I sometimes think John paints songs rather than plays them.Ģ. John’s beautiful accenting of the “and” of 3 with the guitar and bass gives ‘Down In Splendour” tension but still such a fluid momentum. You hear it all through SJF’s songs and it’s one of the many qualities that made this band so special. The ability to drive a song forward and to pull it back at just the right times without it feeling like it’s slowing down or losing intensity. It’s a special skill and John Collie has mastered this. Click tracks and metronomes don’t really work. Beautiful to play with but as a drummer, difficult to achieve. The music surges and swells and then recedes like the tide. Andrew had a real push and pull in his playing. I had the pleasure of making an album with Andrew in his post Straitjacket Fits outfit, Bike. Andrew and Shayne Carter’s weaving, chiming guitars, Andrew’s beautifully nuanced vocal and John Collie’s inimitable drumming, all glued together by David Wood’s (RIP) bass. Written by Andrew Brough (RIP), it’s a remarkable piece of writing. ‘Down In Splendour’ is one of New Zealand’s great songs. ‘Down In Splendour’ – Straitjacket Fits – John Collie So, in the great washup of life, I guess that’s about it – be a good person and leave behind some good songs. In no particular order, here are a few more New Zealand drummers doing just that. He’ll be sadly missed but at least we have the music. He was unique – tight but loose, solid but fluid – I’ve never seen anyone cover a Stones song and have it sound anything remotely like Charlie made it sound. He was just going to make the band feel good, give the song exactly what it needed and be the “roll” in the band’s rock’n’roll.
He was never going to floor you with lightning-fast gospel fills or beats that would have you questioning your understanding of mathematics. Keith Richards, when asked what the ingredients were that made the Stones the Stones, said, “Sometimes I start the songs and sometimes Charlie starts them.”Ĭharlie wasn’t flash.
Musically, to me, Charlie was the Stones, or at the very least, the most important cog in the machinery.
As a musician, what will you be remembered for? In Charlie’s case, he leaves behind some music that we can all enjoy forever, and second – perhaps most importantly – by all accounts, he was a thoroughly decent human. I don’t even come close but if I’m ever going to accept a compliment, no matter how inaccurate, I’ll gladly take this one! In an interview for something or other, a journalist once described me, rather too kindly, as New Zealand’s version of Charlie Watts. Sadly, as I sit down to write on this Covid 19, Level 4 lockdown morning, I’ve just learnt of the death of Charlie Watts, drummer with The Rolling Stones. It must be at least four years since AudioCulture first asked me to put together a list of 10 New Zealand drum tracks.
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