I always noticed the cowbell. I love how subtle it is. That is why the SNL sketch was so funny to me. If the cowbell had been any louder it would have been terrible. To me, it is iconic.
What?! Not hear the cowbell?! That's always been one of the coolest parts of the mix. It's the secret driver, like seconds ticking off against your not-so-eternity. I'm glad the band recognized the spontaneous inspiration of it. Can't imagine the song without that un-ringing un-thudding metallic heartbeat. I've never seen the SNL skit, but since Albert endorsed it, I'll go check it out.
Seriously awesome! BOC is a band I have listened to since the 8th grade. Am 41 now. Their songs have been the soundtrack of my life. I am happy that you know him and studied under him.
@@ericlarson6390 It's a bell cows wear around neck so they can be found. Usually made cheaply they have a dead sound compared to a real bell. ruclips.net/video/X2hCJa3TJbs/видео.html
@@seriouspipes You didn't recognize the sarcasm dripping off ever single letter in my post? Hell, I went to Switzerland for my honeymoon... There are cows with their bells all over the Swiss alps... and in Germany as well (I was an Army MP in Stuttgart). Most of those bells on the Swiss cows play the bell part from BOC's THE REAPER. (Please notice the sarcasm dripping off every letter of that last sentence. You may want to put a bucket under it so nobody slips and falls in the sarcasm.)
@@ericlarson6390 While everyone can definitely hear the cowbell on Don't Fear The Reaper, be advised: people cannot (and will never) "hear" sarcasm in the printed word. The internet is chock full of people stupid enough to ask the question exactly as you did, and without a trace of the sarcasm you claim is "dripping off every single letter" of your comment. (Because it IS a comment, not a "post". Posts are on that Facebook thingamajig.) Your name is vague enough that someone like helpful-as-all-get-out Mel here could have very easily mistook your comment as coming from someone that doesn't speak English. You left out the "a" before cowbell, reinforcing this idea in the minds of those unfortunate enough to come across said comment. You added no winky-face emojis or 'ha-ha' to your comment, and until the interweb comes up with a sarcasm font (which I would support and use), *nobody can tell sarcasm from stupid.* Your return and ensuing lambast, designed solely to shame poor Mel (who only tried to help the misguided, possibly foreign and lying-about-his-name Eric in his quest to understand all this cowbell madness) also doesn't "drip" with sarcasm. It does drip with other things, now, so don't feel like you accomplished nothing. Like the classic "Argument" skit from Monty Python, where it's delineated for the audience that simple naysaying does not an argument make, sarcasm is more complex than the crude assholery and douchebaggery you've demonstrated here. So, yeah, your comments drip with something, alright. It just ain't sarcasm. In short, stop being such a dick.
Honestly, I always assumed it was a woodblock until hearing this. The fact that they wrapped the cowbell in tape and used a tympani mallet makes much more sense to me now.
Mr. Bouchard's comment about tape altering the cowbell sound can be backed up by watching the biggest cowbell song up to that time, Time Has Come Today by the Chambers Brothers (watch the 15-minute live version on RUclips).
Same here. I was the drummer in a band that covered the tune in 1976-7. None of us ever knew there was a cowbell in the tune until SNL. It's barely audible.
Especially in the 60s the tambourine (in combination with the snaredrum) had a similar function. It was mostly added in the end. Not only to reinforce the backbeat, but also as a special sort of "ear candy" and the glue that pulled the record together.
I ran a half marathon about 10 years ago and they had volunteers along the route to hand out water and they would also cheer the runners on. At one hydration station there was a volunteer pounding on a cowbell with a drumstick. I yelled to the volunteer, "I gotta have more cowbell". The small group I was running with completely cracked up.
It was so awesome when Will Ferrel hosted SNL and Queens of the Stone age were playing Little Sister. Will comes out in the same costume from years ago and plays the cowbell.
Listened to that song for years and either never noticed the cowbell or never thought about it. After the SNL skit it's 90% of what I think about when I play that track.
I never noticed it until the sketch. It was a song had heard many times over the years, but probably hadn’t listened close enough to hear the cowbell. Even now, I may notice it, but it is mixed kind of low as he says.
If you listened to this on AM radio the cowbells stood out in mix because of analogue signal compression processing If you listened to it on stereo or headphones it is down in the mix. AL has explained it in another interview.
When he said, “Mixed really low in the track” I thought he was kidding. I’ve always thought it was distracting how it cut through the mix. I always thought it was the click track they forgot to cut of the final edit.
mixed low in the track? hahahaha even before that skit came out its the cowbell that always stood out to me....that constant push in the rhythm...i loved it....then that skit came out and it just had me laughing like crazy because I realised it wasn't just me that connected to the sound on that song.
The original skit came out in the late 70s or early 80s. SNL did it back then. Its easy to look up . The original not as funny, no Will showing his belly in that one.
@@buggybunny5769 ??? Serious....you talking about the actual song or an old SNL skit before Will Ferrel? I tried searching it on youtube and couldnt find it...do you have a link?
In 2006 a cd called More Cowbell: Classic Rock Party Mix came out with a large cowbell on the cover 17 tracks. Besides Don't Fear the Reaper it includes All Right Now-Free, You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet-BTO, Never Been Any Reason-Head East, We're And American Band-Grand Funk, Gimme 3 Steps- L. Skynyrd, Funk #49-James Gang, Radar Love-Golden Earring, Mississippi Queen-Mountain, Calling Dr. Love-Kiss, Little Willy-Sweet, Workin' For the Weekend-Loverboy, Let It Ride-BTO, Saturday Night Special-L. Skynyrd, Walk Like A Man-Grand Funk, Since You've Been Gone-Head East, Wishing Well-Free. Other great cowbell songs Hair of the Dog- Nazareth, Honky Tonk Woman-R. Stones, Rock Of Ages- D. Leppard, Time Has Come Today-Chambers Brothers, Evil Ways-Santana, Drive My Car-Beatles, Last Child-Aerosmith, Gold Dust Woman-Fleetwood Mac, Hard Days Njght-Beatles, Low Rider-War, Night Train, Welcome To the Jungle, My Michelle-Guns N' Roses, Incense and Peppermints-Strawberry Alarm Clock. Excuse me I gotta go explore the space!!
No, Albert. One of the many reasons the skit works is because everyone was aware of the cowbell, from the moment that song was released. Mixed low, yes, but everyone noticed it.
It's interesting to hear about the fine-tuning of the cowbell sound with tape. My father recorded a lot of records in the 60s-90s. On one song he said they tried to use a couple of shakers that just didn't sound right so they went out in the parking lot and filled gravel into a Coke can and that was the exact sound they were looking for.
There's a lot of songs where they used all kinds of invented percussion instruments, things like using soda pop bottles (back when they were still made from glass), or an aerosol spray bottle or whatever. I also remember one of the guys in Three Dog Night saying that the vocal sound at the beginning of Liar was produced by going into the bathroom across the hall from the studio, and singing into the toilet. They literally used a toilet as like a reverb chamber or whatever.
You know... I'm a farmer.. and ever since that damn cowbell sketch... I have 50 cows on my dairy farm and I've replaced ALL their cowbells at least twice. My insurance carrier has altered my policy as of the last renewal that says they'll only reimburse me for HALF the cost of any further cowbell thefts. I turned the policy around and said: No...No... I NEED more COWBELL...... coverage. We all busted out laughing but they said sign it or find a new provider. If there's anything I hate MORE than that cowbell sketch it's insurance companies.
I beg to differ...I noticed the cowbell the first time I ever heard the song and was always drawn to that sound..and I loved it. I got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell!!
"it was mixed very low in the track, you don't even notice it"......Are you kidding me? I'm 33 years old and discovered this song in the late 90's and that was the first thing I noticed!!!!! Ever since I first heard it I wished it was toned down or not even there. wow.
That's because you guys are influenced by the sketch... it takes all of 2 seconds to figure out your inability to separate Ferrell's hysterical satire from the actual song. I grew up with the song, always loved the song, and NEVER thought about the cowbell (barely audible JUST LIKE BOUCHARD SAYS), why? because the cowbell is barely audible! I know what it is to record live music or studio as well. The greatness of the song is in the dark melodic guitar figure and haunting motif of the song, NOT some damned "cowbell".... there are great things about this song... NONE OF THEM are related to the friggin "cowbell"
hotel foxtrot mmm...no, I noticed it years before that sketch, which is what made the sketch that much funnier. I've heard covers of the song that don't use the cowbell and they sound much better.
Great, now I can see the skit even longer with them trying out All these outrageous instruments when finally settling to use the cowbell where it picks up from there. Sounds like the real incident was just as hilarious!
Wow, I went back and listened to the song again to see if it was really low like he said because for some reason I picture it loud like the SNL skit. Sure enough, it was really low. It seems the skit makes us pay attention to it and without realizing it we are bringing the cowbell forward as a big part of the song. I will probably hear the song again in a few months and hopefully, I will see if I subconsciously bring the cowbell forward. I have a feeling though that no matter what we will always notice the cowbell.
My wife gave me a cowbell and drumsticks as an advent calendar present in 2017. Best silly advent calendar present of all time! First time I tried it, one of our cats hissed at me and bolted out the catflap.
Love BOC and also Randy Brecker but kind of agree that it's hard to imagine RB being on that record. Albert as a music teacher? How cool would that be?!
The heavy compression on DFTR was brilliant- to squash it so much that it sounds almost like an effect. Just amazing. I guess the Gibson Lab Series amps did sorta the same thing with their heavy compressor. Pablo Cruise sure made that work, like in Love Will Find A Way.
Ultimate cowbell song. You will never feel that their is a need for more cowbell after this the penultimate cow bell tune. Captain Beefheart Sun Zoom Spark. Now that's an awesome song. The amazing Art Tripp on percussion.
As somebody who grew up on Album Oriented Rock Station KSHE95 in St. Louis, that song was a fixture of my childhood and adolescence. I loved the faint cowbell in the background of that song. Always heard it from the get go. Such a rock classic and one that many AOR radio stations play to this day.
I was at the 1979 mirrors tour concert in Atlanta had 2nd row center stage and Albert did the best drumming solo I have ever heard the laser and light show were bad ass the best jam concert ever
Albert Bouchard wrote one of my favorite Blue Oyster Cult songs "Fireworks" and co-wrote two other favorites "R.U. Ready to Rock" and "Nosferatu." I saw Blue Oyster Cult in concert in Effingham, Illinois a few years ago on Halloween and was very disappointed that they didn't play "Fireworks" or "Nosferatu."
Fireworks may never have been in their sets. It is said that Springstein thought Fireworks should have been the obvious single off Spectres. Albert was canned back in 81 so nobody was going to try his song Fireworks. It IS a great song- one of my favorites.
@@NYVoice Fireworks did get some airplay in Chicago when Spectres came out. I figured they didn't play Fireworks at the show I went to because none of the current members wrote it, but I thought they might play Nosferatu simply because the show was on Halloween. I love Fireworks for the guitar and vocals - both lead and backing.
Christopher Walken first used that line when he said “I want more cowbell! I want enough cowbell to cover up Natalie Wood’s screams as Robert Wagner kills her!”.
Milk cows with a square bell on a leather strap around their necks is where the original cow bell sound comes from, and when struck with a drum stick...phenomenal!
@@davedavid427 Oh really? Well, thanks for that Dave ♥ No one have ever had a clue as this question been thru several videos, Fb-music groups of different genres etc. ...weird i feel lighter, one of those questions buzzing in the head since the 70's. Btw "Grus" in Swedish is gravel, grusväg/gravelroad/surface. But who are you to be the only one in the world knew this? :P /Thank you und danke Dave "Didn't brought me down" David
I enjoyed this interview clip, but it needs more cowbell.
+ffmfg Really explore the studio space this time. XD
Definitely.
ffmfg lol too cool !!!
ffmfg this is like a dead meme
My sentiments exactly.
This warms my heart that blue oyster actually enjoyed the skit XD
I always noticed the cowbell. I love how subtle it is. That is why the SNL sketch was so funny to me.
If the cowbell had been any louder it would have been terrible. To me, it is iconic.
I think at least half the reason the sketch is so good is because there’s such a good song in it.😆
@@viviannichols3582 the other half being Christopher Walkins "impeccable" impersonation of Bruce Dickinson.
Listening to it on AM station with its specific frequency - you barely heard it.
idk I feel like they should've recorded a "more cowbell" version of the song lol
Before I watched this sketch I hadn't even noticed the cowbell, now it seems that's all I hear 😂
“Don’t blow this for us, Gene!”
"Stop being so selfish!"
Yeah…. Gene…. Quit being so selfish 😂😂
He's right about being mixed low. I NEVER heard the cowbell until the sketch. Now i can't un-hear it.
Sorry, I can't agree. For me that song was always about the cowbell, long before I ever heard of the SNL sketch.
I agree. Never noticed it until I saw the skit a few years ago , lol.
I saw the sketch before the snl- I just got the record a few days ago and I’m amazed at how low the cowbell is
Grundy Malone I never heard it before the SNL, I’m 15
Honestly the cowbell was sooo understated I've always thought it sounded more like a wood block
"I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!"
I laughed so hard when he said that in the skit 😂
WE NEED MORE COW BELLS!! 🎶
Is more dead angels
one of the best jokes evah ritten
I play second cowbell in a Norwegian Death Metal band.
How many cowbellers they got?
@@stonehobson2487 Only two but we're always hiring... you should hear the crowd go nuts after my 12 minute solo.
@@ZomBMarketing You got my attention..?
In Spanish death metal they attach it to a bull. Crowd goes crazy.
JohnnyArt Pavlou In Soviet Russia death metal-cowbell plays you
That faint cowbell gives it that ticking of time effect. tops it off perfectly....
When it comes to the cowbell, the opening of Mississippi Queen is what I usually think of.
Touch of cowbell on opening of Loverboy's working for the weekend
So true.
Or Cold Ethyl by Alice Cooper
Sounds like you need some Hair of the Dog.
Nazareth "Hair of the Dog."
What?! Not hear the cowbell?! That's always been one of the coolest parts of the mix. It's the secret driver, like seconds ticking off against your not-so-eternity. I'm glad the band recognized the spontaneous inspiration of it. Can't imagine the song without that un-ringing un-thudding metallic heartbeat.
I've never seen the SNL skit, but since Albert endorsed it, I'll go check it out.
So uh what did you think of the skit out of curiosity?
3 years later we need answers
This segment really needed to explore the studio space.. Really explore the space..
“The last time I checked, we don’t do a lot of songs the feaure the cowbell”
Say it baby!
He was not wrong about that.
I've been thinking of taking cowbell lessons
Are you a cow?
The only thing you really need to know about playing any percussion instrument - when to do it!
😂😂😂😂
Cwise85 that is hilarious! Made me laugh! “Cowbell Lessons!” Love a sense of humor
Intro to cowbells - proper holding techniques and grip tension.
When he mentioned the producers on the track, he forgot to mention Bruce Dickenson, yes THE Bruce Dickenson, lol!!!
Is this a joke or something?
There was a producer named Bruce Dickinson, he produced a BOC compilation that it seems SNL got his name from.
Bruce Dickinson, mid-level manager at Columbia Records, NOT the lead singer of Maiden, same name, different persons
@@MM-tt3np I was thinking theirs no way Bruce from iron maiden is the producer.
Gold plated diapers
after hearing this interview, all of a sudden I have a FEVAH and the only Prescribtion is MORE COWBELL
this guy was my high school teacher . he got wild stories
Seriously awesome! BOC is a band I have listened to since the 8th grade. Am 41 now. Their songs have been the soundtrack of my life. I am happy that you know him and studied under him.
He seems very down to Earth.
That would of been an honour. Would love to hear backstories about the great days or rock!
All about cow bells?
Oh you lucky bastard lol 😄 I envy you that
I would be doing myself a disservice... if I didn't play the hell out of this cowbell!
Now I hear the cowbell every time the song is played and see Will Ferrell playing it in my head...
Everyone hears the cowbell. Believe me!
I never new cow bell existed until now. What is cow bell? Is it a bell shaped like a cow? or a cow shaped like a bell?
@@ericlarson6390 It's a bell cows wear around neck so they can be found. Usually made cheaply they have a dead sound compared to a real bell. ruclips.net/video/X2hCJa3TJbs/видео.html
@@seriouspipes You didn't recognize the sarcasm dripping off ever single letter in my post? Hell, I went to Switzerland for my honeymoon... There are cows with their bells all over the Swiss alps... and in Germany as well (I was an Army MP in Stuttgart). Most of those bells on the Swiss cows play the bell part from BOC's THE REAPER. (Please notice the sarcasm dripping off every letter of that last sentence. You may want to put a bucket under it so nobody slips and falls in the sarcasm.)
@@ericlarson6390 While everyone can definitely hear the cowbell on Don't Fear The Reaper, be advised: people cannot (and will never) "hear" sarcasm in the printed word.
The internet is chock full of people stupid enough to ask the question exactly as you did, and without a trace of the sarcasm you claim is "dripping off every single letter" of your comment. (Because it IS a comment, not a "post". Posts are on that Facebook thingamajig.)
Your name is vague enough that someone like helpful-as-all-get-out Mel here could have very easily mistook your comment as coming from someone that doesn't speak English. You left out the "a" before cowbell, reinforcing this idea in the minds of those unfortunate enough to come across said comment. You added no winky-face emojis or 'ha-ha' to your comment, and until the interweb comes up with a sarcasm font (which I would support and use), *nobody can tell sarcasm from stupid.*
Your return and ensuing lambast, designed solely to shame poor Mel (who only tried to help the misguided, possibly foreign and lying-about-his-name Eric in his quest to understand all this cowbell madness) also doesn't "drip" with sarcasm.
It does drip with other things, now, so don't feel like you accomplished nothing.
Like the classic "Argument" skit from Monty Python, where it's delineated for the audience that simple naysaying does not an argument make, sarcasm is more complex than the crude assholery and douchebaggery you've demonstrated here.
So, yeah, your comments drip with something, alright. It just ain't sarcasm.
In short, stop being such a dick.
i dont
Such an underrated drummer. His work with BÖC is excellent.
I can't listen to this song anymore without saying out loud, "It needs more cowbell"!!!!
It needs much more cowbell then some
Honestly, I always assumed it was a woodblock until hearing this. The fact that they wrapped the cowbell in tape and used a tympani mallet makes much more sense to me now.
Dude I noticed it right away it’s VERY noticeable and I love it
Nazareth's Hair of the Dog has LOUD cowbell! haha
The opening of We're an American Band takes the cake.
Yeah, such great album and cowbells do have such a basic pleasant sound ,
down to earth came with Adam and Eve
The song DEFINITELY needs more cow bell!
Pretty incredible that the sketch referenced a real event 😂
Mr. Bouchard's comment about tape altering the cowbell sound can be backed up by watching the biggest cowbell song up to that time, Time Has Come Today by the Chambers Brothers (watch the 15-minute live version on RUclips).
Great song. Really great 👍🏻
All the years I've been listening to that song, if it weren't for that skit, I would have never known there was a cowbell in the song LOL
seriously?
Same here.
Agreed. I was there for the Buck Dharma sound. The cowbell was a nice background touch.
Same here. I was the drummer in a band that covered the tune in 1976-7. None of us ever knew there was a cowbell in the tune until SNL. It's barely audible.
Especially in the 60s the tambourine (in combination with the snaredrum) had a similar function. It was mostly added in the end. Not only to reinforce the backbeat, but also as a special sort of "ear candy" and the glue that pulled the record together.
I learned to play the cowbell just because of BOC
I'm still working on the triangle.
I learned what a cowbell was because of the SNL skit...🤣
I ran a half marathon about 10 years ago and they had volunteers along the route to hand out water and they would also cheer the runners on. At one hydration station there was a volunteer pounding on a cowbell with a drumstick. I yelled to the volunteer, "I gotta have more cowbell". The small group I was running with completely cracked up.
That is amazing. Ferrell is a very intuitive comedian.
Seasons don't fear the cowbell...
Nor do the wind or the summer rain...
@Painkiller Jones
Actually, Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain
Sessions don't fear the cowbell
Sanford and Son theme has some
Serious cowbell
Only Fred is funnier than a cowbell
It's pretty funky too. Thanks, I'd never heard that.
It was so awesome when Will Ferrel hosted SNL and Queens of the Stone age were playing Little Sister. Will comes out in the same costume from years ago and plays the cowbell.
Blue Oyster Cowbell
The world needs more cowbell.
Stick with me and you'll be wearing gold diapers!!
"What does that even mean"
@@wickedfuctup It means Mr Ronny is a damn fool...
Gold PLATED diapers
@@wickedfuctup "Never question Bruce Dickinson!"
I miss those AT&T and Pepsi type jingles. Like that Folgers coffee one, etc.
And Manilow's, "And like a good neighbor, State Farm is there"
Good to see you looking so happy and healthy, Albert. It’s been a lot of years since I last visited with you.
With the amount of albums that skit likely made them sell, he can't help but love it! 😂
"Its mixed low" we all heard that part forever. Will just finally said what we were all thinking. BOC!
Listened to that song for years and either never noticed the cowbell or never thought about it. After the SNL skit it's 90% of what I think about when I play that track.
Don't notice it? That's all you hear. Even before that skit. I always heard it
As someone who's only seen the skit maybe twice, both long after discovering the song, yes he did.
That is bit of exageration. Santrana used waaay more cowbell than that!
Not before the snl skit we didn't
@@bobs2809 True. It's barely audible. These guys that say how it's prominent only feel that way after hearing the SNL skit.
I noticed it! Now I know how to make my cowbell sound "right". More tape!
It's tone. Musical geniuses understand the subtlety of tone as the producer, David Lucas did. Still one of my all-time favorite songs
My life has come in full circle after hearing this story
all due respect Albert, but we all notice the cowbell. especially since the skit
I never noticed it until the sketch. It was a song had heard many times over the years, but probably hadn’t listened close enough to hear the cowbell. Even now, I may notice it, but it is mixed kind of low as he says.
If you listened to this on AM radio the cowbells stood out in mix because of analogue signal compression processing If you listened to it on stereo or headphones it is down in the mix. AL has explained it in another interview.
Oh you're wrong sir, I know plenty of us always hear it and for it to be amplified by Will Ferrell who made it more memorable, gifted.
When he said, “Mixed really low in the track” I thought he was kidding. I’ve always thought it was distracting how it cut through the mix. I always thought it was the click track they forgot to cut of the final edit.
Interesting how they taped the cowbell and Al played a mallet on it to change the tone. Very creative!
what an awesome back story would've never known.. was just listening to them today
By the end of this interview we'll all be wearing gold diapers
mixed low in the track? hahahaha even before that skit came out its the cowbell that always stood out to me....that constant push in the rhythm...i loved it....then that skit came out and it just had me laughing like crazy because I realised it wasn't just me that connected to the sound on that song.
The original skit came out in the late 70s or early 80s. SNL did it back then. Its easy to look up . The original not as funny, no Will showing his belly in that one.
The live version from some enchanted evening is much better
@@buggybunny5769 ??? Serious....you talking about the actual song or an old SNL skit before Will Ferrel? I tried searching it on youtube and couldnt find it...do you have a link?
@@mdub2000 look up old episodes of snl on whatever network carries the old ones. That's how I found it.
@@buggybunny5769 ah man yes i found it ..... i thought it was pretty funny...he used an even bigger cowbell too:)
One example of an older guy who looks good with longer hair.
In 2006 a cd called More Cowbell: Classic Rock Party Mix came out with a large cowbell on the cover 17 tracks. Besides Don't Fear the Reaper it includes All Right Now-Free, You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet-BTO, Never Been Any Reason-Head East, We're And American Band-Grand Funk, Gimme 3 Steps- L. Skynyrd, Funk #49-James Gang, Radar Love-Golden Earring, Mississippi Queen-Mountain, Calling Dr. Love-Kiss, Little Willy-Sweet, Workin' For the Weekend-Loverboy, Let It Ride-BTO, Saturday Night Special-L. Skynyrd, Walk Like A Man-Grand Funk, Since You've Been Gone-Head East, Wishing Well-Free. Other great cowbell songs Hair of the Dog- Nazareth, Honky Tonk Woman-R. Stones, Rock Of Ages- D. Leppard, Time Has Come Today-Chambers Brothers, Evil Ways-Santana, Drive My Car-Beatles, Last Child-Aerosmith, Gold Dust Woman-Fleetwood Mac, Hard Days Njght-Beatles, Low Rider-War, Night Train, Welcome To the Jungle, My Michelle-Guns N' Roses, Incense and Peppermints-Strawberry Alarm Clock. Excuse me I gotta go explore the space!!
No, Albert. One of the many reasons the skit works is because everyone was aware of the cowbell, from the moment that song was released.
Mixed low, yes, but everyone noticed it.
It's interesting to hear about the fine-tuning of the cowbell sound with tape. My father recorded a lot of records in the 60s-90s. On one song he said they tried to use a couple of shakers that just didn't sound right so they went out in the parking lot and filled gravel into a Coke can and that was the exact sound they were looking for.
There's a lot of songs where they used all kinds of invented percussion instruments, things like using soda pop bottles (back when they were still made from glass), or an aerosol spray bottle or whatever. I also remember one of the guys in Three Dog Night saying that the vocal sound at the beginning of Liar was produced by going into the bathroom across the hall from the studio, and singing into the toilet. They literally used a toilet as like a reverb chamber or whatever.
More cowbell stories!
I grew up on 70’s music and was familiar with BOC. I swear, I never noticed the cowbell until seeing the SNL skit.
You know... I'm a farmer.. and ever since that damn cowbell sketch... I have 50 cows on my dairy farm and I've replaced ALL their cowbells at least twice. My insurance carrier has altered my policy as of the last renewal that says they'll only reimburse me for HALF the cost of any further cowbell thefts. I turned the policy around and said: No...No... I NEED more COWBELL...... coverage. We all busted out laughing but they said sign it or find a new provider. If there's anything I hate MORE than that cowbell sketch it's insurance companies.
Lol
I had a cowbell on my drum set in Jr. High back in the 60's. Nobody believed it was a real instrument. They thought I just screwed it on there.
I beg to differ...I noticed the cowbell the first time I ever heard the song and was always drawn to that sound..and I loved it. I got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell!!
"it was mixed very low in the track, you don't even notice it"......Are you kidding me? I'm 33 years old and discovered this song in the late 90's and that was the first thing I noticed!!!!! Ever since I first heard it I wished it was toned down or not even there. wow.
lol I'm 30 and the first time I heard it in the late 90s I immediately noticed it as well
That's because you guys are influenced by the sketch... it takes all of 2 seconds to figure out your inability to separate Ferrell's hysterical satire from the actual song. I grew up with the song, always loved the song, and NEVER thought about the cowbell (barely audible JUST LIKE BOUCHARD SAYS), why? because the cowbell is barely audible! I know what it is to record live music or studio as well. The greatness of the song is in the dark melodic guitar figure and haunting motif of the song, NOT some damned "cowbell".... there are great things about this song... NONE OF THEM are related to the friggin "cowbell"
hotel foxtrot mmm...no, I noticed it years before that sketch, which is what made the sketch that much funnier. I've heard covers of the song that don't use the cowbell and they sound much better.
I didn't even notice it was there at all until I saw the skit and went back and relistened to the song. Then I was like "Ohhhhh... there it is".
hotel foxtrot possibly. It is a great song by the way
Great, now I can see the skit even longer with them trying out All these outrageous instruments when finally settling to use the cowbell where it picks up from there. Sounds like the real incident was just as hilarious!
I'm glad AB said the cowbell was buried in the mix because over the decades I never noticed it.
they all say they dunno how ferrell even noticed it…believe me you can notice it
Pretty amazing that they had a cow bell to hand in the studio.
Wow, I went back and listened to the song again to see if it was really low like he said because for some reason I picture it loud like the SNL skit. Sure enough, it was really low. It seems the skit makes us pay attention to it and without realizing it we are bringing the cowbell forward as a big part of the song. I will probably hear the song again in a few months and hopefully, I will see if I subconsciously bring the cowbell forward. I have a feeling though that no matter what we will always notice the cowbell.
my dream i to see BOC and will Ferrell do this sketch together
My wife gave me a cowbell and drumsticks as an advent calendar present in 2017. Best silly advent calendar present of all time! First time I tried it, one of our cats hissed at me and bolted out the catflap.
So, he had cat flap fever?
You say "Advent calendar present" like it's a thing or something. Please just stop.
@@john.premose go blow a hippo. Who the fuck are you to order people around, Grinchy Nuckphuckle?
I got a FEVER, and the only PRESCRIPTION is MORE TRIANGLE.
Love BOC and also Randy Brecker but kind of agree that it's hard to imagine RB being on that record. Albert as a music teacher? How cool would that be?!
"You don't really notice it in the track"
the track: "clunck clunck clunck clunck, clunck clunck clunck clunck , clunck clunck clunck clunck"
The heavy compression on DFTR was brilliant- to squash it so much that it sounds almost like an effect. Just amazing. I guess the Gibson Lab Series amps did sorta the same thing with their heavy compressor. Pablo Cruise sure made that work, like in Love Will Find A Way.
I wish I never watched that SNL skit since now I only hear the cowbell every time I listen to Don’t Fear The Reaper.
Ultimate cowbell song. You will never feel that their is a need for
more cowbell after this the penultimate cow bell tune. Captain Beefheart Sun Zoom Spark. Now that's an awesome song. The amazing Art Tripp on percussion.
As somebody who grew up on Album Oriented Rock Station KSHE95 in St. Louis, that song was a fixture of my childhood and adolescence. I loved the faint cowbell in the background of that song. Always heard it from the get go. Such a rock classic and one that many AOR radio stations play to this day.
It's also funny that Bruce Dickinson was only 18 years old while that song was being recorded, and his breakthrough in music was 6 years after it.
I was at the 1979 mirrors tour concert in Atlanta had 2nd row center stage and Albert did the best drumming solo I have ever heard the laser and light show were bad ass the best jam concert ever
Albert Bouchard wrote one of my favorite Blue Oyster Cult songs "Fireworks" and co-wrote two other favorites "R.U. Ready to Rock" and "Nosferatu." I saw Blue Oyster Cult in concert in Effingham, Illinois a few years ago on Halloween and was very disappointed that they didn't play "Fireworks" or "Nosferatu."
Fireworks may never have been in their sets. It is said that Springstein thought Fireworks should have been the obvious single off Spectres. Albert was canned back in 81 so nobody was going to try his song Fireworks. It IS a great song- one of my favorites.
@@NYVoice Fireworks did get some airplay in Chicago when Spectres came out. I figured they didn't play Fireworks at the show I went to because none of the current members wrote it, but I thought they might play Nosferatu simply because the show was on Halloween. I love Fireworks for the guitar and vocals - both lead and backing.
@@jamesdubose5635 Albert was also a good singer on those secondary tracks. A very surreal voice as well as an excellent drummer.
The cowbell is pretty noticable
Christopher Walken first used that line when he said “I want more cowbell! I want enough cowbell to cover up Natalie Wood’s screams as Robert Wagner kills her!”.
Yikes, that was rough😮
I listened to that song since I was a kid and always loved it; now, since the skit, I can't hear anything but cowbell.
Thomas Comptois I hear cowbell that isn’t even there.
@@roustabout583 I'm hearing cowbell right now talking about it
Thomas Comptois 😂
Albert took over my apartment on East 10th st between Ave A and B. He was (and is) as nice as I remembered.
I gave a drummer in a band with me at a time a cowbell for Xmas, he opened it and gave me this look like he knew it was more for me than him LOL!
I always thought it was a leaked click track from the headphones while recording drums or whatever.
This interview needed more cowbell
More Cowbell pleasssssse! Excellent!
Milk cows with a square bell on a leather strap around their necks is where the original cow bell sound comes from, and when struck with a drum stick...phenomenal!
This whole thing is just hilarious.More cowbell is in my head
You kids want to see a great concert? Blue Oyster Cult
I'm a tambourine virtuoso. Sometimes the prescription is "more tambo", and I'm your man, but I warn you-I'm not cheap.
Shows how smart Will Farrell is
Ive gotta fever and the only prescription is more cowbell.
I've always heard the cow bell.
“I love you like sin, but I won’t be your pigeon.” 😊
Haha..They had the most bizarre lyrics but that's alright as their music was awesome.. Been a fan since 1976, 13yrs old..
I actually like that song more then i do dont fear the reaper
cobra29935 “Your constant undertone is making me toothless.” 😊👍
He speaks for all of us!
Genuinly nice guy
Hahaha. It's "Grus" and Lynne just liked the sound as a placeholder. It stayed when he found out it sounded like the German word for 'greeting'.
@@davedavid427 Oh really?
Well, thanks for that Dave ♥
No one have ever had a clue as this question been thru several videos, Fb-music groups of different genres etc.
...weird i feel lighter, one of those questions buzzing in the head since the 70's. Btw "Grus" in Swedish is gravel, grusväg/gravelroad/surface.
But who are you to be the only one in the world knew this? :P
/Thank you und danke
Dave "Didn't brought me down" David