Best rock and roll drummer of all time

[Dale]

....
though I think that the best are the ones you don't even notice, so you wouldn't know their names.

I think that's an excellent point about drumming in general. There is a great deal of exhibitionistic showmanship in music in general and in rock in particular and this often infects drummers. So, they often don't know when to NOT play and to remember that, essentially, this is not a solo instrument!

Which reminds me of one of my all-time favorite rock & roll quotes. Robert Fripp was once asked why, when playing with King Crimson, he just sort of sat on a stool on the stage and played with almost no extraneous motion or showmanship. "Because," said Mr. Fripp, "I get paid to play the guitar and not to f*** around."

While I'm at it, another great rock & roll quote comes from Pete Townsend. "Eddie Van Halen is such a fine guitar player that I can almost forgive him for letting David Lee Roth stand on the same stage with him."

Dale

[Tony]

Lost another one...

Spencer Dryden, the drummer for legendary rock band the Jefferson Airplane, has died of cancer. He was 66.

Yahoo news story:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... bit_dryden

[aderyn_du]

I was so pulling for Animal.

Me too. Animal is the Funky Beats.

I love Animal; he was/is my favorite Muppet. ANNN-I-MAAAL!! How sad that he didn't win. But it was stiff competition, with Neil Peart and Keith Moon.

~ad
(who happens to like Geddy Lee's voice ::shrug:: )

[PhilO]

Ringo Starr? Maybe part of one of the greatest bands, but certainly not a great drummer...

On the theory that less is more, as in sometimes it's the notes you leave out that are important (sorry, Ginger), I thought Joe Morrello's drum solo with Brubeck in Take Five was an unbelievable example of not just filling up all the space - sounded like a natural occurrence rather than man-made, like a garbage can erratically rolling down flights of stairs.

Let's not forget all those guys you never heard of who sit in NY studios and just put it down for whoever comes in - these guys to make a good living have to be really proficient steady good drummers who can do it all from jump at a moment's notice with different bands...not sure whether this even still goes on.

Philo

[izzarina]

ummm....Phil Collins?

Now that is funny.

I think this entry is a renegade from a thread I haven't quite got around to starting: the top ten most tragic hairstyles.

(He won't win there either.)

Hairstyle? He hasn't any TO style!
I really only said Phil Collins because he was the first I thought of. I personally think he is very talented.
Someone mentioned Ringo Starr. I don't agree....I think Pete was Best

[kkrell]

Furio Chirico, from "The Trip" and "Arti e Mestieri"

Kevin Krell

[fearfaoin]

So, they often don't know when to NOT play and to remember that, essentially, this is not a solo instrument!

I'd agree with that... although, Eddie Hartness, of the band Eddie From Ohio, does a hella cool 8min.
drum solo during concerts, with no one else on stage. It takes an extensive set of percussion
instruments, though.

I remember being at some sort of High School band competition where a guest came on stage
and demonstrated a Jazz drum solo using only the high-hat. Pretty sweet.

And I agree, Animal rocks!

[Goldie]

....
though I think that the best are the ones you don't even notice.

Yep as I said....... Jim Keltner.

[Lorenzo]

Well, Jumpin' Jeehosephat! Looky here... http://www.misterpoll.com/417312393.html

Someone has already run a poll called "Best Drummer of All Time!!!!" . 802 participants voted. Click on current results at top of page. Here's at peek of the top picks:

Neil Peart (18%) --that would be 144 votes
John Bonham (16%) --that would be 128 votes
Lars Ulrich (9%)
Keith Moon (8%) --sorry Dudes
Buddy Rich (7%)
Mike Portenoy (5%)
Dave Lombardo (4%)
Peter Sandavol (3%)
Phil Collins (1%)
Charlie Benante (1%)
Tommy Lee (1%)
Vinnie Paul (1%)
Alex Van Halen (1%)
Carl Palmer (1%)
Raymond Herrera (1%)
Ginger Baker (1%)
Nick Menza (1%)
Gene Krupa (1%)

And here's a good forum for "Best Drummer"
http://www.radiomute.com/musicthread1555.html

[dubhlinn]

Damm.
Just in from work and missed the fun.
The moment I saw the title of the thread I knew that it had to be Keith Moon..He was Rock and Roll.

Slan,
D.

[Michael Burke]

Now this is something I don't know much about, but at risk of showing my age and ignorance, what about Ron Bushy from Iron Butterfly?
Below is a note from their website

Writer; and legendary for his drum solo in In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, with his primal drum patterns, that set the standard for generations of rock drummers. Ron is also highly skilled in the graphic arts and has created most of the logos and artwork as seen on the Iron Butterfly merchandise and advertising

With regard to the popularity of the Drum Solo and the Album, they write:

In July of 1968, Iron Butterfly released the monumental LP, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, featuring the 17:05 minute side-long track that shook the entire music industry with its phenomenal reception. 'Vida outsold every record in the history of recorded music within the first year of its release (over eight million copies sold) and therefore outgrew and outsold the standard of the music industry's "Gold Album" award. For this achievment, Iron Butterfly was subsequently awarded: The Industry's Very First "Platinum Album"! This historic award was created and presented by then-president of ATCO Records Ahmet Ertegun, who went on to become the current CEO of the WEA Group. Most recently, "Vida" received the Multi-Platinum award.

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, stayed on the charts for 140 weeks, with 81 weeks in the Top Ten. To date the album has sold in excess of 30 million copies and remains an undisputed classic in the archives of rock with DJ's and audiophiles worldwide.


I have to tell you, that I nearly wore all the way through the Vinyl on my own personal copy of this record. The Drum Solo was the best thing I have ever heard and have heard since in Rock music, though I admit my contact with Rock has been limited.

These guys didn't go on to produce the quality work of the Beatles, Cream, The Stones, etc. but Bushy was (is) a name that merits at least a mention, even if his best work was done almost 40 years ago when heavy metal was young and I had brown hair
Anybody else love the Drum solo on In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida ?
Mike

[Daryl]

Several days late and about $30 short again -- darn!

But I would have voted for Animal, had I made it here in time. And I grew up on Ron Bushy and Iron Butterfly -- it would have been hard not to vote for him simply out of loyalty (and yeah, that IN-A-Gadda-Da-Vida drum solo STILL sneaks its way through my fingertips from time to time).

I don't know why Carl Palmer keeps coming to mind, either. Maybe because he had the synthesizer/gadgetry on ELP's "Brain Salad Surgery"?

[Dale]

Neil Peart (18%) --that would be 144 votes
John Bonham (16%) --that would be 128 votes
Lars Ulrich (9%)
Keith Moon (8%) --sorry Dudes
Buddy Rich (7%)
Mike Portenoy (5%)
Dave Lombardo (4%)
Peter Sandavol (3%)
Phil Collins (1%)
Charlie Benante (1%)
Tommy Lee (1%)
Vinnie Paul (1%)
Alex Van Halen (1%)
Carl Palmer (1%)
Raymond Herrera (1%)
Ginger Baker (1%)
Nick Menza (1%)
Gene Krupa (1%)

Hm. I wonder how they could have gotten it wrong and put Keith in 4th place.

I jest, I do know these things are subjective. I also have a feeling that Keith Moon's untimely and rather messy demise probably cast a bit of a negative halo effect regarding his work. But, it's certainly the drumming I marvel at the most.

As a kid, I was an Emerson, Lake & Palmer fan and Carl sure could dazzle. I need to check the web and see if he's working.

And Buddy Rich was unbearably good. I understand he was also unbearable.

Dale

[rh]

i'm sorry, but that poll... c'mon, "Best Drummer of All Time"? Alex Van Halen and Tommy Lee but no Billy Cobham or Max Roach?

[FJohnSharp]

Bruford, while fantastic, really never was a rock drummer, and I think he'd agree with me on that.

From a technical standpoint, Terry Bozzio, Simon Phillips, and Steve Smith, with Neil Peart being not so far behind. Bonus points go to those who can list Bozzio's resume, Smith's hard rock and Jazz credits, and I bet no one here even knows who Simon Phillips is......

And yeah, I used to be a Drummer.

Loren

Simon Phillips played with the Who after Moon died. I saw them in Cleveland.