Can we start a list of well-known studio recordings that have sloppy drumming in them?

In terms of 'vibe' recordings, I noticed exactly this in Pink Floyd's 'Money'. There's actually a very small mistake - an accidental rim click - at 4.22 during the descending bass line. I think it's a very fine take by Mr. Mason actually (or sequence of takes, no doubt) but it's one small error that once heard, can never be unheard. It's by no means a sloppy recording and I really like the humanity that is added to an otherwise gargantuan production with just that small error.

In terms of 'sloppy' sounding bands, one of my favourite albums is 'Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables' by the Dead Kennedys. The 'production' (if you can call it that) is outstandingly well-judged for the musical content. I adore that album.

BTC, looks like we both noticed oddities on 'Dark Side of the Moon'. Shows what an analysed record it is!

Fresh Fruit...there's an album I haven't listened to in a long time.


For me, I think of a fill on Pennywise's "Straight Ahead" album. I can't remember which song but there's a really sloppy fill in there from a usually spot on Byron McMackin.
 
Simon & Garfunkel "Sounds of Silence" has a pretty sloppy part going into the second verse "and in the naked light I saw", and in another part too. It almost sounds like the drums were added after the guitar and vocals.
 
Two that come to mind. ZZ Top's : La grange". After the supercool beginning, Frank Beard jumps into a Quad roll, but it's painfully uneven. (Sorry, i don't know how you guys do the cool Youtube link thingy at a certain spot).

And, "Never been to Spain", by Three Dog Night, in the beginning, the drummer is using one of those clicking wheel things. On the third one, he's a bit behind, and then you never hear it again. Not sure if a mistake or on purpose.
 
Two that come to mind. ZZ Top's : La grange". After the supercool beginning, Frank Beard jumps into a Quad roll, but it's painfully uneven. (Sorry, i don't know how you guys do the cool Youtube link thingy at a certain spot).

And, "Never been to Spain", by Three Dog Night, in the beginning, the drummer is using one of those clicking wheel things. On the third one, he's a bit behind, and then you never hear it again. Not sure if a mistake or on purpose.

i went back and listened to the ZZ top La Grange and didnt thikn the quad fill he did was off.... maybe i just heard that song a million times on the radio and have gotten used to it.
 
Two that come to mind. ZZ Top's : La grange". After the supercool beginning, Frank Beard jumps into a Quad roll, but it's painfully uneven. (Sorry, i don't know how you guys do the cool Youtube link thingy at a certain spot).

Get the video where you want it, then right click on the track bar thingy (that shows the current position in the video), or on the video itself, and choose "Copy video URL at current time".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=4WX58CZwyiU#t=6s
 
I know the thread is about sloppy drumming but "a rim click" at such and such a time? Come on guys, its rock and roll and as far as I am concerned groove and feel beat so called perfection any time.

I know things are a world away from the early 60s but would "Twist and Shout" by the Beatles, as recorded, be improved by re doing it with a click track and each instrument being recorded separately? Not in my opinion, it was a recording of a performance, and the first song that made the hair on my neck stand up. Still does
 
You guys put me to shame. In all my years playing along with records I always assumed that everything was as the drummer intended.

Part-wise, most records are as intended. I think this thread is more about their poor execution, or just plain gaffs.

Although I don't think varying tempos qualify as sloppy, except where they're painfully obvious. Drummers just don't have absolutely perfect time, not even the beloved Bonham.

Bermuda
 
How about we start a list of songs that are "perfect", and as such, came out lacking life, real energy, or feeling?

For me, the goal of recording is never, ever to make a "perfect" take that has no mistakes. I'll take a mistake or two for sure if that's the track that makes my arm hair stand up and melts me into a puddle of groove.

"They constantly embrace music only to stifle it. They dissect it, unaware of their preliminary murder of it, and without understanding that the work they have pulled to pieces lacks only one thing, but the most important: life." - G. Jean-Aubry
 
I don't know, but I love hearing some minor things in drum recordings, and I hate all
those quantised or even programmed drum parts from bands like Linkin Park, Billy
Talent, Green Day or Nickelback.

I'm completely with you. I hate the sterile/programmed sounding drumming. But I think it's silly to think you need to have mistakes or sloppiness in order to introduce a human element to a drum track. The human element comes from the creativity of the parts and the dynamics. You can never actually play perfectly in time anyway, but I think the closer it sounds to perfect time, the better it will be for the music in most cases (unless you're using the sloppiness in some creative way on purpose of course).
 
Drummers just don't have absolutely perfect time, not even the beloved Bonham.

True, and I love the natural feel of the push-pull slight tempo changes within a dynamic song...especially when compared to click-track perfect timing throughout.
 
I like when the music is alive...

"Start Me Up" by the Stones is well-known for a misplaced snare hit at the beginning of the song, on beat one. Now everyone has to do that screw-up when they start the song. Thanks, Charlie Watts.

I never ever felt that Charlie's drum intro in that song as a "screw-up", quite the opposite, I feel it's great and intentional and add to the song IMO.

Part-wise, most records are as intended. I think this thread is more about their poor execution, or just plain gaffs.

Although I don't think varying tempos qualify as sloppy, except where they're painfully obvious. Drummers just don't have absolutely perfect time, not even the beloved Bonham.

Bermuda

+1 ...my take on this topic as well
 
The ONE mistake out of any Dream Theater song I've ever heard, that makes me cringe EVERY TIME. I think it is one of their best songs too.

But right around where Labrie says "on" in the phrase "As the night when on" you can hear Portnoy just slam a totally off beat kick note. Hear it for yourself.

Oh, man, now I'll never be able to "un-hear" that one stray bass drum hit...
 
I never ever felt that Charlie's drum intro in that song as a "screw-up", quite the opposite, I feel it's great and intentional and add to the song IMO.

I've wondered about that for years. But I have noticed on the few live recordings I've heard, he doesn't do the snare beat on one, so I think it was a happy accident that they decided to leave because it's unique sounding.

Who knows? I sure don't!
 
"Sweet Child O' Mine"... Right after the build up on floor and snare, at the start of the song... his first note is played on open hi-hats, then quickly switched to ride cymbal... Very subtle... But akward once heard...
 
I wonder if they have a similar thread on the guitar forum, or do they believe every guitar note was meant to be that way? ;)
Either way, if a guitar player messes up, it's our fault. ;)

Simon & Garfunkel "Sounds of Silence" has a pretty sloppy part going into the second verse "and in the naked light I saw", and in another part too. It almost sounds like the drums were added after the guitar and vocals.

They were, it was a decision made by the producers without S&G knowing (for the single release) if I remember correctly.
Here it is - "It was originally recorded ...in 1964 but on the initiative of the record company's producer, Tom Wilson, it was later overdubbed with drums, electric bass and electric guitar, all without the knowledge or participation of Simon & Garfunkel and rereleased as a single in September 1965."
 
In LA Woman when the bands slows down John Densmore goes out of sync with the bass for a while at around 4:40 or so http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3jf9_rua5Q#t=4m36s

This is what he said in a MD interview:

"We just did a couple takes, on everything. There were some mistakes, and I would say, “Ray, remember on Miles Davis Live At Carnegie Hall, on the intro of ‘So What’ there’s this horrible trumpet error? Miles said he didn’t care, because of the feeling.” That’s what L.A. Woman is."

Popular music seems to go in cycles of refinement and precision and then breaks out into new areas with raw playing before refining again ... studio pop --> rock n' roll / psychedelic --> stadium / prog --> punk / new wave --> new romantic / 80s pop --> grunge revival --> electropop --> ??
 
The cowbell at beginning of Honky Tonk Women is also off beat at first. Being played by producer Jimmy Miller (who did the drums on Happy), but a studio glitch they left in. Charlie likes that.

Is it off-beat? I thought it was meant to be that way because as a cover band player, it's interesting because it seems like this nice turn-around, no?
 
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