Was Keith Moon rock's most dynamic drummer?

[keifspoon]

The San. Fran. 71 show really needs to be released in its entirety. The whole band is on fire, particularly Mr. Keith Moon. And dare I say it, it could surpass Leeds.

[Skip Reynolds]

In his day, when the Who were on stage, notwithstanding Daltrey's mike tossing, Townshend's windmills, and the Ox's bass runs, you couldn't keep your eyes off Keith. He was incredible, which made his decline after Who's Next all the more tragic. His drums were the Who's lead instrument. He was the Who. He was the best.

What he said.

[Jerjo]

Most dynamic, probably. I too think he faded after Who's Next. I think Bonham kept better time and had a deeper, harder sound. But as someone pointed out, Moon was the lead drummer - he had Entwistle to keep the rhythm.

[Clarkophile]

Really? I love The Rock. It's a little over the top, but I think it's appropriate for that point in the story. To me, Keith's drums on that song more than any other instrument set the stage for Love Reign O'er Me.

I fully admit to having a Moon bias though. I think he remains rock and roll's greatest drummer. :cool:

Jeff

Comparatively speaking, I meant, when you pit that particular performance alongside practically anything from the Who's Next era. Creatively I would've expected a little more from him on 'The Rock.' I think by this time the impulse to push himself was getting lost to the pull of being Keith Moon, The Celebrity.
How he harnessed his sense of abandonment with the discipline necessary for a click track on something like 'Won't Get Fooled Again' is one of the great mysteries of modern man. :laugh:

[dee]

It's a shame that the 'Moon the Loon' persona seems to be the one that stays with folks, but it was of Keith's creation, so it's his own fault, I guess. And let's face it, he was a funny guy. But if you listen to Keith's playing on songs like 'How Many Friends' and 'However Much I Booze,' the serious, I'm-not-pissing-about-now side of Keith comes out in the soulfulness of his playing, in spite of his diminishing powers.
I think those two songs meant more to him than they did Townshend.

:righton:

I think there are some posts elsewhere, or at one of the band's forums, where the idea of Moon being aware of the song itself - the lyric, in addition to the instrumental aspects - may also have helped put him into that rarefied air where the drummer is playing to both the lyric and the music. It's as much or more about playing the melody, or lead, and leading all the time sometimes, as it is about the harmony, or support, imo. As you say, not only was Moon the comedian (Daltrey claims that Graham Chapman said to him that Moon was the funniest man in England), but he loved to sing, so maybe that's part of where he gets his love of song.

Imo, his style of playing does relate some to that of some of the great jazz drummers, both before and during his time - Art Blakey, Tony Williams, Philly Joe Jones, etc...

[Keith Moon]

I see most people saying he faded after Next, however; his drumming on Quad is unreal... like a train about ready to spiral out of control and run off the tracks, but unbelievably regains its balance and ties everything together again before the next wacky fill. It's so hard to duplicate.

[OakBarrel]

:righton:

I think there are some posts elsewhere, or at one of the band's forums, where the idea of Moon being aware of the song itself - the lyric, in addition to the instrumental aspects - may also have helped put him into that rarefied air where the drummer is playing to both the lyric and the music. It's as much or more about playing the melody, or lead, and leading all the time sometimes, as it is about the harmony, or support, imo. As you say, not only was Moon the comedian (Daltrey claims that Graham Chapman said to him that Moon was the funniest man in England), but he loved to sing, so maybe that's part of where he gets his love of song.

Imo, his style of playing does relate some to that of some of the great jazz drummers, both before and during his time - Art Blakey, Tony Williams, Philly Joe Jones, etc...

He was an admirer of Gene Krupa at least, though that could have been for the showmanship as much as anything. There's terrific organization in Moon's playing. People like to make it like he was just thrashing around back there, but most of what he did sounds like it had a very specific purpose, and he had amazing ability with choosing where to put a cymbal crash, a snare drum roll etc. So that it enhanced the song, I never fail to be amazed at the unorthodox things he could pull off and make sound so good.

[slunky]

You bet he was the most dynamic drummer! No one back in the day could hold a candle to him.

On a side note, I always wondered what Led Zeppelin would have been like with Keith as the drummer. The lineup on the recording of Jeff Beck's "Beck's Bolero" (Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Keith Moon) would have been awesome. Jeff Beck said himself that was the "original Led Zeppelin".

[Dudley Morris]

You bet he was the most dynamic drummer! No one back in the day could hold a candle to him.I tend to agree - and even if one thinks it's debatable, he was still (as far as I know) the first to really push the role of the rock drummer as an instrumentalist beyond straight timekeeping or the occasional showoff number (a la "Wipe Out").

[Shawn1968]

Of course it's all down to personal opinion, but in my view, Keith Moon set the bar as far as being dynamic. For better or worse, he defined the role of the "crazy" drummer but - most importantly - had the talent to back it up.

[keifspoon]

:righton:

Imo, his style of playing does relate some to that of some of the great jazz drummers, both before and during his time - Art Blakey, Tony Williams, Philly Joe Jones, etc...


Both Tony Williams and Elvin Jones were Keith Moon fans.

“The man is a drummer. Everything he plays, he contains it.” —Elvin Jones on Keith Moon

[glea]

what the.... who the???? Neil Purt??? in your dreams dude. I saw Keith many times between 1967 and 1976... except for the "fall out gig" at the Cow Palace, and the first night at Winterland, in '76 he was spot on, and then some. The thing is, there was only one Keith Moon type drummer. I dunno about "the worst recorded drummer of the 60's". That aint the point. He played some incredible stuff on some incredible records. Get over the short comings of Kit Lambert or who ever. No one else made records that good, did they? As I was digging, digging, digging out in my garden tonight, I was singing Now I Am A Farmer. and behind that was Dogs.

I got two of Keith's drums sticks... discussion over

[dee]

Both Tony Williams and Elvin Jones were Keith Moon fans.

“The man is a drummer. Everything he plays, he contains it.” —Elvin Jones on Keith Moon

I thought I had seen a nice quote about Keith's drumming from Tony Williams, but never the Elvin Jones quote. To have any of those guys say something nice or good about you as a musician, any such praise, or even just acceptance, well, it would beat the heck out of anything coming from any and all critics and/or scholars. Those Original Jazz Cat Drummers are Top Shelf, as far as I can tell, and the Real Deal. Their playing always amazes me, and moves me. And they were there from the start.

[glea]

I thought I had seen a nice quote about Keith's drumming from Tony Williams, but never the Elvin Jones quote. To have any of those guys say something nice or good about you as a musician, any such praise, or even just acceptance, well, it would beat the heck out of anything coming from any and all critics and/or scholars. Those Jazz Cat Drummers are Top Shelf as far as I can tell, and the real thing.

I got to see Lifetime with Allan Holdsworth, and was just floored by Tony Williams. I knew he'd be good, but dang, he hit them like nobody's business.

My band recorded a song I wrote about Keith. Our drummer at the time was very good, but it took a week of rehearsals to get it right. I kept saying "no hi hat". He did it right once, and that was the take. Later I said let's watch this vid and you can see some great Keith Moon stuff. He said "who is keith moon?"

Tad from the Young Fresh Fellows might be the only true heir to Keith and his madness.

[dkmonroe]

This is gonna sound truly dumb, but my favorite Moon moment is a short clip that turns up in most Who docs of The Who coming on stage - may be the Quadrophenia tour - and Moon does a somersault before climbing up to the drums. Every time I see that, I think, "That guy was magic." Pure charisma.

And yes, he was the most dynamic drummer. Not as truly influential though, because most band couldn't handle a drummer like Moon.

[George Blair]

Anyone who hears and sees Keith play, especially on the best video clips, are just stunned by his brilliance and undeniable charisma. My teenage kids, their friends, and anyone who happens to be around ALL are stunned whenever I play Who video and crank it up loud. Their power is unmatched in rock and completely timeless. A good ice breaker at parties :cheers: and Keith would approve, no doubt. Much love and fond memories of Mr. Moon and his bandmates. :love:

[keifspoon]

This is gonna sound truly dumb, but my favorite Moon moment is a short clip that turns up in most Who docs of The Who coming on stage - may be the Quadrophenia tour - and Moon does a somersault before climbing up to the drums. Every time I see that, I think, "That guy was magic." Pure charisma.

He would somersault quite often coming on stage. That might be the Charlton gig in 74 that you are referring to. Not one of his (their) better shows. They played less gigs that year then they ever had up until that point. That show was their first show in 5 weeks and it shows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLAItPi3ef0

[Keith Moon]

He would somersault quite often coming on stage. That might be the Charlton gig in 74 that you are referring to. Not one of his (their) better shows. They played less gigs that year then they ever had up until that point. That show was their first show in 5 weeks and it shows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLAItPi3ef0

Such a hilarious clip... I suppose it was Ringo who put him up to it.:righton:

[John54]

I vote "Yes" on the thread question.

[howlinrock]

Rock's greatest drummer of character. Explosive might be the word to describe Keith. He had some down points I witnessed, yet there were more high points that ring true in The Who's performances in SF from 67-76.

I once had a 5 minute conversation with him in 1967 and he so graciously signed an autograph. BUT I couldn't understand a word he said. :)

God bless Moon the Loon. :righton:

[Voltron]

Without question.

Good answer! Keith would probably rank number one on my all time list of musicians I wish I had seen live. My first Who show was in April 1980 not long after the stampede. I loved every minute but was wishing it had been Keith behind the drums.

[Chris Schoen]

Probably.

[J_D__]

Absolutely.....

I think he was on top of his game throught the 1973 Quad tour. The Who started playing less demanding material from 1974 on. There may be better time keepers but, knowone is more explosive on the drums then Keith Moon. JD

[Dave D]

Ironic that the more dynamic Keith got the more the recording engineers clamped down on him. He is probably the worst recorded drummer in the 1960s.

I think his drums sound great on the 5.1 mix of Tommy. Other than the fact he's all on ONE track.

[Bruce]

Of course he was