I've wondered that if when Pick left, it possibly then became apparent that Pick was doing so much, for want of better words. The choices that he made, his abilities but maybe also generally helping to arrange the songs with the band. It often feels to me like he really helped “build” those early songs. He seems to have pushed and pulled the songs around, where another drummer may possibly have not. One thing that always comes to mind for me is the part where the snare goes offbeat for a couple of hits (I think) in the R+J chorus “I love you like the stars above”, which I often wonder whether another drummer may have chosen to just play it straight through and not really even considered the offbeat. Very simple, but it helps break that chorus up, give it some tension and move it around. Not an “accent” in the drumming terminology sense, but a kind of accenting of certain areas of the songs or lyrics maybe.
And the rolling toms in the stabs “oh la” section of TOL that always make me think are reminiscent of a waltzer rolling around. Picks drumming feels sort of playful and very creative to me. I always sense that he is conscious of the song as a whole and that makes those early songs feel all “baked in” together as a band. Picks parts always sound thoughtfully “crafted" to me.
