Re:Kenny and Keith

["Matt Posillico" <mattpos@arizonaicedt.com>]

<Just to add to the Kenny V Keith debate. Personally, I think Kenny was
<every bit as good as Keith drumming wise for keeping time, beats etc.
<BUT what did make Keith the better drummer was his entertaining skills.
<Keith wasn't just a drummer, he was a performer, a show off, a classic
<entertainer who used his skills to bring attention to himself. Things
<like the cherry bombs, drum kit explosions, drum stick bouncing and
<catching, kit distruction. Compared to Keith Kenny probably looked
<boring BUT in the end Kenny was just a good a drummer and its been noted
<somewhere that John Entwistle and Pete Townsend liked Kenny's drumming
<better.

<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, where are you getting this from? You are really revising history here.
Towards the end of Keith's life, Keith was overweight, out of shape,
drinking like a fish, and because of this, became erratic in his drumming.
When Kenney was brought in after Keith's death, he was welcomed because the
other three would no longer have to worry about the
condition/behavior/reliability behind the drum kit.  Since Kenney was a
simple, straightforward timekeeper, they also knew what to expect and could
concentrate on their own efforts without worrying about Keith's increasing
unpredictability.  With all the stress on their lives at the time, this was
a relief.  This does not mean they "liked" Kenney's drumming better, but
that he was much easier to work with.  Kenney was not in the same league as
Keith!  You make it sound as if the only difference between the two was that
Keith was a show-off or entertainer, and other than that, they were equal.
You say that Kenney was as good as Keith in keeping time but it's wisely
known that Keith was never a timekeeper! When Keith was alive, The Who
treated drums like a lead instrument.  (You must have listened to Live At
Leeds and Quad all the way through, right?)  When Kenney joined the band,
the drums went back into the rhythm section.  As a result, The Who "sound"
changed drastically after Who Are You.