Drummer’s Review
Legendary drummer and founder member of Slade Don Powell has completed a project celebrating the return to live gigs and festivals for everyone after the pandemic. The Don Powell Band enlisted 18 of the UK’s finest drummers to create an epic and dynamic reworking of the classic drum feature: ‘Let There Be Drums’. The first of these being Dons friend for many years and another drum legend Bev Bevan from the Move and ELO.
Don Powell
There was no shortage of other drummers, both young and old who were excited to record their solos for the project, but due to Covid lockdowns, recording at first seemed to be virtually impossible. However, they accomplished the task, and the result is a powerful new version of the classic instrumental featuring epic playing by drummers from The Shadows, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, Jamiroquai, Nazareth, The Stereophonics, Jason Donovan, Magnum, Robert Plant, EMF, James Blunt alongside members of The Don Powell Band and other award-winning drummers and percussionists.
DP Band
Profits from this release will go to We Make Events. As a tribute to all live and studio crew, engineers and technicians, the track starts with a drum sound check before whipping into the classic drums of the piece with signature sixties guitars linking and underpinning the whole assembly of fantastic drum solos.
Background
A few months into the first UK Covid lockdown Scott Garrett, head of MAS Records suggested that a version of ‘Let There Be Drums’ (his favourite childhood recording) deserved to be re-recorded. Craig Fenney, previously Bass player with Don in Slade II who recently helped form the Don Powell Band, a concept they discussed in their touring days together, put the idea to Don and the project was born. Craig and long-time musician friend Jon Bates had recently formed the Two Coats Production Company and this was ideal for its first project.
The whole production was done remotely, using several commercial studios and many home-recording studios with final editing, production and mastering undertaken by Jon Bates. Video was supplied by the Artists, created whilst they were actually recording.
The recording process, thanks to Covid and lockdowns, was much slower than normal. A few drummers managed to record in commercial studios but since studios had to be shut for much of the time, more often than not the drummers relied on their own recording equipment at home. This, in many ways, worked well for the project as each drummer was able to have a very hands-on approach in creating the sound that they really wanted.
This, in turn, gives all the performances individuality and marked contrasts that, in a normal world, may never have occurred! The drummers come from all points on the stylistic spectrum, from Prog to Funk, Hard Rock to Jazz, Classical, Pop, R ‘n B and Soul.
All in all, it probably is the widest variety of drum kits on one recording!
All the video was edited and produced by Stuart Millership more background here
Links:
Contact:
two.coats@icloud.com
LTBD All Artists
Credits: Let There Be Drums
The Don Powell Band
Don Powell: Drums
Craig Fenney: Bass
Bob Wilson: Guitar
Jon Briscoe: Guitar
Curly Davies: Tambourine
with special guest
Jon Bates: Piano
Guest Drummers
Brian Bennett: The Shadows
Bev Bevan: ELO, Black Sabbath, The Move
Andy Edwards: Robert Plant, IQ, Frost,
Rob Brian: Peter Gabriel, Simple Minds, Siouxsie Sioux
Jamie Little: Jason Donovan, Beverley Knight, Steve Vai
Karl Brazil: Robbie Williams, James Blunt
Tom Meadows: Kylie Minogue, Girls Aloud,
Jamie Morrison: The Stereophonics
Craig Bacon: Gloria Gaynor, Brothers Groove
Mick Barker: Magnum
Derrick McKenzie: Jamiroquai
Matt Cowley: Emily Capell, Bernie Marsden
Lee Agnew: Nazareth
Craig Blundell: Frost, Steve Hackett
’Sticky’ Wicket: Chris Barber, Jools Holland
Richard Rayner: Multiple award winning percussion and drum performer
Rebekah Rayner: Session drummer
Toby Wilson: Session drummer
Mark DeCloedt: EMF
The ‘Sound Check’ Engineer voice: Jack Humphries – Sound Engineer
Big thanks to: Torben Lehmann, Bjarne Søggard, Carsten Agerbæk, Craig Glover, George Frederick, Jack Fenney. Not forgetting: Arc Studios, Base Studios, RB Studios, Chris Welch Music, Future Primate Studios, Moonbase Studios and so many others.
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