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The Drumming of Pierre van der Linden
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BrufordFreak View Drop Down
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Points: 7954 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BrufordFreak Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: The Drumming of Pierre van der Linden
    Posted: May 18 2021 at 16:49
Though a long time fan of Focus, I've never been very impressed with Pierre van der Linden as a drummer: he always seemed to move in and out of time with the rest of the band--as if he was playing in his own warped space-time continuum.

Can you recommend any specific songs that can help convince me otherwise? 
Drew Fisher
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Points: 10033 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Grumpyprogfan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 18 2021 at 16:56
Nope. There are so many good drummers in the now. No need to convince you of drummers from the ancient past, and I've never heard Pierre Wink
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Points: 7954 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BrufordFreak Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 18 2021 at 17:03
Originally posted by Grumpyprogfan Grumpyprogfan wrote:

Nope. There are so many good drummers in the now. No need to convince you of drummers from the ancient past, and I've never heard Pierre Wink

I don't know whether to take you seriously, Will!

But I do agree: there are so many great drummers of today; maybe I am wasting my time trying to appreciate drummers from the past for whom I've always felt a … lack.

(I do not believe that you, who've been frequenting PA for over 17 years, has "never heard of Pierre" van der Linden) (Or--by implication--Focus?!?!?!?)
Drew Fisher
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Points: 10033 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Grumpyprogfan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 18 2021 at 17:09
Originally posted by BrufordFreak BrufordFreak wrote:

(I do not believe that you, who've been frequenting PA for over 17 years, has "never heard of Pierre" van der Linden) (Or--by implication--Focus?!?!?!?)
Yeah sorry, I don't listen to Focus anymore. Also, I haven't been on PA for 17 years, only 1 3/4. And yeah, sometimes you can take me seriously. Wink 

Keep up the great reviews, man!
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Points: 26108 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote richardh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 19 2021 at 00:26
I bought the remastered box set of the classic seventies albums + bonus DVD's recently and he impresses me a lot especially when watching the DVD's. Hocus Pocus just on its own is mightily impressive. You notice the difference when he was replaced by a Carl Palmer clone around 1975. Pierre never bought into the whole showmanship aspect of prog and tended to stick with a small kit. Yep not so many pyrotechnics but just very sharp and on the nose drumming. If Hocus Pocus doesn't float your boat then I can't think anything else will!
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Points: 8694 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote suitkees Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 19 2021 at 01:30
Was just reading the other thread and thinking of Pierre van der Linden... I'm not an expert of drumming, but I always liked his playing with Focus. He adds a kind of looseness to the music that I particularly like, but he was often a bit down in the mix compared to Akkerman and van Leer.

As an exemple, the opener of Focus 3, Round Goes the Gossip - don't know what you think about it...:




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chopper View Drop Down
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Points: 19942 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chopper Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 19 2021 at 01:42
Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

I bought the remastered box set of the classic seventies albums + bonus DVD's recently and he impresses me a lot especially when watching the DVD's. Hocus Pocus just on its own is mightily impressive. You notice the difference when he was replaced by a Carl Palmer clone around 1975. Pierre never bought into the whole showmanship aspect of prog and tended to stick with a small kit. Yep not so many pyrotechnics but just very sharp and on the nose drumming. If Hocus Pocus doesn't float your boat then I can't think anything else will!

I agree, if Hocus Pocus isn't sh*t-hot drumming then I don't know what is.
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Points: 19597 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sean Trane Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 19 2021 at 02:44
Originally posted by chopper chopper wrote:

Originally posted by richardh richardh wrote:

I bought the remastered box set of the classic seventies albums + bonus DVD's recently and he impresses me a lot especially when watching the DVD's. Hocus Pocus just on its own is mightily impressive. You notice the difference when he was replaced by a Carl Palmer clone around 1975. Pierre never bought into the whole showmanship aspect of prog and tended to stick with a small kit. Yep not so many pyrotechnics but just very sharp and on the nose drumming. If Hocus Pocus doesn't float your boat then I can't think anything else will!

I agree, if Hocus Pocus isn't sh*t-hot drumming then I don't know what is.

I also bought that boxset and it contains everything I want from 70's Focus (and there is space for the Con Proby album in it, once I will find it). Not interested in their later studio albums. 

Although I've seen Focus anywhere from 7 to 12 times since the 00's I was never particularly underwhelmed by their drummer on stage or in 70's DVD films, beit PVDL or the others having occupied the Focus drum stool.

Just like Mason was apt for Floyd's not particularly -virtuoso music, PVDL was apt for Focus' much more virtuoso music. 
let's just stay above the moral melee
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