1984 Sound Check Audio

[ScottyBHarris]

This was interesting, never heard this particular clip before. Nothing monumental, but kind of a cool find.

[salg]

Sounds like a smidgen of sucker in a three piece starting at the 1:00 mark.

[Jesus H Christ]

This was interesting, never heard this particular clip before. Nothing monumental, but kind of a cool find.

Pretty cool.

The fake drums Al used on the 1984 and 5150 tours sound awful.

[PrideofPasadena]

Sounds like a smidgen of sucker in a three piece starting at the 1:00 mark.

Na, it's just Panama.
I know what part you mean, though. Probably the same chords are used in Sucker.

[JUNGLE DRUMMER]

Pretty cool.

The fake drums Al used on the 1984 and 5150 tours sound awful.

Yeah, Al got a MUCH better sound out of those Simmons pads on the Diver Down tour. Not sure what he was thinking for those next couple tours, though. Electric drum pads have come a long way since the 80s to be fair. Danny Carey from TOOL is a drummer who has gotten some pretty cool sounds out of his over the years.

[noise next door]

Alex does sound awesome on Roto Toms

[JUNGLE DRUMMER]

Alex does sound awesome on Roto Toms

Yep. Roto toms are just plain awesome. Those Pearl Vibra toms, or whatever they were called, the rotos that were mounted on full shells, that he had on WACF were waaaay cool. And the drums on the 1984 album sound great. But his choice of the programmed Simmons pads for the subsequent tour, and 5150 tour, was terrible.

I wish he had taken his roto tom kit from the Jump video out on the 1984 tour and filled it out with his Octobans. But actually PLAY the Octobans like he did on past tours, instead of just having them up there for show and looks.

[JUNGLE DRUMMER]

When I was a kid, I could never understand why, when I'd watch LWAN, that Alex would have all those magnificent vistalite Octobans at his disposal and he NEVER once hit the damn things.

Especially when you watch the old live video of You're No Good and you hear how awesome they sounded on the VHII tour...

[Van Hampshire]

Yep. Roto toms are just plain awesome. Those Pearl Vibra toms, or whatever they were called, the rotos that were mounted on full shells, that he had on WACF were waaaay cool. And the drums on the 1984 album sound great. But his choice of the programmed Simmons pads for the subsequent tour, and 5150 tour, was terrible.

I wish he had taken his roto tom kit from the Jump video out on the 1984 tour and filled it out with his Octobans. But actually PLAY the Octobans like he did on past tours, instead of just having them up there for show and looks.

see now I disagree. I think the Simmons sounds from 84 and 5150 were great. He used the same Simmons brain all the way up to 1988 which was the SDS-V. My first VH concert at 15 years old was 5150 and Alex just blew me away. I even saved up money from a summer job the following year and bought myself a simmons set to try and sound like him. I get that they were cheesy and Alex is definitely better off with acoustic drums but I loved the 1984 set the best out of all of hi sets. I still have my simmons set too allthough I rarely ever use them.

[japeape]

Never understood the idea of a Rock drummer using those things in the 80's.

It was a New Wave kinda thing, worked with those kinds of bands, but it sounded
ridiculous with guys banging out huge chords & riffs, like VH.

Even the intro to HFT, at the time, i thought it was someone drumming their fingers
onto a microphone head.
Swear to God.

When the actual drums kick in, with Alex' sound, then it sounds like a rock band.

The only time i liked it, was the effect it created at the end of GGB.

[track 5]

Especially when you watch the old live video of You're No Good and you hear how awesome they sounded on the VHII tour...

I always thought he was too fucked up to hit them. LOL. Out.

[PT 5150]

I thought the Simmons drums were cool on LWAN I love during his solo when he goes around them and it goes left to right on my surround sound speakers.... 5150 the album could have been recorded on a standard kit though..