Robbie France’s BlogBroadcaster, Musician, Author

This solo is from the Diamond Head University Tour 1984, recorded at Leicester, taken from ‘Heaven From Hell’.

A bit of background:

Sean & Brian were well aware that I could `play a bit’…it was Sean’s idea to do the drum solo half way through the set. One of our most popular tracks was ‘Heaven From Hell’, that’s where we chose to introduce the fans to my style of playing.

Now you have to realise, this was a band supposedly accepting the Led Zeppelin baton. (Which was being passed on by a fervent fan base and an expectactant press.)

It was passed to us…simple as that! Tatler’s riffs were as good then as they are now. I was a massive fan of John Bonham…still am!

In retrospect, they actually encouraged me to do my ‘jazzy things’ (as Sean & Bri called it!) so let’s take a look…

The first part of the solo was simple… establish the groove.

Billy Cobham! That’s all I thought… The left hand crash cymbal perplexed a few ‘dyed in the wool’ metal fans, not used to such things , but it was a simple way of telling the crew… ‘I’m gonna give you something a bit different’!

Fast hands single bass drum.

At around 2.04 started warming the right foot a bit.

2.26 the obligatory slow to fast triplets. John Bonham was the master at that.

Then at around 3 mins, I decided to try something! A samba groove in a heavy rock context! And surprise, surprise… it worked! I’d have liked to have gone on a bit more, but time was against us. This was mid-set, after all!

At around 3.30 I play a cowbell thing that I always loved Steve Gadd do. Especially when Gadd worked with Al DiMeola. It was so beautiful.

3.45. The obligatory daddy mammy bass drum/ hands thingy. (The bass pedal was a Tama Flexi Flier, I think.)

Then… Single, double, triple paradiddles. Each rudiment with accents on the ’single’ part of the rudiment.

Around 4.10 the obligatory single stroke roll. Slow to fast.

A bit of a ‘wind things up’ call to the rest of the lads, the quick snare & bass drum(2 hits snare, 2 hits cymbals) around 4.40…Back to the groove. A ‘yell out’ to give the count… and that’s that. Simple.

In retrospect, it must have been strange to see a Metal band with slap bass and a drum solo with influences not only from John Bonham and Ian Paice…but also Billy Cobham, Steve Gadd & Lenny White! Funny old world innit?

Robbie x

P.S. If you find these things interesting, leave a comment in the box below. I’d love to hear from ya!