Keith vs. Kenney - The Weigh In

[Sigel James Civ 10 ABW/LGCW <James.Sigel@usafa.af.mil>]

>I'm no expert on drums but there must be some drummers on this list and
>just out of curiosity I would like to ask you this - Putting the
>entertaining to one side and just looking at Keiths drumming abilities -
>was he as good as Kenny? Cheers...............Mick T.

Mick,
You say Rog was inserting "Little Rog" in Kenney's special gal???  Yikes!
Well, that pretty much sums up the debate.  Keep that guy away from my
woman!!!  Good thing my girlfriend likes Pete more than Rog - take my wife,
please...

As for your question, I've played in a band for the last five years, (until
I moved from Chicago to Colorado; still haven't put one together yet) and
although my primary instrument is guitar, I filled in on drums a few times
when the usual drummer pulled a Keith and was unable to do gigs or rehearse
for whatever reason.  Like Keith, I've never taken a lesson (as the legend
goes) and with the graces of the good lord, I've simply been able to just do
it.  I LOVE drums more than my precious Gibson SG.  Anyway, as you said -
"putting the entertaining to one side" just about every drummer I know (rock
star and club gigger) all agree that Keith was probably the "sloppiest"
drummer in the history of rock.  If you were to compare Keith and Kenney on
a TECHNICAL side, then Kenney would stand head and shoulders above Keith, as
would most drummers.  I put Kenney in a class of drummers who have a "tight"
reputation - ie, Bill Bruford, Kenney Jones, Charlie Watts.  These kind of
drummers are usually time keepers with fleeting moments of "flair".
Obviously, timekeeping was not one of Keith's strongest assests.  If I had
to put Keith in a class of drummers it would be with the "power and flair"
category - ie, Keith, John Bonham, Phil Collins, Carl Palmer (not too much
power in Palmer though).  So for me, the comparing Keith and Kenney is very
difficult because their styles were so different.

But why is Keith my favorite drummer?  Why do I think he's the greatest rock
drummer (and Gene Krupa fans might dispute my claim that he's the greatest
drummer - period)?  Because, including his showmanship, he simply was in a
class by himself.  Tony Fletcher touches on the subject in his bio of Keith;
he totally revolutionized the drums in contemporary music.  For my money,
80-90% of every drummer in rock since Keith, has tried to play like him.
>From the rolls to the rhythms, it's a variation of Keith.  Not to mention
his complete abandon on drums, sheer energy and power, and his ability to
move the music through variation in rhythm.  Lastly, (and I keep harping on
this) Keith's improvisational flair, for me, is what made the Who go from a
great band to the hights of Olympus.  Listen to some of the free form jams
(My Generation from Leeds; Keith/Pete interplay - Join Together/Roadrunner
medly from Kids - My Gen/Naked Eye on IOW).  That to me is the Who at their
finest and Keith is the catalyst.  Aw hell, what more can I say that hasn't
been said already?  We all love and miss Keith and don't let any of the
"moving on" crap that the surviving members of the Who say about him - THEY
miss him too, no doubt about it.

Thanks for listening - watch your women around that Daltrey guy!!!!

Jim in Colorado Springs
"...the truth as you want to hear it?  I can't do that... you couldn't
afford me."  Keith Moon