Dave Grohl joined Queens of the Stone Age in the studio for the recording of “Songs for the Deaf”. It marked a significant moment because it had been nearly a decade since he had been a full-time drummer. Although he had played drums on all of Foo Fighters‘ previous records, tensions within the band prompted him to explore a different project.
Dave Grohl explained the situation: “The thing that got weird with us was: I had, we were making a record and it just wasn’t working out – our fourth record. It just didn’t sound good, it didn’t feel good, we weren’t into it. In the meantime, my buddy Josh from Queens of the Stone Age had just lost his drummer. He said, ‘Dude, I’ve got two weeks. Could you just come do the drums on my record?'”
Homme and producer Eric Valentine had a particular sound in mind for the drums: loud and aggressive, yet clear and immediate. They wanted the drums to have a strong presence without the cymbals interfering during the mixing process. So, they came up with the idea of recording the drums and cymbals separately.
Recording cymbals separately is a complex process, demanding precise timing and accuracy from the drummer. Grohl was up to the task. Grohl’s kit had drum pads added to minimize disruptions during his performances. This allowed him to simulate playing the regular drum part even when either his drums or cymbals were recorded separately. Once satisfactory takes of both parts were captured, they were mixed together to create the final drum track.
While it may sound intricate and somewhat contrived, cymbal separation offered greater flexibility during the mixing stage of a song. Given Grohl’s powerful drumming, bleed between drum and cymbal tracks was a significant challenge. Although this technique worked for some of the songs on “Songs for the Deaf,” for ‘No One Knows’ and likely other tracks on the album, Grohl had to deliver two flawless performances: one without cymbals and one without drums.
Interestingly, Grohl later applied the same technique with the Foo Fighters. During the recording of “Sonic Highways,” Taylor Hawkins’ drum part for ‘Subterranean’ needed adjustment. Grohl drew from his experience with cymbal separation and proposed a solution: he would play the cymbals in one room while Hawkins played the drums in another. This innovative approach yielded the desired results. And it showcased the impact of Grohl’s familiarity with this unique recording technique that gave ‘No One Knows’ its distinctive power.
