Was Dennis a good drummer?

[Beach Boy]

I think the mentioned Long Beach and Hawaii performances in the early eighties really rule.

You serious?? One of the worst Beach Boys concerts I ever saw. No Carl, wasted Dennis, Brian's vocals sucked, Adrian Baker's falsettos sucked even worse. We talking about the same concert? Queen Mary, Long Beach, July 5, 1981?

Of course I meant Dennis' performance at Long Beach. And to be honest I prefer the 1981 tour over any other gig the Beach Boys played from 1994 onwards. Even Long Beach has it's moments. Adrian Baker sucks, yeah but his guitar rocks in Surfin' and I love the first half of the show. The Washington DC concert one day before was even better. They weren't that sloppy and the mix was much better. When I listen to the Queen Mary one all I hear is Al on the background vocals and harmonies. To see Brian sing instead of just sitting behind the piano is as enjoyable as to see Dennis rockin' on his drum set.     They played oldies, but many for the first time in years, so they sounded fresh and they still focused more on the raw guitar sound.  I really think the bass sound and Al's mike ruined the broadcast.

[hypehat]

When Ive gone to see a band play live I want to hear the song as it was recorded that is the drummer plays consistently in his tempo.

BK

How depressing. Your subsequent posts make more sense, as you are obvs a dedicated drummer, but that statement is just miserable. I mean, do you get angry when bands play acoustic sets, or sets with orchestras? Do Brian's/Mike's band piss you off because they aren't their 22 year old selves anymore? Has Bob Dylan been a constant source of irritation to you since 1966?

[guitarfool2002]

Jon Stebbins' list of Dennis' studio drumming credits is hard to argue, I'd bet a good number of die-hard music fans assumed it was Hal Blaine or Earl Palmer on any number of those tracks which were actually Dennis. That is quite an impressive roll call of classic drum grooves, and probably one of the reasons out of many Hal Blaine has said Dennis was a good drummer. I think Hal of anyone out there would recognize how important that chemistry is when creating a band groove, and how a drummer has to be the right "fit" in that groove in order to make a classic record.

On the flip side, the great Al Jackson Jr. was adamant about keeping solid time, and would even jump all over a rock-solid player like Duck Dunn about staying in the groove. That is the difference between a nuanced, highly-skilled player like Jackson and a self-taught player like Dennis or even Micky Dolenz whose drumming I really, really enjoy. They both have their place in their respective situations and do their job well but as musicians they are far apart in skill levels.

Off topic, it still amazes me how Al Jackson Jr. was able to create that behind-the-beat groove on "In The Midnight Hour", and not only create it but also make a pocket wide enough for the MG's to fit into it and keep it so lazy yet in time...in the LA studio scene at that same time perhaps the only drummer who could cop that groove with authority would have been Earl Palmer.

[Jon Stebbins]

Jon Stebbins' list of Dennis' studio drumming credits is hard to argue, I'd bet a good number of die-hard music fans assumed it was Hal Blaine or Earl Palmer on any number of those tracks which were actually Dennis. That is quite an impressive roll call of classic drum grooves...

It is hard to change perceptions when for so long we've been told that Dennis was "replaced" by Hal after the first couple of BB's records. Its definitely not the case. Hal played on a lot of great stuff, Kiss Me Baby, Do You Wanna Dance, California Girls, Help Me Rhonda, Wouldn't It be Nice, Good Vibrations, etc... His list of BB's credits is just as impressive if not more so, but Dennis should get credit for the things he played on, which are many, and are some of the biggest hits and best album tracks. Sometimes it was the best of both worlds where you had both guys on the session, "Fun, Fun, Fun" they both contribute to the drum track, on "I Get Around" Dennis plays the drums and Hal plays the timbales, same set up on "Hawaii", On "Dance Dance Dance" Dennis plays the drums and Hal plays all that great percussion around him, on "Don't Back Down" they both contribute drum parts. So it wasn't always an either/or situation. BTW...I need to give a shout out to Craig Slowinski (C-Man) as he's unearthed so much of the session info that has helped bring more truth and less myth to the whole question of who played what on which track. If anyone has not seen Craig's great website, go here... http://beachboysarchives.com/

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

When Ive gone to see a band play live I want to hear the song as it was recorded that is the drummer plays consistently in his tempo.

BK

How depressing. Your subsequent posts make more sense, as you are obvs a dedicated drummer, but that statement is just miserable. I mean, do you get angry when bands play acoustic sets, or sets with orchestras? Do Brian's/Mike's band piss you off because they aren't their 22 year old selves anymore? Has Bob Dylan been a constant source of irritation to you since 1966?

I suggest anyone worried about perfect meter and the possibility of less than perfect meter ruining their musical enjoyment: get a metronome, pile up a bunch of your favorite songs and try and set the metronome, best as you can to the song's beat when it comes in..... You'll be amazed at what happens. Most songs go all over the place or at least speed up quickly.... Bonham is probably the worst "offender" ..... 

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

If I could visit one Beach Boys session, it would hands down be Dance, Dance, Dance.  Not because it's my favorite, but because it's the ultimate integration of the Beach Boys and the session guys, I think.  If any photos surface from an actual mid-sixties tracking session ever turn up, I hope it's from this.  You've got Dennis and Hal, Brian and Ray, Carl and Al, and a little Glen Campbell thrown in for good measure.  Such a neat lineup.

[Mikie]

I would love to have been at the vocal session for "Dance, Dance, Dance"!