Randy's take on Lee Kerslake

[AndrewT1976]

"Randy jumped almost 3 feet in the air and yelled YES the first time he heard Lee's thunderous drumming."

I hope we all trust that Randy had good taste. And Randy's reaction to this was after hearing drummer after drummer after drummer.

I encourage you to all listen closely again to the drumming on BOO and DOAMM.

Awesome and brilliant!

[Remedylane]

Ive listened to each album probably 1000 times. The albums are great. I like the way Lee plays on them. Never said I didn't. I have no idea how another drummer would have sounded, but its pointless to even debate it. I think Lee is a very average drummer, but BOO and DOAM he really shined on. Its by far his best work. I wouldn't change anything about either album.


Matt

[axeman_12656]

Agreed. Bass and Drums are the backbone to any band. These guys had it without doubt.


just don't mean they did it all!!

i know i often sound anti-Bob. I'm really not. Just feel like he often gives himself to much credit. Lee, he never says anything. Seems like a real layed back cat. Bet he is a good dude. I also love his drumming. He used to count off songs on his snare drum. that was different.

[Isodee]

This pro Lee & Bob shite is getting really old. Change the tune already.

[Cryptic Night]

Just feel like he often gives himself to much credit.

I don't think he gives himself TOO much credit. I mean, he's pretty much just said he's written the bass lines and the lyrics. Seems rather plausible to me. Ozzy didn't write them all himself. We all know that. After Bob left, the lyric style changed. So it seems kind of obvious who was behind those.

And he often says things like "Oh, Ozzy came up with this line, or that line and I filled the rest in." Seems like he's giving Ozzy some credit for something he likely didn't have much to do with. He's said that Ozzy came up with the vocal melodies on all the songs, save YSIA.

Also, IMO, the reason you don't hear from Lee much is because he isn't as social. Bob has a Facebook where he is easily accessible and he writes his responses usually within a day or two. I've never noticed Lee being as social as Bob.

[GUITARIDOL5682]

This is a link to a post card that Randy sent to Kevin Dubrow. He mentions the different people who auditioned for the drumming role.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2570&hilit=post+card

[axeman_12656]

I would love to read that post card. but you can't enlarge it anymore... any help?

thanks for the grammar lesson cryptic. but when Bob talks about Ozzy's lyrics he usually says "Wine is fine but whiskeys quicker. Thats the ONLY line Ozzy wrote" its usually along those lines. Then Bob makes comments like.. "the NO MORE TEARS lyrics are cheesy" Sorry... no they're not. He is sour that he can't claim that albums success.

[Remedylane]

I would love to read that post card. but you can't enlarge it anymore... any help?

thanks for the grammar lesson cryptic. but when Bob talks about Ozzy's lyrics he usually says "Wine is fine but whiskeys quicker. Thats the ONLY line Ozzy wrote" its usually along those lines. Then Bob makes comments like.. "the NO MORE TEARS lyrics are cheesy" Sorry... no they're not. He is sour that he can't claim that albums success.

Someone posted a transcript of what was on the card later in the thread. Ill post it below. And +1 on the Bob lyric stuff. No More Tears is arguably Ozzys best album. Its definately his past post BOO and DOAM. I rank it up there with both of those.


Kevin & Drew,
Hi, how are you guys? Have you got the new band together? Things are taking longer here, we still haven't decided on a drummer. We've played with a million, but none of them were right. We've played with drummers from Wings, Whitesnake, Ten Years Later, Judas Priest, and other session guys that you'd know but I didn't. All a bunch of nerds! We're doing some demos next week to test out this studio and a producer Jet wants to use. By the time we're done if we still don't have a drummer, we'll have to pay someone to do it. Bob said Cozy P. would do it for 5,000 if he's not working, but Ozzie and Jet don't want to do that. Thanks!

For now, we're using a session guy on the demo. The studio is called Bridge Farm. It looks neat, you live there with maids and cooks.

I did something you'll appreciate. I went to the Marshall factory, and ordered my own amps, I had them beefed up and modified there, I got them in white! A stack is really cheap here! I got a stack for $500, brand new, so I bought two of them, the ones I was using were rented and it was costing more money than owning them. The material is all done practically, just a few arrangement stuff. Big zero cough! Makes me really miss the group! But, it'll pay off?

It's so cold, I can't practice, it's been about two months since I've really practiced, I play about 1 hour a day, except for writing, but hardly any lead, it's too cold. It's snowing. Jodi and I have spent a few days in London, it was fun. We're back at Suffolk now, it's by the sea on the Northeast Coast. We moved from Wales about a week ago.

Well I'm out of room so I'll stop, but I'll right soon. Bye, Randy.

P.S. I miss you guys. I'll right more when there's more to say, OK?

[electricmombie]

That's because Lee plays for the song, and where he would show off drumming-wise, it's a lot more subtle, in-the-pocket, unifying the band as a whole. Tommy Aldridge is more of a showy-type drummer than Lee, more thunderous. Lee's surreptitious fills and drum rolls back into verses of 'Blizzard' and 'Diary' songs offers that same sort of thrill and buzz Randy's lil' guitar bitties and licks do likewise. We'll never know whether or not Tommy Aldridge was at all a writer like Lee (as far as I know, Tommy has never been mentioned as having written any of the subsequent 'Bark At The Moon' material-uncredited via one-time publishing buyout from Ozzy and Sharon-along with Bob Daisley and Jake E. Lee.. To each their own and the right to their own opinion, but Lee is a much better and well-rounded drummer and musician than you may realize. I will give you this: there's a minute or so during the beginning of "Steal Away (The Night)" from Chelmsford 10/22/80 when the meter of the song takes a strange, WTF moment, eventually laying back into the groove we all know the song best for.. I've listened to that show 20 times so far and I still can't wrap my head around what is going on during the beginning of that song. Having said that, Lee burns like a mofo playing in that version of the band with Bob, Randy and Ozzy. It's pretty much two different Blizzard Of Ozz's: studio Blizzard, briefly touring Blizzard in 1980 only, and the live band Blizzard, from 1981 and 1982. I dig both versions of the band. What I dig most of all in listening to these bootlegs is hearing the band as they actually were, no fiddling or overdubs. The 2/9/82 Kalamazoo bootleg is the one I've been tripping out on as of late along with Chelmsford 10/22/80. The soundboard mix has these moments where, during Randy's solo licks and stuff, it has a surround sound mix that you wish continued throughout the entire recording.. The mono attack of the Bob/Lee live version of the band during Chelmsford is as killer and fresh as ever to listen to. "I think Lee is a very average drummer": the cat was the originator of that legendary drum track and beginning of "Over The Mountain" on the 'Diary' record, AND he was a songwriter too and he gelled magically with the band. Tommy's cool, but I'm more partial to Lee as a drummer. Peace/Take Care, Tim.

[Paul Wolfe]

That's because Lee plays for the song, and where he would show off drumming-wise, it's a lot more subtle, in-the-pocket, unifying the band as a whole...

I agree, not everyone can be Neil Peart... in fact most drummers who try sound more like CC DeVille drawing attention to himself!

[halo8th]

i don't see any reason why Bob shouldn't give himself more credit. He wrote alot of those tunes and lyrics too, not to mention subsequent tunes in following years. If anything, Bob doesn't get nearly enought credit. The Osbournes should send him a big, fat check every month. Without Bob's writing, no mansions, no big bank accounts, none of that stuff.

I agree w/someone from above....i think Lee is just an average drummer at best, but he shines on these 2 albums. What he plays just fits perfectly.

[AndrewT1976]

There is nothing "average" or "mediocre" about Lee's drumming. His drumming was awesome.

[Cryptic Night]

I would love to read that post card. but you can't enlarge it anymore... any help?

thanks for the grammar lesson cryptic. but when Bob talks about Ozzy's lyrics he usually says "Wine is fine but whiskeys quicker. Thats the ONLY line Ozzy wrote" its usually along those lines. Then Bob makes comments like.. "the NO MORE TEARS lyrics are cheesy" Sorry... no they're not. He is sour that he can't claim that albums success.

Okay, but is it really so hard to believe that Bob wrote all the lyrics then? Is it so wrong to say "I wrote the lyrics" because you really did?

And his comment about NMT is his own opinion. Everyone has different opinions. I haven't really heard the whole album, but even parts of the song No More Tears seem a little stupid to me. You may think they're pure gold, I don't. We all have our own opinions.

[AndrewT1976]

In my opinion, No More Tears is a great album. Phenomenal. Definitely Zakk's best work with Ozzy, and probably the most commercial album Ozzy ever did. Songs like "Mama I'm Coming Home" are not just great Ozzy songs, but music critics would agree that it's a great song Ozzy fan or not. Mama is a timeless classic.

But yes, to each their own...

[Isodee]

There is nothing "average" or "mediocre" about Lee's drumming. His drumming was awesome.

He's a GOD. Especially his work on Uriah Heep's Easy Livin' is phenomenal, I really dig his groove and sound on it. Simply unbelievable stuff.