Tuesday 2 September 2014

Boom Boom Boom Cha! part 1



A few years ago I had a playlist entitled Boom boom boom cha! which seemed to grow by the week. The title refers to probably the most recognisable drum intro in pop music. I have often wondered if Hal Blaine is as proud of that intro as he should be and being a session musician I don't suppose that he has made a fortune out of it either. But it must feel damned good to hear something you did first being emulated for the next fifty years, although when you have played on over 35 000 pieces of music you must hear your drumming everywhere all the time!

I think that I had something like 25 tracks on the playlist before one of my iTunes crashes wiped it out  and that was by no means a definitive list. So I thought that I would post some of my favourite tracks that, "borrow" the intro,  I think that's I will have to limit myself otherwise this could go on for quite a while.

First up is probably the band that have used the beat the most times on one album at last three times on their debut album.  The Reid brothers definitely wore their influences on their sleeves which was just great for a fifteen year old who had never heard The Velvet Underground, or the Stooges. I had however heard of the Ronettes and loved the music of Phil Spector which the Mary Chain made cool again, well in some quarters anyway. I would think that most people would cite Just Like Honey for the track that employs the drum beat to the best effect but also cut dead uses it but without the cha at the end. Sowing Seeds is basically the same song as Just Like Honey but I for one wasn't caring back in 1985, cos it wasn't Wham, Duran Duran or any of that pish.

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Sowing Seeds.

1 comment:

Erik Bartlam said...

Yeah...it's hard to see why anybody would be upset with five different versions of Honey...why can't have 20?

Excellent.