Neal Peart of Rush
#1 (Tie)
Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater and multitudinous side projects, including the Neal Morse band (here with a drum solo featuring a little tribute to Neal Peart - listen for it!)
#3
Phil Collins of Genesis (here playing a drum duet with Genesis tour drummer Chester Thompson)
#4
Bill Bruford of Yes, King Crimson, and U.K. (here doing a duet with bassist Tony Levin)
#5
Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) and Asia
Honorable Mention:
Keith Moon of The Who
Terry Bozzio of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
John Bonham of Led Zeppelin
Stewart Copeland of The Police
Carter Beauford of The Dave Matthews Band
Nick D'Virgilio of Spock's Beard
Great list of drummers...
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Peart, Collins and Buford!
They are mind boggling. I think I would add Dennis Chamber (Niacin) and Pip Pyle... some other noteworthy additions to your list.
Portnoy is definitely, multitudinous... he shows up early and often on any number of projects. I often am impressed - but I am not sure he is able to play with much restraint or finesse. I do love his work with Transatlantic, Liquid Tension and with Neal Morse.
Great stuff!
Here's some cool Neil stuff:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbc.ca/mercerreport
--You'll dig this. Recent intereview.
www.neilpeart.net
--Updated website with pic of new studio.
Impressive list of drummers. I remember seeing Neal Peart for the first time in 1981 at Cobo Arena in Detroit and being blown away.
ReplyDeleteNot familiar with Portnoy.
Didn't apprciate Phil Collins till I saw the Peter Gabriel days of Genesis at YouTube.
Bruford is always a favorite.
Leo,
ReplyDeleteMost people who have heard pop music in the 80s knows the name "Phil Collins," and think of the guy who sung a lot of pop tunes. It got to the point that the Collins' solo work was hard to decipher from the Genesis band's work by listening to popular radio.
Few know that Collins is one of the finest drummers in rock history. Few even know that Genesis was more than the pop band represented by the top-40 hits it produced. Even during the mid- to late-80s, when Genesis was a top-40 band, they were still producing album cuts that harkened back to their progressive rock roots. And Collins was still one of the best drummers on record. Their reunion tour should hopefully re-acquaint people to this band (beyond the pop stuff, and toward the progressive stuff they -Rutherford/Banks/Collins - created.
Bob,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information on Phil Collins. As I write this I am listening to Genesis Live from 1973 compliments of the local library. We'll have to see if the reunion tour is coming to the Midwest. It would be something to see - if the progressive is being played that it. Too bad Steve Hackett and Peter Gabriel could not be part of the tour.
No Max Wineburg?
ReplyDelete