Drummers that don't thrill me!!!

[marklucas]

I know I'm going to catch hell on this one,but I guess someone has to be the bad guy.Neil Peart switches to Sabian! Personally,I couldn't care less! My Peart phase lasted about 8 minutes.Did you guys see the Burning for Buddy vids? Man,I have an old tire on a rope in the back yard that swings better than he does.Influncial,I'll give him that,but how he ranked higher than Vinnie in the 2000 MD Best (Most Influencial)drummers off all time beats the hell out of me.Peart has been playing the same solo for about eleventeen years now!

Billy Cobham is another.Pioneer,yes! But he never really has done it for me.

Dennis Chambers! Ultra Fast!!! But,I'm not into stick twirling.I think he repaets himself to much.

I don't know,maybe I got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning [img]graemlins/cry.gif[/img]

[skunkfunk]

I would definitely put my own name on a list like this!

Don't like Dennis? Well, I must admit that I wasn't too impressed with "Outbreak". But listen to "Petite Blonde" by Bill Evans. On that one Dennis plays really well. That goes for all musicians on that recording - a fantastic CD!

[palmerlouie]

dennis is very very musical tho....he has elephant ears (just listen to Free spririts with mclaughlin!!). he has said he doesnt have time to practice, and i think he still plays with alot of character and fire and you always know its dennis! he's one of the only guys that has a patch on buddy rich in terms of speed, fire and aggression.

billy cobham too....i dont really dig him too much. hes given a great deal to music and deserved respect, but i saw a clinic a couple of months ago and he just doesnt groove to me. it sounds uncomfortable.

oh and while on this topic....wots with the chad smith obbsession? to be honest, i have been digging him a little more lately.....but what baffles me is how he gets voted best funk drummer is polls...over dennis chambers?? chillis isnt funk....its rock (with maybe a tiny bit of funk influence, purely because chad tunes his snare high!!)

[BennyAndTheSkins]

I love Peart with Rush, as well. Listen, certainly the guy is very one dimensional in his playing, but you've GOT to admit it. Go back and listen to Hemispheres('78), Permanent Waves ('80), and Moving Pictures (81). NO ONE in the rock world had that sound, vocabulary, and was playing like that. Plus, I'm convinced now that I got out of my Rush craze, back in '88, that 75% of his talent lies in his lyrics, not his raw drumming ability. He has a narrow comfort zone, so that's it, no big deal.

As far as Burning for Buddy, and Buddy turning over in his grave, I also agree that Neil is "swing challenged", shall we say, but what the hell, the guy put up HIS OWN MONEY for the project, to honor Buddy's memory. He can fart in a rain barrel on his song, for all I care. It takes alot for someone to put up their own money.

Think of it this way - If someone spent thousands of dollars to throw you a birthday party, would you complain that the cake was bad, and that they couldnt bake?

I said it about Gadd, when people were saying he had passed his prime, and I'll say it about Neil. You just have to look at his playing, appreciate where he's coming from musically (and especially emotionally after all the shit that happened to him) and appreciate him for what he is.

[Steve Holmes]

Judging Peart on the Buddy show is silly. He's a fish out of water. Coming up with drum parts is hard and he came up with cool parts to some unique music. His solo has evolved over the years as opposed to being the same. I dont like him since he went to Gruber though.
I feel the same about Cobham, his playing has never moved me. I acknowledge his signifigance though.

I think the drummers I hated the most were the drummers that were part of the glam-rock movement. Fred Coury and Riki Rocket. Everytime they were on MTV I wanted to <strike>set them on fire </strike> change the channel.

[PocketPlayer]

Drum Polls:
To take seriously ANY poll result is to be naive. Hence the silly "Who's better?" talk consumed by high school and college age guys.
Polls are by the readers, yes, but the influence of a popular band cannot be overstated. Look at all the ads in drum magazines. Ever notice how a drummer in a popular band has endorsements? When the band fades, so do the endorsers. They are trying to sell a product. It isn't usually about skill. For fun, pull out you old MD from around '88. [Beware Steve...lots of Rikki & Fred]

Best funk drummer: Chad Smith?nuff said right? He plays well for the Peppers, but ?Best??no, most popular or recognized.

MD needs to do a poll based on age:
BEST FUNK DRUMMER
12-20 YO:_________________
20-25 YO:_________________
25-30 YO:_________________
30-35 YO:_________________
35-40 YO:_________________
45-50 YO:_________________
50-75 YO:_________________

Usually poll results strongly reflect the mean age of the subscriber. That said, most of MD readers are on the younger side (20-30). JMO

In the end...it is just one's opinion. Gadd is known for playing a lot of the same stuff that made him legend...but many still dig it. Some feel Bozzio is "drums" and for another...no big deal.

I've listened to some great technical drummers, guys I'm in awe of for their ability, but enjoy a Floyd Sneed groove far better because it feels good to me and I can't listen to it over and over.

A word about Peart: His influence on drummers is epic. Because he was/is so dominate as a drummer, his lyrical abitliy is MUCH overlooked. His drum parts are musical expressions. He has done a great job for the band he plays with. If you really want to hear the artist, you need to get his videos, "A Work in Progress." You will hear one of the most intelligent & articulate drummers around, detailing how he creates musical parts for the songs he's presented with. This guy's really an artist.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 11, 2004 11:41 AM: Message edited by: PocketPlayer ]</font>

[Frank Sanchez]

I love Peart with Rush. The Buddy tribute was ill-advised to be sure.

Don't Thrill Me? MATH Drummers. "Hey this next song is in 75!!!" WHO CARES!!! Bozzio, Minneman, Virgil? Did I say that out loud!? I sincerely appreciate their innovations and what has been shown to be possible, but I cannot sincerely say that their MUSIC has been memorable at all. I was listening to Virgil's latest with Tony Macalpine the other day. Two tracks, with crazy odd figures is really enough! 12 tracks of mind numbing number crunching might thrill an accountant, but I DON'T THRILL ME!! And in spite of repeated listening, I cannot for the life of me, remember how even one tune went. So tell me, what's the point? I know the point of being able to do it, but AD NAUSEUM? Sorry. Please don't flambee me!

Legends Who Were Born At The Right Time? Ringo. MD did some tribute to him a few rags back. I have since listened to many of the Beatles tracks and found that much of his "legend" has to do with the lack of truly great drumming at his time and the new imaginative realm of the early baby boom generation. Altered perception and psychadelia probably helped to fuel his "legend." Did he make a positive contribution? Yes, but HE DON'T THRILL ME so don't even go there!

I don't think I will kill any more sacred "mad" cows this morning, but Mark and I seemingly woke up the same way.

Take Care All. F.S.

[FlamTriplet]

I understand that everyone has their opinions.

But how many of you have seen Cobham, Dennis, Peart, Rikki, and Fred Coury in concert.

I have seen them all, and they all were enjoyable and good. Rikki is no chops freak, but he is a good show drummer, could keep a beat, and is fun to watch. But I still think Poison blows.

And Fred Coury, who I thought would completely suck because he didn't record the albums, was great. He had an awesome feel. He was totally in the pocket and the band sounded amazing. Cinderella took me by surprize, they were really great. They are more of a blues band, not pop metal.

Peart was awesome when I saw him in the early 80's. And I just listened to a students CD Farewell to Kings----killer stuff.
And Dennis, seen him many times--------amazing.
And Billy, when I saw him in the 80's on his "Warning" tour, was very powerfull and was great as well.

So I like all the drummers mentioned. They all have contributed to the drumming world in their own way. And Rikki was the first DW endorser. [img]mad.gif[/img]

And for marklucas---who does thrill you?

[Manos]

I really hate to say I think someone is overrated, mainly because that person generally isn't asking for the recognition. But the two drummers that have always really turned me off and made wonder why people like them are Billy Cobham and Terry Bozzio.

Yea, Billy's fast and Terry has some killer independence, but their playing has never made me go "wow" or "moved" me. To me, they're almost the equivolent of the math drummers. That isn't to say that these guys don't have technical prowess, I just don't like them - that's really what this thread is about, right? Personal opinions, not facts?

[skunkfunk]

Good point about recognition, Manos.