Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Sandy Nelson - Drums Are My Beat
 | Sandy Nelson played on many hit sessions with a wide variety of artists, and he had success under his own name as well. |
Picks: My Blue Heaven, Hawaiian War Chant, Twisted, Caravan, Drums Are My Beat, Day Drumming, Drum Stomp, Hum Drum, Topsy, The City
Track by Track Review
Rock (Instrumental)
Cool piano and fifties studio rock and roll sound. Pumped up, but not particularly catchy.
Rock (Instrumental)
Sandy Nelson's drums amp up this traditional Hawaiian number in a big band format. It's fun, but not particularly remarkable.
Rock (Instrumental)
A rock solid drum beat opens this fifties style studio rock cut. Aside from Sandy's kit, there's nothing to really set this apart. It is quite energetic.
Rock (Instrumental)
Duke Ellington's "Caravan" is a natural for a drum record. It's so rhythmic. This is a very cool version of this venerable song. Very exotic.
Rock (Instrumental)
"Drums Are My Beat" sports a fun little riff carried on piano and bass against guitar. It's pretty simple, but very cool. As always, the drums are focus.
Rock (Instrumental)
"Day Drumming" is another Sandy Nelson composition. There are no players adding to the song. It's all drums and almost eight minutes long.
Near Surf (Instrumental)
"Drum Stomp" employs a Richard Podolor vibrato shimmered progression to lead the drum fest. Kinda country, kinda surfy, and rooted in the fifties.
Rock (Instrumental)
With a simple riff inspired slightly by "Istanbul," this is a rhythmic and tribal track with solid energy. It's also a bit like "Let There Be Drums."
Rock (Instrumental)
"Topsy" opens with the middle section in brass before giving way to lead xylophone. It's an interesting concept, but is not as hard driving as the Cozy Cole hit.
Rock (Instrumental)
Steve Douglas' nasty sax and Sandy Nelson's tribal thunder work wonders on this track. The guitar riff is highly repetitious, but the back ally mean streak comes through clearly, coupled with a Vegas runway giggle.