Chris Slade is a machine

[Powerage5]

On 3/30/2017 at 7:41 PM, AlexC said:

I still miss seeing Phil smoking on stage not giving a fuck. It was cool.

It was cool - until he stopped giving a fuck about playing the songs right. He was a mess on the Black Ice tour. 

[The Archer]

On 3/29/2017 at 5:28 PM, James Bond said:

Question: Who phoned in the Black Ice tour and tried to hire a hitman because his shitty solo album failed?

Answer: Not Chris Slade.

 

 

^^^

This.

Also, there is the case to be made that AC/DC, as a band, is better off with Chris than with Rudd. I'm as big a fan of Rudd as anyone, but no matter how good a drummer he is, there's no point in having him if he isn't likely to be a productive member and contribute to the smooth functioning of the band. He may very well be perfect for the AC/DC 'sound'. However, if the man with all his shenanigans, contributes to the lack of any sound at all, no thanks.

In addition, with all due respect, Chris already exited the band once for Rudd. Rudd was kicked out of the band and it took a long, long time for him to be forgiven. Moreover, for my money, Razor's Edge is still the high point of the last 30+ years of the band. So, let's just keep Chris Slade banging away with his slightly imperfect drumming so that we can have a happy band that gives us a few more years of trouble-free touring without any drama, and maybe even another album or two. 

Finally, if Axl is going to be the new frontman (and co-song writer), there's no need to keep around a guy who's going to try and be a bigger asshole/dick than King Dick himself. It would likely not end pretty. For Phil Rudd, that is.

Edited April 2, 2017 by The Archer
clarity

[Powerage5]

36 minutes ago, The Archer said:

^^^

This.

Also, there is the case to be made that AC/DC, as a band, is better off with Chris than with Rudd. I'm a big fan of Rudd as anyone, but no matter how good a drummer he is, there's no point in having him if he isn't likely to be a productive member and contribute to the smooth functioning of the band. He may very well be perfect for the AC/DC 'sound'. However, if the man with all his shenanigans, contributes to the lack of any sound at all, no thanks.

In addition, with all due respect, Chris exited the band once for Rudd. Rudd was kicked out of the band and it took a long, long time for him to be forgiven. For my money, Razor's Edge is still the high point of the last 30+ years of the band. So, let's just keep Chris Slade banging away with his slightly imperfect drumming so that we can have a happy band that gives us a few more years of trouble-free touring without any drama, and maybe even another album or two. 

Finally, if Axl is going to be the new frontman (and co-song writer), there's no need to keep around a guy who's going to try and be a bigger asshole/dick than King Dick himself. It would likely not end pretty. For Phil Rudd, that is.

100%

 

Leaving out the Axl shows, it was the strongest period for the band since BIB/FTATR. The album was solid (Always appreciate how heavy it is compared to the rest of their catalog), Chris was a great addition after Simon left, Malcolm was back full force after his issues during BUYV, Angus was arguably at his post-Bon peak, and Brian sounded like he sold his soul to get the snarl he had - after sounding sub-par for the second half of the 80's, he somehow managed to throw down the best vocals of his career. As far as I'm concerned, The Razor's Edge tour produced some of the best shows AC/DC has ever played. They pumped out one of the most iconic concert videos of all time, there was the historic Moscow concert in '91, the setlists were generally pretty good.

 

All that's not to say I don't love almost everything else since, but there's just so much to love about The Razor's Edge era. Stiff Upper Lip and Rock Or Bust were both other post-Bon peaks IMO, but both eras pale in comparison to the sheer power of the band during The Razor's Edge. 

[AxlsFavoriteRose]

1 hour ago, The Archer said:

Yeah, and that manic grin of his. It's like the Terminator 's metal face grinning, when it loses its skin and flesh. Total Machine. Love him.

welcome back! been a long time. how are things?

yeah Chris Slade is great!

 

[AlexC]

4 hours ago, Powerage5 said:

It was cool - until he stopped giving a fuck about playing the songs right. He was a mess on the Black Ice tour. 

Tbh, my reference to Phil's playing during that period is purely based off of Live at River Plate and his playing on that is way better than the average Chris Slade performance these days.

[James Bond]

8 hours ago, AlexC said:

Tbh, my reference to Phil's playing during that period is purely based off of Live at River Plate and his playing on that is way better than the average Chris Slade performance these days.

Except that he skips half his old fills and doesn't even bother to do his signature cymbal/snare accents anywhere. Very lazy drumming, and that was true of the whole tour. It might be trivial but something like Hells Bells loses quite a bit without those crashes. The crowd and the generally good performance makes up for it a little.

It was like the fire of the amazing Phil from the Ballbreaker and Stiff Upper Lip eras had burned its final flame. That said, his drumming on Rock Or Bust was excellent. Easily his best studio drumming since he returned to the fold.

[AxlsFavoriteRose]

1 hour ago, James Bond said:

Except that he skips half his old fills and doesn't even bother to do his signature cymbal/snare accents anywhere. Very lazy drumming, and that was true of the whole tour. It might be trivial but something like Hells Bells loses quite a bit without those crashes. The crowd and the generally good performance makes up for it a little.

It was like the fire of the amazing Phil from the Ballbreaker and Stiff Upper Lip eras had burned its final flame. That said, his drumming on Rock Or Bust was excellent. Easily his best studio drumming since he returned to the fold.

the projects Slade has been on have required more versatility as a drummer. he's able to add more to the songs imo

[James Bond]

46 minutes ago, AxlsFavoriteRose said:

the projects Slade has been on have required more versatility as a drummer. he's able to add more to the songs imo

They're both excellent drummers who each brought something different to the songs.

Phil had the swagger and laid back approach that fit the songs to a tee. AC/DC is simple and groovy and that's what Phil was.

Chris plays with more precision but the sheer power he brings to the songs drives them full of energy. AC/DC is also power and energy and that's what Chris is.

Simon was more similar to Phil but I couldn't stand the sheer chaotic nature of his hi-hat playing. Splash splash splash. Give me Slade or the Rudd any day!

[AxlsFavoriteRose]

@James Bondfor sure

[AlexC]

14 hours ago, James Bond said:

Simon was more similar to Phil but I couldn't stand the sheer chaotic nature of his hi-hat playing. Splash splash splash. Give me Slade or the Rudd any day!

But that's what Chris Slade does, constantly hitting the hi-hat. Never leaves that thing alone it's so annoying.

[James Bond]

2 hours ago, AlexC said:

But that's what Chris Slade does, constantly hitting the hi-hat. Never leaves that thing alone it's so annoying.

He doesn't though. He just plays more consistent beats on the hi-hat.

Novice drummers often mistake Phil's hi-hat playing as only hitting quarter notes which isn't true of course. It was steady eighths but he'd accent all the on-beats, kind of like:

X x X x X x X x

If you listen to say Back in Black with Chris, it's more like:

x x x x x x x x

Simon's was just very washy. He kept the hi-hat far too open and just smashed the crap out of it. That isn't what Slade does at all.

[Powerage5]

When you really dig into this stuff, it's amazing how much difference there is between the three. People joke about how easy a gig it is to be a drummer for AC/DC, but the level of nuance they all have which makes their styles distinctive is mind-boggling. It really says something for all of them that they can completely change the dynamic of the songs by putting their own spin on a simple 4 beat. 

[AxlsFavoriteRose]

8 minutes ago, Powerage5 said:

When you really dig into this stuff, it's amazing how much difference there is between the three. People joke about how easy a gig it is to be a drummer for AC/DC, but the level of nuance they all have which makes their styles distinctive is mind-boggling. It really says something for all of them that they can completely change the dynamic of the songs by putting their own spin on a simple 4 beat. 

a long time ago before i really knew much about music i thought why the fuss about drummers? they seemed like the least important component in a band. i was so wrong...most recent example is uh GN'R's current drummer ( not naming names! )

kind of off topic but i did like what the drummer did in That Thing You Do!

[The Archer]

On 4/1/2017 at 1:12 AM, AxlsFavoriteRose said:

welcome back! been a long time. how are things?

yeah Chris Slade is great!

 

 

Thanks. Things have been tough, and I miss having the time to get on here more often. But, they're getting better and I hope to be back soon.

[AxlsFavoriteRose]

6 minutes ago, The Archer said:

Thanks. Things have been tough, and I miss having the time to get on here more often. But, they're getting better and I hope to be back soon.

sorry about the tough times but good to hear you're doing better  hope to see more of you soon!

 

[James Bond]

3 hours ago, Powerage5 said:

When you really dig into this stuff, it's amazing how much difference there is between the three. People joke about how easy a gig it is to be a drummer for AC/DC, but the level of nuance they all have which makes their styles distinctive is mind-boggling. It really says something for all of them that they can completely change the dynamic of the songs by putting their own spin on a simple 4 beat. 

Definitely. That's not to say I didn't like Simon on the albums but I always felt like he didn't gel with them as much.

I've had similar arguments with people over AC/DC riffs on guitar many times over the years.

"Oh it's easy it's all power chords" is what I usually hear and yet if that's the approach you take to their chord voicings you're already doing it wrong!

[The Archer]

On 4/1/2017 at 0:30 AM, Powerage5 said:

100%

 

Leaving out the Axl shows, it was the strongest period for the band since BIB/FTATR. The album was solid (Always appreciate how heavy it is compared to the rest of their catalog), Chris was a great addition after Simon left, Malcolm was back full force after his issues during BUYV, Angus was arguably at his post-Bon peak, and Brian sounded like he sold his soul to get the snarl he had - after sounding sub-par for the second half of the 80's, he somehow managed to throw down the best vocals of his career. As far as I'm concerned, The Razor's Edge tour produced some of the best shows AC/DC has ever played. They pumped out one of the most iconic concert videos of all time, there was the historic Moscow concert in '91, the setlists were generally pretty good.

 

All that's not to say I don't love almost everything else since, but there's just so much to love about The Razor's Edge era. Stiff Upper Lip and Rock Or Bust were both other post-Bon peaks IMO, but both eras pale in comparison to the sheer power of the band during The Razor's Edge. 

 

Also, as I recall the first time I watched the video for Thunderstruck on Top of the Pops, it was Slade making faces and banging the drums hard that was my favorite part.

[AxlsFavoriteRose]

4 minutes ago, The Archer said:

Also, as I recall the first time I watched the video for Thunderstruck on Top of the Pops, it was Slade making faces and banging the drums hard that was my favorite part.

haha! that's great