The sixth and final episode of Queen’s multi-part web series about the group’s debut album takes a deep look at the band’s singular drum sound. The series arrives as part of a celebration of the band’s 1973 self-titled debut, which was recently remixed, remastered, and expanded.
Taylor’s drum sound would be an integral part of Queen’s performances, whether in the studio or live, where his playing would whip audiences into a frenzy. But as shown in the episode, Taylor was unhappy with the final drum sound on the band’s self-titled debut.
After recording a series of demos at De Lane Lea Studios, Queen headed to Trident Studios. “At Trident, it did feel like, ‘OK, now we’re in it,’ but I didn’t really get on with their ideas,” Taylor says. “They had a drum booth and it was a well-known sound: very dry and dead, which is not what I wanted. I wanted to hear the drums resonate.”
At Trident Studios, Taylor was forced to play on a Hayman acrylic drum kit rather than his preferred setup. “I really had a bad time playing that kit, which is why, actually, if you listen to the demos—which I played on my relatively cheap kit in De Lane Lea—it’s a higher standard of drumming. It’s quite busy, but it makes sense. And it’s just better to listen to.”
“The Drum Sound” allows viewers to decide for themselves and compares the original versions at De Lane Lea Studios and Trident with the remastering on the new box set.
“What we’ve done now with Queen I is we’ve used all the actual recordings but made it sound more like we wanted it to sound at the time,” explains Taylor. “So it’s ‘liver’, the drums are more alive and more ambient. So, for me, it’s a significant improvement, and I know Brian feels the same.”