Van Halen - Mean Street - drums only. Isolated drum track.

Without a guitar intro, starts with a guitar riff.
When creating this video, an freeware audio editor was used.
Visit my Patreon page - / kiboko

[@kiboko_drummer]

Drums only playlist - kzbin.info/aero/PLTOh4tBW15HLPdzQioQAZamVYSLAbE30g

[@HrhFish]

I am a BIG TIME EVH fan. Every one talks about the genius of Ed. People forget that Alex has a unique sound on the drums which ads to the VH sound

[@sethseiden5736]

That F'N snare was and still is priceless.

[@roopan1968]

@@sethseiden5736 Snare tone is the best!!

[@Brian-qg8dg]

Relax dude, without Eddie or Jimmy, the talent of Alex or Bozo is limited to just being a great drummer. Unless you write the songs that people love, your just Dave the drummer ring Nirvana. Without Kurt, there is no Nirvama or Foo Fighters for that matter.

[@joestrummer9507]

The only people that would "forget" about Alex are idiots that don't know music. Get some new friends chief. Lol

[@mojodojo5533]

@@Brian-qg8dg Without Neil Peart there would be no Rush as we know it to be.

[@TheAxe4Ever]

Reading the comments makes me so happy that so many people realize and appreciate what a badass drummer Alex really is. That dude always had such feel and swing in his style. I put him right up there with Ginger Baker, John Bonham, Neil Peart and other legends of the drum kit. When Alex plays, you immediately know who it is.

[@russmartin6763]

Fucking bullseye. Alex is an absolute TITAN among rock drummers.

[@southie3177]

Well said

[@DWKing1000]

Neil Peart was a fine drummer but nowhere close to John,Alex or Ginger.

[@Olliemets]

Talk about tight. Alex so solid and yet overshadowed by his brother. lots of clean 16ths on the hats all the way through. Edurance. Just so solid.

[@angus186]

Alex is just as good on drums as Eddie was on guitar. Legends!!

[@sp3ci4lkpo]

That ride pattern through the solo is SICK.

[@Builtlikekevinhart]

Swingin the shit outta it

[@97warlock]

YEH THE dRUM TRACK ITSELF ISNT ALL THAT HARD ,.......I was thinking ok this is cool,but somehow thought it was more busy , then the lead section came & heard the seperate pattern hes keeping on the ride, while keeping the Regular beat still going on the drums. - THATS what seperates the basic players from the more advanced players.

[@tumbleweedconnection7906]

You can instantly identify a VH song just by the snare!

[@School-xo1dn]

A quality of both brothers: incredible maturity in their _restraint._ They both had chops for days, but those chops were always in service of the song, never showboating. As a kid listening to Van Halen 1 (and having my mind blown), I was struck by the fact that there were songs with no guitar solo. That shows where Eddy's priorities lie: the song.

[@scottschmucker5622]

The thing I love about Alex's playing is how fluid and "loose" he sounds with that swing you can dance to while at the same time being so tight and in the pocket. He makes it sound so damn easy it hurts.

[@jackmomma7481]

I remember some moron tried to tell me that Alex was stiff behind the kit and played sloppy. I told him he either has to have Akex confused with someone else, or he has no kind of a working base knowledge of Van Halen whatsoever to make that judgement. People are real idiots sometimes. Its unreal

[@fuelflownormal]

Perfect description. Tight and swinging simultaneously.

[@crsantin]

Listening to AVH isolated tracks and then EVH isolated tracks is helping me discover VH all over again. Two supremely gifted musicians. I miss this band so much.

[@mikekopmanis2099]

The swing is what makes bands great.

[@traviswoodall6547]

People that don’t play the drums may not realize how incredibly hard this is to replicate. Holy hell. And creative too of course.

[@pael8889]

I used to play this album on a set of Tama Rockstars with 13’ hi hats every day after school, when I was there, which was not very often. So much fun.

[@pael8889]

Oh yeah, I definitely played it my way, now that i can hear it perfectly. Offbeats on the bass. Sweet.

[@sirmount9156]

Like brother like brother.

[@mrgone658]

I play saxophone, and I do appreciate the complexities of throwing down a clean rhythmic vibe, whatever the musical genre may be.

[@stevewittbrodt]

Oh yeah those 16th notes on the hi hat is exhausting. Addin that kick pattern is frosting on the cake

[@larryhernandez769]

Sounds Hard, and Smooth . . . Totally Frosty .

[@avh-228r9]

2 brother's that can find their own iconic sounds that people can identify with, but want to imitate but can't duplicate is a legacy in itself.

[@ericgelders]

The snare drum that's almost a tom... almost one of the signature sounds of AVH - love it!

[@SuperBrictson]

Most drummers worry in dynamics while Alex Van Halen just keep the harmonics!!!

[@revelever3201]

Deep pocket..ow what ? mighty fine groove!

[@OneMan-wl1wj]

Love the gradual opening of the high hat as the song advances, tight in the early verses, then banging wide open for the outro.

[@ZumadoggGoogle2]

Al is a sick little genius, too. What a rhythm machine.

[@joseruiz9781]

He was and IS a master drummer, unfortunatelly people paid too much attention to Eddie, but without Alex VH never would have sounded the way it did. This track is an example of that off beat kick drum with everything else flowing flawlessly on top of that. That drum part carries the song. Love you Alex and thanks for all the amazing drumming!!!!!

[@LrdsWrk]

Alex is a bad ass! But he didn’t change the game. Eddie changed the game. Saying people paid too much attention to Eddie is like saying people paid too much attention to Michael Jordan or Marlon Brando

[@DWKing1000]

Nevermind about what other people thoght.Any decent drummer knew exactly how great Alex was!

[@Fugettaboutit]

Fair Warning is my favorite album of theirs. In Mean Streets, it's like listening to the birth of Rage Against The Machine.

[@traviswoodall6547]

Not dogging the Sammy years at all...but if they had stayed the course in this direction they’d be up there with Zeppelin for me.

[@stevegoodwin803]

It was their "dark" album. My absolute favorite.

[@scott7521]

same! darkest and best

[@Gregor9043]

Alex is the man for hard rock drumming, period. Knows when to get tricky, but can just sit in that pocket a whole verse when it fits.

[@davidmerlin3344]

Alex Van Halen is just so unique in his sound and technique. One of the greatest ever!

[@pauliescott]

No one has a snare sound like AVH. You can always hear it.. every recording.

[@dougtull4594]

Thank god the brothers switched instruments. I saw VH many times in the day (1970s-early 1980s), and Alex was known for being a badass drummer but was always overshadowed by his brother's guitar virtuosity and DLR's antics. "Fair Warning" may be their poorest-selling album, but musically and performance-wise, it's their best. Alex was a solid drummer, and his fills are fantastic.

[@jmgmarcus808]

One of his best tracks. Just insane.

[@jeanclaude4]

His snare drum and bass drum tuning are so unique. As a drummer it's such a treat for the ears. Of course the way he plays them is another story. Awesome drummer.

[@iainmacdonald8099]

I could listen to this on its own.

[@DWKing1000]

To me it sounds like open bottom toms were used eh?

[@glenncivale6824]

Alex was a groove master and one of the 1st to ever use 16th note right hand HH groove in a metal hard rock band like VH. Too me, and as a drummer of over 49 yrs, this song hits me where it counts. VH's best! Thanks for tracking this "drums only"!

[@RIdrummer96]

Also clive burr's playing on Wrathchild from 1981

[@streetlegalnorway5577]

@@RIdrummer96 Agree. AWH is a monster, but Cliff also was a very good rock drummer. Killers and TNOTB is a great example of what "in the pocket" means. Wratchild is a nightmare for a bassplayer. (I am ;-) ) The 16th notes is absolutely killing you.

[@sunsgettingreallow8318]

That’s the best snare I’ve ever heard!

[@jackmomma7481]

That's like pre-Drop Dead Legs / I'll Wait level of snare drum too. Fair Warning would be the first time we began to hear Akex in the early stages of his sound as it was beginning to develop into what we know ot as today

[@thop1984]

I remember back in the '80s there was a lot of talk from "know it alls" that Michael and Alex sucked at their instruments. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Both were excellent musicians and held their own with one of the greatest guitarists of all time. They were a major part of Van Halen being as great as they were.

[@f4lc0n15]

i straight up don't get how anyone could even think that Alex sucks at drums when clearly he's one of the greatest drummers of all time

[@joeystratman]

Listened again to Alex’ badass drumming on one of, if not my favorite VH tunes. The groove and drum tones are second to none 👍

[@smedleybutler8787]

My favorite song as a kid.

[@explorer806]

What a right foot.

[@fritzburbank935]

Alex is my favorite drummer. What a sound he and Eddie created together!

[@larryhernandez536]

Frosty . . . Laying down the beat . Excellent

[@ReneAlexisPenalozaMunoz]

Alex is The Man!!!!

[@AD-ui2pz]

So tight and awesome feel 👍

[@williamoddo3706]

That was Outstanding

[@glenncivale6824]

I recommend for those of you drummers who want to learn these types of 16th note R hand grooves, Mel Bay "drummers cook book". If you work really hard at this you may be able to cleanly replicate Alex's master drum track. This drum track is incredible. I can't imagine how loose and relaxed he had to be to do this. It's simply the best I've heard!

[@Olliemets]

RH Only. No 2 handed 16ths allowed. Major League stuff

[@scott7521]

He played with great feel back in the early days.

[@garcia83viz]

Alex Van Halen or John Bonham? To each his own, but AVH is the most underrated overlooked musician of all time

[@juanpablomarin5463]

Alex Van Halen Best drummer ever!!

[@JAMESlock1911]

Always been a fan of Alex Van Halen. The drums sound awesome! I tried playing this an hour ago and kept messing up. I had too many beers and made several mistakes 🤣

[@Paul-dw2cl]

I don’t play drums but I like the 16th note snare hit before the down-beat in the roll at 1:17

[@fuelflownormal]

That snare sound!

[@AmpAHolic-wn6mr]

Always loved Alex’s playing, especially that snare. Very underrated. It’s pretty hard to acquire light in that EVH shadow.

[@eddieregeser9323]

my lifeblood and the soundtrack of my life. AVH n EVH monster!!! im glad i was blessed to live in this music generation.

[@brainscott8198]

Ok...admit u we're singing the vocals at least in your head...me too.

[@joeystratman]

Brain Scott how did you know? Lol 😂

[@garykramermusic]

Oh yeah!

[@danv8717]

I've been waiting for this one! Thank you so much!

[@eyesoftheworld73]

love that snare sound

[@jerrybishop2115]

This is awesome to hear!❤

[@HWY80Thrash]

1.27-1.28...just crazy!

[@sethseiden5736]

1 bad ass song and record!

[@mikeferris408]

Alex has a signature sound.. his kits his tunings... just as most great guitar players do, alxe just as well. Next to the king john b. Alex is up there for me, and also vinny appice just to name 3 that have their own sound.. n i really love these 3.

[@christopherwilliams-np7jq]

Van Halen is DUTCH ROYALTY of USA..❤

[@garytaylor1192]

Great job but, overtracked everywhere. The Hi-hat times constantly while tom fills and cymbal accents, does Alex have 4 arms?

[@tanneryordan]

those aren’t hits. alex bounces his left foot on the hi hat to keep time when he plays fills/cymbal grooves. there is no overdubbing

[@MeAndTheBoys_]

Eddie and Alex, tightest time in rock n roll, no contest. You can synchronize metronomes to this shit right here.

[@stevegoodwin803]

Soooooo damn good!!!! Please do "Dirty Movies" next.

[@kiboko_drummer]

I don't have such a track yet.

[@auto_5]

X2!!!!!!

[@jongallardo8006]

Ludwig drums and paiste cymbals. Can’t go wrong with that combo

[@leroyjones6170]

Dam this mfr solid as a rock.

[@ramzero13]

As i got older,i realized i should have paid more attention to Bonham....and Alex....now,ive been studying both..in my 50's...

[@garybell6919]

Al always reminded me of Keith Moon in that he always had a very unique sound and style, h he was all over the place but sounded so damn great

[@smedleybutler8787]

Complete opposite of Keith Moon. Closer John Bonham.

[@Olliemets]

Much more disciplined and focused. Same energy level though. Keith was sloppy, undisciplined and...brilliant

[@lindsaywilmoth3747]

Opposite of Keith Moon, closer to John Bonham and every bit Ginger Baker.

[@TheRobGuard]

Anywhere to download the individual drums? Preferably as a midi file so I can change drums, etc. Great though! 👍

[@fuelflownormal]

Does he play the hats with r hand or alternating l & r? Snare sound if my dreams.

[@AgentXPQ]

I have seen video from the early 80's and he appeared to be doing the HiHat with one hand. Pretty astonishing.

[@mnegline1971]

one hand 16ths. the tempo is almost impossible for the average drummer. I've seen seasoned pros play it alt handed.

[@RK-kp9xs]

Possibly the moeller technique

[@MrDPdrum]

His live technique is alternating hands. But it’s a fucking challenge with one to keep it smooth for that long.

[@willywilfred]

sooo gooooddd!!!!!

[@ciadella1971]

Is Alex using one hand or 2 on the high hat

[@ciadella1971]

​@dalemarino3993thats super impressive. That's not easy. And it's very consistent. Strong right hand.

[@sergeyfetisov2902]

Impressive!))

[@kiboko_drummer]

Yeah ))

[@t2adair727]

Eddie was the one who coined “brown sound”. It wasn’t his guitar he was referring to….it was the thick sound of Alex Van Halen’s drums!

[@thegreatcornholio80]

And thousands of watermelons exploded that day because of an excellent groove.

[@lighteenblind]

It really comes from the original track ? Amazing how it sounds Tight !

[@kiboko_drummer]

This is the AVH's original track.

[@lloydmunga4961]

Doing the Alex shuffle

[@SS-wt3xe]

very cool ..... thx...via TEXECUTION TEXAS

[@stephenpemberton9943]

The band is called Van Halen for 2 reasons!✌💛🤘

[@Taylor-hu2no]

Three actually because Dave named the band.

[@stevieRay3211]

Odd bass drum sound on its own but works great in the composite track.

[@violentshemp7776]

it's having pillows stuffed in them with no front head

[@BadRonald1]

Its like playing double bass on 1 & 3 and get those 16th notes (on HiHat) and play it somewhat on time. Light up the sky next please

[@wrigleyx]

Brothers Brown Sound

[@jameslyons1661]

❤

[@mnegline1971]

the secret sauce for AVH is where he places the beat. always ever so slightly ahead.

[@sp3ci4lkpo]

I would say his secret sauce is his swing. Everything that man plays just swings. No wonder Dave loved dancing on stage.

[@slide4180]

Not a drummer, but his sound - that dry, tight, toonk toonk - is what always id'd him to me.

[@DVincentW]

He has perfect meter.

[@guitarscientist9386]

I've noticed Eddie played that way as well

[@BadRonald1]

@fartpoobox ohyeah Thats exactly what I was going to say. I think he plays more behind the beat.

[@lindsaywilmoth3747]

I loved the snappier snare drum that he had back then. I hated it when he Incorporated that pop snare that he is now famous for.

[@ciadella1971]

Any chance Jeff Porcaro really played this track?

[@kiboko_drummer]

I do not know this.

[@andrewbintang4591]

lol jeff porcaro was a great drummer with the same kinda precision as displayed in this song, but alex van halen had a distinct style of his own which is so recognizable.

[@ciadella1971]

I can't believe how consistent his right hand is on the high ha

[@christopherdunn317]

Remember there's compression added to the snare, and drums, as well a the chamber reverb in sunset sound.

[@SM-xt5gl]

Loved that mate . Can you do one for “ Out Of Love “ ? Cheers

[@SM-xt5gl]

“Outta Love Again “ I mean . This one : m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJjRapV7o796mrs

[@kiboko_drummer]

No. I have no tracks for this song.

[@rolsguitars]

Listen to that snare ........

[@diogogessner2399]

which program do you use?

[@kiboko_drummer]

You can use any multi-track audio editor. I use Audacity.

[@diogogessner2399]

@@kiboko_drummer thanks

[@smedleybutler8787]

Those sticks must be as big as they come?

[@zzzthaoster]

Anybody can honestly answer this question? Alex is such a good drummer and musician as well, why doesn't he get enough credit? What's he not doing to not be included with the great drummers. Is he not technical enough or what?

[@JamesBrown-hr5qs]

I think the main thing is that when drummers play for the song instead of playing to show how good they are, they get over looked. In Alex's case it also hurts that his playing got a little stale after Roth left. If the last thing anyone heard from him was his playing on 1984 it would be different.

[@zzzthaoster]

@@JamesBrown-hr5qs To me, Alex is one the great rock drummers. Many of VH songs were so good because of the creative drum works and fills behind the songs. I don't judge how good a drummer is base on how fast or how crazy they can do things on the drum set. I judge them on their musical ability to create good music with the instrument they're playing. Alex is part of the reason VH music is on another level.

[@andrewbintang4591]

just listen to the van halen track girl gone bad to understand how incredibly creative alex van halen really is. in any other band alex would've been the main focus, but in this band the spotlight was simply always on his little brother edward so his superb drumming often went below the radar. but there's a good reason why eddie van halen said he never wanted to play with another drummer and van halen without alex is something you don't even wanna imagine. alex van halen truly is among the best drummers, versatile and giving each song exactly what it needs.

[@zzzthaoster]

@@andrewbintang4591 Agreed.

[@yukonstriker1703]

BASS though..? Mike is the shit!

[@pabloarturohernandezzapata4700]

wow !!!! para la proxima war pigs de black sabbath

[@danielcarpineto1475]

Tribal

[@motorcaster57]

Big ole honking Coliseum snare prolly 8" deep...

[@tanneryordan]

Tama rosewood. 6.5” deep

[@EpicBassTime_]

0:11

[@camronbay1]

Man do some Dave Lombardo/Bill Ward/Mitch Mitchell/Ginger Baker.

[@kiboko_drummer]

Everything has been on the channel for a long time. Use the search.

[@camronbay1]

@@kiboko_drummer Thanks I will check it out.

[@brendan_allard]

Odd tom sound

[@Argonautica8]

Alex has to be the only drummer I've ever heard who hits the crash without simultaneously hitting the bass drum.. You don't catch it during the sonh, but isolated it sounds not right. Not right at all.

[@classicartfoundation639]

I didn't hear that

[@themusiccitymartian2338]

Its sounds fukin Great, that's his style. I'm a drummer I should know.

[@Builtlikekevinhart]

@@themusiccitymartian2338 I’ve heard many jazz drummers crash without a kick and it’s brilliant

[@Scott31815]

Makes you really see how unimaginative of a drummer Alex is. All he's really doing is keeping a simple beat.

[@80macking]

Which is all the song calls for...

[@Scott31815]

@@80macking which is all he's good at.

[@dexters711]

@@Scott31815.. Stop that nonsense Scotty...

[@Scott31815]

@@dexters711 it's not nonsense. It's the truth. I like Van Halen but Alex is just a simple beat keeper.

[@dexters711]

@@Scott31815.. I think he plays complex stuff brother.