Liberty DeVitto: 10 Albums That Changed My Life

Feature Photo courtesy of Liberty DeVitto

If you were treated to Billy Joel in concert back in the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, and early 2000s or dug hard on albums like Turnstiles (1976), The Stranger (1977), 52nd Street (1978), Glass Houses (1980), The Nylon Curtain (1982), An Innocent Man (1983), The Bridge (1986), Storm Front (1989), River of Dreams (1993), and more, you’ve surely said to yourself, “Man, Billy has one hell of a drummer.”

And yeah, ol’ Billy still puts on a hell of a show, but there’s no denying that things sound different since Liberty DeVitto departed his band in the early 2000s. Thankfully, we’ve got a treasure trove of classic records and numerous live recordings to look back on when we seek DeVitto’s singular brand of drum animalism. But if you’re looking for some latter-day exploits or just a little bit of DeVitto’s drum dominance, dig into his work with The Slim Kings or The Lords of 52nd Street.

Latest projects aside, given the brute force and hyper-dialed-in wrath of his fills, one can’t help but wonder where DeVitto pulls influence from. To that end, during a break from the action, Liberty DeVitto beamed in with ClassicRockHistory.com to run through the ten albums that changed his life. Can you spot any of your favorites?

# 10 – Sweet Baby James by James Taylor (1970)

When I heard the song “Fire and Rain,” I wondered, “How did Russ Kunkel get that drum sound?” When I found out it was brushes, I thought, “I don’t own brushes,” I immediately went out and got some. I could hear and feel the difference. His fills were big but not bombastic. I ended up using brushes on a few of Billy Joel’s biggest hits.

# 9 – Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy by Elton John (1975)

This album refined my drumming. Nigel Olsson taught me how to play with grace and finesse. Fortunately for me, right before my audition, I asked, “What music is Billy [Joel] into?” I was told to get Elton John’s Captain Fantastic. The rest is history.

# 8 – The Immortal Otis Redding by Otis Redding (1968)

In 1968, I went on the road with Detroit rocker Mitch Ryder. Mitch was blue-eyed soul, and this is where I learned the word “funk.” I was dining on music for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I had to know more about this thing called “funk.” When the tour ended, I asked, “What albums should I buy to get into the deep funk?” They told me, “Get The Immortal Otis Redding.”

# 7 –Vanilla Fudge by Vanilla Fudge (1967)

Back in the day, there was only AM radio, and whatever song they played had to be under three minutes to be played on the radio. Vanilla Fudge was playing songs that were seven to ten minutes long, but thankfully, FM radio came along at the same time.

FM radio played them, and every other song was over three minutes long. The first Vanilla Fudge tune I heard was a remake of The Supremes “You Keep Me Hanging On,” and the level of power they played at made me say, “Who the fu*k are these guys?!”

# 6 – Mr. Fantasy by Traffic (1967)

When I was 17, I was in a band that actually had a manager! One day, we were in his office, and he handed me a 45 RPM and said it was Steve Winwood’s new band, Traffic. I had already been a fan of Winwood and The Spencer Davis Group and liked them a lot.

But when I heard the A side of the single was “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, I thought, “Wow, this is really good.” It had a much different sound than Spencer Davis, but the B side got me, which was a song called “Coloured Rain.” I loved it! The funny thing is, “Coloured Rain” was the first song I ever heard Billy Joel sing.

# 5 – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles (1967)

I feel The Beatles didn’t change the world once, but they changed it twice. The first time was with Meet the Beatles, which made most of us look at a map to find Liverpool. And then with Sgt. Pepper, that’s when they introduced us to the psychedelic world. They changed music, fashion, hair, you name it. When Sgt. Pepper came out, yesterday was gone!

# 4 – Axis: Bold as Love by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)

This album came out around the same time as Cream’s Disraeli Gears, and I loved both. But Jimi Hendrix changed the world of guitar. And Mitch Mitchell truly made those songs come alive with his drum fills. I loved his jazzy style, and I took a lot of Mitch’s fills and made them my own.

# 3 – Disraeli Gears by Cream (1967)

Music was changing so fast in the ‘60s, and so was hair and fashion, and Cream was leading the charge. Their first album, Fresh Cream, was great, but album two, Disraeli Gears, was perfect. As for the drums, Ginger Baker’s galloping tom fills were so different from anything else from that time. They were so different that I needed to add them to my drumming, too!

# 2 –The Young Rascals by The Young Rascals (1966)

I loved The Young Rascals, and their self-titled album blew me away. On side one, the first song, “Slow Down,” was terrific. These guys were the first band I had ever seen in concert, and Dino Danelli, the drummer, totally blew me away. Dino showed me that an animated drummer can get us as much visual attention as a lead singer. As far as I knew, Dino blew Ringo Starr off the drum stool!

# 1 – Introducing… The Beatles by The Beatles (1964)

I was 12 when my family and I went to my cousin’s house for dinner one night. My one cousin was older than me and was from the Elvis generation. She was married to Bob, the lead singer in a doo-wop group, and he came up to me, saying, “I really don’t like these guys [The Beatles] harmonies. Do you want this album?” I had heard of The Beatles but never listened, but I still said “Yes” to the offer.

So, when I got home, I put the album on the turntable, and my world was turned upside-down. The first song was “I Saw Her Standing There,” and I was hooked. I had dabbled with the drums, but this is the record that made me officially want to play. And then, seeing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan made me want to do what they were doing for a living: being in a band with my friends and meeting girls!

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