Tony Meehan

[Billyboygretsch]

I am a guitarist not a drummer but I really notice the difference between Tony Meehan and Brian Bennett. Tony reminds me a bit of Keith Moon. Was his kit very different to Brian's. Tonys always sounded sharper in tone not performance wise. Can some clever guy with sticks enlighten me
Cheers
Bill

[Paul Creasey]

Hello Bill,

"Clever guy with sticks".............surely a contradiction in terms, if some of my "Guitarist" friends are to be believed, eh?
As far as I am aware whilst there are differences in style, the differences in equipment were not significant.
I liked Tony's style a lot, as I do Brian's. "Vive la difference" as they say across the water.
Can't say Tony ever reminded me of Keith Moon (who I never had much time for as a Drummer anyway - sorry!) although there was, perhaps, something in Tony's more staccato style that could "ring a bell".
It does seem to me that Brian's style, range & technique has developed over the years, and if I were into emulating either of them (which I'm not, as I simply don't have the technical skill! ), it would have to be Brian.

Regards
Paul.

[Billyboygretsch]

Thanks for that I like both but they do seem very different. I think that staccato effect was what I liked about Keith Moon. I liked his sound and his antics until he got too silly . Should have been an actor was great in Tommy. All share our own opinions

[martcaster]

I'm pretty sure Tony had a 'grounding' in military-style snare drumming (Boys Brigade rings a bell) The breaks in Shadoogie, The Savage and the rudiments played through the See You In My Drums solo seem to bear this out. Brian's early influences were the Big Bands of the day (and earlier) and his heroes have always been from the world of Jazz and bands (that's not to say, of course, that Tony's weren't). Brian's style fortuitously (??) seemed to meld with The Shads' drift away from Rock 'n' Roll type numbers and was more jazz influenced style. As a young guy without access to formal lessons, the best I could do was try to emulate what I heard on the records of the day. This included the work of Keith Moon (and a teenager couldn't help being impressed by this uninhibited approach..... the neighbours were less impressed!!) but hey! we had Bobby Elliott, Chris Curtis, Mike Hugg et al. And, of course, The Guv'nor. It's hard to imagine another 'teacher' who would give examples of how to play Bossa, Samba, Tango, Jazz Waltz, brushes, great drum breaks, rhythms such as Fandango, Brazil, Naughty Nippon Nights, Zambesi etc, etc; BEFORE saying "Right, you've learned all that, NOW this is how you do Modern Jazz. Up pops Change Of Direction and it's back to the kit to learn all those, which gave me a taste for a new style of music. And when he'd done that, he comes up with Slaughter On Tenth Avenue; an introduction to the works of the great American composers; Rodgers, Gershwin, Copeland, Ives etc. And when he'd done THAT, it was on to the delights of Disco with Voyage. The guy has never stopped going forward and never stopped 'teaching' and influencing. And, as lucky as the guitarists amongst us are, in having Hank, Bruce, Jet, John and Jonesy to show them how it should be done, for a young drummer starting out and wanting a comprehensive grounding in what is required of drummer (NOT show, NOT flash, NOT loud) one man stands out above the crowd. Listen, emulate, practise. continually. He may not teach you all you need to know; but by 'eck you'll have a head start over anyone else. Thanks, Brian.
Oh 'eck. The tea's ready. And I'd just got going.
Courgettes with Bolognese sauce, if you were wonderin'.
Ta-ra.

[Paul Creasey]

Very well put, Martin!

Thank you for a reasoned and illuminating post. Until you mentioned it, I hadn't considered Tony's suspected background in military-style Drumming, but it makes sense in relation to his "staccato" style.

I've always been puzzled that, when Drummers discuss Drumming it always tends to be about influences, "The rudiments", technique, and - above all - practice. Yes, of course, we all have our preferences equipment-wise, but "Equipment" is rarely a big issue - unlike our Guitarist friends, whose endless discussions about equipment seem to go round & round in circles to my simple mind.

As I said in my earlier post - "Vive la difference".

I hope you enjoyed your tea - Courgettes & Bolognese Sauce, eh? - Nice.

Regards
Paul.

[Twang46]

I always thought Tony was the best drummer that the Shads ever had, maybe his "boys brigade" background did come through in his "crisp" style of playing

Brian arrived in 1961 with a different drumming style & has progressed & diversified over the years into a master musician.

Tony chose to leave drumming behind & who knows how far he could have gone if he had "stuck with it" as they say

Hmmmmm

Dick.

[Billyboygretsch]

Thanks guys I have learned a few things here. I was disappointed when Tony left the Shads and thought the Shads had gone a bit tame. I enjoyed the time he had with Jet and wished he had progressed further. I am a Keith Moon fan - I understand he is not a politically correct drummer but his In fills with some of the Who stuff was brilliant at the time. I certainly like Brian's playing and think he is inventive and extremely talented across a range of styles. I think Tony was a man for the time and considering his age brilliant for the Shads. The first album they made I actually listened to the drums as well as the guitars - sorry but not a thing I normally do except outside the Who.