I'm always careful to emphasize that he is a great ROCK drummer. When I was in high school, I thought he and Stewart Copeland (The Police) were the 2 greatest drummers in the history of the world. When I got to college, I discovered guys like Dave Weckl, Omar Hakim, Manu Katche, Vinnie Colluita (sp?), not to mention the masters like Max Roach and God...er, Buddy Rich. Clearly Dave Weckl could play any Neil Peart or Stewart Copeland solo with one hand, but that doesn't discount the fact that Neil and Stewart are both VERY good at what they do. It's all about style. Hell, even Charlie Watts is very good...at what he does.
Hell, I LOVE Copeland. He is one of my all-time favorites too. I agree with what you said about rock versus playing in general. It doesn't change the fact that guys like John Bonham and Neil Peart are great drummers.
I value your opinion since you are primarily a musician. I did say "...in my mind" and I did put that there for the simple reason that I knew others would disagree. I mainly listen to rock and am not in tune with jazz and fusion drummers. Since he is primarily a rock drummer, I really should have added clarification to indicate that was the category I see him as the best in. I'm sure if you put jazz and fusion drummers in the rock genre...then they may not do as well as Neil in that category. At least Neil tries to branch out into different areas with his drumming albeit even if he's not as successful and knows/shows his limitations and/or weaknesses. I also have to take into account his longevity. Neil has been around drumming for 30+ years in Rush, took four/five years off due to tragedies, and came back to a full head of steam not losing a beat. Like you said...he is definitely among the elite. He is my elite, anyway. Surf
Jeff, did you catch The Police "Reunion" on VH1 last month? First time to play together in 17 years and poor Stewart breaks his snare head. To this day The Police are my all-time favorite band. If they ever go on a "reunion tour", I will sell all my belongings, quit my job and follow them around the world! Probably won't happen though, with Stings ego and all
First, I knew that saying anything like that would anger fans of Neil. It usually does. But, truthfully, I've always liked him and anyone who says that he isn't one of the greatest drummers ever to sit behind a kit is full of crap. I was really just speaking imperically and not dissing Neil in any way. As for jazz/fusion drummers playing rock, many of them do, actually. Dennis Chambers, Carter Beuford, Manu Katche, Vinny Cohaluita, Omar Hakim, Steve Gadd, Tony Thompson, Simon Phillips, Rod Morgenstein, Terry Bozio and on and on. However, Neil's influence is undeniable. He altered rock drumming in the same way Ringo did with his open hi hats and John Bonham with his giant bass drum sounds and big grooves and Tommy Lee and Tommy Aldridge did with double-bass drumming and Carter Beuford has with his unreal polyrhythmic playing. It could easily be argued that Neil is the most influential drummer ever to pick up a pair of sticks, certainly for rock music. He is, in some ways, in a class all by himself. ima: Yeah, I did see that. And even with a broken head, he kicked ass.
You know, "best drummer" threads are kind of like "best guitar player" threads in that so much is involved that, when you get to that level, it's really hard to say who's "best". All the drummers mentioned are great but most importantly they are all FUN TO LISTEN TO! That, IMO, is what makes a "great" drummer (or guitar player). Neil writes really fun-to-listen-to drum parts hence the amount of air drumming at a Rush concert. Copeland is just SO tasty with those cymbols. He does the exact right thing at the right time. The same could be said for all the drummers mentioned (Bonham had so much power and Bruford is just amazing).
The ironic thing is that many of the jazz/fusion greats of today actually list guys like Bonham, Peart, Keith Moon and Ginger Baker etc. as major influences on their playing. I even read that Charlie Watts is one of Dennis Chambers' favorite drummers! It's all about keeping an open mind musically IMHO.
Here's a bunch of John Bonham videos to feast your eyes upon: http://www.led-zeppelin.com/mm.html Enjoy
I wasn't angered by anything you said. I'm not exactly a die-hard Neil or Rush fan although Rush is one of my favorite bands and I've seen them at least 5 times over the years. I was sucked in at an early age and there's no escaping them after that . Alex Lifeson inspires me as a guitarist and he is one of the main reasons I play guitar strictly as a hobby. I just thought when I posted what I posted that I would catch some flack. I said that to myself right when I hit post new topic...hehe. Honestly, who could objectively pick the best drummer based on actual drumming ability and talent, anyway? Who would be qualified to make that decision? Subjectivity is always going to come into play in deciding who is the best. I'm open to listening to any of these other drummers who others claim to be on the same playing field. Just post the boots here . Surf
