A book about Keith and Kenney

[briancady@juno.com (Brian S Cady)]

While I was at the bookstore today I saw a book called "Great Rock
Drummers of the Sixties."  The book analyses the drumming of about 15 or
20 drummers including back-to-back chapters on Keith and Kenney.

The author says Keith was an incredibly inventive but erratic drummer
who, when he was good, was fantastic, but when he was bad he was
terrible.  He also says Keith was in obvious decline on the last albums
(the last work he lists on his best-of is "The Real Me") and had he
lived, The Who would have been forced to replace him.  Other best-of he
cites are "I Can See For Miles," "Young Man Blues," and "Bargain."

Kenney he calls one of the most technically accomplished drummers of his
time and cites his work with The Small Faces.  He says Kenney gave The
Who a precision on stage they never had with Keith.  The failure of
"Face Dances" (he doesn't call "It's Hard" a failure) he puts down to
Pete's holding his best songs for his solo albums, bad drum recording
and Kenney's depression at the time.  Apparently Kenney was then going
through almost as rough a period as Townshend, getting divorced from his
wife and doing a lot of drinking.  Of The Who best-ofs he cites only
"You," "Eminence Front," and "Cry If You Want."  In addition he notes
Rod Stewart's "Maggie Mae" and The Rolling
Stones' "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll" where Kenney substituted for an
unavailable Watts.

The book also discusses at length each drummers technique, their
equipment and gives sheet music of their most common fills.  If you'd
like to get it, here's the info:

Great Rock Drummers Of The Sixties
by Bob Cianci
Hal Leonard Publishing Co. 1989
ISBN 0-88188-830-3

			-Brian in Atlanta