The ten greatest drummers of all time

PolarityMan

Ok so here's some of my faves and why:

Danny Carey: Tom usage, polyrhythms , compositional approach, odd times

Gavin Harrison: Compositional approach, musicality

Bran Daillor: One of the few people who can make such busy parts work, plus the best singer in the band even while drumming....metnal

Martin Lopez: Creativity in a death metal context, feel, ghost reveries

Matt Cameron: linear grooves, musicality, playing to the song

The one that always flummoxes me is what people see in Mike Portnoy, he plays like a souless automaton and it really feels like he decided his drum parts before the rest of the band turned up. Even in Avenged Sevenfold which really really suits his style of playing he didn't shine for me.

Clarky

Fretwired said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Clarky said:

Pierre van der Linden: Trace and Focus

Good call

Pierre brought out a drum tutorial years ago - it was too hard so few people bought it .. :-)

He's a one off .. nice guy. I met him in the 70s ..

if there was ever a thread for "bands you wished you'd seen", for me, Trace would be right up there...

actually [whilst on a brief Trace tangent]...

in amonst all my Logic projects, I have a folder full of "study pieces".. the latest one I added last week is Galliarde..

I want to learn the bass parts and the keys parts on guitar.. it is a complete fkn handfull of a nightmare.. so it's fun..

Clarky

drummy question: how about listing a few iconic drum performances.. they don't have to be shredding the kit silly.. drum performances that really stand out because they are really unique or just down right fkn cool..

I'm thinking tracks like this...

Massacre: Thin Lizzy

You Fool No One: Deep Purple

Wot Gorilla: Genesis

Party In Simon's Pants: Los Lobotomies

Nantucket Sleigh Ride: Mountain

Phil_aka_Pip

The drum also waltzes - Bill Bruford
The Snow Goose (all of it) - Andy Ward

Clarky

Tom Sawyer: Rush

and how could I forget.. YYZ: Rush

rocktron

The problem with "10 Greatest" threads is not who to include, but who to leave out. People get upset when their favourites are not included. With that in mind, here is a completely unknown guy, JJ, doing a drum cover of the famous Ronnie Montrose song, Rock Candy.

Take it away JJ:-

Axe_meister

Who's that really large drummer who has played with Kylie Minogue and I think has played with Madonna on a number of occations. Really massive guy, you'd never think he'd get through a set yet plays with so much conviction and power. 

Phil_aka_Pip

Nobody has mentioned Jon Hiseman yet.

Fretwired

This is cool .... UKZ .. a reincarnated version of UK .. listen to the whole progy track or shoot forward to around 3.48 for the drummer. I'm a fan of the guitarist .. I have an excellent tutorial DVD of his a couple of albums ..

Clarky

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Nobody has mentioned Jon Hiseman yet.

the DC Band played in Leverkusen not long after I first joined the band

Jon Hiseman was playing in the band that were on before us and in the last song but one he threw down an absolute fkn monster of a drum solo…

superb player...

Clarky

Fretwired said:

This is cool .... UKZ .. a reincarnated version of UK .. listen to the whole progy track or shoot forward to around 3.48 for the drummer. I'm a fan of the guitarist .. I have an excellent tutorial DVD of his a couple of albums ..

you can so hear King Crimson going on in there...

Clarky

Clarky

this guy makes me smile every time I see him play

Pete Alexander… 

the_jaffa

No one's mentioned one of the most influential drummers of the last 30 odd years:

Roland Trbob

Been on some massive hits over the years and always seem to keep mint time.

chillidoggy

I can't believe we're talking about drummers in such a manner. It's almost as if they're human.

Drew_TNBD

Jez6345789

I think there is a mass of good drummers these days some have technique beyond human if you listen to these awesome technical masters you quickly  realise like guitar pure technique does not always make for the best listener experience.

From my perspective Vinne Coluatia has chops and feel in buckets and one of those drummers that lifts the whole band and song to a new level. Watched him play last year with Sting on the back to bass tour and the french audience cheered him endlessly at the end of every break, they love a good drummer. Also saw him with Beck and again he lifts the tunes and adds heart and groove. 

There is an interesting story that goes around I don't remember where I heard but basically Zappa had written out some arcane drum part and Bozio simply could not nail it. In the end Zappa called in Vinnie who walked in with a large sandwich picked up Zappa's parts put the sandwich on a Tom and read and nailed the obscure rhythm and groove Zappa wanted out the gate. As it went on as always Vinnie's glasses slipped down his nose, without missing a beat of one of the hardest parts Zappa had written he pushes up his glasses and carries on, he plays a couple more bars and then reaches for the sandwich and keeps the whole thing rolling while biting lumps off the sandwich.

I also think Billy Cobham, Chester Thompson, Omar Hakim, Manu Katchu, Phill Collins (early Brand X) Steve Gadd
Its a pretty long list once you get started.

Jez

Philly_Q

I don't know anything about the technicalities of drumming, but some drummers I really like in the context of the bands they've played in - Joe Franco (Good Rats, Twisted Sister), John Stanier (Helmet, Tomahawk), Jean-Paul Gaster (Clutch, Bakerton Group).

Clarky

Drew_fx said:

awesome..

I love his solidity...

Drew_TNBD

Clarky said:

Drew_fx said:

awesome..

I love his solidity...

He's a fucking baaaaaaad motherfucker.