Ian Paice (of Deep Purple) - Not For The Pro's
Picture:
B- Sound: B Extras: C
Film: C+
Ian
Paice, if you don't know, is the drummer for Deep Purple, and has been for over
35 years. In addition, he held a
temporary slot in Whitesnake (years before they cheesed out with "Here I Go Again"), and has done
session work with such luminaries as Paul McCartney and Gary Moore. Not content to rock out in musical Valhalla with
the other English legends, he has released a DVD, Not For The Pro's, aimed at just that sort of drummer: a
non-professional. That can mean anything
from a beatkeeper playing in small clubs or whether you're a novice who just
likes to hit stuff. So if you're a
drummer who is looking for a serious tutorial, then keep away, because this is Not For The Pro's.
On
this DVD, Paice takes the viewer into the construction of drums, cymbals, and
sticks. Interspersed with more than a generous amount of Deep Purple concert
footage, Paice gives simple advice on subjects like drum tuning ("if it
sounds the way you like it, it's in tune") and recording ("these
things [microphones] are a drummer's worst enemy"). Paice also
demonstrates some basic drum patterns on a snare, but if you're a rookie
drummer, you might develop an inferiority complex watching him batter the drums
at bruising speeds.
This
is shot on full screen analog videotape throughout and has limited picture
fidelity. The sound has its moments of
fullness, but is somewhat limited in how it was recorded at the time, yet when
the drums kick in on the Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM 2.0 CD stereo, it works. DTS would have been a nice option, but maybe
next time. There are several moments of
unintentional comedy on the "Roadieview" section of the DVD. "Roadieview" is a camera planted on
the drum kit, so you can see Paice drumming in a live situation. What does Ian do when the monitors are bad? Golly gee, he yells at his roadie to fix the
problem. But how does he deal with a
dropped drumstick? Well, he keeps the
beat while reaching into his stick bag and grabs another one. Whew! Crisis
averted. Some of the extras on Not For The Pro's include an interview
for Australian TV, clips of Paice drumming with Purple, and two new original
songs recorded and videotaped at Abbey Road Studios.
- Michael J. Farmer
