Drums Are My Beat! – SANDY NELSON***

Drum Role/My Blue Heaven/Hawaiian War Chant/Caravan/Drums Are My Beat/Day Drumming/Drum Stomp/Hum Drum/Topsy/The City

Drums Are My Beat! was a quick follow up album of instrumentals from drummer Sandy Nelson divided between originals and covers. Drum led albums are very thin on the ground. (US:29)

“That jazzy looking cover doesn't do a service to a pretty energetic and surfy album. Very strong.”

“Drums Are My Beat! is the most eclectic Sandy Nelson LP to appear during the drummer's commercial heyday. Like the preceding Let There Be Drums, it evenly divides between originals and covers, but the songs in the latter category derive from an unusually diverse group of sources, guaranteeing Nelson the opportunity to explore new facets of his craft.”

“Duke Ellington's rhythmic fantasia Caravan proves a perfect fit with Nelson's primal style, as does the traditional Hawaiian War Chant, presented here in a big band-influenced arrangement. Best of all is a version of Cozy Cole's Topsy, featuring Nelson on xylophone. His original compositions are equally appealing. Drum Stomp is a shimmering surf-rock excursion and the closing The City features a raucous saxophone performance. Most impressive of all is the epic Day Drumming, an eight minute Nelson solo showcase that captures the drummer in all his protean glory.”

“This is hard early sixties style instrumental rock. For drummers in particular, it's an object lesson in how to swing a backbeat. It's not just the frequent drum soloing (which has a primitive, atavistic quality) but the way Nelson backs other instrumentalists, driving them, and challenging the listener to keep from tapping his feet in time. This stuff really grips you, and the syncopations make a lot of modern 'rock' drummers sound like thumping metronomes.”

“Lots of groovy beats and solid playing, and if you are not a musician, you love it just as much.”