Roger`s drumming over the years.

This is something that really speaks to me, i`m not a drummer (i play keyboards) but i do like Roger`s drumming style.

And in my opinion he hasn`t played better in the last 15-20 years..

In the 70`s he was the bombastic / powerhouse.
In the 80`s he started to lose some speed but he made it up with fantastic new drum patterns/grooves.
In the 90`s he seemed to be drumming in a pretty lifeless kinda way...
And during the `05 tour he was on fire again although he lost agility of course.
Now during the `14 Tour with Lambert he`s killing it again.

Sure, he`s not as powerful as he used to be, and he has lost some agility (Yes, even more..) But everything he drums "Makes sense" he uses all his cymbals in a nice way, using some nice accents here and there, drumming stuff like he`s never been drumming them before, and i think that it`s quite cool.

Of Course the guy`s 65 years old so we have to give him a break for not being the powerhouse or the nimble drummer he once was, but the way he drums Now I`m Here or Stone Cold Crazy or even I Want It All at his age is unbelievable.

And the funny thing is, a few months ago lots of fans (even on QZ) said that Roger couldn`t pull of Now I`m Here anymore, and a few months later he`s drumming it again.

I've been playing drums for 10 years now.

Roger was an incredible drummer in the 70's. His fills and runs still baffle me. Some of his drum beats are still extremely difficult to replicate, especially with the hi-hat pattern he plays. He was. and is, a very unique sounding drummer.

But in the 80's, his style became a lot tamer. His studio work obviously changed because their music changed gears dramatically, which no doubt affected his live work as well. Gone were his very intricate fills and runs that made me envious haha. His work was good! Just a lot different than his early work, which was really an older style that drummers don't really play anymore.

More recently, he's lost some power and agility, that's mostly age. He probably couldn't play Now I'm Here at the speed that they used to play it at in the late 70's and 80's, but even I have great trouble with that, and I'm 20 years old haha.

Roger is still my second favorite drummer of all time. Behind Bonham haha.

Lets not forget that the 80s ushered in the age of electronic drums and programming.

How much of the Miracle / a kind of magic and Innuendo is actually live drumming? if he was even around at the time that is..

radio gaga - programmed, a kind of magic - sounds programmed.

90% of the miracle sounds programmed.

and he was off drums in the late 80s while playing guitar in the cross. so .......

[QUOTE] [b]darcy-wright wrote:[/b]

How much of the Miracle / a kind of magic and Innuendo is actually live drumming?[/QUOTE]

A lot. Not all of it, of course, and not most of it either, but a lot nonetheless.

[QUOTE] [b]darcy-wright wrote:[/b]

if he was even around at the time that is..[/QUOTE]

Yes, he was around, a lot. Not all the time (same for all of them), but still a lot.

[QUOTE] [b]darcy-wright wrote:[/b]

radio gaga - programmed, a kind of magic - sounds programmed.[/QUOTE]

And they both most likely are. They are, however, just two songs out of many.

[QUOTE] [b]darcy-wright wrote:[/b]

90% of the miracle sounds programmed.[/QUOTE]

Not really:

* Party: Programmed.
* Khashoggi's Ship: Not programmed.
* The Miracle: Not programmed.
* I Want It All: Chiefly not programmed.
* Breakthru': Programmed.
* Invisible Man: Programmed.
* Rain Must Fall: Programmed.
* Scandal: Not programmed.
* My Baby Does Me: Programmed.
* Was It All Worth It: Not programmed.

That means roughly 50% of drums were programmed, not 90%. Still, IMO, when you have an excellent drummer in your band, even 0.01% of programmed drums would be too much.

[QUOTE] [b]darcy-wright wrote:[/b]

and he was off drums in the late 80s while playing guitar in the cross. so .......[/QUOTE]

Not really. There are Cross recordings with him on drums, and there are Cross recordings without him on guitar.

[QUOTE] [b]darcy-wright wrote:[/b]

Lets not forget that the 80s ushered in the age of electronic drums and programming.

How much of the Miracle / a kind of magic and Innuendo is actually live drumming? if he was even around at the time that is..

radio gaga - programmed, a kind of magic - sounds programmed.

90% of the miracle sounds programmed.

and he was off drums in the late 80s while playing guitar in the cross. so .......[/QUOTE]

A kind of magic has a lot of real drumming on it (One vision for example, One Year Of Love, Don`t Lose Your Head)
The Miracle has ton`s of live drumming with the exception of Rain Must Fall, My Baby Does Me, most of the rest is a combination of either Sequenced drums and real drums or programmed drums with one or two real fills in them.

[QUOTE] [b]Sebastian wrote:[/

* Party: Programmed.
* Khashoggi's Ship: Not programmed.
* The Miracle: Not programmed.
* I Want It All: Chiefly not programmed.
* Breakthru': Programmed.
* Invisible Man: Programmed.
* Rain Must Fall: Programmed.
* Scandal: Not programmed.
* My Baby Does Me: Programmed.
* Was It All Worth It: Not programmed.

That means roughly 50% of drums were programmed

.......[/QUOTE]

Ten songs and the split is 6/4 so surely that is a clear 60% not roughly 50%

He is a 'safe' drummer now, exactly like Brian is a 'safe' guitar player... throw in the odd trademark bit people know you for but dont stray too far. Of course they should be trying to keep peoples interest with skill and innovation but it seems they just can't be bothered anymore.

Alongside the machine parts, there are some real drums on the invisible Man, and, I think, Party.

Does Roger really play the drum part on Scandal??

[QUOTE] [b]cmsdrums wrote:[/b]

Alongside the machine parts, there are some real drums on the invisible Man, and, I think, Party.

Does Roger really play the drum part on Scandal??[/QUOTE]

It doesn't sound or feel like a programmed track to me in Scandal. Also there are bits where it's not really a loop. Parts of the beat change and they're subtle changes.

@Sebastian

There is some programming on "I Want It All"? I always thought that "Breakthru" was featured live drumming...honestly I always thought that "A Kind Of Magic" did, too.

Breakthru has got some real drums coming in towards the end after the guitar solo; a bit like Staying Power has in the middle. The introduction is subtle but clearer on the 2011 remasters.

Interesting that his drumming got so uninspired in the later years that we're actually discussing whether it's Roger or a drum machine.

I dont think it really makes a difference whether some tracks were programmed, Roger has always played so the the SONG was the important thing, so if they felt at the time a more regimented style was needed so what? I certainly contributed hugely as a musician during those albums. Something like Invisible Man for instance would have sounded totally different with real drums, it wasnt the style the song needed, so why use them?

I really like his drumming in the beginning, he immitates John Bohnam, but develops his own sound, since he was well known as a drummer besides Queen in these days.

In The Game area he is so groovy with John, although he didn't really like the direction of their sound, Freddie wanted them to go. But his timing and technique always fits and is a trademark of the band's sound!

[QUOTE] [b]Oscar J wrote:[/b]

Interesting that his drumming got so uninspired in the later years that we're actually discussing whether it's Roger or a drum machine. [/QUOTE]

In the 1980s, yes.

But I'd say that virtually every live Roger drum part from 1991 onwards, while not as notable technically as his early work, has been distinctive.

You only have to hear a few seconds to realise it's him playing, so obvious his open hi-hat/snare trademark is.

As unpopular a mix it may be, the Orbit version of TMBMTLTT reinforces that.