Most off the times Janick Gers and Adrian Smith double that solo live. can also hear it in Bruce Dickinson his voice. and the backing vocals off Steve harris and Adrian Smith. I asume this is the backing track off the Somewhere back in time double CD/DVD due to the age off this video performance. Iron Maidne refuse to record or play live through a click track. they say playing through a click takes away the human element and feel off songs.
That is NOT the album version of The Trooper - it is a live version with the drums removed (Bruce's vocal (occassionally dipping out for the crowd call and response) and the 3 part guitar harmonies are the give away) SO - defo no click, just listening to the music and playing by ear. Priceless
Nikko and Leo Haze (from Y&T) were two of my bigger influences. They showed me that hard rock/metal could still thrive with single kick drumming. Nikko used a double pedal on rare occasions, but for the most part his stuff is all one foot. Unlike most drummers, Nikko adds stuff over time, building the parts up instead of simplifying things over time as they age. This is so much more than he played in 80's. He's just out there having fun.
YEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! Finally someone giving Steven Adler some love!!! Even after all he's been through, he still has that signature swing and that smile of his that could outshine the sun!!!
Steve Adler and Nicko are both single kick drummers which im sure adds to the swing and feel. I read Duff McKagen’s autobiography and he said that they kept reducing Steven Adlers drum kit, including taking away the double kick, in an attempt to keep the feel in the rhythm section, and it seemed to work! And Nicko’s single kick is unmatched
Nicko almost never uses a double kick or pedal setup; pretty much all the kick patterns he does are with one foot only. I seem to recall reading an interview with him years back where he said that he just never learned double kick when he was young as he (or his tutor) considered it "cheating," so subsequently worked his single kick skills up to the point where he can do everything he needs to without it and thus never needed to bother learning. This was way back in the 80s or 90s though, so I think he's probably mellowed somewhat regarding double kicks since then as there are a couple of newer Maiden songs where he uses it to get a specific sound, but it's very, very rare.
2008 Guitar Center Drum Off was the year Max Weinberg of The E Street Band on the studio albums had a drum off against Jay Weinberg who was also the drummer for the E Street Band while on tour because Max was also the band leader of The Max Weinberg 7 on The Conan O'Brien late night show and had to be in the studio 5 nights a week. Anywho, there's a video of it.
It's crazy to ''still'' being able to see it, playing like that, especially after his stroke. I'm 46, i'm playing drums 😉 (for 5 years now), Iron Maiden was the first metal band I discovered with my friends (at 14 years old)... long leave Nicko 🤘
This sounds like a live recording he's playing to. I don't think they used any clicks in 1982 or whenever the studio version was recorded as most bands didn't do that back then.
To get an idea of how it would have sounded had Clive Burr been around to do the drumming for the song, simply play the original at 1.5 speed on RU-vid.
More than three decades Iron fan here . All maidens musicians are great top-notch when it comes to put together techniques and musicality. Nicko leads the band when live.
7:27 there is a Nicko interview where he did say.. We play the old sons too fast, Bruce can't evven keep up with the words, lie in Hallowed be They Name.. it went faster and faster... "Arry ( Harris) and I be..great one ey? And Bruce came shouting and cursing..you bloody %^W$%^@#$ it was too fast !! And the shows they do now, they went indeed back to the album track and went from there again..
Wikipedia: The word metronome first appeared in English in Maelzel's 1815 patent application, and is Greek in origin, derived from metron-"measure" and nomos-"regulation, law".[5][6] The London patent refers to the machine as "a metronome or musical time-keeper" use a click track or practice you decide.
According to Nicko, a double kick is "undrummerish".. and pretty much put his money where his mouth is for 55+ years. he has used a double pedal on exactly one track in his Maiden career ("Face in the Sand" from Dance of Death). As for playing to the live, Maiden always plays a faster tempo live than in studio, and so yeah Nickos been playing the Trooper "fast" live for 40 yrs now. It was recorded at 160 bpm, and live is usually around 172 bpm. 🤷♂
Cool TIE fighter. I bought a 61cm (24 inches) Falcon replica a few months ago, my cats keep trying to eat the dish and rub their scent on it. Cats are odd.
In one of Maiden's Legacy of the Beast setlist video Nico talks about tempo shifts during live shows and highlights how important to have a metronome when they play eg. The Wicker man not to get insanely fast at the end of the song. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fth00by-c9Y.html&ab_channel=IronMaiden
Hey Andrew . Did you notice ,somebody responsible for the playback of the rest of Maiden ,just fucked up his job ??? Even Nicko was laughing at some point ... the rhytm of the song was changing (slowing down and getting faster again) ... even then Nicko did manage with it .... Up the Irons from Poland 💪💪💪
Hello bud , He is playing along to a live track that is coming through his monitors with the original drums removed . At 1:55 ish he loses it a bit but pulls it back in a heartbeat, tough to play along to a track without click and the tempo is also not true...... I personally don't care ,its real and he is the dogs.... Up the Irons Good luck bud🤟🤟🤟
From a very early age I’ve always liked Nicko’s playing so much. His drumming breathes and has all the feel. The way he playes it the opposite of the modern drum tracks which sound just like a drum machine. Steven Adler really had kinda similar feel and flow.
