The Genius Of Tommy Lee
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- čas přidán 29. 05. 2024
- Mötley Crüe wouldn’t be the same without Tommy Lee, the rockstar poster child. His personality and energy are off the charts and he’s influenced countless drummers for decades. From epic hard-hitting drum solos to incorporating pyrotechnics and spinning drum risers into his shows, let’s break down why he’s such a legendary monster.
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Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:57 - Signature Grooves
4:48 - Cymbal Techniques
7:55 - Theatrics & Drum Solos
11:07 - Tommy's Kicks
14:07 - Fills of The Crüe
16:00 - Outro
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►Facebook: / tommyleetv
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►Facebook: / brandon.toews.drums
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#Drumeo #TommyLee #Mötley Crüe
The world's oldest teenager
So am I. 😁
I would like to grow old like this, not losing my will to live and be adventurous!
@@michellerosejacksoncomedy You all are the damn best. I'm honored to have the kind of support that you show me, thank you. How are you doing it is nice meeting you here btw
The cymbal chokes he hits while not missing a beat on “Looks That Kill” are fuckin legendary!!
and that bell strike!
Knock ‘Em Dead Kid and Take Me To The Top as well!!
100% agree! This was the song/track/video that got me into drumming when I was a teen. Will forever be grateful to Tommy Lee for showing me the joy of drumming!
Tommy Lee’s best recorded performances were on Dr. Feelgood and the 1994 album. The 1994 album is criminally underrated.
That's his very best work. He was on another level then.
94 is my favourite crue album. soooo groovy
The 1994 album alone would deserve a whole episode.. that's some of the best rock drumming and best sounding drums ever recorded IMO.
So true. Dr Feelgood was amazing with incredible production and tones. Their self titled album was massive sounding as well and is still one of my favorite records. I had to get get my dads permission in the record store because of the the explicit label. I bought the cassette tape. I still listen to it to this day(streaming not the tape haha).
Agreed. The first 6 songs on 94s album can be stacked against anything they have ever done. And much of that is Tommy.
It's great that you paid attention to "Theatre of Pain" and showcased his amazing work off of that album. It gets overlooked more often than not.
Besides the overplayed HSH and the lame SITBR, there are some gems on that album!!!
Yes Nikki Sixx least favorite album, I don’t know why
it is overlooked because it is nothing great nor creative.
@@Averseinsomniac because Matthew Trippe had more to do with it
Great tracks on that album. Heard an interview with Tommy way back then talking about how he was using Sonor drums on that album/tour. He said they sounded like a cannon going off! Loved it!!🥁
What stands out in Tommy's drumming is accents, most hard rock drummers used them sparingly but Tommy used them in grooves as well as fills more like a jazz or big band player. Tommy's cymbal chokes, cow bell, and dotted eighth notes on the bell were all incorporated as texture and dynamics.
This dude changed my life forever. For his music, his drumming and his attitude. I actually owe him everything.
PS: The bottle of Jack next to the Hi Hat stand is such a classy move. This is when you get your job very serious.
Booze isn't professional, it makes you sloppy.
I learned how to play drums from Crue records. Tommy was my #1 influence. I got to meet Tommy in '02 backstage at his Never A Dull Moment solo tour and tell him he taught me to play. He was so kind and gracious. Love you Tommy, thank you so much. And thanks Drumeo for recognizing how great a drummer Tommy is
Me too!
Tommy is a massively underrated musician it's pretty cool he gave props to John bonham but he too took inspiration from those before him. Tommy is one of the greatest drummer's of our lifetime!
Tommy is a beast of a drummer! His genius is making something sound so simple when there's actually so much going on. He never overplays, but his beats are always intriguing. His best work is on the '94 Motley album. It's legendary.
he is a B leaguer, there is no much going on with his drums.....you hear what you hear with the music strip out of the music same thing. He cannot overplay he is not that creative
@Dave Wight Tell me about the drum parts you created for your Grammy winning, world famous band.
@doney really weird assumption. How about I tell you about my award winning air drumming tracks in my non famous band that pretends to play live.
@@Dave_Wight_The_Rock_Oracleidiot
@@loveiseternity he is absolutely
I can't tell you how happy I am to get this episode. I've loved the man since high school and always get so much crap for it but I've always thought he was an incredible showman. There's no way you can listen to Kickstart My Heart and not groove to the entire thing
I struggle with the flams going throughout the entire song. It's exhausting! He even said so in an interview I heard with him years ago!
Though it’s not fashionable to say now, Tommy Lee is why I started playing drums. The first time I saw the video for Home Sweet Home, I knew that was what I wanted to do. I patterned so much of my early playing on him, technically and visually. I would spin my sticks while playing , choke cymbals in grooves, and always play with as much power as I could. I have moved on to other styles and influences in my 35+ year career, but Tommy Lee will always be the fountainhead for me. Thank you so much for putting this video together.
It was the "Looks That Kill" video, that drew me in. He was just a whirling dervish of hair, twirling sticks, & a HARD backbeat! Two parts come to mind: The first chorus, there's a part where he hits the crash so hard, he almost knocks the stand down! And, the part after the solo, where he's just laying down the beat, while twirling sticks, & spits! LOL! I still go back to that video, from time to time! OH...and the "performance" version of the "Dr. Feelgood" video, with just them playing to the track the whole time (no cuts to the drug dealing stuff).
Well said. I had already been playing drums years before Crue but with no solid "style", though I had favorite songs I'd play along to and really get into it. Tommy opened my world to exactly what is covered here in this video and I am forever grateful! Got to meet the wild boy a few times too and worked one of their Dr. Feelgood shows.
I love his feeling. He's a hell of a Rock drummer and I love watching him playing.
I'm 54 yrs old now and I remember like yesterday, I was 14 yrs old sitting and learning the intro to "Danger" off Shout at The Devil. I played along countless hours to the entire Too Fast For Love album. To say I was influenced hugely by Tommy Lee would be an understatement! One of those drummers I feel like I know through his playing! Thank you for the wonderful video!
Was waiting for (but never came) one of his best drumming parts, the "slow motion" part in Live Wire, he absolutely kills it, miles above most other drummers at that time, fierce hi hat work, choked cymbals, and cowbells. all in one package. 5 stars!
Also to consider his trademark (also called Pulsing hats) of how he accentuates the punch by opening the hi hat in each 1,2, 3 and 4 while doing a pretty standard beat, it kind of pushes the groove in a cool way. You can feel that in songs like girls girls girls, looks that kill, too fast for love, etc...
Tommy Lee is one of my favorite rock drummers in the world. He has very good sense on how to follow basic guitar riff's and make them bigger. Yesterday i went to Mötley Crue gig and Tommy was as solid as ever.
For sure he is one of the rock drummers of all time!
@@eriklarson9137 lmfao
Tommy is a pocket monster. One of the greatest rock drummers of all time and highly underrated. Love the hat tip to Aldridge and AVH.
Pocket Monster is a great way to describe his drumming. A powerhouse of fun hard rock drumming.
Main thing I learnt from Tommy Lee is solid time keeping and play to support the music.
Motley Crue sucks. They sucked then and they suck now😮
He is criminally underrated. He has his own unique sound and made Crue’s sound so much bigger.
yeah but he can only play motley crue thats it hes not criminally underated he right were he needs to be
You can tell he was a Bonham fan. Always had that heavy bass drum feel and always pushing the song harder
A member of MC underrated? Yeah sure 😂
@@diegoq8417 He is underrated. A lot of people only know him because of Pamela Anderson. Many people also think he was in Men in Black movies with Will Smith.
everyone and everything is "underrated" if you read youtube comments
12:37 I'm not a drummer but I've always loved "Use It Or Lose It"... a banger that still holds up
As a member of the younger generations (I'm 27) I was so blessed to have my dad get me hooked on the crue straight out of the womb. So much so that I have gone on to play drums, and religiously learned every song, off of every album, including the album with carrobi. Fantastic drummer
I learned to play drums because I grew up listening to Motley Crue. I loved the way Tommy spun and threw his sticks around abd played like a mad man.
You rarely hear anyone name him as an inspiration but in my opinion Tommy is one of the best.
All true but I think the real genius of Tommy is about how hes drumming fits the song and how he never seem to fail in choosing the right beat/fill for the song. The perfect drummer in my opinion.
TOmmy Lee genius is an oxymoron he is a B leaguer
You've never listened to Neil Peart, Stewart Copeland, Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa etc. Tommy is average at best.
@@PaulJohnson-vn7eh difficulty does not equal good
🎯
@@cole3774 Tommy is an average drummer. He's a bar band percussionist and nothing more.
It's nice to see tommy Lee being recognized for his playing and music instead of his personal drama.
He's a goof
His double bass, ride bell and China use in the earlier records were awesome.
I was 17 in '87 at that Oakland Day on the Green concert. As a young drummer watching Tommy roll in that kit was mind blowing!
Tommy's THE reason why I started to play drums.
Es verdad En Gritale al diablo, toca con un estilo muy distinto a cualquier baterista. Un genio!!
Same brother same
tommy is the best im turning twelve but i was hooked when i hurd motley crue
What an embarrassment
@@lucasalaniz716 Listen to John Bonham or Neil Peart. Tommy Lee isn't that big of a deal.
The 1994 album is a masterclass for drummers
Totally agree.. bob Rock got an amazing sound
I saw Corabi do that album in it's entirety a few years back. I was REALLY nervous about who was drumming and how they'd do. It turns out John's son was drumming and to my ears, he hit every single note perfectly. It was awesome.
is that for beginners master class ?
@@InfectiousGroovePodcast you're worried about how some one would play the drum parts of a B leaguer?
@@Dave_Wight_The_Rock_Oracle Spoken like someone who has no idea how good Tommy Lee actually is on drums and has probably never even bothered to listen to the album I was talking about.
As I watch more videos from this series, I admire Brandon's versatility nailing so many flavors of rock drumming more and more.
really appreciate that you referenced material from the first record - it gets overlooked by all the later much more popular hits. those of us old enough to have experienced MOTLEY from the beginning on that first release have it ingrained in the grey matter
Even Nikki's bass lines on TFFL weren't bad. That was their shining moment for sure.
Tommy's performance on "Danger" are amazing, very diferent from the rest of the album. The perfect closing song.
Glad he’s getting recognition. Arguably the best drummer to come out of the 80s hair bands. 🤘🏽🤘🏽
He's the most famous but Tommy Aldridge and Rod Morgenstein are way above him
@@philipkarovski281 I attended a drum clinic by Rod in like 86-87ish. The man was a beast....
I mean, if we are not counting Van Halen
It’s titled, the genius of Tommy Lee. But, yea let’s keep this going!! 🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽🙄
Alex Van Halen, Troy Luccketta, Steve Smith, Niko McBrain, Clive Burr... the list is endless of who was better in the 80's than Lee. We shouldn't go into who was a better musician anyway. We should look at what worked. The Crue's lineup worked, and worked well.
I learned how to play parts of doctor feelgood when I was 13 but I also learned that his drumming is more difficult then it sounds. He is a great drummer and even now at the age of 43 I can listen to him and discover things I never noticed before like on Dnager from shout at the devil. That's a really great drum track. I just wished I'd seen Motley when I was young but I never got the chance.
So glad to see this video! I think Tommy Lee is INSANELY underrated as far as rock drummers go.
I've jammed with 10 year olds that are better than Lee.
@@treeherder2201sure you have😂😂
Tommy is a very solid drummer with great groove & always plays for the song. Motley Crüe stuff is really fun to cover!
on the low though, that little two note tom fill in dr. feelgood in the verses is somehow magic
It’s not his hands.
There's also a few fantastics drum parts on the very underated "Mötley Crüe" album from 1994 with John Corabi, 'Hooligan Holiday's or 'Misunderstood' got some really powerful beats and fills !
One of the most underrated drummers with a unique style. Didn’t over do it but always had some great drum tracks. Tommy was a huge influence of mine. I played a lot of Crüe songs when I started getting the hang of things on the drums when I was younger.
Can you pls make the Genius of Lars Ulrich a lot of people call him as a bad drummer but I don't think so it is true..
He’s not a bad drummer
He’s a shitty human who doesn’t care about anything so his drums sound lazy and uninspired
Like that shit solo on Lux
Yes!My Hero is Tommy Lee!Since I first heard Too fast for love I've been hooked.Absolute Legend!
legend lmfao
As a guitarist, Tommy has always, always been one of my favorites.
I think my compatriot Tommy is one of the tightest hard rock drummers ever.
One thing I’m surprised you didn’t mention about his chokes is he doesn’t just choke he uses the sort of delayed choke. He hits and then the choke takes up a little bit more space sort of like a dotted choke. It’s very effective.
Exactly, the demonstration was incorrect, bc there wasn't any delay on the choke..he instantly choked the pos cymbal, not a Paiste, instantly, then hits the bass drum 🤦♂️
You covered every dimension of Tommy. Nice work.
He got it right when he said the crowd SHOULD see what's going on behind the kit. And look where he took that idea.
Tommy is the reason why I love playing the drums. Believe or not but I learned to play drums by listening to his music. I am self taught and learned to play by ear.
Tommy is such a technician behind his kit. He is in a league of his own.
In his own mind
The old school rock drummers.
Nice period!
I knew he was legit when I had to learn Smokin in the Boys Room and Dr. Feelgood, SUPER clever bits in there 👍👍👍
His phrasing sometimes is really cool and he puts stuff on the 1 a lot to great effect 🔥🔥🔥
He mentioned a point that is a lesson I learned too late in life... Choreography is just as important as orchestration.
OK reject
Love or hate him, he’s one of the very few drummers you instantly recognize
Think about that word "instantly". Instantly recognize? Nope, dime a dozen. He sucks.
Not sure he’s one of the very few, but he is great.
The band is LA crap the singer can not sing ,,,,
Some recognise him as "Pamela ex"
Some could also recognise from the stick he got between hus legs (bc if the 1st se×tape of history)
All that to say, ppl may know him for the wrong reasons
Props to Brandon for being able to play Tommy's stuff so well!
I remember learning Tommy's groove on the song Dr. Feelgood. The amazing thing about this groove is that he doesn't play the kick drum on the "1" and instead plays it on the "3." Very subtle but very cool.
I love Hooligan’s Holiday drums. That album is just great! Uncle Jack also has some really interesting drum parts!
Great video!!! 👏
Tommy Lee is my #1 favorite drummer of all time. Hands down
He’s always been one of my favorite drummers ever. Love his style and sound.
Tommy was definitely one of my first major influences when i started playing in 81 at 8 years old. Attainable playing that taught me plenty, and obviously he had the cool factor, i learned to twirl sticks that way. Too Fast and Shout were super creative and so much fun. Those grooves on Smokin' and Feelgood are all time greats, and i always forget how tasty Hooligans Holiday is throughout the entire song.
One of the best Rock/metal drummers ever
Thank you! Thank you so much for this video because I can't tell you how many times when someone's asked me who my favorite Rock drummer is and when I say, "Tommy Lee" they look at me like I'm stupid! I've always thought he's one of the most fascinating drummers ever just like Mick Mars is one of the most fascinating guitarists. If you took Mick or Tommy out of that band even with the very same songs, they wouldn't sound anything similar to what we have today! I never even heard another drummer do the things that Tommy has done on drums. I can't tell you the number of times I've heard a new song come on, one I haven't heard before and just from the guitar and the drums I knew it was Motley Crue!
🎯 Totally agree. Anyone who gives that stupid look when you tell them your fav drummer is Tommy Lee obviously doesn't know his unique drumming style, technique, and skill level. They think he's all showmanship. I've seen that look many times over the years from others too when I put Tommy on the top of my drummer list. I just look at them like, "You're clueless, dude. Pay better attention to his work when listening to Crue songs!"
...and I'm so bummed that Mick Mars is out. It's just not the same.😢
Surprise the tremendous effort of editing work on this valuable piece! So much in just 15 minutes and make it so clear! Congrats Drumeo Team!
6:54 wild detail! 😁
When I got my first set back in 86(Tama Swingstar), he was all I wanted to be and the only band I wanted to play along too. He was the shit back in the day..
As a former snob of a drummer, I used to think Tommy was so basic and why couldn't he do more intricate fills like Neil Peart?
Then I grew up and started to realize just how fking great Tommy is. The guy played for the song and when he played live he played harder than 99% of other drummers.
To me Tommy is top 3 all time greatest Hard Rock drummers up there with the likes of Bonham and Kenny Aronoff.
Thanks for putting this great vid together!
Neil peart wouldn't last for one bar of drumming either Tommy or Bonzo..
@@1SWEETSERENADER Tommy plays with such power and hits hard so yeah, I agree with you.
I 100% added showmanship to my playing because of Tommy Lee. That white Sonor kit in the 80’s was baddass!
As a drummer a little young than Tommy, he was a big influence on me during the 80s. He brought the drummer out of the back of the stage. Solid drumming, showmanship and being an equal in the band. He was like the Gene Krupa of his time. My problem was that later on his personal life overshadowed his playing and contribution to drumming.
I heard Motley Crue before I saw what they looked like!!
This was summer of 1983.
He also inspired me to keep playing drums.
Thank-you Tommy.
Tommy is a drummer who definitely deserves more credit than he gets when it comes to his playing! His drumming really gave my drumming more of an edge than it ever had before! 🤘🏼
One of his biggest strengths was his live playing. Very solid, very groovy.
Groove is the most important thing and the drummer makes the band!
I think The Sweet's Mick Tucker might have also played a part in shaping Tommy's thinking when it came to the importance of the presentation of a solo. Mick's solos (mid-1970s) featured him 'duelling' with filmed versions of himself on three large screens.I know the Crue were all big fans of The Sweet.
Tommy is amazing for air drumming. I only like their first MC album and Bob Rock albums but drums are fantastic on every song. Always distinctive and not overplayed.
I saw him live few years ago when he had that track running over the arena ceiling. It was the most insane thing I've ever seen in my life. Besides he is a master of groove and attitude and an absolute milestone in rock drumming!
Best thing I've ever seen at a concert! So insane, and he makes it extra fun playing along to other bands' songs. I was at their 2nd-to-the-last show at the Staples Center, farewell tour.
Hi! I'm Phil Leckburg aka "Donny Lee" I'm the former drummer of Primal Scream a tribute to Motley Crüe. I performed with and toured with Neil Wharton. Vince Neil's son. Your assessment of Tommy Lee is spot on. He's a groove drummer. The constant kick snare is the key to his sound. That carries over into my current playing as a Christian musician AMF a country/ rock artist. Very good assessment of Tommy. I really appreciate the demonstration.
Lee mastered the concept of restrained aggression that Bonham did. Like Bonham, he was equally great for all of the things he didn't do, as well as adding barely audible accents that once heard (sometimes after years of listening) totally changed the dynamic of the tune in a great way. Lee never overplayed the song, and built his rhythms and fills for the benefit of the song, not himself.
I never thought that I would ever see "Tommy Lee" and the word "genius" used in the same sentence.
He is such a solid unique drummer,he is underrated .
It's because his extravagant persona always eclipses the musician... Unfair as hell, but Tommy himself seems to prefer this way
Never would I believe I would read Tommy Lee and genius in the same sentence. Astonishing...
One thing great about Tommy that aside from his flash, energy, and killer grooves, and timing... Is the way he always has the most perfect, driving drum mixing and actual tone of the drums.. His bass drums, and floor toms to me sound sooooooo fucking perfect
The 'Drummer' is the unsung hero in any band.... they are the very 'heartbeat' and without a beating heart, there is no band. Some drummers are larger than life and in your face. Others are content being in the back doing what they love, playing drums. Both types can leave a lasting legacy. New drummers learn from old drummers. No need to reinvent the wheel. Pick a style that fits your personality and then go for it full throttle.
I’d love to see a video on Mitch Mitchell or Nicko mcbrain, both amazing drummers in my opinion.
I've always talked about how underrated Tommy was on his skills. People talked about his theatrics more, but man his choices for the perfect beat for each song is impeccable.
Thanks for this incredible video! I have had a hard time explaining why I love Tommy's drumming for so many years - this sums it up completely. I've had a love/hate thing for Motley Crue over the years but Tommy's playing has been the one thing that I loved all the way through.
Good work Brandon, you really put in the work and study the playing and technique. A credit to you. Keep it up
Tommy Aldridge is still beating drums like they owe him money. He's such an underrated, underappreciated drummer, I listened to him a lot in the 80s, we didn't have internet and all this easy peasy learning, we had to play by ear and listen to every note on every song so many times and hope we got it right or watch videos of drummers until the VHS tape wore out and the picture was just scratchy lines.
The bottle of Jack by the hi-hat foot was a nice touch. Tommy was/is a beast drummer that gets overlooked a lot in the "who's some of the best rock drummers?".
Can you do genius of video of legendary Jeff Porcaro? He and the whole Toto should be known by everybody cause they are just amazing musicians!
Tommy is one of my biggest influences and I dig him even more now after seeing the patterns and beats broken down Great video. Thanks for creating it!
Love Tommy Lee ,,hes been a huge influence on my playing and alot of my fellow bandmates and fans when watching me and hesring me play they tell me im a tommy lee clone lol...also a big Tommy Aldridge fan as well....just a solid hard rock drummer here......great video
I love this series because it really makes me see these drummers from a different perspective; especially Lee, I never thought of him to be so smart
Back in the 80's I heard him play and you instantly want to air drum. One of the only players to do that. And then you saw him play in a video.... Best all round entertaining drummer next to Stewart Copeland
Holy cats, you musta been up all night editing this one. What a great compilation and run through a ridiculously amazing catalogue. Cheers
I got to see Tommy on the Girls Girls Girls tour (with Whitesnake opening to boot!) Had no idea at the time what the drum solo was going to be like. I was on the floor and when he went out over the crowd I was about 20 feet below him to his left. It was a crazy experience to be able to hear the un-miced drum hits as loud as the PA.
looking back I guess Tommy was the biggest influence on my drumming journey. To this day my setup pretty much mirrors the 2 up 2 down configuration from that tour. My gratuitous 1-handed cymbal chokes used to drive my bandmates mad back in the day too.
I think you're talking about the Dr. Feelgood tour. They toured with Whitesnake then and that's when his kit went over the audience. I worked that tour.
@@Hoodie_100 nope. Was GGG. Chrome kit with red rims. First time the nasty habits came out. Got the T-shirt that was the same as the reso head art. I remember a lot from that day. Also I was in Jr high when I went to that concert and Dr Feelgood didn't come out till I was 18 and playing in my first real band
Love EVERYTHING he has EVER played and his smile!
Caught his stick on the Theatre of Pain tour!
Nice to see this Drumeo. His drumming is overshadowed by his off stage reputation. Hate when uneducated folks say he is a bad drummer. He is incredibly creative. Ask Bob Rock what he thinks about Tommy Lee. One of the best drummers Bob has worked with according to Mr. Rock.
I always admired him as a drummer, but never realized how great his parts really were. I might have been distracted by Mick's amazing guitar work.
That's a joke right? Mars is a B leaguer
hes the goat
Great video guys! Tommy Lee is a LEGEND‼️ Big grooves, big fills, high energy & a 🔥HELL🔥 of a showman! 🤘
I love Tommy's drumming on Girls, Girl, Girls Wild Side and Dr Feelgood.
I saw them on the Dr. Feelgood tour. All I remember is Tommy and he solo.
That 1994 album. His best work. Then again it was the band's best work.
Has a great left foot and the best show around! Saw them 10 times with Tommy and once with Glen Sobel filling in. Loved every show!
I particularly love his drumming on "SMOKE THE SKY". Plus, it has that FLAM snare thing in the verse, also appearing here. Though, it wasn't included. I think some of his best, solid drumming is on the self-titled Motley Crue album with John Korabi.