SIMON PHILLIPS - The thread about Simon

[willyz]

There's so much going on in that tune, but it's all so musical and straight forward at the same time. I really dig Simon and his sound/approach, not to mention the other dudes in the band. Holy fuck.

I'd really love to see them live in the US.

[Juan Expósito]

Langmick posted this on the weekend chatty.
I didn´t knew it and I love it.
Simon is the most faithful drummer I know, as far as his drumset and sound from his "early" years until now.

[Kurtis]

Great find by Langmick. Didn't sleep much last night after watching this. It wasn't so much his playing but what he was saying. Was he around late 20's or early 30's? He's so solid in his playing.

[Old Pit Guy]

I hate reading "I saw him better than you saw him" drummer worship threads with a passion, but here I go.

I was just getting serious about playing when some friends got together to see Judas Priest on the Sin after Sin tour play this little club in D.C. called The Bayou. It's a relatively small club, and it was a rainy weeknight so the place was practically empty. We sat on the floor in front of the stage and JP came out with Simon Philips, all of 20 years old. Literally knocked the shit out of me.

[Paul Marangoni]

Oh wow! I didn't know he actually toured with Judas Priest too. That would have been before his stint with Beck.

[Old Pit Guy]

Oh wow! I didn't know he actually toured with Judas Priest too. That would have been before his stint with Beck.

Now I'm dementing! I'm pretty sure it was, and I've always assumed it was, but I've no way to know for sure. It was a big kit, and whoever it was played played the drum parts to the Sin After Sin songs as on the album. Man, you never think your memory will let you down. The old in my posting name is worrisome.

Anyone know whether Phillips toured with J.P. for Sin after Sin?

edit: It wasn't Les Binks, that much I'm certain.

[Paul Marangoni]

Maybe it was the drummer that played on Unleashed In The East, which was released in 1979? That guy (can't remember his name) was really good too. I recorded a record back in '88 in Miami that was produced by Tom Allom, who produced a bunch of Judas Priest records.

And from Simon's website:


Question:

I was wondering what your impressions are about your work with Judas Priest on their 1976 album "Sin After Sin". I heard they liked your work so much that they asked you to join the band, but you declined.

Simon:

I had fun recording that album - great energy - and they were great to work with and hang with. The reason I declined was because I was in the Jack Bruce Band and we were just about to tour Europe and the US to promote an album which was to be released in early 1977.

[Paul Marangoni]

[nomsgmusic]

So I come home after a nice night of piano trio work (didn't touch the sticks all night, pretty cool!) to see posts about Judas Priest and Simon Phillips that I can contribute towards, weird.

Firstly that video that Paul posted is from a GREAT DVD called "Vantage Point Resolution," and it's KILLIN! I have also been wearing out the Hiromi DVD of "Live In Marciac" w/ Simon for the last several months, just ridiculous!!!! The new Hiromi CD "Voice" is (believe it or not) even better than the first. I got a chance to read down all the charts for the whole CD a few times w/ Steve as he was learning it, and damn, Simon just skates through all of her music so smoothly that you almost don't know some of the "really weird-tough stuff" even happened! He just really smoothes it all out (in the best way possible!) GENIUS!

I absolutely love the way that Simon "constructs/orchestrates" his drum "parts." In my opinion no one that plays a huge kit uses all of the voices of his instrument as well and as musically as Simon. All the stuff that he did with Townshend is just sooooo perfect. When he played that "Gadd off beat bell groove," with the toms that fit perfectly with the melody on "Secondhand Love," I lost it! PERFECT!!!!! I wore the VHS of that "Deep End Live" concert out.

I'll never forget but in an old interview somewhere, Simon said that when he was younger he just wanted to play just like Grady Tate.

Priest? OK, I am going waaaaay back to my teenage years here; But wasn't "Unleashed In The East" Les Binks? Then it was Dave Holland (the only Metal drummer that shares a name with a legendary acoustic bassist) for a while...

Old Pit Guy, I think you saw Les Binks (and don't even realize it.)

Off Topic: Hey Paul BIG congrats on your upcoming nuptuals, (is this your first?) and good luck on the move!!!! And both a month or so after a new CD release. Are you just trying to make your life extra-crazy.

When I was in college I got married, had 2 big band arrangements-charts due (for a session,) an ear training project transcribing the ENTIRE performance of Miles Quintet's "Vonetta," and did my senior recital (complete with rehearsals, warm up gigs, and other college stuff) all in a 3 week span.

Ahhhh, good times!

Good luck bud!!!!
Sincerely,
Mark

[amoergosum]