"Heading Out to the Highway"

That's Glenn Tipton over there in the white shoes.

When my brother and I started playing music together, we first jammed to "Wild Thing" by the Troggs (which I have grown to love even more as an adult), "Iron Man" by Sabbath, and eventually, as I transitioned from a single crash cymbal & snare to a full set of drums, "You've Got Another Thing Coming" by Judas Priest. I never got tired of that one--in fact, I still love it.

The Kid would rapidly learn songs on the guitar, while I would just rock a simple 4/4 beat to everything. I never actually played the specific parts accurately; when listening to records, I couldn't really decipher by ear what the drummers were doing. I really needed to see someone play 'cause I sure wasn't figuring it out on my own. While other home-drummers were working on mastering Permanent Waves, my jams to figure out were Zeppelin's "The Ocean" (I could play maybe the first 45 seconds of that song), The Cult's "Wild Flower," and The Cure's "Three Imaginary Boys" (which was the only one I played right in its entirety).

But now, when I listen to music, I hear drum parts that I picked up unintentionally and from unlikely sources. The sphere of influence is shocking. I was listening to Meat Is Murder, and I know "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" made an impression on my playing. There was one moment on "Please Forgive Us" from Blind Man's Zoo, just one brief part, maybe a moment in the chorus, that certainly affected how I play.

A few months back, J. Hutto sent me a link to this Judas Priest song, and while watching and listening, I realized that this is my current favorite kind of beat. In a way, I'm sort of stuck on this rhythm, and it's all over the songs I've written as a guitarist because (and I say this with no irony) it's the beat I want to play all the time.  

So watch the video (which is nothing short of amazing) and dig this beat.

Some highlights to look for...

• Rob Halford nearly doing the twist before the vocals start. 
• Any shot of the bassist, Ian Hill. Seriously, any shot.
• A snare roll in the middle of the song.
• Dude combing his hair in the car before the big race.