28 April 2009

The Greatest Drummer Ever?

To be honest, as good as John Bonham and Neil Peart are, I feel that they are too overrated at times and other drummers get over looked because everyone knows who Bonham and Peart are, so they are at the forefront of every one's mind. It tends to annoy me that some people are too closed minded when it comes to listing the greatest drummers ever, because some of the best drummers alive (and dead) are members of smaller and lesser known bands, so I just want to list a few of my favourite and most influencing drummers.

  • Dave Grohl. The man, the legend. Everyone on planet Earth knows him. He was the drummer for Nirvana until the band split due to Kurt Cobain's untimely death and has since been the front man of Foo Fighters, one of today's most successful commercial rock bands. His drumming is based more around power and simplicity, which is what grunge is meant to be, rather than fast paced drumming and complexity, even tho he has been known to do so on occasion. He is one of the most influential modern drummers and has built quite a fan base. Dave "the God" Grohl is the reason I learned to play the drums.
  • Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam and formerly of Soundgarden is an epic drummer, no question about it. He is well known and rightly so! He has worked with two of the best bands since the dawn of time and deserves all the recognition he gets, and more! His Jazz influenced drumming and youth has turned him into a godly presence in bands and his fancy work has scored him high on many "Greatest Drummers" lists.
  • Chad Smith is undoubtedly one of the best living drummers and possibly one of the best of all time and well known for it. But I feel that there is a problem. Being at the back of a stage that has been graced with the presence of Anthony Kiedis, John Frusciante and Flea, their godliness overshadows Smith's funk driven beats, so I feel it is my job as a Chad Smith enthusiast to put him out there to the world.
  • Jon Wysocki. "Who?" I hear you ask? Understandable. Jon Wysocki is the tempo man from Staind. He has been the bands permanent drummer since its inception in 1995 and he by far the most underrated drummer of all time. His speed, his power, his riffs and his passion for the music makes him a force to be reckoned with. He is better than most of the drummers on every "Greatest Drummers of All Time" list but with Staind not being a hugely commercial band he gets less attention than that tramp you try to ignore on the way to work. He is well worth listening to!
  • Stephen Perkins of Jane's Addiction is another great drummer. Where he may not be as good as (in my opinion) Jon Wysocki or Chad Smith, he could definitely give them a run for their money. Some of his drum solo's have given me goosebumps and his powerful and polyrhythmic drumming style sets him apart from your average drummer. Although Perkins gets overlooked a fair amount as well, many people recognise his unique sound and he has received much praise for it.

These being my biggest influences and some of my favourite drummers, it is not hard to tell that I draw most of my love for music from modern or relatively modern drummers in comparison to many other people. I like John Bonham, Neil Peart, Keith Moon and Mitch Mitchell just as much as any other drummer and they have helped to influence the people who have influenced me and hopefully I will influence someone else some day :D

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