My wife just informed me that Charlie Watts has died. Despite never being a huge Rolling Stones fan, I’m gutted by this news.
I just told her the “I’m not your drummer, you’re my singer” story and she said “good for him!”
Charlie Watts RIP
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This is very very sad.
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-58316842
Oh that is really sad. My Mum, a Station Hotel, Eel Pie Island and Crawdaddy Club regular back in 60-63 has just messaged me about this saying it’s the end of an era. Very true.
Oh man. Feared this coming, what with recent news. Let’s hope that the Stones do the decent thing and knock it on the head after they fulfil their dates in the book. Pretty sure they won’t, though.
This ‘Charlie Cam’ is great.
Hope they cancel the remaining dates. One thing to have someone sitting in while “recuperation” is going on. This is something else. They did play live about 3 days after Brian died though.
He was good “tonight” – and every night.
What an ‘effin black day.
So Sad.
Somehow had him down as the Stone likely to last the longest. One of the good guys, and truly one of the greats of rock and roll. RIP Charlie.
Keef will outlive them all.
No drums at home, so he only went on tour to play the drums.
Every great band needs a solid drummer, and he was one of the solid-est.
Was trying to think of my favourite Charlie drum track. But it’s too difficult. There are just so many great ones. Probably Sister Morphine at the moment. He waits until about halfway through the song before he comes in: and it’s worth it when he does!
Brown Sugar must be one of mine. That swinging rocking back beat. There’s a reason you have to dance to it, and why nearly every covers band murders it.
100 Years Ago is mine. He effortlessly stays behind the beat through all the tempo changes. Amazing.
Fairly obvious choice from me – Get Off Of My Cloud.
Holds it all together, spot on beat,locks in with Bill’s (simple?) bass line, almost metronomic, with a swing
If I may…the other side of Charlie…nobody swings quite like this…
That’s so sad. One of the great drummers. They’ll be swinging up there tonight.
Any drummers on here who fancy giving a more technical dissection of his merits? Did he really play ‘behind the beat’ as they say, or is that just a lazy expression used by people who don’t really know drumming?
(I have no idea. In the words of that guy from Whiplash, I couldn’t tell you if a drummer is ‘rushing’ or ‘dragging’.)
One of the key aspects of the Stones sound is that most bands’ foundation is the bass player and drummer who will lock in together in their playing (to varying degrees of tightness). Guitarists and keyboardists arrange themselves around that sonic foundation, with the singers and soloists sitting on top of the whole thing. The Stones were different in that Charlie locked in with Keith rather than Bill. So they’re whole sonic architecture was different. He certainly played behind (rather than on top of) the beat, but I think it’s the whole band dynamic that makes the Stones really sound like the Stones.
Nice article- there’s going to be a million of them.
Another query re Charlie. How did he rate all their albums. What did he think of the reggae and disco excursions.?The later period mediocrity?
To loosely paraphrase one of my favourite of Charlie’s lines: “I never listen to ’em after we’ve made them. It’s kids’ music, this.”