RIP Charlie
August 24, 2021 2:38 PM Subscribe
Charlie Watts, drummer of the Rolling Stones, passed away today at age 80. According to the Daily Telegraph, he was one of the World's Best Dressed Men.
(their obit, non-paywalled)
I was never really a Rolling Stones fan, but after reading the obits today, I can definitely say that I am now a Charlie Watts fan.
posted by In The Annex at 2:41 PM on August 24, 2021 [14 favorites]
posted by In The Annex at 2:41 PM on August 24, 2021 [14 favorites]
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posted by HandfulOfDust at 2:42 PM on August 24, 2021
posted by HandfulOfDust at 2:42 PM on August 24, 2021
Charlie. I see him with the rest of the boys at Andy Warhol’s place on Montauk, part of the mayhem but also not, the calm observer cracking a wry smile at the madness, sometimes giving in. If I was a Stone, I’d be Charlie. Godspeed, and thank you.
posted by Capt. Renault at 2:44 PM on August 24, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by Capt. Renault at 2:44 PM on August 24, 2021 [4 favorites]
Paul McCartney, Elton John, Ringo Starr, The Who, Joan Jett, Brian Wilson and many others check in
posted by chavenet at 2:53 PM on August 24, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 2:53 PM on August 24, 2021 [3 favorites]
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posted by snuffleupagus at 2:55 PM on August 24, 2021
posted by snuffleupagus at 2:55 PM on August 24, 2021
Watts put a high value on style and often had a hand in the design of the Stones’ gigs. In 1975, inspired by the way Orleans jazz bands promoted their gigs, he arranged for the Stones to hold a press conference in New York playing Brown Sugar on the back of a truck in the middle of Manhattan traffic.
posted by ALeaflikeStructure at 2:59 PM on August 24, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by ALeaflikeStructure at 2:59 PM on August 24, 2021 [7 favorites]
The Rolling Stones was the first rock band I saw live. It was 1965 and I was 11 years old. I didn't tell my parents and had to sneak out of the house. My wonderful older brother took me to the show. One of the best experienced of my life. Thanks Charlie, for all the years of excellent drumming.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 3:08 PM on August 24, 2021 [34 favorites]
posted by a humble nudibranch at 3:08 PM on August 24, 2021 [34 favorites]
Rush covering "Paint It Black" in 2003 (the Rolling Stones played the same concert). Neil Peart plays a Charlie Watts-style subset of his massive drum set.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:09 PM on August 24, 2021 [8 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 3:09 PM on August 24, 2021 [8 favorites]
I saw the Rolling Stones at the Capital Center in December 1981 (hey, here's a soundboard recording). I was 17 and a junior in high school. Everybody was younger then.
Bobby Womack was the opening act. I was too young and stupid to appreciate him.
Prince was an opening act for them at the LA Coliseum, along with The J. Geils Band and George Thorogood & the Destroyers) and Prince got booed off the stage after three songs. I guess they didn't like his Jimi Hendrix cosplay.
George Thorogood & the Destroyers opening for The Rolling Stones in 1981? C'mon son, that is a rock concert.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:20 PM on August 24, 2021 [11 favorites]
Bobby Womack was the opening act. I was too young and stupid to appreciate him.
Prince was an opening act for them at the LA Coliseum, along with The J. Geils Band and George Thorogood & the Destroyers) and Prince got booed off the stage after three songs. I guess they didn't like his Jimi Hendrix cosplay.
George Thorogood & the Destroyers opening for The Rolling Stones in 1981? C'mon son, that is a rock concert.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:20 PM on August 24, 2021 [11 favorites]
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Funny personal connection -- my Dad grew up in the same neighborhood and went to the same secondary school (Tylers Croft) just a year or two behind him.
posted by feckless at 3:25 PM on August 24, 2021 [1 favorite]
Funny personal connection -- my Dad grew up in the same neighborhood and went to the same secondary school (Tylers Croft) just a year or two behind him.
posted by feckless at 3:25 PM on August 24, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by The_Auditor at 3:26 PM on August 24, 2021
posted by The_Auditor at 3:26 PM on August 24, 2021
playing Brown Sugar on the back of a truck
Maybe Charlie's idea but it goes back as least as far as 1958 with Jerry Lee Lewis in 'High School Confidential!'
posted by Rash at 3:30 PM on August 24, 2021
Maybe Charlie's idea but it goes back as least as far as 1958 with Jerry Lee Lewis in 'High School Confidential!'
posted by Rash at 3:30 PM on August 24, 2021
paint it black (mono)
probably one of his best performances
under my thumb(cw warning - misogynist lyrics) shows how hard the stones could swing with him drumming
all down the line is just straight ahead rock
hand of fate where you can really hear charlie following keith, who was the real time keeper in the band, and how they adjusted to one another
special note to flapjax at midnight - last time we discussed charlie, you said you didn't like the way he rushed his fills before the beat, which is personal preference, of course, but after spending some time listening to lots of brazilian music, i think he got that from samba drummers, as many of them seem to like that kind of fill
posted by pyramid termite at 3:30 PM on August 24, 2021 [7 favorites]
probably one of his best performances
under my thumb(cw warning - misogynist lyrics) shows how hard the stones could swing with him drumming
all down the line is just straight ahead rock
hand of fate where you can really hear charlie following keith, who was the real time keeper in the band, and how they adjusted to one another
special note to flapjax at midnight - last time we discussed charlie, you said you didn't like the way he rushed his fills before the beat, which is personal preference, of course, but after spending some time listening to lots of brazilian music, i think he got that from samba drummers, as many of them seem to like that kind of fill
posted by pyramid termite at 3:30 PM on August 24, 2021 [7 favorites]
🥁
posted by clavdivs at 3:35 PM on August 24, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by clavdivs at 3:35 PM on August 24, 2021 [3 favorites]
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posted by jim in austin at 3:36 PM on August 24, 2021
posted by jim in austin at 3:36 PM on August 24, 2021
RIP Charlie Watts, a man who never lost sight of the importance of proper tailoring when you are getting ready to punch Mick Jagger
posted by doctornemo at 3:39 PM on August 24, 2021 [37 favorites]
posted by doctornemo at 3:39 PM on August 24, 2021 [37 favorites]
I see him with the rest of the boys at Andy Warhol’s place on Montauk
Rare Photos of the Rolling Stones at Andy Warhol's Montauk Church Estate in Long Island, 1975 - this was a link somewhere, maybe even an FPP at the time of their discovery. I remember somebody coveting the pointy hoodie Charlie's wearing in the second pic.
posted by Rash at 3:40 PM on August 24, 2021 [4 favorites]
Rare Photos of the Rolling Stones at Andy Warhol's Montauk Church Estate in Long Island, 1975 - this was a link somewhere, maybe even an FPP at the time of their discovery. I remember somebody coveting the pointy hoodie Charlie's wearing in the second pic.
posted by Rash at 3:40 PM on August 24, 2021 [4 favorites]
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As his colleagues cavorted and wriggled, pouted and leered, Watts took refuge in unshockable Zen-like cool
True.
posted by dobbs at 3:53 PM on August 24, 2021 [4 favorites]
As his colleagues cavorted and wriggled, pouted and leered, Watts took refuge in unshockable Zen-like cool
True.
posted by dobbs at 3:53 PM on August 24, 2021 [4 favorites]
Charlie was so much more than the Stones' drummer. If you want to hear the beat/soundtrack to the last 50 years, put on Street Fighting Man, crank up the volume and listen to Charlie play. Oh, Mick's lyrics, Keith's guitar and Bill's base can be heard too, but it is the drums that make that song rock with intensity.
He had quite the life I imagine.
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posted by AugustWest at 3:58 PM on August 24, 2021 [3 favorites]
He had quite the life I imagine.
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posted by AugustWest at 3:58 PM on August 24, 2021 [3 favorites]
Charlie Watts on Desert Island Discs - February, 2001
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 4:00 PM on August 24, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 4:00 PM on August 24, 2021 [6 favorites]
🥁
posted by carmicha at 4:03 PM on August 24, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by carmicha at 4:03 PM on August 24, 2021 [1 favorite]
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Charlie was just an all around great drummer. Here's a live performance of Paint It Black in 1966 - just an impossibly cool and steady beat.
Also was not expecting to read this (NYTimes obit):
While his bandmates cultivated an attitude of debauched insouciance, Watts, the band’s drummer since 1963, kept a quiet, even glum, public persona. He avoided the limelight, wore bespoke suits from Savile Row tailors and remained married to the same woman for more than 50 years.
This from a member of a band whose bassist seduced a fourteen year old and whose lead singer has a son who is younger than his great-grandson.
posted by fortitude25 at 4:18 PM on August 24, 2021 [8 favorites]
Charlie was just an all around great drummer. Here's a live performance of Paint It Black in 1966 - just an impossibly cool and steady beat.
Also was not expecting to read this (NYTimes obit):
While his bandmates cultivated an attitude of debauched insouciance, Watts, the band’s drummer since 1963, kept a quiet, even glum, public persona. He avoided the limelight, wore bespoke suits from Savile Row tailors and remained married to the same woman for more than 50 years.
This from a member of a band whose bassist seduced a fourteen year old and whose lead singer has a son who is younger than his great-grandson.
posted by fortitude25 at 4:18 PM on August 24, 2021 [8 favorites]
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I've been a Stones fan since high school (saw them live once, during the Voodoo Lounge tour), and Charlie has always been my favourite member of the band for all of the reasons other people have outlined above. I hope Mick and Keith keep to their previous statements to the effect that "no Charlie, no Stones," because this seems like a logical, if sad, end point. What a drummer, what a gentleman. Married to his wife Shirley for 57 years...is that the record for a rock star? If not, it has to be close. I'm gonna dig deep into my Stones vinyl tonight and raise a glass or three to an absolute legend.
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:23 PM on August 24, 2021 [5 favorites]
I've been a Stones fan since high school (saw them live once, during the Voodoo Lounge tour), and Charlie has always been my favourite member of the band for all of the reasons other people have outlined above. I hope Mick and Keith keep to their previous statements to the effect that "no Charlie, no Stones," because this seems like a logical, if sad, end point. What a drummer, what a gentleman. Married to his wife Shirley for 57 years...is that the record for a rock star? If not, it has to be close. I'm gonna dig deep into my Stones vinyl tonight and raise a glass or three to an absolute legend.
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:23 PM on August 24, 2021 [5 favorites]
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posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 4:28 PM on August 24, 2021
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 4:28 PM on August 24, 2021
From the above mentioned Desert Island Discs, his favorite thereof. Now therein lies a story we may never know. A splash from the forty.
posted by y2karl at 4:30 PM on August 24, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by y2karl at 4:30 PM on August 24, 2021 [1 favorite]
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It says a lot about the kind of drummer he was that in the Rolling Stones' entire catalog, there is not a single drum solo. He didn't need or want a spotlight. He had absolute confidence in his importance to the groove and feel of the band.
posted by wabbittwax at 4:33 PM on August 24, 2021 [11 favorites]
It says a lot about the kind of drummer he was that in the Rolling Stones' entire catalog, there is not a single drum solo. He didn't need or want a spotlight. He had absolute confidence in his importance to the groove and feel of the band.
posted by wabbittwax at 4:33 PM on August 24, 2021 [11 favorites]
I saw the Stones in August of 1989 at the LA Coliseum. Living Color and Guns and Roses opened for them. I was 19, and too young and too stupid to recognize Charlie's greatness.
Fair winds and following seas...
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posted by dfm500 at 4:50 PM on August 24, 2021 [2 favorites]
Fair winds and following seas...
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posted by dfm500 at 4:50 PM on August 24, 2021 [2 favorites]
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posted by BlackLeotardFront at 4:51 PM on August 24, 2021
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 4:51 PM on August 24, 2021
After listening to all the good Rolling Stones links above, I am going to sit back and spend the rest of the evening listening to the Charlie Watts Orchestra Live at Fulham Town Hall.
posted by PhineasGage at 5:00 PM on August 24, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by PhineasGage at 5:00 PM on August 24, 2021 [5 favorites]
"no Charlie, no Stones,"
Given they were already preparing to go out on tour without him this year I'm not so sure about that...
posted by awfurby at 5:05 PM on August 24, 2021 [2 favorites]
Given they were already preparing to go out on tour without him this year I'm not so sure about that...
posted by awfurby at 5:05 PM on August 24, 2021 [2 favorites]
When I was getting in to classic rock as a somewhat geeky junior high student in the late 70s discovering the back catalogue of the Stones was quite a big deal.
Also, I would stare at Charlie Watts on the record covers because there was just something so distinctive about his face. I've always been fascinated by faces, and have drawn 100's of 1000s of them in my life. He seemed removed, in a sense, self contained, and very unlike other rock stars of the period.
I gave up on the band years ago, but from time to time would listen to their old classics, and over the years I grew to appreciate just how good he was, and how important he was to the band. A truly great drummer who had swing like the best rock and roll drummers.
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posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 5:06 PM on August 24, 2021 [2 favorites]
Also, I would stare at Charlie Watts on the record covers because there was just something so distinctive about his face. I've always been fascinated by faces, and have drawn 100's of 1000s of them in my life. He seemed removed, in a sense, self contained, and very unlike other rock stars of the period.
I gave up on the band years ago, but from time to time would listen to their old classics, and over the years I grew to appreciate just how good he was, and how important he was to the band. A truly great drummer who had swing like the best rock and roll drummers.
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posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 5:06 PM on August 24, 2021 [2 favorites]
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posted by Silvery Fish at 5:07 PM on August 24, 2021
posted by Silvery Fish at 5:07 PM on August 24, 2021
His quiet "it's-a-living" demeanor certainly contrasted from the rest of the Stones. I vaguely remember seeing a gag personals questionnaire that Mick Jagger filled out for a magazine interview. In it was the question "Biggest Disappointment" and the answer was "Meeting Charlie Watts." (I'm sure it was in jest, I forget the context though)
Hope he gets to jam with Max Roach wherever he is.
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posted by RobotVoodooPower at 5:27 PM on August 24, 2021 [7 favorites]
Hope he gets to jam with Max Roach wherever he is.
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posted by RobotVoodooPower at 5:27 PM on August 24, 2021 [7 favorites]
The greatness of Charlie Watts was that even though his drums were the engine that made the whole Rolling Stones machine swing, and man could they legitimately swing, he could mostly care less about their music. He was a jazz cat, the world's biggest Bird fan, and he never bought into the whole rock mystique (Jagger? He bought in big time, haha). It was clear in every Stones concert and video, in the middle of the orchestrated chaos, there was his Buster Keaton stoneface, quietly laying down the groove. The Stones survived the loss of Brian Jones, and then Mick Taylor, and then Bill Wyman. They will certainly keep the Rolling Stones brand going as long as they can, but the Rolling Stones don't really exist without Charlie.
posted by HunterFelt at 5:34 PM on August 24, 2021 [21 favorites]
posted by HunterFelt at 5:34 PM on August 24, 2021 [21 favorites]
My Dad's a big Stones fans so I've seen them live a few times.
Charlie always looked bemused. I thought that was a pretty great attitude towards the whole spectacle.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:59 PM on August 24, 2021 [7 favorites]
Charlie always looked bemused. I thought that was a pretty great attitude towards the whole spectacle.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:59 PM on August 24, 2021 [7 favorites]
Clean, swinging, and playing exactly the right amount and not a hit more. I've always thought that a lot of the appeal of the Stones in the classic era was Watts and Wyman being a few years older than the rest of the band and being jazz guys who brought that into the mix while the rest of the band were blues and R-and-B types. Brian Jones started the band, but without that rhythm section, I think they would have been playing Howling Wolf covers in London for eighteen months and then gone on to day jobs.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:24 PM on August 24, 2021 [9 favorites]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:24 PM on August 24, 2021 [9 favorites]
I admit that I am pretty cynical, especially with celebrity anecdotes. Coincidences become more coincidental, quips are edited to be wittier, verbal altercations become fistfights and fistfights become brawls.
But I choose to believe the "Don't ever call me your drummer again. You're my fucking singer!" story exactly as it is told because the world is a better, more just, and funnier place if Charlie Watts really shaved and dressed up to physically and verbally put Mick Jagger in his place when Jagger was being an asshole.
posted by Tehhund at 7:33 PM on August 24, 2021 [25 favorites]
But I choose to believe the "Don't ever call me your drummer again. You're my fucking singer!" story exactly as it is told because the world is a better, more just, and funnier place if Charlie Watts really shaved and dressed up to physically and verbally put Mick Jagger in his place when Jagger was being an asshole.
posted by Tehhund at 7:33 PM on August 24, 2021 [25 favorites]
Charlie Watts had a big interest in the American Civil War. My brother used to work for a company that made and sold high-end toy soldiers (military miniatures). Charlie was a good customer and bought their Civil War figures. My brother was never lucky enough to answer the phone when he called.
I read somewhere when the Stones toured the American South, Charlie would be off visiting Civil War battlefields while the band was recovering from the excesses of the previous evening.
posted by marxchivist at 8:23 PM on August 24, 2021 [11 favorites]
I read somewhere when the Stones toured the American South, Charlie would be off visiting Civil War battlefields while the band was recovering from the excesses of the previous evening.
posted by marxchivist at 8:23 PM on August 24, 2021 [11 favorites]
. ...
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:59 PM on August 24, 2021
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:59 PM on August 24, 2021
He is the ORIGINAL "...but I'd rather be playing jazz." rock drummer. Many have followed.
I don't know how he went through his entire career with that band while they went through their entire careers in the Rolling Stones. He was just so incongruous, or maybe I just haven't watched the historical DVDs. As a drummer not into the Stones, he seemed to just tick-tock his way through every song. I want to go through their records from beginning to end to find the parts that stick out because, and this is a compliment, he's that kind of invisible. This came up in the Ringo post some months back (2020?), that you don't have to be the best drummer in the world, you can be the best drummer for the band while they're a band. He's The One who did The Thing(s), and that makes him undeniable.
Charlie Watts had a big interest in the American Civil War.
What is it with these British drummers? Phil Collins is into the Alamo.
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posted by rhizome at 9:41 PM on August 24, 2021 [1 favorite]
I don't know how he went through his entire career with that band while they went through their entire careers in the Rolling Stones. He was just so incongruous, or maybe I just haven't watched the historical DVDs. As a drummer not into the Stones, he seemed to just tick-tock his way through every song. I want to go through their records from beginning to end to find the parts that stick out because, and this is a compliment, he's that kind of invisible. This came up in the Ringo post some months back (2020?), that you don't have to be the best drummer in the world, you can be the best drummer for the band while they're a band. He's The One who did The Thing(s), and that makes him undeniable.
Charlie Watts had a big interest in the American Civil War.
What is it with these British drummers? Phil Collins is into the Alamo.
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posted by rhizome at 9:41 PM on August 24, 2021 [1 favorite]
So many drummers and rockers paying tribute online. Bill Kreutzman's post.
Be honest now, raise your hand if you had Keith out lasting Charlie.
posted by AugustWest at 10:06 PM on August 24, 2021 [5 favorites]
Be honest now, raise your hand if you had Keith out lasting Charlie.
posted by AugustWest at 10:06 PM on August 24, 2021 [5 favorites]
Be honest now, raise your hand if you had Keith out lasting Charlie.
"I worry what kind of world we're leaving behind for Keith Richards." - Bill Hicks.
posted by Paul Slade at 12:29 AM on August 25, 2021 [24 favorites]
"I worry what kind of world we're leaving behind for Keith Richards." - Bill Hicks.
posted by Paul Slade at 12:29 AM on August 25, 2021 [24 favorites]
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posted by doctor_negative at 12:53 AM on August 25, 2021
posted by doctor_negative at 12:53 AM on August 25, 2021
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posted by Joey Michaels at 3:40 AM on August 25, 2021
posted by Joey Michaels at 3:40 AM on August 25, 2021
They really, truly just don’t make ‘em like that anymore.
RIP
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posted by dbiedny at 4:06 AM on August 25, 2021
RIP
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posted by dbiedny at 4:06 AM on August 25, 2021
I know he has flashier performances, but my favorite is Let It Bleed where he's stretched out so much, he sounds like his beat is a half second late. The effect is alternately like he's either loping behind or nudging them ahead from the rear. It's effortlessly cool.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:42 AM on August 25, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:42 AM on August 25, 2021 [7 favorites]
The Rolling Stones were still charting big-time when I was in high school, and I had a crush on Mr. Watts in particular. Quiet, cute, showed up to his job like a union pipefitter and played the hell out of the drums. And a natty dresser into the bargain.
And "Let It Bleed" is probably my favorite tune of theirs, seconding DirtyOldTown.
Clay Pigeon's morning show on WFMU is paying special attention to the Rolling Stones today. It's on for another hour or so.
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posted by Sheydem-tants at 4:48 AM on August 25, 2021 [3 favorites]
And "Let It Bleed" is probably my favorite tune of theirs, seconding DirtyOldTown.
Clay Pigeon's morning show on WFMU is paying special attention to the Rolling Stones today. It's on for another hour or so.
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posted by Sheydem-tants at 4:48 AM on August 25, 2021 [3 favorites]
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posted by hap_hazard at 5:33 AM on August 25, 2021
posted by hap_hazard at 5:33 AM on August 25, 2021
Now playing: From the Vault: Live in Leeds 1982. Charlie is hammering hard and the rest are locked in. The rest of the 80s were pretty rough for the band but this was a high point in terms of everything working.
Charlie was the heartbeat and he knew exactly how to power the band; when to let up and when to pick up the tempo. His telepathy with Keef and Wyman was legendary. In this age of click tracks and programmed beats, we won't see the likes of him on the charts again. So play some Stones today and play it loud, just like they did.
posted by Ber at 7:09 AM on August 25, 2021 [4 favorites]
Charlie was the heartbeat and he knew exactly how to power the band; when to let up and when to pick up the tempo. His telepathy with Keef and Wyman was legendary. In this age of click tracks and programmed beats, we won't see the likes of him on the charts again. So play some Stones today and play it loud, just like they did.
posted by Ber at 7:09 AM on August 25, 2021 [4 favorites]
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posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 8:30 AM on August 25, 2021
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 8:30 AM on August 25, 2021
high-end toy soldiers (military miniatures)
Come to bed honey!
I'll be right there, I'm killing a squad!
posted by Meatbomb at 9:00 AM on August 25, 2021
Come to bed honey!
I'll be right there, I'm killing a squad!
posted by Meatbomb at 9:00 AM on August 25, 2021
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posted by Mister Bijou at 9:10 AM on August 25, 2021
posted by Mister Bijou at 9:10 AM on August 25, 2021
Huge Stones fan and always admired his cool detached persona as much as his lock on the groove ... as if he hadn't brought it with him they'd have needed to create it.
So Jesus, now we've finally reached the period when the rockers follow in the footsteps of the old jazz and bluesmen who just keep singing until they drop - which must be why the moment I heard this all I could think of was Dylan singing "it's not dark yet, but it's gettin' there."
posted by thecincinnatikid at 9:12 AM on August 25, 2021
So Jesus, now we've finally reached the period when the rockers follow in the footsteps of the old jazz and bluesmen who just keep singing until they drop - which must be why the moment I heard this all I could think of was Dylan singing "it's not dark yet, but it's gettin' there."
posted by thecincinnatikid at 9:12 AM on August 25, 2021
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posted by Silverstone at 10:20 AM on August 25, 2021
posted by Silverstone at 10:20 AM on August 25, 2021
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posted by spinifex23 at 10:33 AM on August 25, 2021
posted by spinifex23 at 10:33 AM on August 25, 2021
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posted by Token Meme at 10:52 AM on August 25, 2021
posted by Token Meme at 10:52 AM on August 25, 2021
all I could think of was Dylan singing "it's not dark yet, but it's gettin' there."
It's 24 years to the day since Not Dark Yet's single release. 24 years (plus about 6 weeks) before that, Dylan released Knockin' On Heaven's Door. I'm not saying Bobby's an unreliable prophet of doom, but I did hear Harold Camping took his correspondence course.
posted by howfar at 10:53 AM on August 25, 2021 [5 favorites]
It's 24 years to the day since Not Dark Yet's single release. 24 years (plus about 6 weeks) before that, Dylan released Knockin' On Heaven's Door. I'm not saying Bobby's an unreliable prophet of doom, but I did hear Harold Camping took his correspondence course.
posted by howfar at 10:53 AM on August 25, 2021 [5 favorites]
So Jesus, now we've finally reached the period when the rockers follow in the footsteps of the old jazz and bluesmen who just keep singing until they drop
I'm really glad to see this. I remember maybe twenty years ago reading suggestions that rock is for young people and the old musicians should bow out - and thinking that was just because rock hadn't been around long enough for us to see old rockers. But we clearly have them now, and I love to see someone like Watts who just kept going. And I hope the young musicians now follow that example and do the same.
posted by FencingGal at 11:55 AM on August 25, 2021 [3 favorites]
I'm really glad to see this. I remember maybe twenty years ago reading suggestions that rock is for young people and the old musicians should bow out - and thinking that was just because rock hadn't been around long enough for us to see old rockers. But we clearly have them now, and I love to see someone like Watts who just kept going. And I hope the young musicians now follow that example and do the same.
posted by FencingGal at 11:55 AM on August 25, 2021 [3 favorites]
We were fortunate to be gifted tickets to the Rolling Stones' "American Tour" appearance in Los Angeles in 1981. I have no memory of the opening bands, but I'll never forget that the Stones opened with "Time is On My Side," and the crowd immediately surged to its feet and sang along. A transcendent moment. Thanks for all the great music, Charlie! Rest in Perfect time. ♥
posted by Lynsey at 1:10 PM on August 25, 2021
posted by Lynsey at 1:10 PM on August 25, 2021
We were fortunate to be gifted tickets to the Rolling Stones' "American Tour" appearance in Los Angeles in 1981. I have no memory of the opening bands,
Nobody does, because it was FOOTBALL PANTS MICK
posted by rhizome at 3:51 PM on August 25, 2021
Nobody does, because it was FOOTBALL PANTS MICK
posted by rhizome at 3:51 PM on August 25, 2021
I'm not saying Bobby's an unreliable prophet of doom, but I did hear Harold Camping took his correspondence course.
It ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It don’t matter, anyhow
posted by thecincinnatikid at 5:08 PM on August 25, 2021
It ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It don’t matter, anyhow
posted by thecincinnatikid at 5:08 PM on August 25, 2021
Be honest now, raise your hand if you had Keith out lasting Charlie.
Well, he is younger. Chronologically speaking.
posted by atoxyl at 12:52 AM on August 26, 2021
Well, he is younger. Chronologically speaking.
posted by atoxyl at 12:52 AM on August 26, 2021
Questlove on the True Genius of Charlie Watts: ‘Only Real Drummers Know’
know a lot has been debated on, “What’s the perfect bracket between the Stones’ work: Where did it start and where does it end?” But in my opinion, he’s always been a solid foundational drummer. He was the anti-drummer. He wasn’t performative to let you know how hard he was fucking working. He gave you the basic foundation.posted by kirkaracha at 10:28 AM on August 26, 2021
...
A solid foundation, to me, is more important than the size of your drum set or how fast you drum or how loud you drum. And only real drummers know the value of Charlie Watts and the fact that he was the world’s greatest metronome. His serious drumming and stoic drumming was kind of my blueprint with the Roots. Because Charlie did less, that made him more.
...
The average amateur or newbie will probably think, “The less that I do, the more it will reveal that I’m not as skilled as the next person.” And that’s absolutely, positively not the case of Charlie Watts. His level of drumming, especially the fact that it was so unorthodox, I definitely could hear a difference in my drumming, once I stopped depending on the hi-hat for a lot. Like with “Brown Sugar,” that’s a great example where his concentration on the kick and the snare and not so much on the hi-hat actually makes it bigger, the same with the four-on-the-floor — or in this case, the eight-on-the-floor — for “Satisfaction.” Just the fact that he does less and that makes it sounds heavier.
Finally found video that focuses on Charlie's drumming. Jumping Jack Flash. It's beautiful to watch.
posted by FencingGal at 12:58 PM on August 26, 2021
posted by FencingGal at 12:58 PM on August 26, 2021
That video illustrates a greatness in Watts' ability to keep time, because everybody else in that band is a WRECK, timewise.
posted by rhizome at 1:45 PM on August 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 1:45 PM on August 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
That's always been the Stones' glory in a perverse kind of way though, hasn't it? Even after all those years of playing these songs together they're still capable of being quite louche and sloppy on any given night. Better that that than the lifeless, robotic perfection of some lesser bands, I'd say.
posted by Paul Slade at 2:09 PM on August 26, 2021
posted by Paul Slade at 2:09 PM on August 26, 2021
Not sure if anyone outside the UK will be able to watch this, but the BBC aired some footage of Watts playing with a couple of his side projects last night. There's a two-piano boogie boogie quartet there, plus a little jazz combo. Some interview clips too.
posted by Paul Slade at 1:13 AM on August 28, 2021
posted by Paul Slade at 1:13 AM on August 28, 2021
Charlie Watts Confused After Running Into Keith Richards In The Afterlife
posted by Lyme Drop at 11:47 AM on August 28, 2021
posted by Lyme Drop at 11:47 AM on August 28, 2021
‘Not just a drummer – a genre’: Stewart Copeland and Max Weinberg on Charlie Watts
posted by y2karl at 1:30 PM on August 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by y2karl at 1:30 PM on August 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
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posted by whatevernot at 2:39 PM on August 24, 2021