Kirky J's drumming is as leaden and lifeless as his drum programming. Can't stand him. Learn to respect other people's opinions, PearlDrummer.

pocket is when musicians are locked in a groove.groove is steady ,reliable.

Mong said:

Why should I have to respect anybody who obviously doesn't know what they're talking about? Half of the people on this forum don't even know what pocket is. I don't respect anybody who constantly b***es about Kirk and he isn't even the drummer now!!!!! That was seven friggin' years ago. Move on. Come on. Gee. What a bunch of b**ches!!!!

If you say you don't like him fine. That's much more respectable than to say that Kirk is horrible. Because clearly he is not. I think Dennis Chambers is alright but he's not horrible.
[Edited 8/22/07 14:51pm]

denis chambers is amazing,pearl drummer what do you think of these drummers

john bonham from led zeppelin

walter clyde orange from commodores


Billy Cobham

steve gadd

bobby z

michael bland

sheila e
john blackwell
prince

please rate this drummers with rating from 1 to 5

thebanishedone said:

I don't think it's fair to rate these drummers. I don't consider one to be better than the other. They all have different styles and strengths. It's a matter of taste. I think they're all good.

The reason why I think Chambers is alright is because, I prefer pocket and straight playing. Chambers play solos just about every time I see him. But from a solo standpoint, in my opinion, Chambers is the King.

Now days drumming has become a competitive sport -- who's faster than who? who's better than who? who's more versatile than who? who's got better chops than who? What does it matter??? Now days people are into the wow factor which is ridiculous. Nobody concentrates on music anymore. If the music sounds good and feels good...I'm good.

Comparing drummers is plain dumb to me because... how much of a sense does it make to compare Blackwell who seems more concerned with showing off to Kirk who's more concerned with straight pocket playing. Or comparing Sheila E who is more of a jazzy drummer to Michael Bland who is more of a rock drummer. Kirk can never be Blackwell. Michael can never be Kirk. Bobby can never be Sheila E. Sheila E. can never be Prince.

Mong said:

????? Leaden? Lifeless? You can't be talking about Kirk. If he was that bad, Prince would NOT have hired him. I seriously think that those of you who are bashing him have never seen him play.

You all really believe that Kirky J programmed those beats to his own taste on all those Prince songs???

ufoclub said:

I read in a article somewhere. Prince actually told Kirk what he wanted. He hummed out the beats to him. And Kirk just programs it. THAT'S IT. Even if Kirk had some inputs, PRINCE APPROVED THEM.

ThePunisher said:

I HAVE seen him play. He's dreadful. He has no feel at all and, in essence, ha s no musicality or sense of dynamics to his playing. Give me Michael Bland any day. Now he's nothing but pocket.

Mong said:

Mong said:

You sure you are'nt getting Kirk mixed up with Bobby Z?

ThePunisher said:

Positive. Bobby Z is actually a solid drummer, as can be seen in the early Prince DVD boots knocking around. Kirky's playing is so sterile.

Mong said:

somebody give this guy some more crack or... get him off drugs.

pearl drummer discussing is one thing ,but insulting is another,please don't do that.

and on topic kirk j. is a solid drummer,but i heard bobby z play more intricate drum lines,especialy on parade tour .
kirk johnsons drumming sounds more like drum machine,while bobby's drumming had more personality

PearlDrummer said:

More crack would be nice, thanks.

Thebanishedone, that's exactly how I feel about Kirk's playing.

Mong said:

Nah! I think you had too much already. You're starting to embarrass me.

PearlDrummer said:

What kind of a crack dealer are you? I want crack AND I WANT IT NOW.

Mong said:

I don't sell crack to Kirk-haters. Sorry. Better check yourself in rehab.

Kirky J is actually a very nice guy in person.

thebanishedone said:

That's funny because Bobby Z is best known for just adding cymbal crashes and nothing else during the !999 and Purple Rain tour's while the drum machine did the rest. Even ?uestlove of The Roots said that Bobby was an expert with the Linn machine. But in fairness to Bobby, I don't think he was truly allowed to show what he could do. The Parade tour wasn't enough.

Kirk is a very good player. And yes- more in the R&B way, where Michael B. has a rock edge and I think more versatility. I think Kirk doesn't get a fair shake because everyone dogs his drum programming. And it was fine, just not my cup of tea. I still bet 90% of the people who crack on him have no idea what they are talking about, or wouldn't be so nasty if they heard it in another context outside of Prince.

And Blackwell is definitely more a showman than a pocket player. His timing was an issue when he played with Cameo. I'm certainly not dogging him as a drummer- he is very good, but does not haver perfect timing. I'd say Bland is a close to that as I've had the opportunity to hear live.

hmm so blackwells playing on family name isn't what we can say perfect timing?

thebanishedone said:

I'm talking live. Studio has all kinds of opportunity to redo and punch in. Not saying he can't keep time, it's just not as dead on and I happen to know that caused him problems in certain circumstances. That's all.

Zannaloaf said:

Thank you! Thank you! Exactly!!!!!

Zannaloaf said:

His timing caused him problems with Prince too. It was so bad, Blackwell thought he was going to be fired.

how do you know it caused john problems?
please explain?

thebanishedone said:

#1 John Blackwell admitted it himself in an interview.

#2 One of Prince's band members told me.

#3 It is evident in his DVD. His timing is off.

do you think prince replaced him because of that fact?

thebanishedone said:

Possibly. Besides, his time was up. Most of Prince's band members stay in the band for maybe an average of 4-6 years. John Blackwell's time was up and Prince wanted a different sound. Someone form Paisley Park told that Prince and John Blackwell argued a few times about his weak timing and grooving skills. Maybe that had something to do with it.

A few months after Prince fired him... John Blackwell appeared on some Australian TV show and played with a band I never heard of. Oh my god... it was AWFUL!!! I wondered to myself if he learned anything from Prince.

PearlDrummer said:

Blackwell is more of a showman then a drummer. He's a good soloist but that's basically it. All that stick twirling etc. gives you great stage presence but playing a song correctly is more important. By the way Pearl. Who are some of your favorite drummers? Stewart Copeland of the Police is one of mine. I love playing the song "Message In A Bottle" and listening to him groove. His performance on that song is awesome.