Guest Book

You guys have said some very wonderful (and true) things about DA's guitar playing. After 30 years , I STILL hear "new" things from these guys, but I would like to add a couple of comments along the same lines. Butch has some of the best bottom end work of any drummer, period. He is thought of as driving the train, but I think Butch has impeccable meter and awsome control of his bass pedal. JJ's subtle and blazing speed on Filmore is just awsome. And a couple of things to "listen for".... 1. The background rhythm during Dickey's solo on Jessica. Butch and JJ are gone WWWWAAAAAYYYYY out there under Dickey, and when Dickey does the hook to turn it around, Butch is right there. Awesome! In fact, I would rate Jessica as THE best studio cut the Band ever made relative to showing how tight these guys were. 2. Butch's accent playing on Ramblin Man is actually very difficult to duplicate. If you listen and focus on Butch under the guitar solo, you hear him answering and hear some 16th note playing that is very very tasty. 3. JJ's blazing tempo of the ride cymbal on You Don't Love Me in Filmore. Most drummers would have quit LONG before JJ finished playing at that speed. 4. JJ's jazz influence shines to the max on Dreams in Beginnings. If you listen closely, you can hear JJ's triplets incorporated into the overall waltz timing. Masterful dancing around the time signature, and very tasty jazz work! 5. But my all time favorite drum work is Butch on Don't Keep Me Wondering. If you focus on just the bass drum, you can hear a pattern that is awesome and not duplicated very often. Actually, I have never heard or played a similar pattern in any other rock song that I recall. It took me a very long time to be able to play that particular rhythm with ease and I still find it very cool. Just another part of the genius of DA was to use 2 drummers and to be able to find the likes of Butch and JJ; oil and vinegar style wise. Thanks