^^ Levon & Topper – brilliant choices.

Jimmy Chamberlin’s not bad. I think the best rock drummers need to swing.

[video]http://youtube.com/watch?v=7IOhEK2emt8[/video]

Bill Ward’s swing is underrated.

Glasgow drummer Peter Kelly. Poor sound quality on the clips but you get the idea.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_dsi_l2BEQ[/video]
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFC-VmaIb5E[/video]

Lisa Millberg, the Concretes.

I was standing the queue outside the venue when the band and retinue stalked in. Among them was this little blonde pixie, whom I wrote off as a groupie.

Then she turned out to be the drummer, driving the band forwards – she was utterly mesmerising and a real leader.

Jamj, didn’t realise you’d used Reni’s Sunday name.
🙂

Paul Thomson too, Roxy’s drummer, if only for ‘If there is something’.
Slows down a bit toward the end, but I don’t care, I think it’s ace.

Jimmy ‘Bower Power’ Bower keeping it lazy:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftmK4RjoW_I[/video]

Joe Fazzio, triplet madness:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ7UbNaYEbY[/video]

Jean Paul Gaster grooving it “He could hit a phone book and make it sound good”

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_-CdUyHvMQ[/video]

Jungle Drummer:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6X-hh9WW9g[/video]

Probably Dave Lombardo.

+1 Jimmy Chamberlin

Clem Burke

Travis Barker

Lux Drummerette

there are loads of them

That version of The Chicken in the OP is just utterly broken. A brilliant technician butchering a classic.

Oh, and Jaki Leibezet from Can is no slouch…

That, and that song, were exactly what I was going to post.

this

this

too jazzy?

maybe this?

[url=https://youtu.be/qzTxu3rS68I]definitely this though…[/url]

Best Ian Brown live vocal performance I’ve ever heard during those Reni drum solos.

Also, anyone who’s ever played with the Boredoms, which is too many people to list…

Doktor Avalanche from The Sisters Of Mercy.
OK….that’s a drum machine.
In the real world, Stuart Copeland.
Or, that guy on YouTube playing the plastic pots in the street.

I may be a bassist but I think I get more excited about drummers!

And Ringo was a bloody brilliant drummer – incredibly tight, great groove and very musical. As a rhythm section he and McCartney were as good as anyone.

Karen Carpenter was incredibly good too.

I really like some of the session greats who could just walk in and nail a complex track in a couple of takes – like Steve Gadd on Aja.

And Brain Mantia is still so cool – check out this gem of an ‘instructional video’ from the ’90s:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3x22j9-lq8[/video]

(Titled “Shredding repis on the gnar gnar rad”)

And on the heavier end of things. Vinnie Paul combines the most metal of attacks with a deep groove sensibility. So so SO tight too – Pantera in their prime were even tighter than the Cold Sweat era James Brown band, Clyde or Jabo on drums.

?uestlove! Voodoo is magic.

I’ve always thought that Frank Beard from ZZ Top is great – he plays very tastefully.

Also on the jazz front:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPnNP_mF5_w[/video]

chiefgrooveguru – Member – Block User
I may be a bassist but I think I get more excited about drummers!

And Ringo was a bloody brilliant drummer – incredibly tight, great groove and very musical. As a rhythm section he and McCartney were as good as anyone.

Fo sho:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvypQtn4bVc[/video]

Fyfe Ewing, not many people play lead drums.

Travis Barker’s got some skills. Cymbal heavy, this, but by design
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlTeNzSGFFw[/video]

I would say Keith Moon or John Bonham.
The worst is definitely whatever waste of space plays on Instant Karma. The only drums that actually annoy me.

Special shout out to Gregory C. Coleman for creating what is almost certainly the most copied piece of drumming ever created, the Amen break.
8)

Dave Lombardo for me too

Stephen Morris

Jojo Meyer and Steve Jordan arethe two guys that I’d rate as the best living drummers….I’d say that Jordan is one of the best musicians on the planet actually!

More popular names, Stuart Copeland and Bonzo for me. Big fan of Portnoy and Peart too but only in small doses.

Bonzo
Taylor Hawkins
My mate Steve Turton (local band back in the day Monkey Business)

Love this drum solo by Joe Morello during Dave Brubecks Take 5
[video]https://youtu.be/t-dtpYdQwPE[/video]

Also Jojo Mayer. Beat me to it Tom B.
[video]https://youtu.be/gKve3TyC0Sk[/video]

In no particular order ,
Clem Burke
Martin Gilks
Loz Tolhurst
John Bonham .

Think King Crimson must have had just about the best “collection” of drummers in their various line ups

Their latest tour requires 3 drummers to replace Bill Bruford. Which says it all for me.

I’ve always thought that Frank Beard from ZZ Top is great – he plays very tastefully.

Was watching a recent live set of theirs and thought he sounded excellent. Giving a lovely, restrained backing to the driving bass of Dusty and the utter brilliance of the Reverend Willy G. An under rated drummer, that’s for sure.

Its great that there are quite a few people here who like watching technically gifted drummers play.

It makes up for me who finds it completely boring.

Stephen morris

Yeah, chakaping has it. Jaki from Can. Except it should be halleluwah (obviously)

[video]http://youtu.be/yNvJiIvitBQ[/video]

Mo Tucker also. Yeah.

Alex Neilson I’ve seen couple time and I was impressed (he played with Superwolf and Harem Scarem/BPB).

The best drummer I’ve ever seen though would have to be Elvin Jones. By a country mile. If he was good enough for John Coltrane…

makes up for me who finds it completely boring

Agreed. I much prefer drummers who can just drive the band rather than show off. In particular I can’t abide drum solos

Can we have a straw poll? How many of the posters on this thread, other than Sonor & myself, play drums? Would be interesting.
Like cycling. I like doing it but it’s not a spectator sport imo

Can I add Bryan Devendorf to the list

I play badly, as in way too bad to gig (gigged with voice and guitar, mind). Son (9) may overtake me in drum skillz soon!
Some great drummers in this thread. Billy Cobham, mmmmmmyeah!!
I would like to add Kliph Scurlock and Sarah Jones.

David Francolini of Dark Star. Fantastic band, he was very powerful, and very loud, nothing too fancy, no solos, thankfully, but when a drummer puts his sticks down and picks up a pair of maracas to play with, you know he’s not playing folk music…
He now has a studio in Bristol, I wish the band would get back together.
[video]http://youtu.be/vCRhcTJGfwA[/video]

Stewart Copeland for me

I’m sure there are better technical drummers but I’ve always loved his style

Grew up bashing various household items along with the beats of

Keith Moon
John Bonham
Bill Ward
Neil Peart

Etc

Then discovered Michael Shrieve (Santana) which set me off in a whole new direction and much more open to something other than that average 4/4 rock fodder with side-orders of solos. Still love listening to his stuff.

I played percussion in a few bands for a decade or so but was ultimately more into composing electronically. Would very much love to come back to drums though, especially after hearing so much different stuff over the last decade.

Anyway, back to faves – I finally discovered (way late in life) the motorik grooves laid down so precisely and exquisitely by the abovementioned Jaki Liebezeit. Blew me away.

Then, a little later but around the same time, discovered Christian Vander (Magma) whose compositions/playing/music totally trepanned me and has continued to do so for 15 yrs now. I read he was mentored by Elvin Jones and he goes on all the time about Coltrane in interviews. Thing is – Vander is an awesomely freaky monster as far as composers go – he goes from crazed, powerful, (often terrifying) ‘zeuhl’ music, then to subtle jazz/rock-fusion, then drums up the Valkyries to Valhalla, then even some disco-soul etc. Infinite subtlety of expression too. Weird time signatures, fluid complexity, motorik precision, sloppy abandon. The very all.

So that’s my choice. Christian Vander. If nothing else he invented the one genre of music that didn’t finally bore me.

Here’s some of the more frantic stuff:
[video]http://youtu.be/_dsXoZ-KxUA[/video]

(Jump in at 3 mins 30 sec 😯 )

Magma – M.D.K (Vander)

[video]http://youtu.be/5XDssNGp_PE[/video]

Michael Shrieve:

[video]http://youtu.be/AqZceAQSJvc[/video]

Funnily enough I was going to say Dave Francolini,too. Of all the bands I’ve played together with he is one drummer who stands out. Also Keith York of Dr Phibes. Both made drumming look cool and both had/have impeccable rythmn. One more drummer I love to watch is Taylor Hawkins.

For the best smile – Meytal Cohen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LrekXqOvfg

For technical excellence – Neil Peart