Spin magazine published a list entitled the “Fifteen
Greatest Cowbell Songs of All Time”. Spin cited “Mississippi
Queen”, “Honky Tonk Woman”, and “Low
Rider” among songs driven to Top Forty status (and the
popular conscience) by the bright, sonorous clang of the cowbell,
an instrument that enlivens any track.
LP applauds Spin for honoring an unsung instrument. To the magazine’s
list we would respectfully add Latin Percussion artist Carlos
Santana’s “Oye Como Va” or, for that matter, “Evil
Ways”. Think about it: It’s hard to imagine any cha
cha or salsa groove without a cowbell front and center. And while
we’re expanding the Spin list, we’d surely cite several
non Latin tunes, including The Beatles’ “Baby You
Can Drive My Car” and “You Can’t Do That.”
While all that glitters may not be gold, odds are that if it’s
tinkling on a hit record recorded since the sixties, it’s
an LP cowbell. LP leads
the way in crafting bells that resonate richly while enduring
the ravages of time. Many of the LP bells that spiked the venerable
hits are still in service, still projecting as the day they were
new. While other bells have cracked or lost their tone, LP cowbells
keep driving the dancers, the musicians, and the hit records.
Granted, we can’t guarantee that every cowbell on every
hit on Spin’s list was an LP. We just know that since LP
hit the scene in the mid-sixties, it produced the bell everyone
wanted! Today, it’s the same story. From throaty bongo
bells, versatile mambo bells, to chiming agogo bells and robust
rock bells, LP produces cowbells distinguished by clarity and
brilliance of tone. And we haven’t even mentioned the sleek,
instantly identifiable Black
Beauty—a name that has become synonymous with “cowbell” in
the musician’s lexicon.
For a while, it seemed that the cowbell had receded from pop
music. Now, however, the trend is to acoustic, ambient sounds.
Drumsets have expanded to include a mélange of percussion
instruments. The lowly cowbell is back in the highlife again.
Played with rods, sticks, hands, or mallets, the cowbell provides
a bright, attractive timbre that leads the way, providing definition
and color. And speaking of colors, there is no greater array
than found in the LP catalog.
Whether you’re a producer spicing up a track, a musician
rousing the audience to its feet, or a retailer wondering about
what drummers are up to, an LP
cowbell is a sure thing. The cowbell—the humble hitmaker—is
on everybody’s list of favorites.
Speaking of lists, we’re proud of our A-list. Presenting
the LP front runners in sales and popularity.
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