Ok, just for fun, I have compiled a list of what I consider to be the top 5 drummers in music. As I do not want to restrict the discussion, we'll just say that:
Top 5 Drummers in Music
Take that to mean whatever you want.
Here is my list, along with their major work (where you'll "know" them from primarily) and a justification for each one.
In no particular order:
Keith Moon - The Who - Known for an innovative style, the first drummer to really use the drums as a lead instrument instead of just the rhythm section. Some of his best work comes throughout "Tommy", not to mention the exquisite drum line on "Won't Get Fooled Again". Also see the 5 minutes of total f*cking insanity on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour - the infamous drum explosion incident during the performance of "My Generation" typified Moon's hard-charging, party all the time attitude.
John Bonham - Led Zeppelin - Called by Encyclopedia Brittanica the "model for all modern heavy metal and hard rock drummers that have followed him," Bonham's powering rhythms were a driving force in what is easily regarded as the greatest rock band of all time. He always used the absolute largest drum sticks available ("trees") and the effect can be seen in songs such as "The Immigrant Song" and "Misty Mountain Hop", but especially on "Moby Dick".
Mitch Mitchell - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Pioneer of the style of drumming known as "fusion" while incidentally still using a "classic" style of stick-holding, Mitchell was Hendrix's greatest collaborator. Listen to the truly ferocious line on "Fire", the plodding, complex rhythms in "Manic Depression" or the over-the-top drums of "Third Rock from the Sun" and you'll know why. "Fire", I think also exemplifies how we know Mitchell is so good - There is a lot to be said for the fact that the drums totally control and drive that song, despite the fact that they are sharing the stage with the greatest guitar player of all time. The fact that you even NOTICE there are drums in a Hendrix song is a tribute to Mitchell's work.
Neil Peart - Rush - Possibly the best technical drummer of all time. Convincingly plays anything, any type of rhythm or lead, at any time. Considered by many to be his masterpiece, "Tom Sawyer" only scratches the surface of his work. Two songs with extended instrumentals, "Red Barchetta" and "The Trees" allow the listener to be drawn in by the combination of sounds, but it is the drums that do their most hypnotic work. Rush's complex multiple time signatures and tempos are carried distinctively by the best Canadian import since beaver pelts.
Charlie Watts - The Rolling Stones - The drummer against whom everyone else has been measured for almost fifty years. Notable for his quietness (maybe just from standing next to Mick and Keith for all these years) as much as his drumming. Interestingly enough, never tunes his drums, preferring a natural tonal quality. Listen to Watts' work on "Paint it Black," "Tumbling Dice," and of course, "Sympathy for the Devil" and you'll hear a drummer that always keeps perfect time. When you've spent the better part of a century staring at Mick Jagger's ass, that's saying something.
There you go. Flame away
