More Top 40 Vinnie

You down a Canarsie Daiquiri and lead the copz on a Low Speed Chase with a Galactic Ballerina in the backseat with an Ass Man and an Orgasmatron. No, that's not quite right. Hey Zawinul . . .

5/8... always got something up your gatefold sleeve thanks 2 frank! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Warren Cuccurullo's THANKS TO FRANK disc contains ten studio tracks Vinnie played on (plus one live track with Jerry Cuccurullo on drums). Nick Beggs of Kajagoogoo (remember Too Shy Shy?) fame plays bass on five of those tracks and Pino Palladino, the famous British session bassist, handled the other five on August 20th and 28th, 1994. Two days that will definitely go down in Vinnie history. The time frame was shortly after the infamous OJ low speed chase and about the time Vinnie was recording his solo CD. Warren says he absolutely wanted Vinnie for the songs so the studio tracks were done in two 16 hour time blocks when Vinnie had a couple of days off from Sting. Seven of these tracks are first takes!! Two tracks are third takes and one is a second take. It's amazing they were in the studio for 32 hours when they were getting that much work done so quickly. I guess getting drum sounds, running down the tunes and other studio banalities ate up the time.

"Numero, what are the best discs containing these Vinnieisms in your opinion? I'm in a buying mood."

If you want to check out some killing pop drumming by Vinnie, check out Nik Kershaw's "The Works". The songs are actually really good and very well crafted. In my opinion, Nik is extremely underated as a writer, his melodies, chords and lyrics are fantastic, great pop tunes. Also, Vinnie is all over it like a cheap suit!! His playing rocks on that album. It is like the producer has hired Vinnie for his 'Vinnieisms' as you put it and just let him do his thing! There's a ridiculous one bar drum break that Vinnie plays which is just stupid too! See if you can find it!
I don't know if anyone can back this up (Randy?!) but I was told that Jeff Porcaro recorded the whole album, but they decided to get Vinnie to re-do it instead. In fact Jeff is on just the last track called "Walkabout" which is a typical 'Jeff' half time shuffle.

Thanks, D.

A HOD member, not Gamden, but who shall remain nameless for now, stiffed me on a trade for Kershaw's record. One of my dawgs will have it though, somewhere.

Dazz that kershaw cd is a collectors item and usually goes for ?30 upto ?60 (i've seen it for).

Shame they dont re-release it.

[img]rolleyes.gif[/img] Wow I didin't know that. I've got it on tape! I'll try to get it in Tower Records or something, they must have it on CD surely?
While we're on the subject of great pop playing by Vincent.. check out a track called "Patches of Happiness" by Julia Fordam. It's again, a great pop tune and is in 3/4. His playing is wicked and there's another silly fill in it out of a bridge into a chorus! The interplay between him and the bass is great too.

Yes, I am quite aware that the music is terrible on Big Drum by Buell Neidlinger, but the third track on that disc (Beujerk) is without question one of Vinnie's finest hours in my opinion. He throws in rock, funk, and jazz into all of his fills in that tune while playing swing, and it works perfectly. If you don't have it, check it out.

There's a "vinnieism" or two on Kimo Williams' Tracking. That's a definite must-own. Also check out Live at the Baked Potato vol. 1 & 2. Although Vinnie is on only one track on each, the other drummers are hardly chopped liver -- Weckl, Wackerman, Humphrey, Bissonette, Philips, Gottlieb. On Vol. 1 Vinnie, Abe L., Tavaglione, and Jeff Richman cover Peter Gabriel's Mercy Street and on Vol. 2 the same four play a reggae-ish groove that the Modern Drummer reviewer described as being something liked "deranged" and "distorted" by Vinnie. An apt description. I like 'em both.

'Th@nks 2 Fr@nk is definitely stellar in my book.
'Hey Zawinul' has a very cool Indian swing that Vinnie just locks into. Has anyone attempted to transcribe the solo from 'Indian Time Zones'?

Clint