My personal list of rock and roll's top cowbell moments

chipotle said:
First I have to 2nd B. J. Wilson's "Power Failure" work. B. J. was one of my earliest influences. A really great player with a wonderful feel for the dynamics of the songs.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the iconic cowbell song, "Time Has Come Today" by the Chambers Brothers.
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Whiskey Train!
 
Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Gimme Three Steps"
 
There's a great section in 'Xanadu' by Rush where it seems that ALL the cowbells are used
 
The thread comes back to life! Has anyone covered Steely Dan the "Can't Buy a Thrill album uses cowbell on several songs -My Old School, Do it again, and some other have small parts I believe. then the end of New Frontier Donald Fagen has cowbell.
 
I don’t think I’ve seen Jimi Hendrix‘s Stone free Listed yet
 
I seem to remember a cowbell in BOCs Don't Fear The Reaper- I could be wrong...
 
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Red Menace said:
What about Lowrider?
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I grew up on a big farm in Colorado - and there is a motor cycle rally that takes place like 5 minutes from our farm and I distinctly remember when War came and played - I could hear this from my bedroom haha.
 
Gimme Some Lovin'
I put an Ice Bell atop my hats to play that cowbell part in my cymbal flow.
Speaking of Ice Bells, sounds like one to me in Everybody's Got Something to Hide, rather than a cowbell
Guess those are Agogo bells in Love The One Your With
Herbie Hancock's Dis is Da Drum has a cool bell figure.



 
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No-one has mentioned ‘Get the party started’ by Pink. The cowbell mid verse and chorus gives the song a real lift.
 
Monkey Business - Skid Row
Watch as Rob Affuso plays the bell with his right and the beat with his left.

Dethroned Emperor - Celtic Frost
Stephen Priestly, honestly not sure if it's a cowbell or not, I like to think it is and I play it that way.
 
Zero Mercury Drummer said:
2. Charlie Watts- Rolling Stones "Honky Tonk Woman"- it starts the song, you know the song, the song is legend. Enough said. Ever notice the tempo about doubles in this tune? You won’t see that in the modern age of computerized quantization and click tracks. But nobody remembers tempo.
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Never liked the song or gave it much thought till recently, I had to learn it for a band jam not too long ago and kinda fun, if you can play the hats with your foot to free up your time keeping hand for the cowbell. Your brain thinks it's playing a latin groove. Well, my brain does anyway...Pretty fun!
 
The funny thing, to me at least, about "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is that on the original vinyl LP, you didn't really notice the cowbell at all, it was buried way back in the mix. Once it got remastered for CD and digital, its right there in your face. I remember wondering about that when the SNL skit put the phrase into the lexicon, so I had to go back and listen for myself. Cuz I played the death out of the Agents Of Fortune LP as a young man, and for the life of me couldn't remember the cowbell being a big part of it....funny stuff.
 
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