Here we have the Premier Spirit of Lily kit. These kits were originally launched in 2006 and made on a limited basis for 14 months replicating one of the most iconic drum kits in Rock and Roll history - Keith Moon's Pictures of Lily set which he used between 1967 & 1968.

The Original Circa 1967 - 1968

In 1967 Keith Moon went to Premier to ask them to make a kit especially for him that would feature pop art designs. Working with their advertising agency of the time, "Cunningham-Hurst Ltd' , Premier had already been investigating ways to create non standard finishes for drums. But it was Keith's request for a personalised kit that accelerated this research.

Upon reviewing the first prototype, Keith made the suggestion to include illustrations used to promote The Who's hit song of the time, 'Pictures of Lily'. These most famously included pictures of Lily Langtry, a famous actress of the 1800's and the subject of the song. Work then commenced on the artwork to be used on the finish of the drums.

Due to a tight deadline for the kits to be ready in time, everyone at Premier's factory in Leicester, including Keith got to work putting the drums together. When the drums were completed Keith was so excited that he phoned Pete Townshend at his home and invited him over for a preview.

To withstand the demand and 'abuse' that Keith's kits often received, Premier manufactured three kits in total. The kit comprised of a trio of 14 x 8 mounted toms, two 16 x 18 and one 16 x 16 floor toms, tow 22 x 14 bass drums and a 14 x 5.5 steel snare drum.

Recreating the Legend

Premier painstakingly researched the original 'Pictures of Lily' kit to ensure absolute authenticity in the recreation of the original artwork. The entire project took over a year to complete.

With little information available on how many of the original drums had survived and with no records of the original artwork to be found, Premier set about fully researching the drums to the greatest degree possible. A premier research team which included Steve White (who played with The Who at Live 8) and John Wolff, Keith's chauffeur and former "Who" roadie.

The breakthrough in the project came when Premier was able to actually view some of the original drums now owned by the V&A Theatre Museum. The Museum owns three of the original toms and Premier was granted exclusive access to the drums and was given special permission to examine and photograph them in intimate detail, closely studying the drums and artwork. Every aspect of the drums was measured and recorded including badge positions, drilling positions and the distinct yet striking colour scheme.

After exhaustive photography, a number of idiosyncrasies about the kit were discovered. For example, it rapidly became evident that the original designs were unique to each type of drum; the bass drum artwork being different to that of a floor tom which in turn is different to the mounted toms. This further accentuated the need for extreme attention to detail and absolute meticulousness in the research.

Each drum contains eight sections or artwork, four pictures of 'Lily', two 'Keith Moon Patent British Exploding Drummer" with Union Jack and two 3-D "The Who" designs. The sequencing of the pattern is consistent on all the drums but the individual artwork designs vary. The placement of the design in relation to the drums mounting hardware also varied on each drum meaning no two drums are exactly the same in any way.

Once the designs were understood, all images of the artwork were scanned and recreated digitally. Each panel was handled individually to ensure complete accuracy. Once complete, the pattern was put together creating the wrap and printed on a state of the art, high definition printing press to achieve the colour saturation identical to the original drums.

Remaining as close to the original 'Pictures of Lily' as possible, the 'Spirit of Lily" drum set features Premier Series 6 ply / 6mm Birch shells, Premier Series Lugs, fittings and the same Premier die-cast hoops as the original. The kit emulates the original set up and comprises of three 14 x 8 mounted toms, two 16 x 16 floor toms, two 22 x 14 bass drums and 14 x 5.5 parallel action steel snare drum.

The 'Spirit of Lily' drum set is officially authorised by the estate of Keith Moon, and by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of "The Who"

Premier paid thanks to Mandy Dewolf, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, Robert Rosenberg, Steve White, John Wolff, Bill Harrison, Guy Baxter (V&A Museum) and Marc Wolfe whom without the project would not have been possible. Premier wanted to acknowledge their Creative Manager - Colin Tennant, whose tireless efforts, dedication and attention to detail in the recreation of the artwork ensured that 'Lily' could proudly live again.

The Kit We Have Here

The set we have here is in incredible condition, owned for a long time by a collector and then briefly by a player this set comes with all the original heads in completely unplayed condition, the original Premier cases are all present and correct, the Snare came with it's factory box too and the factory QC check sheets, maintenance guide and special edition accompanying booklet for the kit are all present.

There is no damage on the bass drum hoops, no signs of pedal damage, the finish and condition of all eight drums is immaculate. The only issue to note are two very slight marks in the middle of the who logo on one of the bass drum heads. We think with a little bit of colour matching these could be touched up, please see the last photo for a close up of the marks, these are extremely minimal and not noticeable unless you are extremely close to the head.

This is a great opportunity for a Collector of a Player wishing to emulate Keith's look and set up and to get one of the last British built Premier kits replicating one of the most iconic sets ever made by them.

• Made in 2006 to acknowledge the 40 year anniversary of Keith Moon signing to the Premier Drum Company
• Replica Artwork from Keith Moon's "Pictures of Lily' drum set
• Three 14 x 8 Toms
• Two 16 x 16 Floor Toms
• Two 22 x 14 Bass Drums with replica display heads
• 14 x 5.5 Parallel Action Steel Shell Snare Drum
• Birch 6 ply / 6mm Shells
• Premier Die-Cast Hoops fitted throughout
• Premier Elite Lugs
• Premier Cases included for each drum
• Comes with special booklet documenting the project
• All drums fitted with original and unplayed Premier Everplay Heads throughout
• 2 x Roc Lok double tom holders and 6 floor tom legs included
• Made in the UK at the Premier Factory, Blaby Road, Leicester 
• Pre-Loved - 9.75/10 condition - Collectors condition, all original unplayed heads, cases and paperwork included - two very slight marks on one bass drum display head, please see final picture for an extreme close up.