Thursday, June 25, 2020

Literary Notes From All Over

Been devouring Sympathy for the Drummer: Why Charlie Watts Matters by Mike Edison...


...which is very funny and a smashing read; author Edison, a drummer himself, really knows the music and the Stones history inside out and it's nice that Charlie is finally getting this level of recognition.

I will say this, however; it's a cliche that members of my generation had an existential choice to make -- Beatles or Stones. And boy, did Edison choose the Stones. I mean, he really fucking hates The Beatles, with the exception of Ringo, and the animus is occasionally a little disconcerting.

In any case, you can and should order the book over at Amazon HERE.

And now, because I love you all more than food, here's one of Charlie's earliest masterpieces (Edison rates it very highly, as well he should).



Jeebus, that's great. I mean, the whole band is, but Charlie makes it sound so damned easy.


[h/t Robert Albiston]

5 comments:

pete said...

What is it that makes Charlie Watts great? You can hear that he's great - the first time I heard him on AM radio in 1964 I knew he was great. But I couldn't say why! And I still can't.

steve simels said...

He swings?

Alzo said...

That WAS great. Charlie is my darling, too. I don't understand the Beatles animus, though. After all, the Fabs gave their friendly rivals 'I Wanna Be Your Man.'

pete said...

Yeah, but Ringo swings, Ginger Baker swings, Keltner swings, the list goes on and on but there's no one like CW. He sits like an automaton and yet he makes the whole group cohere, while not playing anything different from any other rock drummer. It's a mystery.

RobP57 said...

Slide the balance on the stereo...yes you youngsters. Mick Keith and Brian are on one side and Charlie Bill and Ian Stewart on the other side. Charlie is astounding