A List of Very Good Drummers Not Named Neil Peart
Submitted by BuckGS71 on Thu, 06/21/2001 - 03:16
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- Art Blakey - "Propulsive" is the word to best describe his drumming, the best ever in the jazz world.
- Tony Williams - Inventive, creative. the boy genius who backboned Miles Davis' great 60's quintet.
- Buddy Rich - His personality was sometimes bigger and louder than his drumming. The Keith Moon of his time.
- Elvin Jones - A lot like Art Blakey. Hit hard and often, and swung like mad.
- Max Roach - Delicate yet intense was his style.
- Bill Bruford - Can't get any more complex than Bruford in terms of his style. Plays material that is ruthlessly complex with flair, precision and power.
- Matt Cameron - The best drummer in hard rock today. His drumming in Soundgarden is fierce.
- Jaki Liebezeit - The drummer of Can sounded more like a drum machine. Pre-dated the kind of beats you hear in techno these days.
- ?uestlove - Damn, he's funky. That's why I like "The Roots" as a band; he makes this funk band even funkier.
- Phil Collins - Forget the drum machines and the syrupy ballads; this guy's drumming is both imaginative and ferocious. Probably some of the fastest hands around
- Bill Cobham - Another drummer who played fast and intense. He would play these massive drum rolls that would probably break your wrists.
- Keith Moon - Yes, he was insane, and the stories are true, but he was rock's first truly great drummer, and still an influence today
- Steve Gadd - Check the credits on any album you've got, and chances are he's the studio drummer performing. A master, hands down.
- Jerry Marotta - Another terrific studio drummer. Chances are he's performing on some of the album's you've got as well.
- Stewart Copeland - A good example of how a drummer (or a musician) avoids cliches, Never settled for a straight beat, and played with lots of exuberance.
- John Bonham - The King of Big Drum Mountain. Nobody has ever played harder and make it seem so effortless.
- and last, but not least...
- Ringo Starr - Anyone who says he road John, Paul & George's coat tails answers to me. As the Beatles grew and experimented, so did he. The perfect drummer for this band.
Author Comments:
Allow me to clarify: I love Neil Peart, but there's NO WAY he's the best drummer alive. Frankly, I think he got better when he starting to swing a little more. Sometimes less is definitely more...Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, I do play the drums, and have played semi-professionally, so I suppose my opinion is somewhat valid.
Buck, I have to admit there are some pretty strong drummers on this list. Some you left off who I think rule are, Carmine Appice, Alan White and Aynsley Dunbar. Yet, as a drummer myself who has been hitting the skins for a quarter of a century, Neil is the dude. No one, I repeat no one, is that good. take another listen to Hemispheres and Permanent Waves.
Being a "new" drummer of 3 years, I've been studying styles that I find appealing. Certainly, Neil Peart is a philosopher of the art of drumming.
And like most of the drummers I study, he has his distinct style that adds to my own sounds and style.
I wouldn't say that any one of these drummers on your list is "better" than any others. They each have a style and flavor of their own.
Below are a few others that influence my drumming and who I think are as good as Neil in their own ways:
Steve Jordon (w/Robben Ford's "Tiger Walk"
John Otto (Limp Bizkit)
Carter Beauford (DMB)
Gary Mallaber (Steve Miller Band)