The world of rock lost one of its greats today, 42 years ago. Keith Moon died of a drug overdose, by a drug to combat alcoholism on September 7, 1978.
I told people I was a drummer before I even had a set,
I was a mental drummer.
Keith Moon
The Who’s 1967 concept album, Sell Out, showcased one of drummer Keith Moon’s most-loved performances. Sell Out was a concept album before the concept album Tommy in 1968. It was an hour-or-so slice of commercial radio, placing several real and imagined product jingles between the songs.
Many of the tracks on Sell Out feature two distinct drum or percussion tracks, panned hard left and right, which serves to add a cinematic spaciousness and symphonic heft. Among the cuts benefiting from this are ‘Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand,’ on which we hear guiro and castanets; ‘Our Love Was,’ with its low tom overdub (or is that a timpani?) in the right channel; and ‘Silas Stingy’, with its left-channel tom rolls and right-channel cymbal trills.
One of Moon’s most timeless performances on Sell Out is ‘I Can See for Miles,’ which featured double-tracked drums.
The 1967 track released by The Who ‘Pictures of Lily’ is significant not only because it was The Who’s seventh straight successful single, but because it inspired Moon’s most famous drum set—in fact, one of the most identifiable instruments in rock history.
Premier Drums inscribed the set with the words “Keith Moon, Patent Exploding British Drummer” and wrapped in a series of pop-art-style pictures of the song’s real-life subject, actress Lily Langtry. Premier made several versions of this set, later retrofitting for strength. Used circa mid-’67 to late ’68.
The kit featured two 14×22 bass drums (secured to each other with metal bracing), three 8×14 toms, three-floor toms—one 16×16 and two 18×16—and a 5.5×14 steel snare. The shells were of birch. Hardware included Gretsch fittings, Rogers Swiv-o-Matic tom holders, and Premier 250 bass drum pedals and LokFast stands. Cymbals— 18″ and 20″ crash/rides and (rarely used) 14″ hi-hats—were either Paiste or Zildjian.
No complete version of the set exists today. Some individual pieces are displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2006 Premier issued the Spirit of Lily tribute set, which replicated the original artwork on a kit with modern shell and hardware construction.
