RIP Charlie Watts

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Littlebear

sort of like Ringo, who put down a solid foundation for the others

I'm a casual listener of the Stones. My 9-year older brother is a fanatic of the Stones. With all due respect for the dead, Watts to me never stood out. Maybe foundational as Richards indicates, but my preference is a drummer that is foundational AND stands out with his instrument. Bonham and Moon come first to mind for me along with Baker, in that era of rock bands.

Perhaps the legacy of the Beatles and Stones being 5 years ahead of the other drummer's bands I alluded to, it's probably stylistic rather than skill set...

But for Charlie Watts, Godspeed and thanks for all the great music. I know my brother, for one, is heartbroken.

[DieselDiner]

[QUOTE=Efthreeoh;27960980]With all due respect for the dead, Watts to me never stood out. /QUOTE]

Pete Townsend wrote: “I only played with Charlie once, when he drummed for Ronnie Lane and me on our ‘Rough Mix’ album. We did two faultless live takes (no overdubs at all) of my song ‘My Baby Gives It Away’. His technique was obvious immediately, the hi-hat always slightly late, and the snare drumstick held in the flat of the left hand, underpowered to some extent, lazy-loose, super-cool. The swing on the track is explosive. I’ve never enjoyed playing with a drummer quite so much. Of course that brings up Keith Moon, who was so different to Charlie. At Keith’s funeral Charlie surprised me by openly weeping, and I remember wishing I could wear my heart on my sleeve like that. I was tightened up like a snare drum myself.

Charlie lived a quiet life in the English countryside. He had a London bolthole in St James’s for many years which I think he used mainly to visit his tailor and buy paintings. He is the exemplar of the perfect marriage, still married to his art-school girlfriend who he married secretly in 1964. I understand he lived a quiet and respectable life on the road as well. I know that like me he wasn’t mad on touring, but that wry smile of his – that hid a mischievous side to him that few us saw – could turn into the most beautiful wide-mouthed laugh at very little urging. I could make him smile simply by talking about growing up following my father Cliff’s post-war dance band. Charlie loved the ‘real’ music of that era.

I’ve said here that his playing on ‘My Baby Gives It Away’ was flawless. I have suddenly remembered that he had trouble with the clipped ending. On the second take he nailed it, but was so shocked he had managed it that he burst into laughter and fell off his stool. That was a Keith Moon stunt, ask any drummer what they most dread doing and they will probably reply that they never want to fall off their stool.”

Pete Townsend wrote "I've never enjoyed playing with a drummer so much." That sums it up. Charlie was the engine that made the Stones very special and unique on stage.

https://wror.com/2021/08/25/roger-da...charlie-watts/

[Littlebear]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I'm a casual listener of the Stones. My 9-year older brother is a fanatic of the Stones. With all due respect for the dead, Watts to me never stood out....

Perhaps the legacy of the Beatles and Stones being 5 years ahead of the other drummer's bands I alluded to, it's probably stylistic rather than skill set...

But for Charlie Watts, Godspeed and thanks for all the great music. I know my brother, for one, is heartbroken.

My wife (a voice scholarship to the "Fame" HS) agrees with you about Watts. He didn't excite her!

[DieselDiner]

Originally Posted by Littlebear

My wife (a voice scholarship to the "Fame" HS) agrees with you about Watts. He didn't excite her!

Thankfully musicians were: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/m...watts-1216569/

[Littlebear]

Originally Posted by DieselDiner

Thankfully musicians were: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/m...watts-1216569/

I'm fine with that, and personally I liked Charlie's jazz sensibilities. I just don't fight with the wife over such!

From your link:

"The Roots’ drummer explains how the late Rolling Stone inspired him to play simple and steady,...."

[DieselDiner]

And more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news...9oK?li=BBnbfcL

[Littlebear]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/24/a...sultPosition=2

"The newly formed Rolling Stones (then called the Rollin’ Stones) knew they needed a good drummer but could not afford Mr. Watts, who was already drawing a regular salary from his various gigs. “We starved ourselves to pay for him!” Mr. Richards wrote. “Literally. We went shoplifting to get Charlie Watts.”"

"Mr. Watts was ambivalent about the fame that he achieved as a member of the group that has often been called “the world’s greatest rock ’n’ roll band.” As he said in the 2003 book “According to the Rolling Stones”: “I loved playing with Keith and the band — I still do — but I wasn’t interested in being a pop idol sitting there with girls screaming. It’s not the world I come from. It’s not what I wanted to be, and I still think it’s silly.”"

[Esteban]

Charlie Watts 1941-2021

"What I do is play the drums."

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Littlebear

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/24/a...sultPosition=2

"The newly formed Rolling Stones (then called the Rollin’ Stones) knew they needed a good drummer but could not afford Mr. Watts, who was already drawing a regular salary from his various gigs. “We starved ourselves to pay for him!” Mr. Richards wrote. “Literally. We went shoplifting to get Charlie Watts.”"

"Mr. Watts was ambivalent about the fame that he achieved as a member of the group that has often been called “the world’s greatest rock ’n’ roll band.” As he said in the 2003 book “According to the Rolling Stones”: “I loved playing with Keith and the band — I still do — but I wasn’t interested in being a pop idol sitting there with girls screaming. It’s not the world I come from. It’s not what I wanted to be, and I still think it’s silly.”"

Yeah, but Jagger was the polar opposite. Lol.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by Esteban

Will check it out later today. Deep Tracks is one of my pre set stations.

Was listening last night and they still called it "Deep Tracks" but I think they will create a new station and it will be the Rolling Stones channel. I could be wrong, though.

[E92 M Sport]

Will see them in Pittsburgh in October, postponed from last year. They can get anyone to play the drums, but I seriously doubt there will be any chemistry and the lack of it will be seen / heard. I read they want this to be a tribute tour, and they should probably hang it up after. And I say that as a huge fan of the band.

In any event, RIP Charlie! I’m glad I got to see you several times.

[Blitz5]

R.I.P.

My dad took me to my first concert ever which was Steel Wheels and followed that up by Voodoo Lounge some years later.