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Crocodiles

Certain Songs #373: Echo & The Bunnymen – “All That Jazz”

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Echo Crocodiles Album: Crocodiles
Year: 1980

Let’s talk about the drum roll hook. It’s one of my favorite devices in all of pop music, and has probably fallen into a bit of disuse these days.

For me, though, a perfectly-executed drum roll on a chorus — think Dave Grohl’s fills during “Come as You Are” or DJ Bonebrake’s stop time fills during “White Girl” — can elevate a song from great to classic.

And in the case of “All That Jazz,” Pete de Freitas’ exquisitely precise snare rolls after the chorus is practically the reason for the entire song.

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Certain Songs #372: Echo & The Bunnymen – “Rescue”

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echo rescue Album: Crocodiles
Year: 1980

In the fall of 1980, I was kind of adrift. I’d graduated from high school, just about to turn 18, but I really had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. So, as a stalling tactic, I went to Fresno City College, where I could dip a toe in higher education while waiting for life to shove me in one direction or another.

So my days were spent doing data entry at my dad’s office or going to City (where I mostly remember hanging out in the quad area or playing ping-pong) and my evenings were spent drinking beer out in that neighbood with the streets but no houses, going to shows with Tim and singing with the band I’d joined just after graduating from high school.

[Read more…] about Certain Songs #372: Echo & The Bunnymen – “Rescue”