ROGER TAYLOR DRUM KIT RUNDOWN - "The Game Tour"

[@_alex_merrick_]

UPDATE/CORRECTIONS VIDEO: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4CZm3d3ap2SY5Isi=IRTVlLPbArEUYcqt I (expectedly) got some information wrong in this video, so I made a follow-up video explaining some of the corrections I received. However, it only got a fraction of the views that this video did. I thought I'd pin this comment so people will know that I did in fact read everyone's responses.

[@andredizon5805]

I've been Dying to see content of Roger Taylor's iconic drum kit but always struggled to find reliable sources. This detailed breakdown of his drum kit down to the hardware and what sticks he use is what I've been waiting for, so long

[@_alex_merrick_]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@alexgolovchenko3791]

That was really cool! I enjoyed, very much, your expose. Queen really was amazing, one of my favorite groups.

[@jonathanplanner3270]

I saw this kit in December 1980 at Wembley, it inspired us to form a band and I spent the next two decades building that exact same kit... I still have it today athough sadly the silver sparkle turned gold due to UV light over the years so the kit was re-covered in Black about 10 years ago, great video well done.

[@mgdrummer77]

Just FYI, Ludwig drums from this era were still a combination of maple and poplar. Ludwig didn't make a 100% maple shell until sometime in the mid 90's when the Classic and Super Classic lines were phased out and replaced with Classic Maple.

[@_alex_merrick_]

I can’t believe I missed that. Guess I got the timeline confused. I’ll make sure to correct that in an update video. Thanks!

[@thetype85]

Dan Garza here from the Paiste wiki page, fantastic job Alex! Roger is one of my favorites too! I have to take exception that Roger's far left crash is a 16" 2002 NOT a Zildjian! The best way to tell is the size of the bell (very small) and how smoothly the bell transitions into the "bow" of the cymbal. You can also see both the left side crashes have very similar bell shapes. Also, Paiste (most likely Bobby Leiser and Possibly Toomas) had a habit of giving away a lot of cymbals to top name drummers throughout the 1970's and then listing them in the Paiste profiles book as an "endorser", Charlie Watts was the epitome of this! As was Phil Collins. Roger for sure Played Paiste but I have always seen him using a mix of both brands in all of Queen's videos and concert footage. Thanks for the GREAT video!

[@_alex_merrick_]

@@thetype85 Hey Dan! Wow! Didn’t expect to hear from you. Love your episodes of the Drum History Podcast! I’m also a frequent visitor of the Cymbal Wiki and the Paiste fan in me is incredibly grateful for your work! That fact about the Paiste Profiles is interesting, never knew that. Again, I’m always thankful for corrections and very few people know cymbals better than you!

[@devinjeffrey275]

One of the most diverse and best drummers of our time!

[@petascalecomputing]

Excellent overview! Thank You!

[@benbarletta2927]

Nice! Thanks for this! Always love drum gear shows!!

[@eldiablo3794]

I love the fast version of We Will Rock You Tonight that they opened the Montreal concert with. Im a drummer too and I taught myself how to drum and sing playing along to Queens records. Also you could totally tell taylor hawkins was inspired by roger.. as a singer and as a drummer. Esp Taylor Hawkin's drum configurations he used towards the end of his life/career with the foo fighters. Using roto toms, concert toms, and timpanis.🥁❤️

[@_alex_merrick_]

I learned almost every Queen song during my first few years drumming seriously. They taught me a lot about song form and different styles (rock, metal, prog, funk, gospel, pop, etc.). Hawkins was another big influence on me since my parents are massive Foo Fighters fans. I was fortunate enough to see him live with the band in 2018 before he passed. Every interview I've seen with him shows how huge of an influence Queen was on him in all aspects. Hawkins and Dave Grohl inducted Roger Taylor and Queen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for crying out loud! What an honor that must've been.

[@eldiablo3794]

@@_alex_merrick_ Dude, that's awesome. I'm glad we had cool parents who encouraged creativity, lol. My drum "teachers" lol were Lars Ulrich, Dave Grohl, Roger Taylor, Bill Ward, Brad Wilk, and David Silveria. Before, I really knew anything about metal drumming, jazz, or any other genres that I eventually got into.. those were the guys I was playing along to, and my dad turned me onto when I was in elementary school. Especially Roger and Bill Ward. I can specifically remember being in 5th grade, my dad sitting me down and showing me Queen montreal vhs and Black Sabbath live in Paris 1970 vhs tapes. I was blown away by both guys and played my drums along to those movies every day after school. Esp back then before youtube, for me to actually see up close live shots of Roger playing and being able to see his drum kit was the best feeling. That's why I appreciate your video so much. Your visual references and attention to detail are amazing.

[@daveylatter9317]

Absolutely enjoyed watching that. So amazing!!!!

[@tbx59]

Saw it twice in Imax - what a killer show

[@_alex_merrick_]

I only had time to see it once but it was unbelievable! I almost went twice but I had other commitments. I also saw Rush's "Cinema Strangiato" in theaters, a great look into their final tour.

[@johannjohann6523]

I've always liked Roger's signature sound combining the high hat with the snare drum. Surprised no else has ever tried using that. Yes, Roger is one of my favorite drummers too. And it certainly didn't hurt he could sing and play as well, as all member of Queen could do. Which added to the magic of the band, their harmonies. Queen, as most major prolific acts prove that the magic of music is the sum is greater than the parts. Sure musicians can come together and play almost anything. But writing good songs and interpreting them correctly in the studio is something that only happens among friends.

[@_alex_merrick_]

Couldn't agree more!

[@raythackston1960]

The hardware is all Atlas stands...I have looked at your video and even photos of this time period and all I see is Atlas Cymbal stands by Ludwig. The two Rogers atands you mention are correct. The stand used with the copper kettle drums is also an Atlas. The Roto Toms are mounted on an older Atlas stand. I will say that from all the angles of the kit I would say the bass drum is a 24 inch X 16 inch...due to the height of the floor toms and the Atlas stands bottom section used for comparison. I also set my Atlas stand next to my 24 inch bass drum and it looks closer than a 26 inch would. But only Roger knows for sure. I like you found so much conflicting info on other sights. Great video none the less. But I agree with another commenter...try more footage of Roger and less of the other guys. Start with them all but then go Roger alone. I will add this note: I played on the road using Atlas and Hercules stands in the early to mid 80's and they are structually super strong...the plastic T-handles were a joke. They would break a LOT !!!! I swapped thm with the older metal ones Ludwig had in the very beginning of the Atlas stands. When I sold them only 4 or 5 of the black plastic T-handles/screws were left on the 10 stands. The Hercules stands top tilter piece had crappy chrome that had cracked and some peeling had happened. I was not hard on my gear compared to most people but it just happens. In 1987 I swapped over to Pearl kit and hardware. By 87 I had a full Gibraltar cage and never looked back. I still have the Pearl stands and they look like they are a year old at best. Great video.

[@mrz5]

Great video! You should make more on the rest of Roger’s kits particularly the 1976-1977 one with all the concert toms

[@dubbct1589]

Great video. I'm the same in that I always loved this kit and would spend hours looking at it in videos and magazines - whatever you could get back then.

[@andylow5966]

Syn drums are used at the start of Under Pressure.

[@jasonpp1973]

Great overview!

[@eamonahern7495]

Speaking of Paiste 2002, one of my favourite drummers, Clive Burr of Iron Maiden used to use Paiste red label 2002s in his kit.

[@_alex_merrick_]

I’m a huge fan of Clive Burr too! Nicko is amazing (met him twice) but I’ve always felt Clive was very underrated. I might do rundown for him at some point, I’ve been doing research on his kits with Maiden for a while.

[@antoniotrovato9188]

Very good video!!! I've been a fan since late '77 when I found out my cousin was their lighting director. I actually had a pair of those drumsticks when he came back from one of those tours but they're long gone by now. I have more stuff from him and the collection has grown for over 46 years. The electronic drum you mentioned not only were used during "Get Down Make Love" but also at the start of "Death On Two Legs."

[@jerrygamez5723]

Thanks for the video. Always loved Roger

[@kevindohn6776]

I was at that show, and I'm a drummer, so this was fun and interesting to me !

[@wonderdrummer]

Excellent job on this episode! Love the inserts when you are describing the instruments! Very creative! Subscribed!

[@Clominee]

Saw the show at Richfield Coliseum September 21, 1980. Two memories: Roger Taylor was spitting into the air A LOT. Ice, water, loogies, whatever. Very rock. Also, one of the best stage raps ever from Freddie Mercury: "Do you like my mustache? People tell me it makes me look like Burt Reynolds, but I don't give a fuck."

[@_alex_merrick_]

That’s rock and roll 🤟

[@NCSavageDrummer2112]

This kit is exactly why I became a drummer

[@alanmikkelsen400]

Dude. Thanks for this video! You should talk to Roger Takahashi, he knows EVERYTHING about Taylor's gear and owns replicas of all of his drum sets.

[@thesteef77]

Great video. Lot of dedication

[@mathewshaw2772]

Absolutely loved this..Real great drum geek info..Could you please think about doing one on Stewart Copeland and his iconic x3 up x1 down Tama Swingstar and Superstar era..There's video's of the new reunion kit but that's not what I'm interested in..Just a thought from one drum geet to another..Cheers mate..

[@_alex_merrick_]

Thank you! And I’d love to take a look at Copeland’s kits! I was influenced by him a lot growing up too. I’m not too familiar with his old setups but I definitely want to take a deeper look into them. I think I know which kit you’re referring to, but just to clarify, is it the one from the Zenyatta Mondatta period? Were those the mahogany superstars?

[@mathewshaw2772]

@_alex_merrick_ hi mate..Yes that's the period I was most interested in..Zenyatta,Ghost in the machine and Synchronicity..There's some great close up too on the Live Atlanta show...Big thanks for the reply..

[@jimmuo9286]

Excellent run down! Thx

[@antoniotrovato9188]

Taylor used the Syndrums at the start of Death on Two Legs and Get Down Make Love as you stated in your video.

[@martinlaporte2112]

Awesome job!!!

[@scottlowell493]

His one sparkle 8" concert tom seems to be mounted on a pearl or rogers tube arm.

[@eatsleepdrums]

Great video, Roger is my drumming hero and I've been fortunate to meet him a couple of times over the years. I've also had his poor drum tech tortured over the years asking questions about his gear. The only thing I'd point out here is that the cymbal sizes you've cited are somewhat incorrect. The 15" hats and the 18" crash above the hats are correct - But i believe that the black label Paiste crash is a 20", not an 18". Likewise, the crash at the other side of the kit is also a 20" and the ride is a 22".

[@MichaelSouhoka]

How about Jeff Porcaro's drum kit and equipment next time?

[@_alex_merrick_]

Would love to tackle that one!

[@sappermade6012]

Dude, the best part of that kick is that he took the rims on the bottom and put them back on. That’s fucking kick ass.

[@jamesFrost-c9e]

The greatest Drummer of all time🤘🏻

[@Arthur-ke9vz]

Unfortunately, it’s extremely hard to get deep toms on new kits, or square sizes like Nikko uses, even though deep Tom’s sound a million times better than a short stack kit.

[@carlosalbertogomez1391]

nowadays,if someone hears you talking about a big sized drumkit,they look at you like you're talking about some horror stories

[@jamesvioleen]

the concert that pushed me into music

[@NCSavageDrummer2112]

I own the book you mentioned...and it was 100% worth the price.

[@Sneaky_Raptor_]

This is an amazing video thank you for making this. Could you do a kit breakdown of Johnathan Moffet, Michael Jackson’s drummer, for the history tour?

[@mannybravo237]

What brand mallets does he use here 6:13, when I play hard w mallets, they always break, it's a given

[@KARROLL1S]

So the hi-hats in the Montreal concert are 15" New Beats? And not Paiste Formula 602s or 2oo2s?

[@keaganearly8955]

Awesome Vid 🤘

[@ronhromoko]

Great video. Thanks for doing the research and putting it together. I saw this show in NY a few weeks before @clominee and can confirm the spitting. Fred seemed to relish it. From my distant seat I could barely make out the never-before seen (at the time) sparkle silver. Friends leaned over and screamed in my ear, “Is that a face?” 😐 I own an exact replica I spec’d from Ludwig in the early 80s, even down to the ratchet tom holder (which I recently had to replace). I thought these toms were 13x12 and 14x13 (I didn’t know Ludwig made a 14x14?), and the matching snare 8x14 (not 7”). Though, your video does look like Rog’s snare is less deep than my 8”. The weight of the large toms on the ratchet is a problem, but it allows for nothing to be inside the shell. I also feel the kick on this kit is a 24”, as mentioned. My kit has mostly been in storage in disintegrating Humes and Berg foam cases as I’ve moved over the years, so it has not faded to yellow, as mentioned. Still looks great and sounds great. Thanks again for the video.

[@Kungfumaster69s]

Could you cover his kit from the magic tour (idk why i but i really want it)

[@_chancey_c_]

Are you going to do more of these videos with his kits?

[@_alex_merrick_]

@@_chancey_c_ I’ve gotten some suggestions for his other drum kits, specifically the massive Day at the Races Tour kit and the Magic Tour Yamaha kit. There are some other drummers that got suggested too. I’ve been really busy with work and college so I haven’t had time to research many of them but I’ll get started on some more over the next month or so.

[@_chancey_c_]

@@_alex_merrick_ I think you should do the "A day at the races" kit

[@_alex_merrick_]

@@_chancey_c_ Just put together the info for that one, my current plan is to do that kit, Carl Palmer’s stainless steel, and any Cozy Powell kits I can find complete info for.

[@feduwtc]

while it has some incorrect info, this video is a really enterteining explanation of Roger's most iconic kit

[@meanmetalmike666]

Phil Rudds 1979 Let There Be Rock Sonor Kit Overview video

[@ClavixusProducer]

Man great video 🔥🔥🔥

Amazing video! In your research for this, did you watch other concert films/videos from the same tour, like the ones in Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, and Caracas (all in 1981)? I find their lack of screen time suspicious.

[@_alex_merrick_]

Thank you! While I mostly focused on the Montreal performances in this video, I have seen some of their other shows from this tour and there are some differences in equipment. I mentioned the Yamaha concert tom in the video, and from looking at the Buenos Aires footage, it looks like Taylor was using an SM58 for his vocals that night. Interesting that they changed it out, maybe they liked the sound of the other mic later on in the tour.

[@Mo_Ketchups]

Well done, and I have a question only an RT fan can answer-I hope you can/will: The drum break in “Dragon Attack,” while stellar on the studio track w the snare rolls w arcing accents, I had an eerie feeling (as my playing progressed across the whole of the ‘80s) that Roger _may not have_ played that part. 🤔 Why? Because it was clearly the most kickass expression of chops in his career (that **I** ever heard at least), yet he NEVER played that awesome snare riff LIVE-just shortcut around it. 🤷‍♂️ Can you set me straight here, dude? 🙏🤟✌️👍

[@_alex_merrick_]

Hey! Thanks for watching! I don’t see anything proving he didn’t play that part in the studio. It was recorded over the main drum part so that’s likely why it was never performed live. It would’ve disrupted the groove if he’d done it in concert since he can only play one of those parts at a time. I have no doubts that he was capable of such playing since his drum solos from around that time show he could pull off something like what’s heard on that song. There will surely be some doubters based on a few people calling Taylor a bad player in these comments, but I hope this clears things up regardless. I know I don’t have the power to completely change minds, but I at least hope I can get people to reconsider their view on Taylor’s abilities.

[@Mo_Ketchups]

@@_alex_merrick_ Great answer. I appreciate your reply. I was obsessed w Bozzio growing up way back (until his stupid kit swallowed him whole), so I get your passion for his style of playing. I dig what you did here. 🤟🤘

[@joeybrogna8072]

You forgot the AKG D190s on the toms and vocal! Great video. Earlier shows though.

[@eatsleepdrums]

It's actually Sennheiser 421's on the toms, not AKG D190s

[@joeybrogna8072]

@@eatsleepdrums You are correct, but on earlier tours they were AKG D190s on toms, snare , hat and his vocal.

[@jergervasi3331]

That does NOT look like a 26” kick drum…..?

[@drapedup76]

Yeah it does when looking closely at its proportions it’s likely your used to seeing 26”’s with the Tom mounted on a snare stand off to the side making it look bigger

[@jergervasi3331]

@@drapedup76 Yeah, looking at different angles, I see you're right. Thanks for clarifying.

[@Orbit6874]

24 i think

[@fredrikottosson3427]

Nice

[@kellyb0279]

That crash above the hi hat is definitely a paiste not a zildjian

[@jeandm7308]

What happened to this drum kut? Once, I don't remember where, I read or heard from Roger Taylor that it was stored in a warehouse, not to say that he was abandoned but I don't remember exactly what he said

[@_alex_merrick_]

Unfortunately, I'm not aware of where any of Taylor's past drum kits are currently stored. What I've heard from a few people is that famous drummers didn't see much value in their kits beyond a tour or recording session. This was probably a combination of them having really good endorsement deals and also not seeing how important their instruments were to music history. I've heard from a very reliable source (the man's own son) that John Bonham rarely kept any drum kit he played most likely for the same reasons just mentioned. It just wasn't something people did back in the day. They either sold them to close friends or left them to collect dust. I couldn't see myself doing something like that today, but everyone's different. I've had the pleasure of playing a few famous drum kits in an interactive museum which sadly no longer exists. These sets were special not just because they were played by some of the biggest names in drumming (Buddy Rich, Hal Blaine, Alex Van Halen, Carmine Appice, Eric Singer, Peter Criss, Carl Palmer, and way too many more to list here), but also because they were taken care of and seen as worthy of preservation by both the original drummers and the collectors whose hands they fell into. Taylor and his roadcrew are probably the only ones who truly know what happened to this kit. I'd love for it to be recovered one day if possible, but the chances of that happening are slim.

[@Motherloadrocks]

ludwig drums sound amazing.rogers best work for queen was done using ludwig drums.

[@_alex_merrick_]

I love his live sound with the Ludwigs especially. The BBC Session for “See What a Fool I’ve Been” has one of my favorite drum sounds of all time too.

[@sappermade6012]

Do this those bottom heads are cut or off?

[@_alex_merrick_]

If you look carefully you can see an outline of a drumhead on the bottom. The hoop won’t go on properly without the rim of the drumhead to support it so they basically cut away 90% of the bottom head to convert them into concert toms.

[@AsiaStranspich]

Wspaniały perkusista i przystojny mężczyzna ♥️♥️♥️♥️

[@robburgess4556]

I'm wondering if the kick drum mics aren't Beyerdynamic M88's rather than M500's. The M88 was a popular choice for kick drums, especially among European acts. I don't know if I would want to trust a fragile ribbon mic on a kick for a tour like that.

[@_alex_merrick_]

I was skeptical of this myself too. The source I found that info from seems to be correct about the remaining microphones so I took that as what he actually used. I thought they may have been M88s but I couldn’t confirm or deny that claim based on the angles shown of them. I’m not claiming everything in this video to be 100% correct, so I’m open to corrections or suggestions like this.

[@callejarvholm]

You should do a Taylor series, (for mathematicians, that was a pun), I’d love to see the yamaha kit from 86

[@Ale.Candido]

To me both left crashes look like paiste 2002s, same with the more forward china to his right. The other two crashes look they are both 20", maybe a 22 on the far right. Same for the crash by the tympani, to me it looks like a bigger zildjian.

[@strettoasino9006]

Do Carl Palmer....(Roadie Nightmare)

[@_alex_merrick_]

The British Steel kit I assume. One of my favorites, played it in person actually

[@bassplate]

Eight-lug 13" tom?

[@crodale]

Yes. Ludwigs 13"X12" Power Toms had eight lugs, the 14"x13" had ten lugs.

[@bassplate]

@@crodale Any idea why Ludwig rack toms had so many lugs during this era? Eight on the 12s and 13s, ten on the 14s. But then floor toms seemed to be normal --- with eight lugs. It wasn't cost-saving, that's for sure.

[@crodale]

@@bassplate Typical 80s: The bigger/more, the better!

[@bassplate]

@@crodale kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqnKqWehbZitsMU

[@bassplate]

@@crodale kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqnKqWehbZitsMU

[@jamesf.ryaniii7918]

10:52 "...I'm also not sure which heads were used on the bottoms of the drums...." As the video is clearly showing there are NO reso heads and the microphones extend into the drum shell.........SMH...........

[@Tristanrgreene11]

That 12 inch tom tom likely wasn’t a Yamaha stage custom since they didn’t come out til the mid 90s… before that though that level Yamaha kit was called a Power Five kit, same ish level kit, but had a little better hardware on them like the recording customs….the long lug stretching from screw to screw on the shells. Most likely those chinas on that tour were prob Paiste, not sure exactly when wuhan came out, and they got popular cus they were so dang cheap 🤓 as well queen being in Germany a lot especially from this time and though hot space, cus they paid way less taxes than in England and Germany was known for their great electronics, mics and recording equipment and engineering. Drummer from softcell used to play a cymbal upside down sort of as a china type accenting cymbal, yet that prob wasn’t near as trashy sounding cymbal quite like a china, way way deader sound. Charlie watts used a china cymbal in the early 70s but that Mostly prob came from seeing jazz drummers starting to use stuff like that at the end of the big band era even with buddy rich at Times or even up into now days with Bernard Purdie playing a china dome side up and usuing it as another style ride cymbal. Nice video brother and big queen fan here as well. I’m 40 and started liking them when Freddie passed away In ‘91 and falling in love with them during the Wayne’s world move, I’m so glad I had bought the brand new classic queen tape instead of the Wayne’s world soundtrack…changed my life forever. I was only 9 or 10 but seeing the spliced Wayne’s world clip mixed within the old bohemian rhapsody video really intrigued me cus of how strange contrast mid 70s Freddie spliced with early 90s Wayne’s world footage. Freddie always kind of freaked me out in looks and even more so when i loooked the through the classic queen tape sleeve and seeing what Freddie looked like right before he passed with one of his last promo photos from the innuendo album….I remember thinking to myself why does he look so strange and skinny as gaunt. I was a confused kid cus I knew he had just passed away too from a disease I had no clue about just knowing at that point it was a death sentence. Ya know when things scare ya and freak ya out at a young age it makes you want to know everything about it or the person? Well that’s what it did for me as well and trying to obtain all the tapes at a time where it wasn’t nearly as easy to get them and I had to learn 20 years of music and the different looks Freddie’s facial features changed and looked so different over those 20 years and at such young age with far less information and so much stigma Change over the years about aids etc. also I’m a drummer and started playing drumset at the same young age, being fortunate that my dad was a drummer and singer and I was able to get on a kit so young and learn interesting music such as plethora of variety of queens music had to offer. I remember it being hard to find another band I could get into like i did with queen with so much stimulating music spannig all genres. queen has always stayed in my life weaving in in and out . anyway i think u get mypoints and glad you did a deep dive of roger taylor.

[@sappermade6012]

Alex let’s get in touch w roger somehow ?

[@PabloJ1968]

Show the drums. I dgafk about Mercury, which is your main focus in your video.

[@jamesf.ryaniii7918]

6:12 "....he had 2 Ludwig Ringer timpani drums...." "....these drums had a copper finish...." No, they don't have a copper finish....they are MADE of copper.

[@pjb4653]

❤🤘

[@matthewpaluch777]

This is my favorite Roger kit... kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnenlKKObNhpqKcsi=qM9XrpdqvG1O7aI9 And it is the ONLY time you see Roger playing a dbl bass setup!

[@ReneAlexisPenalozaMunoz]

The man has enough dosh to buy the companies that make his drums and cymbals Lol

[@markrichardson3566]

They get the drums and guitars for free, and a pile of $$$$$ 🎉

[@shotgunchris]

I really can't stand those huge toms they used in the 70's 80's and 90's.

[@NedKellyIreland]

Very average Drummer , Matter of fact garbage ...But Great vocalist and song writer

[@KenOpie]

Hear Hear!. Also sick of all this Charlie Watts, RIng Starr bullshit

[@ChriChri-f7v]

So what kind of guy is a good drummer, regarding to your comment? And why?

[@rodmac8358]

I don't think so. Perhaps technically Roger wasn't up there with the Bonhams of the time, BUT he had a tremendous feel, an extraordinary sound and an immaculate TASTE, which most drummers do not have.

[@praudery6249]

😂😂😂😂