25 Great Moments in Rock Drumming – Day 9: Barriemore Barlow, “Thick As A Brick,” from Thick As A Brick by Jethro Tull
During Jethro Tull’s halcyon days (1972-78), Barriemore Barlow was the man behind the Tull traps, keeping time with Ian Anderson’s idiosyncratic musical visions. Barlow’s facility for playing hard rock, jazz, folk and orchestral percussion is not hyperbole but truth as evidenced on the album-length “Thick As A Brick.” This is a marathon effort from a largely forgotten talent.
Posted in Top 10s 
Tags: Barriemore Barlow, hard rock, Ian Anderson, jazz folk, jethro tull, orchestral percussion, thick as a brickThe greatest musical discoveries are always unplanned, and when I come across a great band or artist I have never heard before, I want to share my find. Here are 10 great bands and musicians you’ve probably never heard of, but you should! And there’s another band I’d like to include, but need more info. Maybe you can help?
Posted in Top 10s Tags: alt-country, Ben Atkins, Bert Jansch, Cherokee, Chris Hillman, Dave Evans, Davey Graham, Drive-By Truckers, Federal Weights And Measures, FM, Hawk, Jayhawks, jethro tull, Jimmie Spheeris, John Renbourn, king crimson, Linda Ronstadt, Martin Carthy, Michael Dinner, nick drake, progressive rock, Roger Rodier, rush, Russ Kunkel, Saga, Sneaky Pete, The Robbs, Todd Hobin, Vashti Bunyan, WilcoDrums and drummers are the backbone of rock music, heavy metal, jazz, blues, big band and many other music genres. A rock show wouldn’t be a rock show without a drum solo, although it may be 10 minutes shorter! Rock singers and guitarists will always get the lion’s share of the fame, but take away the drummer and drum set and the song falls apart. Imagine Led Zeppelin’s “When The Levee Breaks” minus the thunderous pounding of John Bonham, or Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” without the dazzling stick work of Neil Peart. Along with those titans of the kit are dozens of other great rock drummers who deserve credit for their creativity and musical vision. Here are 10 underrated rock drummers.
Posted in Top 10s Tags: Allan Holdsworth, Barriemore Barlow, billy cobham, black crowes, brian downey, brian robertson, Bruce Crump, Chicago, Colosseum, danny seraphine, Genesis, Ian Anderson, jethro tull, John Bonham, John Densmore, Jon Hiseman, led zeppelin, Levon Helm, Molly Hatchet, neil peart, phil collins, Phil Ehart, phil lynott, progressive rock, rock music, Rod D'Eath, Rory Gallagher, rush, scott gorham, Steve Gorman, Tempest, The Band, The Doors, thin lizzy, Tom Sawyer![Pineapple Thief \](http://classicrockmusicblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/pineapple-thief-tightly-unwound.jpg "Pineapple Thief \")
Tightly Unwound is the seventh studio release from England’s The Pineapple Thief and their first release for Kscope/Snapper Records. Led by guitarist/singer/songwriter Bruce Soord, the quartet is rounded out by bassist John Sykes, drummer Keith Harrison and keyboardist Steve Kitch. After cultivating a following over nearly ten years, the band was encouraged by Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson to join with Kscope in order to bring their music to a wider audience. Kscope, home to other artists with “post-prog” tendencies is a perfect fit for Soord and company. Tightly Unwound is a clever amalgam of light, sometimes ornate, indie pop with lengthier pieces that build upon themselves and are obscurely structured in movements with well planned repetition of theme. This is music for which there is little comparison, but that may actually be pushing the boundaries of a developing movement.
Posted in CD and Record Reviews Tags: aqualung, gentle giant, jethro tull, john sykes, keith harrison, nektar, pineapple thief, porcupine tree, prog rock, snapper records, steven wilsonThink you know your prog rock? Do you remember the details of every Pink Floyd, Genesis, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Yes, Marillion, ELP album? Well, play along with Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree and Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth, as they do battle in this prog trivia shootout, and see how you fare.
Posted in Music Notes Tags: elp, Genesis, jethro tull, king crimson, marillion, mikael akerfeldt, music quiz, opeth, pink floyd, porcupine, porcupine tree, prog rock, progressive rock music, steven wilson, trivia
If you looked at the passports of the members of Supersister in 1970, it would declare them citizens of the Netherlands. The glorious music they made on Present From Nancy and subsequent recordings, however, was seemingly from another planet. This four piece outfit – Robert Jan Stips (keyboards), Sacha van Geest (flute), Ron van Eck (bass) and Marco Vrolijk (drums) – made a near perfect album by incorporating camp, humor and the bizarre into a structural framework where nearly everything goes, but it all made sense. Present From Nancy is Supersister’s debut, and it stands as one of the most realized and individualistic efforts of the progressive rock genre. It’s not hyperbole to say these guys covered all the bases, from Canterbury to Stockhausen. The recent reissue by my friends at Esoteric Recordings brings it all around again while upping the ante with four bonus tracks.
RSS Feed
Twitter
