Three obversations. One, that opening groove is so sick I can't get it out of my head. Second, that open bass drum is just fabulous makes one reconsider muffling. Three, Steve Smith is a master of drum solo construction.
Holy FUCK! Steve I so wished I paid more attention to you earlier. You slipped through the cracks. You deserved so much more credit as one of the greatest drummers.
He’s always been great!! His style was fully developed back then because you hear the same things in his playing today. Only he’s far more refined and able to conceptualize more than most other drummers. He’s also learned to play more melodically on his kit rather than just beat the crap out of his drums. He has become a true master
I was there. The place went nuts for him. I got to ask him a question during the q and a. This was in May of 1983. Larry Londin followed and he began with some thing like."Well Steve Smith came in here and it was like a HURICANE!" He went on, "Well, I'm just a country drummer." Few of us has ever heard of him. He then went on to freaking shred a solo that was really impressive. We all knew Larry after that! Journey was playing one or two nights in Chicago during this event and is how Steve was able to do this back in the day. There 6 semi trailers lined up at the arena on the way to this theater. That was impressive and got us all hyped up. Though he's not wearing red Chucks, but similar, I went out and ordered red Chucks to be like my hero. or as close as I could get. Still trying!
Today, he's developed into a master drummer. In the jazz setting, Steve is the closest cat to Buddy Rich that you'll ever see. Steve is one of my all time favorites and influences. Great to see him back with Journey.
When Steve crossed over from Jazz to Rock, He was pretty much was on cruise control during his tenure with Journey back then, He pretty much conserved some of his energy & just filled the holes from Schon & Cain, Truly there wasn't enough room in Journey for Steve's tremendous talent, Today! He's got a 2nd wind & gone back to his roots & plays Jazz....
@@macadoo2530 Ha. True. He is still amazing as ever. 4+ decades of never missing the beat...nothing but net. The prime never ended for this guy. Cheers!
Beautiful sounding drums played exquisitely. Steve's finesse and apparent effortless playing style make him one the drumming greats. Always looks like he's having a lot of fun too.
Hilarious - black dot on the thickest snare you've ever seen. Huge power toms and two kicks all tuned way up. You gotta love this. He has the loosest, hippest feel of all time! He says more with a big crash than a lot of drummer do with a million licks. But he can do all that too.
Steve can do it all! A True professional! Learned & cut his teeth playing Jazz, '76 icon's Jean Luc Ponty & Allan Holdsworth, Playing in Journey he knew what it takes fill the holes & stay under the radar & not show up Neal & it's has worked for over 35 years..........
Journey's music had no room for this kind of master drumming, and Smith knew that and laid low ''like a pro'' ... NEVER overplayed so i hope he rips it up here!
So true Jerome, I had the distinct privilege & saw Steve live '77 with Jean Luc Pontys Fusion Jazz Band, It was incredible evening of performance to say the least! But not for casual ears! Steve is special & truly a tremendous talent, It's very unusual & difficult for any Musician to cross over to another genre of art or Music to another, During his tenure with Journey, He was on cruise control pretty much conserving some energy just filling in the holes from Band mates Schon & Cain, Today, he gone back to his true roots of Jazz & is just having a great time & ripping it up & laying down the groove,
Beg to differ Jerome. Journeys music had room for a masterful drummer, who came up with masterful drum parts. Check THIS out. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uf9R6u1IMIQ.html
@@rolandedrummer9723 the letting go of Steve Smith and Ross Valory was one of most WTF moments in rock music history. Even the tracks they kept for ROR sessions - with Smith playing were still good. (Positive touch) Nothing against Larry London - but they should have just saved the bulk of ROR for another Steve Perry project
you know of course that EVERY SINGLE COMMENT on this page is completely true (100%) Journey was lucky to get a phenomenal drummer who never overplayed ... just kept it low-key and it worked beautifully! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
He was a young man then Brian, he and Vinnie used to use Chock full o'nuts coffee cans for drum thrones back in the day, lol !! Just kidding, but not too far off !... Both are Legendary and Both sit like humans now.
Steve is jazz fusion drummer who took a rock gig to try something different with Ronnie Montrose who was on tour w/Journey...Ansley left because of the Perry direction and they asked Steve to join...he is not a rock drummer who morphed and composed parts to let you know his talent. my buddy grew up with steve and had one of his sonor kits from the 80's...he set it up once in his house...very cool to know this was a kit that toured the world!
MR.STEVE SMITH ,,, I TALKED WITH. THIS BADASS ,, CATT🐱🥁 AFEW TIMES @ GUITAR CENTER DRUM CELTIC S ,,,ANYWAY THIS PARTICULAR DRUM SOLO ,,, JUST TOTALLY PUTS ME IN CHECK ! WOW ...THAX"S."" STEVE MACHINE GUN SMITH "" ALSO : LOVED ALL YOUR BRAND OF DRUMMING IN. THE ICONIC ROCK BAND ( JOURNEY ) ONE LAST THING WAS THAT U IN MONTROSE " OPEN FIRE ALBUM ...TAKE CARE BRO .🎼🎟🇺🇸🤔📀.🥁
I never paid too much attention to Mr. Smith until my drumming buddy told me that I should...so I took his advice and realized that I had overlooked his talent. For Shame!
Many folks didn't or don't realize that he is VERY WELL VERSED in the jazz genre of drumming. In fact, he was 1st a jazz drummer before he was ever a famous rock drummer.
I love it...This pure drumming...He can play any idiom of music with hos kit and his drumming...Go Steve!...You put Weckl behind this kit and he could not get the Weckl sound out of it...Steve can play any kit!
Listen to what a drummer like this can do to AOR..."Where Were You" by Journey. Phenomenal groove - listen we something where you can hear the kick drum.
I agree, it's just crazy how low he sat back in the day. I knew he sat somewhat low ala Vinnie but back in the early 80's when I got into Steve all we had to check him out were at concerts or the very rare TV performance. Now with RU-vid and the Internet we can see close up how he played. Now he sits so level and his drums set fairly flat. great video. Does anyone know what Sonor series he played in this video?
He was a monster, even pre Freddie Gruber. He has the musical phrasing I’ve ever heard. Trivia: Someone in that audience was a young future monster drummer to be, Todd Sucherman.
Wow, perfect groove with every hit :D If I'd have to take one drum solo with me and leave, then this would most likely be the one. No offense to great Chris Coleman, Ronald Bruner etc.... The drum sound is phenomenal, even the bass drums resonate! I used to have Phonic Pluses that time, too. Remember the unimitable sound and difficulties with placing the deep toms :P
Sorry but "rudiments" to the drums are like chromatic scales to musicians. You learn about them, learn to play them, but in the end, it's all about being a musician and NOT a technician.
I just love how the bass drums resonate here. Nowadays, the bass drums are damped to sound like trggered cardboard boxes... you can't even tell the size of the drum by the sound
I love Steve's fluid, loose rock/jazz style here - just as how he played in his initial tenure with Journey. Today, his style has drastically changed. He sits very upright and plays in a much more calculated, controlled trad jazz style. For me, I don't think his current style fits with what Journey does. As he spent many years in the 90s with Vital Information and going back to the roots, he seems to have lost that natural, loose rock/jazz flow that's displayed here.
This is the Steve Smith that inspired me to play many years ago. This period right here...Now,...he just bores me tinking away on the drums ever so lightly...his style now wouldnt even get me interested in drums😂...but this right here...is the shit!!!
Este es uno de los bateristas que tocando musica comercial con journey podía ganar el Triple y decidió ganar menos tocando jazz, que irónicamente es mas difícil de tocar.
Pre-Freddie days...WOW...did he really change his whole approach...it must make him CRINGE watching this! his argument would be it worked but it would not last...rock drummers and their technique didnt last...most rock drummers play about a 10 year career and are gone IF they were that fortunate...but Steve, Weckl, and all the others are still playing strong post 60 because of good technique. Steve is almost 70 and still plays like he is 40 because of ergonomics...will never play a Journey gig like he did in 1981, but that was then...
