"John Bonham is the best drummer" ever sez Stylus

jim gordon
definitely

Notable omissions for me include Jim White, John McEntire, and Andy Ramsay.

I know this is changing the rules of the game, but it'd be cooler to have a list of greatest under-sung drummers or something like that, and allow some space to the Clem Burkes and Steve Gouldings of the world.

Bill Berry wrote a lot too apparently, including Everybody Hurts.

Where was Todd Trainer?

Larry Mullin might be the richest guy on the list

Mullen

stewart copeland's loaded, ain't he

haha speaking of rich assholes, phil collins is unfortunately better than many of these jokers

Cutty how is Bumps??

For a punk band, Joy Division were bizarrely democratic
Does this make any sense???

Drum geek sick chops youtube thread

I read that Hal Blaine had been very rich at his peak, but overspent and then lost most of his wealth as studio work dried up in the 80s

I remember he used to stamp his charts so there would be documentation that he had played the session. He also asked for a gold record if the record was a hit, but I think he had to sell most of those.

Throw 50 drummers against a wall and a few will stick. This least is really, really weird.

The not-really-rock inclusions (Zigaboo, Tony Allen, etc.) are kind of funny, like "good drummers that indie dudes like too!".

Bah! Dumb hipster list put together by someone who obviously doesn't play drums.

Add: Pete DeFreitas, John Maher, Mel Gaynor, Clem Burke

"someone who obviously doesn't play drums."

What's that got to do with anything?

"Years ago I had dozens of Roses bootlegs"

Ouch! no wonder your ears are so sensitive these days, nick!

paul thompson was fucking awesome on those early roxy records
stylus blows

bumps is a lot of fun, nothing really serious--nice ethnic rhythms all tortoise-d out. the drum sounds are really mental.

otm re:

phil collins, he's the closest thing to jaki liebezeit we've got in those early genesis records. he kills it!

paul thompson HITS HARD

Crazy Phil "Fill" Collins = http://www.philcollinsfansite.com/images/brand-x.jpg

Yeah, I feel the same about Bumps - but I don't think they set out to make anything more than a collection of sweet drum breaks, and that's pretty much what it is.

As a drummer, I always find non-drummers'/non-musicians' (big assumptions, there) opinions on what they perceive to be good/impressive drumming highly interesting. There are some interesting choices on the list. That said, it is appalling. I suppose a list should spark discussion if it is to be worth compiling (and I know it's Stylus Magazine's 50 Greatest Drummers in Rock) ; but you know, there are interesting, illuminating, distinctive choices and dumb distinctive choices -- and when you place Gary Young ahead of Billy Cobham (if he is even going to be included in your "rock" drumming list) or Topper Headon in front of Al Jackson Jr., that's just insulting. Was this list compiled/decided by votes (probably)?

I'm really not trying to adopt some superior muso, Dream-Theater-fan (I'm not, btw -- at all), tone with those observations, but there are some, seriously, merely/barely competent, not to mention boring, drummers on there at the expense of many icons who anyone who writes about popular music should be aware of (and who deserve inclusion). I mean, how do you leave guys like Steve Gadd, Jim Keltner, and Jeff Porcaro off of that list (especially all of them)? Are you just too hip to include them? If you can include Hal Blaine (who I believe should be there, yes), you can include Gadd, whose influence is enormous. Gadd should probably be on there for "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" alone: maybe you don't care for the tune, but have you ever listened to the drum part?; do you understand how unusual it is -- what kind of part would you come up with, or expect someone to come up with, for that song?. And as stupid as it is to argue over a list (and assert, essentially,"I disagree with you, so you're wrong!"), I just think that not including someone of Gadd's stature (as stated, he's not the only glaring omission) is a pretty lame.

But I can't argue with Bonham for the top spot, either.

#1 = Carmine Appice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71cGLyOKhSc

NEVER FORGET.

and when you place Gary Young ahead of Billy Cobham
I drew a sigh of relief for Ziggy that he wasn't behind Gary Young, even though he only beat him by one slot.

I didn't even read the list as being in any kind of order, that would have driven me crazy for sure.

PHIL MOTHERFUCKIN' RUDD

http://www.acdccentral.com/photos/cliff&phil/phil3.jpg

OTM OTM OTM

"People may not like Rush, but anyone who suggests that Neil Peart is anything other than a spectacularly gifted drummer has their heard planted firmly up their own foul-smelling posterior."

One of the more OTM posts i've ever read on these boards. As is the Rudd post.

This list is egregious. The guy above who had a hand in this list can't take offense at people saying how utterly shitty this list is, because he himself complained that some of his votes didn't make the list.

But man, this is one sorry fucking list. Holy shit.

What's that got to do with anything?

Because it's clearly a list of drummers from someone's favorite bands, or bands that they think are important, with little regard as to the drummers abilities or how the drummer enhances the rest of the band. Lumping together Lol Tolhurst / Boris Williams (they're good drummers for The Cure, but not Great Drummers) seems kinda insulting.

Leaving out George Hurley is criminal.

You don't have to be a drummer to recognize how a drummer enhances the rest of the band (personally, don't care much for his abilities if he doesn't enhance). This is just the old "Only musicians really understand music" argument.

I don't have anything against Gary Young. His playing was actually fairly appropriate for that (highly shambolic) era of Pavement. Still, his work on those releases sounds like that of someone who has played drums for less than/about a year (to be fair, I think he improved considerably during his tenure with Pavement). I think that's why it sounds unique to some: most drummers have moved beyond that point (the Gary Young point) by the time they play in a band. And some drummers that are technically superior to Gary Young are, of course, more boring than Gary Young (if you wish you evaluate the craft in such a way). But, as silly as it is, it puts my feathers in a bunch to see him ranked above, or included instead of, drummers who helped develop the instrument's vocabulary, who had truly singular voices, were really musical, or who really kick(ed) ass . . . c'mon.

x-post

Chris Frantz should not be on this list, and especially not at #12. I love Talking Heads, and having the drummer play a steady four-on-the-floor beat behind nearly song certainly contributed to their sound, but there's a reason they had to bring in the auxiliary percussion players circa Remain in Light: there wasn't much syncopation coming out of Frantz. Watch Stop Making Sense, and Frantz is consistently the least interesting person on stage, except when he introduces the Tom Tom Club song. Having him ranked above drummers like Clyde Stubblefield, Al Jackson and Hal Blaine is just nuts.

Didn't Deborah Harry call him out for being shitty when they were playing at CBGB's together?

The Heads secret weapon was Tina Weymouth.

betelgeuse otm about a lot. the list is a little depressing in that it gives me the impression people don't actually listen to the drums that much in records

I more or less consider myself a drummer sometimes and I love Gary Young's playing on Pavement. I still find it insulting when "drummers" can only find love for the Bozzios and Colaiutas.

Probably a bit harsh to call the list shite, but it didn't live up to its promise. No Charles Hayward = no credibility.

Besides, I'm a bit surprised not to find either Greg Saunier or Chippendale from Lightning Bolt on there, since they usually are mentioned (for a good reason) in this sort of indie discussion.

and Z S is totally OTM. Chris Frantz is redundant

fuck yeah on Greg and Chippendale

The list is definitely too skewed toward "I like this band a lot and the drummer does more than an adequate job as a contributor". But it's hard to draw the line sometimes between a genuinely good or great drummer and just a drummer that happens to play right in a great band. The tendency in rock is more toward good group chemistry + exciting frontman rather than bunch of awesome individual players like in jazz.

I third Saunier. Deerhoof could not be the same, or as good, with any other drummer.

Shouldn't the most basic criteria for this list be "would you notice immediately if some random dude suddenly replaced the drummer in this band?"

Talking Heads, U2 and many others on the list fail this test miserably. There are two Cure drummers listed, ffs.

Oh and Jimmy Chamberlin fucking sucks.

Saunier was one of the two founding members and plays a big role in Deerhoof songwriting/composition, iirc

John Maher

Elvis Telecom, I have to ask: was this an accidental transposition of John Mayer and Fred Maher? (If not, apologies; just the first thing that came to mind. Fred Maher's great.)

It’s helped make the Boredoms most intriguing rhythmic groups of the last twenty five years. "one of the most intriguing"? i can respect keith and bonham at 2-1, and everyone sticking up for n. peart, but where are john stanier, christian vander, tiki fulwood, jim white, mick fleetwood, john mcentire, scott hartley, and phil collins?

Oh and Jimmy Chamberlin fucking sucks.

uhhh, no

Watch Stop Making Sense, and Frantz is consistently the least interesting person on stage

Isn't this intentional?

You like snare fills, more snare fills, and only snare fills?

i had to look up who the hell jim eno was.

Jim Eno is probably a better producer than drummer. His sounds are the amazing part.

can't believe meg white isn't on that list.