What rock song had the first double bass drum?
When you picture a drum kit with two bass drums, the first port of call tends to be with heavy metal drummers, who are only looking to create the loudest din possible and seem as threatening and extravagant as they can.
Yes, people like Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor of Motörhead are synonymous with the double kick, adding that hardened edge to their sound, but long before he had emerged as a major proponent of this preposterous kit arrangement, it was common to see players from different musical backgrounds using it as a way of bolstering their rhythm section.
Keith Moon of The Who and Ginger Baker, most famously of Cream, were certainly early adopters of the double bass drum setup, especially when playing live. As flamboyant players, this feature of their stage presence only made them seem even more extravagant, but they were hardly the first to have thought of this seemingly novel idea.
This had been a tradition long before them, with several celebrated jazz players such as Billy Cobham, best known for his work with Miles Davis and Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Louie Bellson of the Duke Ellington Orchestra also trying to make this catch on as a feature of modern drumming.
As unconventional as it may have been, as well as a gigantic financial burden for those wishing to buy a second bass drum and a good way to take up valuable space on stage, it also gave the guys usually relegated to sitting at the back a reason to be noticed for their work.
But what was the first rock song to have used this setup, and why was it more of a commonplace feature of live performances than it was on recorded music?
What was the first rock song to feature a double kick drum?
Just as inspired by jazz as he was by the advent of hard rock in the late 1960s, Carmine Appice is often credited as being the first drummer to use two bass drums on a recording, having done this while playing with his band Cactus on their song, ‘Parchman Farm’. Recognised for its rumbling rhythm, the double kick plays a significant role in establishing the sound of the song, and Appice gives a typically energetic drumming performance packed with venom that is only further accentuated by the frenetic nature of the guitars and harmonicas.
Known for having played alongside the likes of Jeff Beck and as a founding member of Vanilla Fudge, there’s little doubt that Appice is one of the most outlandish yet technically gifted drummers to have ever lived, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that he’s the one responsible for bringing this into a studio recording for the first time.
Remarkably, despite the fact that others had used it in a live setting earlier than this, there’s no evidence that it was employed in the studio until 1970, when Appice claimed it as his innovation. Given how he was also one of the first drummers to have been considered a heavy metal player, the fact that he was ready to incorporate this into his work shows just how daring he was in the studio, and ‘Parchman Farm’ is a sublime example of his talents.
