My drum review of the "Down The Road Wherever" Cd

[Pottel]

Pottel means Danny i think? Or did Ian also played with Gilmour?

Looked for the marooned performance

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[quizzaciously]

Funny that I'm also not a big fan of Ian's work. I thought Danny's playing was too simple and boring, but somehow Ianto's work made me love Danny's drumming a million times more. That's what a simple comparison can make... I think Danny "plays" the song, almost like Ringo Starr. He's not the greatest drummer in the world, but he puts all his soul in the music. But Ianto... Is the best drummer in the world, and I don't like it.

[Eddie Fox]

Great thread. That said, I'm not a drummer and I thought the drums were good.

I second that. Ian’s drumming serves Mark’s songs perfectly. If you consider that even the guitar isn’t that prominent on this album it sounds surprising to me that one would expect it to have complex drumming - or even blame Ian for that.

[TommyJ88]

Great thread. That said, I'm not a drummer and I thought the drums were good.

Same here. Also, I suspect anyone with criticisms of the drumming on this record should aim their comments at MK, not Ian Thomas, as this is almost certainly the way Mark (and Guy) wanted the drums to sound. Ian Thomas has played with everyone from Clapton to McCartney, Sting to Tom Jones, and his style varies depending on what's required for whatever song he's playing. I have a rather hazy memory of MK once saying that a drummer had to be pretty good to be better than no drummer at all (was this at Boothbay?) so I would'nt be surprised if the restrained, unflashy drumming turned out to be the choice of Mark himself.

[ijnijn]

Great thread. That said, I'm not a drummer and I thought the drums were good.

Same here. Also, I suspect anyone with criticisms of the drumming on this record should aim their comments at MK, not Ian Thomas, as this is almost certainly the way Mark (and Guy) wanted the drums to sound.

It could be like that, but again there's a proverb that your band is as good as good is your drummer. Ian is great but his playing on new MK album is too simple and too conservative. Someone told before that the drums are only a background. To some extent it's true (Slow Learner, When You Leave) but in the rest of the songs the drums are pretty in front in the mix. Where's the consequence? Hope Ian will get unblocked on forthcoming tour and the next record  

[Jasper90]

Everybody's opinion ofcourse  .

But I disagree that what Ian does is boring or not good. I'm an drummer as well for 18 years and I love what Ian does, no I'm not amazed by it, but he does it all good. And there is also an difference between live and a studio album. Usually on the album "live concert playing" is not working for the songs, thats why I also think it sounds to some people maybe boring. Live I really like Ian Thomas a lot, I have to say.

And how Ijnijn is describing it, sounds you would love to hear a lot of fills and drum changes. But then I think the albums from Mark Knopfler AND Dire Straits are drumwise not your thing. I mean after Pick Withers, all the drummers hardly did any fills or special stuff on the studio albums as what you described as "what should have been".
I think Chad Cromwell did some (Metroland, What have got to do) cool stuff. But also not so much, and thats what I think, Mark wants. Where I'm fully okey with, on the albums. Chad Cromwell is also the first drummer where it got my attention that this guy is just a metronome, like he would NEVER of his live fall out of his tempo , pretty cool. Live he did some cool stuff as well. But thats what I think, Mark really wants and is looking for 

Also on the On Every Street album, he even had a few drummers just to try out wich one he would like the best for the songs. Kind of a battle without them knowing  . And if you listen to the album now, you hardly notice it, that that was SO important. I mean yeah, maybe in Calling Elvis, but thats kind of it. And Yeah the sound of the drums, thats important and always have been in Marks career. I also love in general the drum sound in Marks music, except for Brothers in Arms, sorry I LOVE the album but I hate 80s drums  . But as example, listen to the snare drum of Danny Cummings in Cleaning my gun, love that sound
And usually when people think drums is more in the background, that is for sure the mix and usualy not the drummer.

But ofcourse this is my opinion, I don't mean it offending Ijnijn

[Fletch]

Funny to bring up BIA - one of my fave things is to focus on the drums during Your Latest Trick, truly amazing. Would love to have heard the recordings Terry did for comparison - another box-set for the future?

[Jasper90]

Funny to bring up BIA - one of my fave things is to focus on the drums during Your Latest Trick, truly amazing. Would love to have heard the recordings Terry did for comparison - another box-set for the future?

Yeah, for sure true . I ment the 80s drums sound only, not the drumming itself. That is pretty good

[Dutchessy]

Ian did some great stuff on Mark's music since he is the drummer. Laughs and jokes, skydiver (he connected both songs live). Corned beef city intro live also. Can't remember Danny did such things live.

So i like Ian's drumming very much. He add something extra to Mark's music.

[hunter]

To me it's a little odd that Mark goes for conservative drums, but busy bass. I know John Illsley isn't the greatest musician, but his style of playing complements Mark really well. It occurred to me that Mark's current preferences are opposite of the early DS style with simple bass and exotic (but never out place) drumming.

Speaking of bass - does anyone else find that DTRW is a bit low in bass?

[Jasper90]

Ian did some great stuff on Mark's music since he is the drummer. Laughs and jokes, skydiver (he connected both songs live). Corned beef city intro live also. Can't remember Danny did such things live.

So i like Ian's drumming very much. He add something extra to Mark's music.

+1  . Me too, Danny I still liked in the 2005 tour as well, but after that he made the songs even live a very static with his drumming. He is now good at his place as a percussionist . And I have a feeling that Mark really needs a drummer like Ian to get the energy. I also think that Ian is great, and live even more, he really keeps it interesting and cool as well . The intro and drumsolo (a little one then ) he  did nice, I also loved how he developed Speedway at Nazareth, especially in the US tour 2015 .

[Eddie Fox]

Ian did some great stuff on Mark's music since he is the drummer. Laughs and jokes, skydiver (he connected both songs live). Corned beef city intro live also. Can't remember Danny did such things live.

So i like Ian's drumming very much. He add something extra to Mark's music.

+1  . Me too, Danny I still liked in the 2005 tour as well, but after that he made the songs even live a very static with his drumming. He is now good at his place as a percussionist . And I have a feeling that Mark really needs a drummer like Ian to get the energy. I also think that Ian is great, and live even more, he really keeps it interesting and cool as well . The intro and drumsolo (a little one then ) he  did nice, I also loved how he developed Speedway at Nazareth, especially in the US tour 2015 .

I'm with you, guys.