DRUMMER CAFE - Community Forum

I recently saw this in the local classifieds:
http://www.tradingpost.com.au/iteminfo/adnumber_WB2643194754_cat_Drums+%26+Equipment_loc_locRZSQregtAVSCdistRZSQAVSCstateRZSQ9AVSCregRZSQ_off_337_sect_Sport%2c+Leisure+%26+Recreation_sort_otRZSQ0BJDZfdRZSQExpiryDate_sqt_1_stpg_1_subs_Musical+Instruments_

Come on Chris, everyone should have a hobby. Collecting snare drums, cymbals, drum kits, and cow bells. You have to learn to relax about these things. Maybe cow bells just aren't your thing. My wife is into keys. I'll bet we don't have locks for more than half the keys she has. It's just her thing. I'll back off now.

Collect.....yes.

Mount five on your drum kit?

The jury's still out on that one.  ;D

PS: I own one. It's covered in dust and cobwebs, despite 'Honky Tonk Woman' being one of my all time favourite records and one of the reasons I took up drums.

Five is a little much even for me!  I do have three, one each on the left and right and one for my foot to play.  You know what I always say, Click Here (http://www.louisrussell.com/gonnawantthatcowbell.mp3)

Wait a moment while I pick myself up off the floor.  ;D

YOU KILL ME LOUIS ;D

I own 4 cow bells but I have never had more than one on the kit.  There are a bunch of songs that require them and maybe it would be a great thread just to see how many we could name?
The Reeper
Pig's On The Wing
Honkey Tonk Woman
Messin' With a Son O $##@
Alright Now

Anyway, You have the idea ;D.
                   Nutty

I could see how that cowbell tree would be useful in an orchestral situation/pops type concert band.

And maybe even if someone wanted to see what different single cowbell tones would work best within a recording/song.  One would have the different pitches to try in different settings- even if they only used one cowbell per song.

But yeah, just switched from the LP "Mambo" back to the cute little "black beauty"  love those little guys!

But 5 bells to drag around all the time?   That's a little too Neil Peart for me.

I own 12 or more cowbells and when I leave work today I will work up a list of songs that would not be the same without a cowbell.  Don't forget the theme song to "Sanford and Son".

You'd be surprised the number of songs with cowbell in them.

Just listen to Hard Day's Night ;>)

Boomerweps

just bec the 'official' version of a tune doesn't have cowbell doesn't mean you can't add it if it feels right. 8) in other words, it works for me all the time....cowbell really kicks it up a notch, imo

ive only got two, lp black beauty and lp mambo. but i need more, not that i would necessarily mount them on a regular drum kit, but i always use them with congas and bongos. with two lp claws, it's possible to mount two on each side of bongos with comfort curve rims...i add an 8 inch splash w rivets and i've got all i need for so much...

Cowbells have gone hi-tech.  Even Apple makes one:

(http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa15/skinbeatergreg/ipod.jpg)

 ;D
Good stuff.

I can't think of any cowbell recordings other than the one's already mentioned (not counting Salsa or Santana records).

Low Rider -- War
Play That Funky Music -- Wild Cherry

I've had the same cowbell since 1968. My commander gave it to me when I got out of the Army band....They probably had it for 10 years or more before I got it. I figure it gave him an excuse to order a new one. Old chrome baby, small, with a crack in it. Still sounds good for my needs.
Yes Louis & Nutty, I've used it on all those songs. Also a couple classics with an orchestra.  ;D

Down on the Corner – Creedence Clearwater Revival
Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On – Sammy Kershaw
Hello Mary Lou – Ricky Nelson
Love Shack – B-52s
Walk This Way – Aerosmith
Dream Police – Cheap Trick
The One That You Love – Air Supply
Cole Ethyl – Alice Cooper
Lonely Boy – Andrew Gold
Rock Lobster – B-52s
Holy Water – Bad Company
Hey Ladies – Beastie Boys
Rock Steady – Aretha Franklin
Hard Days Night – Beatles
Jive Talking – Bee Gees
Wizzard – Black Sabbath
Aquaris – Boards of Canada
Old Time Rock and Roll – Bob Seger
Its My Life – Bon Jovi
Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
Devil Went Down to Georgia – Charlie Daniels
Brick House – Commodores
Born On The Bayou – Creedence Clearwater Revival
Love Machine – Cult
Susie Q – Dale Hawkins
Hotel California – Eagles
Yellow Brick Road – Elton John
Burning Love – Elvis
Mongoose – Fu Manchu
Radar Love – Gold Earring
Welcome To The Jungle – Guns and Roses
Private Eyes – Hall and Oates
My Thang – James Brown
Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix
Funky Town – Lipps Inc
Bad Girl – Madonna
Give it Up – Marvin Gaye
For Whom The Bell Tolls – Mettalica
Mississippi Queen – Mountain
Honky Tonk Woman – Rolling Stones
Evil Ways – Santana
Jungle Love – Steve Miller
Funky Cold Medina – Tone Loc
In the Year 2525 – Zager and Evans

Amd of course there is always
Cowbell Polka –  Spade Cooley
I’ve Got a Fever – Crazy Switch  also known as the Moar Cowbell from SNL

And I am sure there are many more songs using a cowbell. 

We're an American Band - Grand Funk Railroad

One of the greatest drum intros EVER, and with cowbell to boot!

Louis, It looks like you really shook that tree. You have anyhting else ready to fall out. I'm some what sorry I ever opened my mouth on this whole thing.

 
Alright Now - Free
 

Wow, you guys even added a few I had forgot about.   8)

Drum machine cowbells don't count.  >:(

Got that right. Any time I hear a group using those things I split.  :P 

Actually I might need to add 'What I Am' by The New Bohemians to the list.  :-[

Although I didn't play it, and had I had my way the cowbell would have been lost somewhere behind a stack of flightcases at the studio.
 ;)

Somewhere around here I have a list with around 500 songs that include a cowbell.  I should find that and post it for posterity.   ;D  If I remember correctly there are several Beatle songs on that list.  Some versions did not include a cowbell so you may have a version that did not. 

A partial list can be found here at geekspeak.com's Cowbell Project.

http://www.geekspeakweekly.com/cowbell/data_search.pl (http://www.geekspeakweekly.com/cowbell/data_search.pl)

(http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa15/skinbeatergreg/cowbell.jpg)

It's crackin me up.

Some people collect antiques, others even collect drums, but someone is collecting songs that feature cowbell?  :P ;D

I'm going to make it my life's work to check the authenticity of those.
For a start....Dancing Queen?

I believe Cross-eyed Mary (Tull) has a bit of cowbell in it.

Great, at least I am not the only one who has a list of songs with cowbells.  There are over 580 songs on that list!  I didn't put my list on the net but I was thinking about it because of this thread.   ;D


OK everyone, what is worse than making a list of cowbell songs?  Someone else checking the authenticity of those songs.  Now that is cracking me up.  I listened to Dancing Queen by ABBA twice and the version I have does not use a cowbell.  I have the one from the GOLD:  Greatest Hits.  Oh wait, I just checked the authenticity too.   ;D


Yep. There is a dash of cowbell there.  I will add that one to my list! 

I am using one in Oye Como Va.  At least it sounds like a cow bell?

And to think you guys thought I was the one nuts over cowbells.  ;D  This thread is two pages long and still going strong. 

I just put an order in for a John Aldridge Cowbell. 24 karat gold with floral engraving.
$4,995!

Confirmed.
Also, 'Red Corvette' by Prince. It's all drum machine anyway, and as we know, drum machine cowbells don't count!
But it has various clap and crosstick samples on the track. I wouldn't say they sounded cowbellish.
Some other real weird ones on the list.
'Nothing Compares 2 U' - Sinead O'Connor. Can't remember any drums on the track, let alone cowbell. And 'Come Away With Me' by Norah Jones.
I played that in a cover band last year. Sensitive brushes on the recording I heard. I can't remember thinking 'darn I knew I should have brought my cowbell'.
I await someone's confirmation on those two as I don't have them on my iPod.

Sure it's a costly job to play that Honky Tonk Woman... :)
 

I want them.
NOW!

Wow, No one mentioned Good Times Bad Times Yet.And How about Robin Trower-Lady Love.

They are on the list that was linked. 

Whoops! Thanks Louis.I failed to" Explore The Space" of the thread. :)

Cowbell talk is serious stuff!   ;D

And any cowbell claims must be thoroughly scrutinised.

Serious stuff is right! Glad you guys are taking the geekspeak.com folks to task.  If there is any group on the planet that is scrupulous (or bored) enough to judge the veracity of that list, its the Cafe!

And when we say cowbell we mean cowbell, don't try to bring any of that electronic cowbell crapola!

 
BTW, there's a part in Sabbath's Lord of This World that's probably played on a heavy cymbal bell (e.g. my Earth Ride sounds quite similar), but it could as well be played on a cow bell. (Just to add this song to the list...)
 

come on, what about "Dont fear the reaper" by Blue oyster cult??? the whole thing from SNL? bah!

and louis, For whom the Bell Tolls, by metallica? you gotta tell how to use it in that, so i can bust it out at the next band practice ;D

I guess it should be "For Whom The Cowbell Tolls" :P

It is on the list but guess what?  It needs MOAR COWBELL!  ;D

ah, i must of missed it, but wow, you guys really are serious!

you da man, Louis!

I may joke about a lot of things but cowbells and BBQ is not on the joke list!   ;D  I have always wondered why there is no cowbell on the "Milk Cow Blues"

This is really cool Louis. Chris started the "Cowbell Thread".  It is also cool that it is on it's third page. I never would have thought it, but it has become a great thread. It is fun to think of songs that wouldn't sound right without it. Great trivia stuff.  I might have to start one about "Wood Blocks" ;D?  I really like them together.
Great thread Chris, the title of this thread about Switzerland.  I would love to visit that country. I would love to visit Paiste. I would love to see some gorgeous snow covered mountains and eat great chocolate  8).

It is amazing how many songs would not be the same without that one different sound that sets it apart from the crowd. Sometimes a cowbell, sometimes the woodblock, and sometimes someting as simple as a couple of bass drum kicks at the start.  Never underestimate the power of simple. 

I am cutting this out and putting in my scrapbook Chris!  You will be a Cowbell Convert before long and discussing the best sticking for playing multiple bells.   ;D

While listening to a cacophony of bells as the cows come down from the hills for milking?

Over my dead Guiro!

And I can hear no cowbell in 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' either  ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrX-lqp3yVE&feature=related

I have two versions of the song and no cowbell on either one.  Not even one cowbell hit at the end of a fill! 

Louis,
These so called 'cowbell experts' are screwing with us then.  >:(

Yeah, they watch SNL one time and then automatically become experts.   ;D

In 1973 I toured Europe with a 100-piece concert band.  One of those "let's raise money and do a major band trip" things.  We hit seven countries in 21 days: England, Ireland, Holland, France, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland.  I basically saw Europe from the window of a bus!  I'll scan and post a photo or two.

As for Switzerland, it was as you say Nutty: I didn't get to see Paiste, but I saw beautiful snow-covered mountains.  Picture perfect.  My favorite stop on the trip. 

While there we stayed at a place surrounded my pastures full of cows and you could hear that cool multi-toned clinking of cowbells off in the distance.  Anybody see where this is going?.

One evening, long after bed check, some of the gang (mostly drummers)  decided to do a little 2am sight-seeing.  We hopped the wood fence of one of the pastures and wandered around among the cows in the moonlight.  Somehow the cowbell and strap from one of those cows ended up in my possession as a little remembrance of the trip (do you have any idea how hard it is to hold a cow still so you can remove a very thick and heavy leather strap from around its neck in the dark?  Huh?  Do you?  :)  )

Of course, the band director found out about our little Mission Impossible adventure.  Being the cool guy he is we worked out a deal - he has the cowbell, I have the strap!

Hey Chris,
I don't think he meant that song.  He said Metallica. And it isn't a cow bell, it is a real bell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX-KjkdDozQ

OK, I found a third version I have but no bells on it either.  The one with the bell is from the "Ride The Lightening" album.  I also have the "New Skulls For The Old Ceremony" which is the live version and also the one from "S&M" disc 2.  I wonder why the bell is not part of all three?

I don't know Louis, but it sure is in this one.  I did enjoy the BeeGees song though. Even with no bell.  I always loved their harmonies.

 
How about Sabbath's The Wizard? I hear a cowbell struck twice there.
 

You are correct but it is already on the list of 584 songs. 

I could come up with others if I could be bothered, there are a few E,W& F songs and Pat Metheny tracks not listed for starters.

Switzerland is amazing!
Frighteningly expensive though.

I've usually passed through in less than a day, driving to Italy.
Last time we were in Italy, Belinda and I decided to stay awhile in Switzerland.
To get to where we were going, we drove over a high mountain pass.
The road became narrow, with a sheer drop off right next to the side. At times you couldn't see how far you would plunge because we were above the clouds. All the time there were wide tourist buses screaming past us in the opposite direction.
We stopped at the summit. There was full snow cover, even though it was the end of May. You could see from where they had dug into it to clear the road the snow depth was over ten feet.
After the summit we drove downhill for over an hour.
We eventually found the small hamlet where we'd booked a hotel.
The hotel was a picture postcard image of a typical mountain chalet.
We walked through a field to the cable car. The grass was long and full of amazing wild flowers ( a feature of the Swiss summer).
We took the cable car to the top of the nearby mountain and walked around the ski fields. It was fairly barren, with some green grass and left over pack ice.
You could see how inhospitable it would be in mid winter.
There were refuge huts dotted about.
It was all very interesting and amazing, especially as I don't ski.

OK, sorry, I'll have to study the list more thoroughly. :)
But in fact you made me listen for cowbells all day, I sometimes hear one played even when a telephone rings. Sure I've got to get one sooner or later.
(I had one long ago, but you know I had a long layoff, and it disappeared.)
 

Sounds as if you may be coming down with the cowbell fever!  There is a cure,  the prescription is MOAR Cowbell!   ;D

Great thread!  I'm wondering from a historical point of view why the cowbell made the crossover from percussion use to drum kit use, especially in the rock genre? From time to time I hear other incidental percussion but the cowbell seems ubiquitous.

Is there a precedent for its use among early blues and jazz musicians that helped fuel its popularity, or is it just that addicitve?

Man, I've seen the cowbell used by the drummer for Jerry Lee Lewis when I was still a kid. As long as I can remember, just use one in a country bar and people will start to line dance. Even if it wasn't used in the original music they still get up. Got me when they started using it? But it seems to be here to stay.  ;D

It must be a movement!

Now don't try to get all serious on us.  >:(

But interesting question.

I guess the cowbell, shaker and tambourine are the most heard percussion instruments in rock.
Really the only one you can practically use as a drummer is the cowbell, although you can hit a tambourine with a stick and Bonham's hi-hat mounted 'ching-ring' has become an ikon.
But, as I say, it would be interesting to learn more based on your question.

Serious? I'm just looking for MOAR COWBELL!   ;D

How did I miss this one?  Close But No Cigar -- Weird Al

I found another one.  Everyday People -- Sly and the Family Stone

A very famous track not on the list........
Lady Marmalade
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9uLbTkqaxc

And again in a different guise:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoVeAGaO27I&feature=related

My answer to the topic question:

Because Louis would look funny in a pair of lederhosen. ;D

robyn

Just for the record, I look funny in a lot of stuff!  You should see me in one of my wigs.   8)

C'mon man!
I thought everything was bigger in Texas?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSxrjC9ThBA&feature=related

I always dug the use of cowbell in Rage Against The Machine.  It was a seriously big part of their sound!