Search - Hal Blaine :: Drums Drums a Go Go

Drummer Man

Johnny Heering | Bethel, CT United States | 02/27/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It has been said that Hal Blaine is the most recorded drummer in pop music history. After 50 years in the music business, he has played on over 4,000 records. Over 3,000 of these made it onto the Billboard Hot 100. More than 300 were certified gold and at least 40 of them hit the #1 position. Some of the artists Blaine has worked with include The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Simon & Garfunkel, Jan & Dean, The Carpenters and Herb Alpert. Most of Phil Spector's lush productions for The Ronettes, The Crystals, Darlene Love and others featured the drumming of Hal Blaine, as did many orchestral pieces by arrangers such as Jimmie Haskell and Nelson Riddle.



This CD features Hal's second solo album. It is an instrumental album, since Hal didn't sing. The album mostly features cover versions of recent hits. Although it is not a live album, it features audience reactions dubbed in, to simulate the "a go-go" sound featured on the Johnny Rivers live albums that were popular at the time. Although this is not an important album by any stretch of the imagination, it is still a lot of fun. It is designed to showcase Hal's drumming, and it does that quite well. The CD features four bonus tracks that were not on the original album. Fans of 1960s instrumentals should dig it."

Swanky and delectible

magnolia jenkins | dave hassinger, California | 01/19/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Put on your red shoes and get ready to shake out that dusty rug. This album really gets your feet stomping and your hands clapping. Back from Hal Blaine's better days of drumming, this is pure drumming excellence. The solo in "Topsy '65" is ever most delicious, and tastes almost (not nearly) as good as the drum solo in Santana's "Soul Sacrifice". . . with a hint of dick dale. . .this album is a compilation of Blaine's ripest material fresh for the picking. in other words.. drumming paradise"