The Smiley Smile Message Board

In response to Big Bri's question in the Album Discussion/Beach Boys In Concert thread:

I think Neil Peart is an amazingly good technical drummer. It is impressive to listen to almost from an intellectual level. I don't know much about Chester Thompson other than Three Sides Live from Genesis...

I am more impressed by drummers with good "feel" - and in that list I would include Ringo, Keith Moon, John Bonham, Ginger Baker, and (believe it or not) Peter Criss. I am not so much a fan of technical flair, although I appreciate it. I like a good solid rock feel that is ahead of the beat, not behind it (ala Dennis Wilson). I don't think Ricky Fataar had the feel either. And for that matter, after listening to Anthology I, which contains Pete Best's version of Love Me Do, one can understand why the Beatles made the change too.  There's just no "feel", especially when Best tries to shuffle in the middle eight/harmonica solo.

Keith Moon is my absolute favorite. So much fun to listen to. So much stuff going on. He was fantastic, on and off the stage.

Phil Collins is a superior drummer. I’m hoping he returns to the kit again for a Genesis reunion with Gabriel and Hackett in 2007.

How would you rate Mick Fleetwood? 

Dave Grohl on Nirvana's Unplugged performance - Subtle and Elegant.

Chester Thompson is the man.  I'm one of the biggest Genesis fans you'll ever find and I love the drumming he did in their live shows between 1977 and 1992, but I really think that Chester's best work was during his time with Frank Zappa during 1973 and 1974.  Listen to One Size Fits All and you'll hear what I mean.  I believe Chester is teaching (Princeton maybe?) now.  Such a terrific drummer.  He also released a solo album in the early 90s called "A Joyful Noise" which is exactly that.  A terrific album whose re-release on CD is long overdue.

Al jackson Jr. from Booker T and the MG's.....unbelievable timekeeper!..also Ronnie Tutt. But for the most part my fave drummers are from the jazz world....there are so many Elvin Jones, Art Blakey, Billy Higgins to name a few.

There's another name. Good one. He is a very, very good drummer. In command, and plays like a human metronome. Listen to "I'm So Afraid"

I am also with Bubba - Phil Collins, all goofing aside, is quiet solid, almost in a jazzy type sense.

Buddy Rich !!!.and Gene Krupa  and Sonny Payne from the new testament count basie band .listen to his drum work on Sinatra at the Sands....!!!

Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste, from the Meter's one of the greatest drummers i have ever heard, also Jabbo Starks and Clyde Stubberfield  from the JB's !!!.they invented the beat in Hip/hop rap !!! funky drummer !

Why has no one mentioned Steve Gadd?

(http://www.drummerworld.com/pics/drum38/stevegaddclinic.jpg)

He is most well-known for this solid piece of drumming:

http://www.drummerworld.com/Sound/stevegaddfiftyways.mp3

Analogdemon,
  You've got a Friend in me then.Genesis IS my all time Favorite band!! BB's a very close second.
  Genesis really lost something though after Steve Hackett left in 1977.
  Have you seen "The Musical Box",Genesis tribute band,on tour??
  The guy that portrays Gabriel is un-believable!! You think you're actually watching Peter Gabriel circa 1973-75.And the sound!!! WOW,these boys got the early Genesis tone down pat!!
 Bubba,you're right about Keith Moon.....that's a drummer(was I mean,R.I.P)
 Bri

Amen.  As far as funk goes, I also love Greg Errico from Sly and the Family Stone.

On a totally unrelated note, I don't think any thread on great feel drummers would be complete without a mention of Levon Helm.  That man is a giant.  And for pure rock fury while still being able to groove amazingly, I don't think you can beat The Stooges' Scott Asheton.

All interesting comments. I used to play drums in a band myself for several years (not a successful one though!) - and started after finding there were much better guitarists at college than me but no drummers! Drumming to me is about what fits the music. The wrong good drummer in a band can sound awful - saw Roxy Music on the Flesh & Blood tour when Andy Newmark had replaced Paul Thompson. Newmark was fine on any of the new stuff, but totally wrong for any of the older songs - he was behind the beat all the time, and couldn't drive the band at all. Moon is my idol, but he would have been in trouble in almost any other band than The Who, as he was just perfectly suited to playing with Townshend (odd enough in itself, as the drummer normally plays with the bass player). The Who with Kenney Jones were flat - too grounded when they need to fly. Levon Helm is a wonder - one of the few that never plays what you expect him to but it still sounds just right. The more technical drummers like Phil Collins are fine with very busy music like Genesis, but there isn't a whole lot of heart there, unlike Bonham for instance who was flash but in a very down to earth way (i.e. it sounds basic but is actually unbelievably tricky when you break it down). Although Moon was my idol I couldn't play like him (who can?) and on the whole I went for a more basic Bonham - very heavy bass drum and snare, not too bothered about the whole paradiddle stuff. I do miss playing!

Let's get to the point please -- Chollie Watts!

Thank you.

Bernard Purdie.......no one has mentioned him , he even claims he did the drumming on some Beatle songs ?????

Idris Muhammad his Power of soul album on CTI is a must have.........also Billy Cobham who is perhaps the Fusion drummer of the 70"s.

Along with Cobham as far as fusion goes would be Phil Collins when he was with Brand X.
I was just listening to the Unorthodox behaviour CD and WOW could Collins play a mean 12/8 timing on Nuclear Burn!!
Big Bri

Buddy Rich
Jeff Porcaro
Hal Blaine
Steve Gadd
Al Jackson, Jr.
John "JR" Robinson
Earl Palmer
Gene Krupa
Max Roach
Papa Jo Jones
Elvin Jones
Jim Keltner
Steve Jordan

Just a few of my favorites.

Phil Collins
Ringo
Bill Bruford
Levon Helm

No one has mentioned Louie Bellson ....or Tony Williams !!!!!

Roger Taylor!

Tre Cool! (ha!)

Yeah!

I'll add a few more Rock drummers:

Matt Johnson who drummed on Jeff Buckley's "Grace."

Charlie Watts.

Meshuggah's drummer, Thomas Haake. Really innovative, this guy.

Stewart Copeland.

Vinnie Paul. Almost too solid.

Adam Wade.

And "In Utero" Dave Grohl.

Too many faves to list . . . and certainly too many good drummers to list . . . But the following are all standouts:

Neal Peart (hard to top)

Stuart Copeland (fantastic drummer / also scores films)

Alex Van Halen (amazing in concert)

Gene Krupa (one of the early legends)

Omar Hakim (jazz / funk)

Keith Moon (the man)

Jon Bonham (technical, a precursor to Neal Peart)

Bill Bruford (Yes)


You wanna hear a hot new drummer? Check out the Rocking Scoundrels (http://www.rockingscoundrels.com/) . . . Scroll down to the Jukebox and listen to "Sparks" . . . Darren Edwards is a chip off the old Moon.

I'm into percussion in general . . . and rudimental / corps-style drumming is one of the coolest percussive art forms on the planet. Here's a piece I wrote in that style: Tremor in the Force (http://www.jananddean-janberry.com/tremor-in-the-force_moore.mp3).

M.

Two pages on rock drummers and no mention of Mitch Mitchell?  I am sad.  What do you all have against him?

I'm not named after him, that's for sure...

Laaurie asked

"How would you rate Mick Fleetwood?"


I like his style.  He is solid and does some tasty fills.  But when I think of Mick Fleetwood I have to think of the rhythm section of John McVie and Mick Fleetwood.  In my opinion, the are among the very best at what they do.  Listen over the years to the Peter Green, Bob Welch, Danny Kirwin, and Lindsay Buckingham incarnations....the one constant is that bass/drum sound that these guys pull off as a unit.

The best rock drummer is Jerry Allison of the Crickets.

I really can't believe Hal Blaine has gone unmentioned here.  I think he plays on half the records in my collection.  Probably in yours too.

My favorite Blaine is the Spector Christmas album and J&D's Drag City LP.

Guitarfool had Blaine on his list.

I'd add Bun E. Carlos, Topper Headon AND MIGHTY MOE TUCKER!. :D

Right on.
Another of my favorites, and whoever don't dig her can kiss my hairy knowledgeable ass!

(http://www.goner-records.com/index/images/whitestripes/megbig.jpg)

Billy Ficca
Rat Scabies
whoever played on the Sun Ra stuff

Oh, you must mean Artaukatune.

BTW I was thinking, wasn't  Elvin Jones, who got a mention earlier, a jazz version of Keith Moon, or was it the other way around, Keith Moon who was rock's version of Elvin Jones.

Also doesn’t Phil Collins have a bit of Ringo in him, they both have this solid, heavy sound and I once heard PC praise Ringo’s drumming. Don’t know if it’s a british speciality, John Bonham was also a very heavy drummer, if you listen to his drumming on “Rock And Roll”, it’s like watching an elephant dancing.

Søren

The Crickets were amazing . . . Jerry Allison hammered a few cardboard boxes for "Not Fade Away" . . . Dig that.

Hal Blaine is on everyone's list automatically. He goes without saying. Earl Palmer, too.

Hal is wide open on Jan Berry's productions . . . but not so on Brian Wilson's.

Jan and Brian are a case study as producers . . . Different styles . . . different sounds . . . while using a lot of the same musicians.

M.

Roger Taylor, backed up by John Deacon on bass guitar - the best pairing in the biz ever (IMO)!

Damn, Ian! I forgot Meg! Thanks for mentionning her. She's great.

BTW I was thinking, wasn't  Elvin Jones, who got a mention earlier, a jazz version of Keith Moon, or was it the other way around, Keith Moon who was rock's version of Elvin Jones.

Also doesn’t Phil Collins have a bit of Ringo in him, they both have this solid, heavy sound and I once heard PC praise Ringo’s drumming. Don’t know if it’s a british speciality, John Bonham was also a very heavy drummer, if you listen to his drumming on “Rock And Roll”, it’s like watching an elephant dancing.

Søren



Sorry but Elvin Jones was playing long before Keith moon and as someone who had the pleasure to see Elvin 3 times , Keith Moon was no Elvin Jones...right now listening to Tommy Flanagans Overseas (piano,bass,drums) and Elvin plays only his brushes on this , i doubt very much if Keithy boy could play with this much subtley !! Elvin started playing drums in 1946 while in the military. His first big break came at the newport jazz fest playing behind Mingus and this session I'am listening to right now is from 1957.

I was talking about type of drummer, not about who came first, I know that Elvin Jones preceeded Keith Moon, that’s why I also said that Keith Moon could be rock's version of Elvin Jones.
But anyway I looked it up on the net and there is actually an interview with  Keith Moon, where he says that  Elvin Jones  was an inspiration. The interview is on:

 http://www.thewho.net/articles/townshen/keith2.htm

In the interview Keith is asked about drummers:

What other drummers have you been listening to recently, or do you listen to other drummers?
Not really, I’ve been down to a couple of places like the Vortex and the Marquee and it’s very odd because I see a lot of myself reflected in their styles. A lot of the atmosphere and a lot of the things they play. It’s a bit brash, which I love. I think it’s great, just thrashing away, but a lot of the drummers have not developed a definite style. That’s something that comes from years of playing. I’ve picked up bits of Elvin Jones, Krupa, Philly Joe Jones – they were the sort of people I listened to for drumming.

Apparently he listened a lot to jazzdrummers and he also hung out with Elvin Jones. I know that John Entwhistle and Pete Townshend also had an interest in jazz and maybe that’s why there was so much interplay between them, similar to musicians on jazzrecords and also part of why they were so great.

Søren

Keith Moon
Ginger Baker
Mitch Mitchell
Bill Bruford
Terry Bozzio
Alan White (John Lennon POB, Yes & occasionaly The Ventures)
Hal Blaine
Charlie Watts
Viv Prince (The Pretty Things)
Tommy, Marky and Richie Ramone
John Drumbo French
Robo, Chuck Biscuts and Bill Stevenson (Black Flag)

Al Foster who plays with McCoy Tyner now is unbelievable ...i also believe he did a stint with Miles.
last night saw the Stones and Charlie Watt's was sooo cool behind that kit..

Most of the great drummers I can think of have already been mentioned, but I don't believe anyone's mentioned Jimmy Cobb yet. His playing on Kind Of Blue is tasteful, never overdone, and always complementary to the bass.

Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich and Hal Blaine are the most obvious, but I'm gonna add Dusty Watson. Dusty played with Dick Dale, the Surfaris, Lita Ford, Agent Orange, the Queers, Jon & the Nightriders and countless others, and is often called the "King of the Surf Drums".

How 'bout Steven Drozd from The Flaming Lips?
Or Travis Barker of Blink 182?


And personally, as bad a drummer Dennis was (though he was a superb singer/songwriter/piano player/producer), I love his "jungle beat" drumming style from the early 60s. Seems like he toned down his intensity after Brian retired from the road, and the BBs never rocked that hard again until Blondie and Ricky joined the group.

Tony Williams hasn't been mentioned? I love what he did with Miles and on Blue Note albums in the 60s. Billy Higgins, also on Blue Note in the 60s. Ringo, of course.

And John French (Drumbo).

Kenny Aronoff is a MACHINE!  Currently with John Fogerty's band. 

Elvin Jones
Roy Haynes

Rock - Johnny Barbata

Karen Carpenter, Luqman Ali, Clifford Jarvis, Robert Barry, Charlie Watts, Ringo, Chick Webb, Buddy Rich, Tani Tabbal, Jack Dejohnette.

Good call, RR. Another great topic going to waste (for ten years!!!).

I like a bunch of those too. For the moment I'll add Simon Kirke of Free, Ginger Baker, Levon Helm of The Band, Elvin Jones, Keith Moon and of course Mr. Blaine. ;)

Stewart Copeland of The Police, amazing and technically superb

Oh yes, agreed!

Frank Zappa had some stupendous drummers on his payroll. Terry Bozzio and Chad Wackerman come immediately to mind...

Police is dull band with dull songs. Drums like drums.

+1 for Stewart Copeland. Been playing all the Police albums a lot lately.