Greatest Drummer Ever! (No Fail Mode this Time)

[ryan12147]

Ok, last time I left out too many good drummers in the poll by accident because they hadn't come to me at the time. So this time I'm going to take the DigitalDreamDoor's top 10 (http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com/pages/best_drummers.html) and give the community a chance to rank those 10 from number 10 to number 1 (greatest drummer of all time). Your input on why you voted who you did would be great.

[Evilbottom]

The only two I really listen to are Mike Portnoy and Neil Peart, with the occasional Keith Moon. And as much as I love Dream Theater, there's no arguing Neil Peart's superiority over Mike. As for Keith Moon...I dunno.

[ryan12147]

I'm personally going with Keith Moon because of how unique and talented he is.

[Fizzeler]

The only two I really listen to are Mike Portnoy and Neil Peart, with the occasional Keith Moon. And as much as I love Dream Theater, there's no arguing Neil Peart's superiority over Mike. As for Keith Moon...I dunno.

Portney not in Dream Theater >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Portney in Dream Theater

Carl Palmer >>>>>>>> Terry Bozzio >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Neil Peart

EDIT: In your poll you are not including Portney's other bands nor Carl Palmer if you are not including LTE and Transatlantic Portney should not be up there

[Evilbottom]

So ok hang on. Before I vote I need to know. Is this who we think is the best, or who is our favorite?

[ryan12147]

So ok hang on. Before I vote I need to know. Is this who we think is the best, or who is our favorite?

Who you think is the best. While I'm posting this I'd like to comment on how undeservingly low Morgan Carlson and Blake Richardson are. I mean seriously? 128th and 138th respectively??? That's wayyy too low :\ Listen to any Protest the Hero or Between the Buried and Me song and the drummer is way more complexed than anything Scott Travis or Stewart Copeland have ever played :rolleyes:

[Mystlyfe77]

Polls = fail. Even if based off of another list.
Haake, Lombardo (11th, barely missed cut), Hoglan, Lopez, Flynn, Alexander, Mantia, Harrisson, Burr, and a number of others deserve to be at least in the convsersation.

[timmay9]

Poll is still fail.

[Fizzeler]

Poll is still fail.

Agreed why these threads should not have polls!

[dabears116]

These are only rock drummers, my favorite (and definitely one of the best) drummers of all time is Billy Cobham. As for the rock drummers listed, Carl Palmer followed by Terry Bozzio and Bill Bruford are my favorites.

[ArmsAreLoud]

Out of the ones listed, Keith Moon. I don't quite see how Ginger Baker clocked in so high; Clapton was always the real pull for the band.

[ROCKBANDFANATIC7526]

Out of the ones listed, Keith Moon. I don't quite see how Ginger Baker clocked in so high; Clapton was always the real pull for the band.

What are you talking about, Baker is amazing.:rolleyes:

[classicrockdude]

Moon>Bonham>Paice>Palmer>Baker>Peart

[ROCKBANDFANATIC7526]

Moon>Bonham>Paice>Palmer>Baker>Peart

No, but nice try.:p

[classicrockdude]

No, but nice try.:p

let's see you try

[ROCKBANDFANATIC7526]

There is no way to rate them, no one is ever going to be satisfied, It's not worth it around here.

[classicrockdude]

There is no way to rate them, no one is ever going to be satisfied, It's not worth it around here.

good point

[disco_stu]

Voted Bonham. His drumming gets through to me in a strange way. Kashmir being the best example.

Its almost so well timed it sounds different to other drummers. Too good maybe.
Moon technically is probably better but i'm no expert so i went for the beats i preferred.

Where's Buddy Rich?

[ArmsAreLoud]

This is just rock drummers. Buddy Rich isn't a rocker.

[tridentgum0]

Moon>Bonham>Paice>Palmer>Baker>Peart

lolno

Peart>Palmer>Moon>Paice>Baker>Bonham

That's coming from a drummer.

[Runesmith]

The greatest drummer ever? No idea. But Clem Burke will always be my favorite.

[NormanCoxwell]

Dude Keith Moon's definitely my favorite. Best? No such thing. Maybe myself? Who knows. Still at the moment I don't believe in the "best" drummer.

[Rockbandfan23467]

The greatest drummer ever? No idea. But Clem Burke will always be my favorite.

Elvis Ramone?

[MronoC]

DigitalDreamDoor's top 10 (http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com/pages/best_drummers.html)


87. Travis Barker (Blink 182)

...

...Anyway, out of the top ten, Ginger Baker is my personal favorite, but overall, I've always loved Bill Ward.

...seriously though, Travis Barker is #87, but Neal Smith is just an honorable mention (they didn't even spell it right)?

[classicrockdude]

I don't get it, Peart is not that great. Sure he is a great drummer, but Rush's debut was great without him. They did not need him. On the other hand, Zeppelin could not go on without Bonham and Purple could not go on without Paice.

[franticfish]

I don't get it, Peart is not that great. Sure he is a great drummer, but Rush's debut was great without him. They did not need him. On the other hand, Zeppelin could not go on without Bonham and Purple could not go on without Paice.
What?
"Peart is not that great"
"Sure he is a great drummer"
Thats a complete contradiction.

Anyway my favourite drummers are Gene Hoglan, Steve Flynn, Keith Moon, Sean Reinert and Carl Palmer.

[FastSolo.]

Mike IMO

[macamatic]

...

...Anyway, out of the top ten, Ginger Baker is my personal favorite, but overall, I've always loved Bill Ward.

...seriously though, Travis Barker is #87, but Neal Smith is just an honorable mention (they didn't even spell it right)?
They couldn't even recognize that Joey Jordison is better than Barker (which cancels out any current hype theories). Danny Carey didn't even make the list.

Pathetic.

[thedoorsdk]

I don't get it, Peart is not that great. Sure he is a great drummer, but Rush's debut was great without him. They did not need him. On the other hand, Zeppelin could not go on without Bonham and Purple could not go on without Paice.

Haha what?
Rush's first album is little more than a footnote on their career.
And saying that they 'did not need him' is obviously untrue, given how much the band changed once he joined up.
If anything, Peart is the least expendable drummer out of any of the bands you've mentioned.

[Ultimatum]

Bozzio's my favorite out of the group, and probably the most proficient.

He's fast, even if he doesn't use it anymore. He's played on some of the most technically complex pieces out there. He aced an audition for Zappa, even when he didn't even know the material at all until a day before. He probably has better 4-way independence than anyone on the poll. He is by far the most unique in the poll.

[ROCKBANDFANATIC7526]

I don't get it, Peart is not that great. Sure he is a great drummer, but Rush's debut was great without him. They did not need him. On the other hand, Zeppelin could not go on without Bonham and Purple could not go on without Paice.

The reason Zeppelin didn't go on without Bonham was that they thought it would be disrespectful to replace him and they probably had no intention of ever replacing him, maybe only with Jason.

[MrFruitLord]

None of the above.

[dabears116]

I can't believe I forgot about Max Roach (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wnW2KLWE-g).

Anyways, I'll let out my top:

Billy Cobham
Buddy Rich
Max Roach
Carl Palmer
Elvin Jones
Niel Peart
Terry Bozzio
Bill Bruford

In metal:
Steve Flynn - Atheist
Gene Hoglan - Dark Angel, Death, Dethklok, Strapping Young Lad
Dave Lombardo - Slayer, (other side projects)
Mike Portnoy - Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment
Proscriptor - Absu

[ROCKBANDFANATIC7526]

I can't believe I forgot about Max Roach (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wnW2KLWE-g).

Anyways, I'll let out my top:

Billy Cobham
Buddy Rich
Max Roach
Carl Palmer
Elvin Jones
Niel Peart
Terry Bozzio
Bill Bruford

In metal:
Steve Flynn - Atheist
Gene Hoglan - Dark Angel, Death, Dethklok, Strapping Young Lad
Dave Lombardo - Slayer, (other side projects)
Mike Portnoy - Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment
Proscriptor - Absu

Ha ha.:p

[Ultimatum]

I can't believe I forgot about Max Roach (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wnW2KLWE-g).

Anyways, I'll let out my top:

Billy Cobham
Buddy Rich
Max Roach
Carl Palmer
Elvin Jones
Niel Peart
Terry Bozzio
Bill Bruford

In metal:
Steve Flynn - Atheist
Gene Hoglan - Dark Angel, Death, Dethklok, Strapping Young Lad
Dave Lombardo - Slayer, (other side projects)
Mike Portnoy - Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment
Proscriptor - Absu

No love for Tony Williams?

[Mystlyfe77]

They couldn't even recognize that Joey Jordison is better than Barker (which cancels out any current hype theories). Danny Carey didn't even make the list.

Pathetic.

Joey really isn't anything special. As much as I think Barker is massively overrated, he can roll a lot faster than Jordison can. Neither of those drummers deserve to be in the top 250, imo.

[SenorLarry]

Well it's hard for me to decide between Neil Peart and Mike Portnoy, but I'm gonna have to go with Peart.

[tridentgum0]

Joey really isn't anything special. As much as I think Barker is massively overrated, he can roll a lot faster than Jordison can. Neither of those drummers deserve to be in the top 250, imo.

This x 5000000000068040989058948503948

Barker blows. MTV and a plane crash made him popular, and Jordison is in a ****ing abomination of a band that dresses like clowns and scene kids like it.

[dabears116]

The fact that these are rock drummers needs to be stated in this topic, none of those drummers would make a top 10 list with every genre taken into account, except Palmer IMO.

@macamatic: Danny Carey is number 12 on the list. He doesn't deserve to be in the top 10 no matter how amazing of a performance Ticks and Leeches is.

[Rockbandfan23467]

This x 5000000000068040989058948503948

Barker blows. MTV and a plane crash made him popular, and Jordison is in a ****ing abomination of a band that dresses like clowns and scene kids like it.

He was already popular before the plane crash, and there are people who hate Slipknot that like Jordison, by the way.

[Ultimatum]

The fact that these are rock drummers needs to be stated in this topic, none of those drummers would make a top 10 list with every genre taken into account, except Palmer IMO.

@macamatic: Danny Carey is number 12 on the list. He doesn't deserve to be in the top 10 no matter how amazing of a performance Ticks and Leeches is.

Ionno, Carey is great in that he can navigate incredibly complex time sigs that change often and still play with a lot of feel.

Plus, he's pretty much mastered tabla, which is a feat in of itself.

[Mystlyfe77]

This x 5000000000068040989058948503948

Barker blows. MTV and a plane crash made him popular, and Jordison is in a ****ing abomination of a band that dresses like clowns and scene kids like it.

Barker was popular a long time before that plane crash. I remember debating his talent when I was in 8th grade.

[macamatic]

The fact that these are rock drummers needs to be stated in this topic, none of those drummers would make a top 10 list with every genre taken into account, except Palmer IMO.

@macamatic: Danny Carey is number 12 on the list. He doesn't deserve to be in the top 10 no matter how amazing of a performance Ticks and Leeches is.
Woah, I swear I did a search for "Carey" and got nothing. O.o

Also, I meant the full list on that page. I don't know if I would be so audacious as to call him top 10, but top 150? Hell yeah.

On the other hand, I think people let hype get the better of them on these things. There's a reason Neil Peart and Keith Moon come out on top (in whichever order) 99% of the time. Is Young Man Blues really that much more impressive than Ticks & Leeches?


Joey really isn't anything special. As much as I think Barker is massively overrated, he can roll a lot faster than Jordison can. Neither of those drummers deserve to be in the top 250, imo.
Um, there's a little more to being a drummer than just rolls...I find Joey's beats to be far more interesting. I agree that neither is top 250 material though, although they're certainly above average.

Also: Can Barker play upside down? :)

EDIT: Oh, one more thing I thought I'd share...at least initially, Slipknot wore masks in order to keep the focus on the music rather than the people playing it (keep in mind that Slipknot used to tour a LOT). These days, I think they do it more because it's part of their image, and there's really nothing wrong with that in and of itself (it's not like they're the first band to dress up onstage).

[dabears116]

I think the lack of Steve Flynn on the rock drummers list is one of the biggest flaws.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDRGfUFB1vo

[classicrockdude]

Barker blows. MTV and a plane crash made him popular, .

Fail

[Mystlyfe77]

Um, there's a little more to being a drummer than just rolls...I find Joey's beats to be far more interesting. I agree that neither is top 250 material though, although they're certainly above average.

Also: Can Barker play upside down? :)

EDIT: Oh, one more thing I thought I'd share...at least initially, Slipknot wore masks in order to keep the focus on the music rather than the people playing it (keep in mind that Slipknot used to tour a LOT). These days, I think they do it more because it's part of their image, and there's really nothing wrong with that in and of itself (it's not like they're the first band to dress up onstage).

I wasn't saying that rolls was all there is to drumming, but citing one reference of how Barker is a better technical drummer than Jordison (which he is in many respects). Neither is that great though.

Playing upside down isn't a testament of skill, it's a testament of ridiculous, over-the-top, drum wankery. It doesn't make the drums sound any better, it's a gimmick. Honestly, it makes me respect him less as a drummer.

And the masks are just a publicity gimmick/image. Note how Roadrunner has just been turned down by a band (Mushroomhead) who wore masks, including a pig-masked bassist, and played a similar style of music (at the time) when they signed Slipknot.

[Runesmith]

Joey and Travis may not be terribly skilled drummers, but they're pretty fun to listen to.

But I don't really care how technical a drummer is so long as their drumming sounds aesthetically pleasing to my ears.

[gmarsh]

im still stickin with keith moon.

[gmarsh]

[QUOTE=classicrockdude;2456730]I don't get it, Peart is not that great.[QUOTE]

fail

[ROCKBANDFANATIC7526]

[QUOTE=classicrockdude;2456730]I don't get it, Peart is not that great.[QUOTE]

fail

fail, for messin' up the quote.:p

[Tank9088]

im still stickin with keith moon.

Yeah, I gotta go with Moon.

[MronoC]

Joey really isn't anything special. As much as I think Barker is massively overrated, he can roll a lot faster than Jordison can. Neither of those drummers deserve to be in the top 250, imo.

but joey haz teh awesum double base :(

[Ultimatum]

ZOMG I CAN DOEZ BASS TOM QUADZ SUPER FAST GUlZ!!!

[ArmsAreLoud]

but joey haz teh awesum double base :(

Lars has "teh awesum double base", as well. I would never put him anywhere near this list, though.

[ROCKBANDFANATIC7526]

Here comes the backlash 3. 2. 1.

[MronoC]

I'm starting to wonder how obvious the joke actually was.

It seemed really, painfully obvious when typing it.

[Ultimatum]

It was.

[IPlayFakeDrums]

What about Phil Rudd...that guy revolutionized rock drumming. You can barely spell rock without Rudd.

[Ultimatum]

How the hell did Rudd revolutionize Rock drumming when he primarily played a pattern that had been a standard for at least a decade?

[LegendofRock3021]

What about Phil Rudd...that guy revolutionized rock drumming. You can barely spell rock without Rudd.

No.

[ryan12147]

you forgot the backslash ;)

[IPlayFakeDrums]

How the hell did Rudd revolutionize Rock drumming when he primarily played a pattern that had been a standard for at least a decade?

Rudd took a slow, basic 4/4 beat and played it with an Australian accent.

[dabears116]

How the hell did Rudd revolutionize Rock drumming when he primarily played a pattern that had been a standard for at least a decade?He's joking. I hope.

[macamatic]

I wasn't saying that rolls was all there is to drumming, but citing one reference of how Barker is a better technical drummer than Jordison (which he is in many respects). Neither is that great though.
...on the other hand, Joey can play double bass. I think this one comes down to opinion more than anything.


Playing upside down isn't a testament of skill, it's a testament of ridiculous, over-the-top, drum wankery. It doesn't make the drums sound any better, it's a gimmick. Honestly, it makes me respect him less as a drummer.
Heh, I was mostly kidding about that, although it is great for a live performance (and frankly, those are Slipknot's biggest strength). On the other hand, it takes some serious coordination to pull it off, so I would argue that in a way it does reveal some skill, albeit not a a meaningful one to drumming.


And the masks are just a publicity gimmick/image. Note how Roadrunner has just been turned down by a band (Mushroomhead) who wore masks, including a pig-masked bassist, and played a similar style of music (at the time) when they signed Slipknot.
Now, of course. But Slipknot has been wearing masks for longer than they've been signed. Again, initially they were to keep the focus on the music (and yes, I realize how silly it is for a new band to do so), but these days it's part of their image (though amusingly, they don't really fit the music they make anymore).

[Ultimatum]

Upside-down, side-to-side, blindfolded, whatever. All drummers have a degree of muscle memory where these things will not affect them.

And double bass isn't very technical unless if you do more than DUHDUHDUHDUH.

[ROCKBANDFANATIC7526]

What about Phil Rudd...that guy revolutionized rock drumming. You can barely spell rock without Rudd.

:rolleyes:

[sonicnerd23]

Bruford is an amazing drummer, and he doesn't over do it.

[macamatic]

Upside-down, side-to-side, blindfolded, whatever. All drummers have a degree of muscle memory where these things will not affect them.

And double bass isn't very technical unless if you do more than DUHDUHDUHDUH.
Yeah, but the gravity will throw you off. Unless you honestly think you could play as well upside-down as you would otherwise?

Double bass is more technical than single bass. It requires a fourth limb. Granted, it's certainly easier to learn than the pedal initially, but it's still an additional technique that should be considered in the "skill" of a drummer. Also, playing fast double bass while keeping beat and not using triggers isn't exactly a cake walk.

[Ultimatum]

Double bass isn't difficult to pull off if you're playing just straightforward stuff. Getting a constant hi-hat chick going while doing other stuff with your main foot is much harder than going "DUHDUHDUHDUHDUHDUHDUHDUHDUH" and playing stuff over the top of it. As a drummer, I KNOW this.

Playing upside down might be more demanding physically, but that's about it, and it's still not that much more difficult. It's a gimmick, nothing more.

[macamatic]

Again, all I was saying was that it was something he had on Barker, in the vein of "Barker can roll faster". As for playing upside down...I don't know, I can imagine it throwing you off, at least initially. Like I said, that was thrown out there more as a joke. I was just pointing out that there would be more skill involved, however minor or non-drum-related.

Are we really having a discussion about something I initially said was minor and something I initially said was a joke?

[Ultimatum]

You continued to argue it.

Anyways, it takes a lot to throw off muscle memory. There's gravity pulling you down, but that's not going to get rid of those fundamental movements we've known since day one.

[IPlayFakeDrums]

Double bass isn't difficult to pull off if you're playing just straightforward stuff. Getting a constant hi-hat chick going while doing other stuff with your main foot is much harder than going "DUHDUHDUHDUHDUHDUHDUHDUHDUH" and playing stuff over the top of it. As a drummer, I KNOW this.

Playing upside down might be more demanding physically, but that's about it, and it's still not that much more difficult. It's a gimmick, nothing more.

I can play constant 850bpm double bass all day without thinking at all. I just spent an hour trying to play the intro to Meshuggah's "Stengah"...I'm pretty sure I've got it, but it's 11/8 with constant 16th's with the hi hat pedal and it just modulates the same off time pattern with the hands and bass drum. It's so much harder to play, and I can't even imagine writing something like that. The worst part is, if I didn't play the drums..it would just sound like a train wreck. Anyway, technical ingenuity and physical power aren't worth very much without the ability to know when to use them..and, more importantly, when not to use them.
Drummers that are constantly in your face wrangle a lot of attention, and I think they eventually become overrated as a result. On the other hand, some of the best drummers (imo) don't get as much credit as they deserve because, for some reason, people see moments of less-than-over-the-top drumming as a weakness. I think a few of the drummers listed here are out of place because of their poor ability to play something where it belonged.

[Ultimatum]

Just about every Meshuggah song is written in 4/4 with odd-note permutations.