R.I.P. Ginger Baker

[darry19662018]

Well what a bummer my favourite drummer of all time and as far as I'm concerned the best drummer ever.... Ginger Baker from my favourite group.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gze0PxDKgQ

https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/m ... r-has-died

[wiak]

Yes, yesterday I was watching some youtubes of him early on in his career.

Unfortunately, Cream, and most of the other bands he played in later had already broken up before 1970's Isle of Wight Festival, or I would have seen him... One regret I have is that although I 'heard' Jimi Hendrix there, I didn't actually see him (Hendrix), because the massive open-trench urinals had overflowed... so like multi-thousands of others who had been camping on the now 'urine-muddied' site I was standing just outside the band playing area (with my hastily dismantled urine-muddied tent) in an enormous queue waiting on bus out to ferry whilst he was playing Purple Haze (or whatever).

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/isle-of ... ival-1970/

Such a laugh...

wiak

[backi]

Those where the Days .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB0qRBOsudY

Cream what an impressive Band......Blind Faith ....really great ....but short lived .
Ginger Bakers Air Force
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aVkjcQJfeA
.....never seen such a Thing before ....
Bakers Gurvitz Army....raw Power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7GXbGPNY88

Ginger Baker in Nigeria with Fela Kuti
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8Lz0PY_2-g

....Ginger Baker Bill Frisell....e.t.c .

He was a "Hell raiser" but a real (musical) Adventurer ...a Legend...a mad Dog ...what a cool Badass .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIrATce1bbQ

Yea... Ginger Baker.... i wondered how he managed to get 80 years old .

[Sylvander]

Way back...1966 methinks...
The members of the band I [19-yr-old drummer] was in...
Our blonde haired blue eyed 16-year-old [really good, and getting better by the month] guitarist at that time was Davie Johnstone [later to join the Elton John band]...
Went to see "Cream" play in a place down Edinburugh's High Street opposite John Knox's house.
It had been a cinema and converted to 2 spaces, upper small, lower large.
Cream played in the smaller, more intimate space, well attended/filled.

During a silence/pause, someone shouted an insult = "Golliwog", because one of the band had an "Afro" haircut.
I was so ashamed that had been done.
Anyway...the band carried on.

They were really good of course, but...
At one point, Ginger Baker looked pleadingly at the other members of the band.
He was struggling to play correctly/perfectly...the drum part for that number.
I never understood how any human made of flesh+blood+bone could play that particular drum part.
The original "Toad" from the LP I had at the time.
Here's the later [simplified? humanly possible] version.
Can you hear/detect the differences?

The first time I listened to "Fresh Cream" [provided by our bass player], I wasn't keen on it.
The music seemed to me to express pain/suffering/agony, and I just wasn't into that.
The technique was impressive/astonishing.

The best band I saw play at that venue [in the bigger hall], was the Kinks.
FABULOUS!

The worst was the Small Faces.
Disappointing.

[darry19662018]

Thanks to all for contributions.

Yes Toad is awesome as a solo drum piece.

[backi]

Badge from The Cream :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSpW6MePb10
I was 14 years old when i first encountered Cream .
Hearing "Badge" for the first Time on a cheap transistor Radio ....
It felt like a Window opened into Heaven/Eternity ...... ......My Heart and Soul melted like Strawberry Ice Cream in the Sun and my body bathed in an Ocean of Bliss ....

What a beautiful Song .It took me so high (without Drugs) .
Later when i did some Acid.... it took me so high again ......what a beautiful experience .....what a beautiful Music.

This Song still give me Goosebumbs after all those years.......it still Sounds as fresh as from the first Day .
Hearing it now .....lifts me up to Heaven.i Could hear it non stop without getting tired of it .
Cream did some immortal Songs (I Feel Free -Sunshine of your love-e.t.c )
My goodness .....what an experience . What a Band .
As a youngster they sounded for me as if the Gods had come down from the Olympus to let us mere Mortals have a little Drink to taste from the Cup of Immortality .......give us a glimpse of Eternity .

After all those Years i am even more impressed. A lot of there Songs are buried deep into my soul .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSpW6MePb10

[backi]

Another Goosebump Song from Cream .

Strange Brew :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0FFTd3bS_8

[fredx181]

Yes, always liked the Cream and later Blind Faith, here's "Do what you Like" :
https://youtu.be/2LwcakgjXAc

Fred

[jafadmin]

During a silence/pause, someone shouted an insult = "Golliwog", because one of the band had an "Afro" haircut.
I was so ashamed that had been done.
Anyway...the band carried on.

That "golliwog" with the afro haircut was some guitar player named Eric Clapton

[Sylvander]

That "golliwog" with the afro haircut was some guitar player named Eric Clapton

Yeh, well, I wasn't interested in their haircuts, and it's been many years since, and I'm now 72.
It was the drumming in which I was interested, but I was no way good enough to copy/rival Ginger Baker.

I'd guess Davie was interested in Eric Clapton's playing technique.
But I saw no sign of him copying his playing.
Davie had his own technique.
He played like a "deaf dumb and blind kid', but he "sure played a mean pinball" [guitar].
He "stood like a statue" [no body movement whatever, only the fingers moved], "became part of the machine" [guitar], "feeling all the bumpers" [frets and strings], "always played it clean".
He did like to do a certain thing, where he lightly plucked strings [right hand] whilst lightly touching and removing [fingers of left hand] so as get a note an octave higher.
He also played lots of different string instruments [electric and acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, etc]
I arranged a folk gig, for Davie and Tich, at Falkirk Technical College [I studied there, and was good friends with the teacher who ran the folk club nights].
e.g. A more instrumental version of Hot Asphalt I cannot find anyone online who plays it on banjo anywhere near as good as Davie did back then.
See this for example. The guitar playing closer to it, but imagine banjo instead.
He was "whacking" the banjo strings [real LOUD, and great technique][plucking, not strumming, he wasn't a "strummer"] to accompany our bands' ex-singer [Graham "Tich" Frier]...they were childhood friends, and formed a folk duo for a short time in late 1966.

[backi]

Blind Faith..... indeed a Super Group .....without any Hype .

"Do what you Like"

I normally do not like Drum Solos TOO much ....
......this is one of the rare Exceptions .

What a precious Gem ... perfect....MASTERPIECE .

This Thread animated me to do some nostalgic musical Journeys back to the 60-70 specially Baker,Bruce,Clapton, Cream, Blind Faith e.t.c.......Flying high since two Days now.That gives me some cool Flashbacks .
What incredible Sounds/Music/Musicians .

What a sophisticated Pertiod of Creativity,Humanism and Intelligence .A Highlight in Human Culture .
We were blessed somehow .

Today being older ...now I can better realize and appreciate this Wonder .
( Oh my god....maybe i over do something......but.... who cares ? )
One thing is for sure...... those Days are gone forever .

P.S :
Another of my (so many .... ) all Time Favorites ...can not tell them all (of course The Beatles included)
Steely Dan (Donald Fagen-Walter Becker.....Geniuses like Lennon-Mccartney ). :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6b8IIZpNkU

what a glorious time to be young..............
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH-uopkB6r0

But hey..... i have to stop now .....sorry for getting over-enthusiastic ......
I almost forgot ...this is a Thread about Ginger Baker .

I am really sorry for the Kids today .Did never expect in the 70 the World to go down like this. World today really makes me sad and sick .

Regards !