JOHN DENSMORE: HIS USE OF "PRESS ROLLS" IN THE DOORS' MUSIC

 

Having examined the "Latin beat" used by The Doors’ drummer John Densmore to spice up the rhythm of some of the band's songs (link to article here), let us consider another distinctive feature of his sound: the "press roll".

The percussive technique called "press roll" or "drum roll" has been used extensively on drums, especially the snare drum, since the 19th century. It originated in military bands, where it was used to add rhythm to soldiers' marches or to give a dramatic and solemn aura to executions.

Starting to spread from this grim context, the "drum roll" has been used in the second half of the 19th century by street bands ("marching bands"), which colored town festivals in the southern United States with their simple and festive music.

One step further, we find ourselves in the sizzling world of jazz (born in the early 1900s), which counts among its constitutive elements the very street bands that played during festivals and celebrations, public and private, in New Orleans.

In this way the drum roll became part of the jazz idiom, although not yet definitively codified as a rhythmic device and not widespread among drummers.

At this point in our journey, one of the best and most important drummers in the history of jazz, Art Blakey, enters the scene.

He began using "press rolls" in the 1950s within the jazz style known as hard bop, officially introducing them into the jazz aesthetic and making them a hallmark of his own thunderous drumming technique.

The tight, progressively faster and more powerful strokes that the drummer's sticks  outline on the snare drum create an effect of electrifying suspense in the listener. A growing sense of anticipation that culminates in a powerful, indistinct humming than abruptly dissolving into a dry closing (usually on the crash cymbal).

To give some practical examples of this exciting rhythmic figure, we recommend listening to some pieces in which it is used by Art Blakey himself: "Moanin'," recorded in October 1958, at min. 0.58 (link here) and "Free For All," recorded in February 1964, at min. 0.33 and 0.44 (link here).

John Densmore was directly inspired by this influential source to incorporate "press rolls" into the rhythmic patterns that characterized The Doors' art.

Like the other members of the group, the drummer had a strong interest in jazz, and it was not long before he realized how perfectly the "drum roll" could fit into the soundscapes The Doors had been building since the first half of 1966, balancing rock music and theater.

Following the chronological order of release, we find Densmore's first "press roll" on the group's debut LP ("The Doors," recorded in August 1966) with "End Of The Night," at min. 2.04.

Here, the “press roll” emphatically marks the impending explosion of the song's final, desperately evocative chorus, like a fuse burning rapidly toward the detonator of an explosive device.

On the following album, "Strange Days" (recorded in the spring/summer of 1967), the drummer also uses the "press roll" on more than one occasion.

The first time is on track number two of this great record, "You're Lost Little Girl".

On this tune, Densmore leads the arrangement to the chorus with an imaginative drum roll that culminates in a dull thump on the bass drum (for example, at min. 0:40 and min. 1:40).

This creative gimmick is reminiscent of another traditional use of “drum rolls”: the one employed in circuses during daring performances since the 19th century.

Different is the case of "When The Music's Over", which is also included in "Strange Days" as an extraordinary conclusion of the vinyl.

The structure of the composition unfolds in the form of a suite, with one of its high points being the protracted "press roll" that precedes Jim Morrison's wild, painful scream (listen from min. 8:01 to min. 8:08).

This is a masterpiece in which theater and rock meet with a dynamic force that is hard to match. This is also made possible by the increased sound tension created by the aforementioned “drum roll”, which is played on the tom-tom instead of the snare drum to achieve a muted and darker sound.

In November 1967, The Doors put another chapter of their distinctive blend of rock and theatre on vinyl with a song that would be released as a single in March 1968 and would end up on their third album, "Waiting For The Sun," in July of the same year: "The Unknown Soldier."

At the heart of this memorable song is a tragic rendition of a military shooting, as instruments fall silent and studio effects simulate a firing squad preparing to shoot a condemned soldier.

In this intense and powerful soundscape, the drums dive into an extremely realistic "press roll" only to stop abruptly and make way for the firing detonation (listen from min. 1:21 to min. 1:31).

Departing from the classical song form, the revolutionary middle section of "Unknown Soldier" relies on the “press roll” as its main stage element, reviving its original, ancient role and putting it in the service of late 1960s rock.

The various settings in which Densmore's drums expressed themselves with "press rolls" allow us to better appreciate the versatility of this technique as well as the exciting and expressive profile it gave to The Doors' music.

Over the course of the band's career, other pieces would be punctuated by drum rolls, sometimes more prominent, sometimes less so, both in the studio and live.

In this way, the The Doors’ drummer adapted a jazz rhythmic figure to rock, emphasizing short passages of passionate appeal that blend American musical tradition and innovation with a tasty incisiveness.

P.S.: My book "The Doors Through Strange Days"- The most comprehensive journey ever made through The Doors' second LP, is out and available on Amazon.com, uk, mx, ca, etc.

Here’s the link:

Amazon – “The Doors Through Strange Days”