Top 5 Larry Mullen drum patterns

Seems like a good time to pause and contemplate what makes Larry so special.

1-Bullet the Blue Sky
I know Larry was inspired by quite a few other drummers / songs on this one, but still… Firstly, the production is perfect, the snare drum sounds amazing and the mix allows us to enjoy every subtlety Larry throws there. Lots of dynamics. I was haunted by this song for a long, long time.

2-Please
I believe this is where Larry found a good balance between his instinctive groove and the chops he’d learned along the way. I don’t want to choose between the LP / single or live version, they’re all amazing.

3-A sort of homecoming
For those who believed Larry was just a military surplus after War… the intro to the following LP was clear : Larry Mullen Jr has depths. Daniel Lanois said he was a fan of drummers and he worked on textures with Larry with great effect !

4-The Fly
It’s kind of brutal but it fits the song perfectly. And it is so much more interesting than what he was doing on the demo (and Lady with the Spinning Head).
The way he uses the toms as most drummers would use a hi-hat is pure genius.
This is why I’m really not a fan of post Vertigo versions of this song, where his playing is way more conventional.

5-No Line on the Horizon
NLOTH is the first U2 album for which Larry used an electronic kit during jams. And on this song it allowed him to play with different textures throughout the song. Embrace technology, for the better.

Nice list.

SBS is obvious but it’s fantastic.

Overall I love hearing Larry on Ovtober (album), just massive.

Also the R&H version of WOWY, he steals the song.

Some later songs include Walk On, 13, and LoH.

Not necessarily in order:

Bullet The Blue Sky
Stories For Boys
Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car
With A Shout (Jerusalem)
Sunday Bloody Sunday

HM: I Threw A Brick Through A Window, Breathe, Out Of Control

Like a Song
Seconds
Until the end of the world.

Streets.
Breathe 

Plus the songs mentioned.

Larry's drum solo at the end of 'Like a Song' is about a minute.

His drumming in 3 of  the first 4 songs of War was very prominant.

Some really great tracks have been listed so far. For my five I'd add:

Dirty Day
Do You Feel Loved
FEZ-Being Born
Desire
Acrobat

Theres a lot to choose from! I think my favorite might be Zoo Station.

Mofo of course. Must be one of his best moments.

I've always loved the New York drum part, particularly the verses. I'm no musician so don't understand the technicals but New York feels like a different approach and stands out somehow.

Mofo of course. Must be one of his best moments.

I've always loved the New York drum part, particularly the verses. I'm no musician so don't understand the technicals but New York feels like a different approach and stands out somehow.

I like New York too. Larry definitely has some interesting beats and patterns that tend to slip under the radar. The beat for Beautiful Day is pretty great and definitely not the kind of thing you hear on a regular basis, especially on popular pop/rock songs. It's a really intriguing part and a nice shakeup of what could have been a standard beat.

Mofo of course. Must be one of his best moments.

I've always loved the New York drum part, particularly the verses. I'm no musician so don't understand the technicals but New York feels like a different approach and stands out somehow.

NY is interesting because it starts out as a loop. Then on the chorus the drumming is very reminiscent of Zoo Station.

Quick question........How many songs does Larry use a double kick drum?

I'm thinking... Bullet, Until and Fly, but I'm not sure.

Quick question........How many songs does Larry use a double kick drum?

I'm thinking... Bullet, Until and Fly, but I'm not sure.

I don’t think he ever has. All of those songs are easily playable with one.

Quote from: Layton on May 11, 2023, 07:54:48 PM

Quick question........How many songs does Larry use a double kick drum?

I'm thinking... Bullet, Until and Fly, but I'm not sure.

I don’t think he ever has. All of those songs are easily playable with one.

Agreed.

Not many users of double kick drum in pop / rock, to my knowledge. In fact I don’t know any.

Muse, maybe ?

In no real order

Acrobat
The Fly
Please
Wake Up Dead Man
Sort Of Homecoming