Your Top Five (5) Drummers of All-Time...

HiPerf360

Well most of the good ones have been mentioned....

I have always liked Jimmy Chamberlin of the Smashing Pumpkins, interesting style.

Normanality

heiney9 wrote:

.... Certainly none of these mentioned could be called THE best. Too many different styles, interpretations, settings and circumstances.

H9

Amen Brother. Coming from a jazz background, you'd think I'd list jazz drummers but I find most of them uninspiring. I saw Cobham on a couple of occasions and left early both times completely unimpressed. Sure he was extrememly technical, but he didn't do anything complex, just very forward. Of course, I don't like Miles Davis style of music so that may have something to do with it.

George Grand

I rest my case.

For the first and last time. Buddy Rich, the drumming machine. The best. All others are a cut underneath. Drummers being the aggressive types they are, when a whole bunch get together to pay tribute to what they consider the best, who are you or I, to disagree?

We are ALL immensely qualified to say who WE THINK is the best. It's just a **** when others won't agree with you, when deep in your heart, you know that you're absolutely right, and everyone else couldn't be more wrong.

Whenever Buddy was asked who his favorite drummer was he would answer "Karen Carpenter". Then after the laughter subsided and the follow on, "No Buddy, who's really your favorite? Who's the best?" With a snort he'd say "I am." Buddy Rich.....R.I.P.

Tour2ma

heiney9 wrote:

Ansley Dunbar

That's the name I've been waiting for and for mentioning it, there should always be a place at GG's table for you.

GG,
Dino Danelli of the Rascals better than Billy C? I obviously have to give Time Pieces another spin.

RuSsMaN

Buddy Rich

Neil Peart

Phil Collins

Carter Beauford

Animal from the Muppet Show

crazy

Ah, nice thread... here are my votes (a little prog rock bias)

1) Mike Portnoy

2) Virgil Donaty

3) Neil Peart - not only is he the most unbelievable drummer, but also an all round good guy

4) Rod Morganstein - how come no one mentioned this unbelievable drummer. Regarded as one of the top prog rock drummers.

Strong Bad

I see nobody mentioned Carl Palmer. He's playing at Rams Head in Annapolis on Saturday June 3rd. There are still some seats left.

Carl did some very very fine stuff! Loved his ELP days.

Tour2ma

LOl... Animal... classic...

Ahem...

Tour2ma wrote:

4. Carl "don't call me a drummer, I'm a percusionist" Palmer - of ELP fame. He shines on their S/T release, but his best work is on Tarkus.

heiney9

Bare with me. For kicks and grins I thought I'd make available some of my favorite drums.

Click on the link.

Bonham69
Bonham studio
Mitchell 02
Appice

Enjoy your late night listen

H9

Zen Dragon

john d. strong wrote:

I see nobody mentioned Carl Palmer. He's playing at Rams Head in Annapolis on Saturday June 3rd. There are still some seats left.

Carl did some very very fine stuff! Loved his ELP days.

You know, if nothing else you have to respect a guy who can play on a drum set mounted on an axis and spinning end over end as he did live during the peak ELP days.
As to many classic rock drummers getting the nod here, it is what many of us grew up with. Obviously there are some amazing jazz and studio musicians who go unsung because they never became household names.
It is no coincidence however that Neil Peart appears on so many peoples lists. He is technically astounding. Rush had an average following at best compared to some of the monster Classic Rock bands, but the precision, passion, and speed of Peart is readily identifiable to antone willing to listen. Simply Brilliant!

Zen Dragon

heiney9 wrote:

Bare with me. For kicks and grins I thought I'd make available some of my favorite drums.

Click on the link.

Bonham69
Bonham studio
Mitchell 02
Appice

Enjoy your late night listen

H9

Thanx for taking the time to set those up. I downloaded and listened as I browsed the forum, albeit on a very mediocre Creative Labs computer speaker system. Good stuff. What was that live music you were taling about on the earlier thread?

George Grand

Tour,

I feel Buddy was the best. After that, the list is favorites. I liked the **** out of Dino Danelli, but in a tech sense not even close to BC.

Nobody mentioned Papa John B. from Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels. He MADE a few of those hits.

george daniel

Speaking of Carl Palmer,,anyone ever listen to his "pre" ELP stuff? The band that you are looking for is "Atomic Rooster",I've got one somewhere around here on British vinyl,essentially "in your face" and energetic.

schwarcw

george daniel wrote:

Speaking of Carl Palmer,,anyone ever listen to his "pre" ELP stuff? The band that you are looking for is "Atomic Rooster",I've got one somewhere around here on British vinyl,essentially "in your face" and energetic.

Now you are showing your age George. I thought I was the only one who remembered Atomic Rooster. I loved "Death Walks Behind You" and "Tomorrow Night". Carl Palmer was also on King Crimson's "In the Court of the Crimson King" My son used to call this album the "tonsil record", for the screamng open mouth on the cover.

Glad to see Keith Moon on a few of the member's lists. I saw the Who live once. Keith Moon was jamming on the drums while the roadies were setting up the stage. He couldn't wait to play. He was crazy as a **** house rat!

Tour2ma

.. or as high as one...

GG,
Plenty of room for fav's, obviously given the thread title, just that when I started thinking drummers over in Eric's thread, Rascals is not a name that came close to popping up, so I figure I missed something... or at least forgot something.

As you once said in what IMO was one of your finer moments on the forum,
"****, I have to clear out so much old info just to absorb new, it's a wonder I remember anything I used to know." Not an exact quote, but something to that effect.

Then there are names/ groups that should have popped into my head, but did not, e.g., The Detroit Wheels and Keith Moon. Faak... I shocked myself when I remembered Sandy Nelson.

George Grand

Moon the Loon. R.I.P.

The original guy from Paul Revere & The Raiders was **** hot as well. Smitty or something like that. Small guy with a Napoleanic thing....like somebody else I know.

schwarcw

schwarcw wrote:

Carl Palmer was also on King Crimson's "In the Court of the Crimson King" My son used to call this album the "tonsil record", for the screamng open mouth on the cover.

Edit, that was Greg Lake on King Crimson. Lead vocals. I always get those ELP guys mixed up! Must be the early stages of Altzheimer's

Carl

ND13

John Bonham
Neal Peart
Buddy Rich
Nick Mason
Stewart Copeland

No particular order

karpiel666

joey jordison

Tour2ma

Who's he with?

Noel,
What's the scoop job-wise?

StopherJJ1980

Dave Grohl and Jimmy Chamberlain didnt make any of the lists so far?! This is a travesty. You are all biased old geezers

Take no offense of course, just good natured ribbing...

Also I think Don Henley deserves nod, not so much for his drumming prowress but as an overall songwriter as a drummer.

heiney9

I wondered when someone was going to mention Dave Grohl. He certainly is a good drummer and really has a sense of history about all the greats. He's more like in the last 10 of a top 25. He certainly is talented but there are many many others that should come before him so I couldn't count him in the top 10. This is all IMHO of course .

H9

ND13

I agree Brock. DG is more of an all-around talent, but still, he's an excellent rock drummer, that is somewhat under-rated. That's probably due to him becoming a frontman and taking up rhythm guitar.

Billm57

Buddy Rich
Bill Bruford
Carl Palmer
Billy Cobham
Tony Williams

HiPerf360

StopherJJ1980 wrote:

Dave Grohl and Jimmy Chamberlain didnt make any of the lists so far?! This is a travesty. You are all biased old geezers

Take no offense of course, just good natured ribbing...

Also I think Don Henley deserves nod, not so much for his drumming prowress but as an overall songwriter as a drummer.

See post #32.

Dave Grohl is good as well....

Henley, all of his music is on steady rotation in my house.

Have you seen Foo Fighters Live MHD performance......WOW!

MacLeod

The #1 alltime greatest drummer ever is Mike Portnoy! He just rules at everything! It also doesnt hurt that he plays for Dream Theater which is the greatest band of all time!

And yes thats me next to him!! I got to meet him at one of his drum clinics a couple years ago!

Second place would be a tie between Scott Rockenfield of Quessnrychy for his style and finese and the way he made the drums as much a part of the melody as the guitar and Dave Lomardo for being the most powerful and kick **** drummer ever! He alone made Testament's The Gathering their best album.

Charlie Benante of Anthrax is like Dave Lombardo although just not quite as good.

Shannon Larkin plays now with Godsmack but in the 80's he was with Wrathchild America and did some of the most amazing playing Id ever heard. I was just starting out playing drums then and he simply amazed me. Here is a video clip of Climbing the Walls. This isnt his best stuff either but it gives you an idea of how good he is.

Mike Mangini and Virgil Donati also would rate up their pretty high.

MacLeod

Damn, I was trying to look up some clips of some of the other drummers and its got me fired up about playing drums again. I havent touched em in a couple years due to not having a place to play em (drums dont have a volume control) but Im starting to miss playing.

I thought about taking up guitar but Im too old to start over from scratch again!

heiney9

Portnoy is great.....but the best of all time???? I guess that what debates were meant for.:)

Before this thread gets buried here's a few more for your listening pleasure.

TSRTS
Sick Again
Black Dog Studio Workout

Bonham is a monster, the fills are simply amazing he's playing at almost double and triple time. These are the 1st two tracks from the show, they did incredible things at the LA Forum. He keeps up the pace all night long for over 3 hours. Simply incredible, no other way to describe it. When you are done be sure to pick your jaw off the floor.

H9

Demiurge

Screw that, you're never too old.

I wish I could get back on the skins again, but I will have to wait until I have my own house to do that.

MacLeod

Im thinking about renting a mini storage unit again. I did that all thru the 90's. $35 a month and youve got your own little sanctuary. Id stopped playing with bands by the mid 90's so Id just go in there with my CD's and play til my heart was content.