It appears you guys love lists, so following the big response to my list of favourite vocalists, I’m turning my attention next to the world of drummers.
Some of you will know I can play the drums myself to a very basic level, and played on the first Cosmograf album End of Ecclesia, although it was very apparent that if I was ever to progress further in the world of prog I’d need a real drummer to take the music to the next level. I did make a brief return as the drummer on ‘Aspire Achieve’ on ‘The Man Left In Space’, but nothing since. I’ve remained an avid student and admirer of the great players though. This list represents those drummers that have moved me the most, and not really a list of who I think is the greatest on the kit. I value groove and feel way above technical showmanship and there are many incredible players that just won’t appear here. As with all the lists, it’s a very subjective view..Feel free to post your own choices but as previously, my views are not facts and are my own, so not wrong..
Ian Paice – The one and only consistent member of Deep Purple since the band’s inception in 1968. Like many players of the era, Paicey brought the swing of Jazz into Rock music and you will see that’s a persistent theme in my choices here. He is for me the flat out best rudiments player of anyone here. It’s all about the snare with him. Every song combining singles, doubles, paradiddles. When he plays it looks like he’s casting spells rather than hitting the skins such is the magic he conjures at the kit. Take a look at this video on Youtube where he performs a breathtaking snare focussed solo as well as a demo of his signature single handed drum roll. New drummers could do far worse to forget about the rest of the kit and just learn what he does with the snare. It will take you about 50 years to get close to his talent.
John Bonham – Conversely to Paicey, Bonzo is the king of the kick drum pedal. Things just sound more exciting when you put 3 beats over a bar of 4 and Bonham was the king of triplet feel. What he lacked in versatility he more than made up for in the most bodacious kick drum technique coupled with scary loud snare hits. It was of course the foundation of the Led Zep sound locked solid with the bass of John Paul Jones. The thundering drum track of Kashmir is a case in point but he could also knock out some very feelsome ‘Purdie’ shuffles such as on ‘The Fool In the Rain’.
Gavin Harrison – I only really became aware of Gavin’s ability from first hearing Fear of a Blank Planet and the the opening salvo of Anaethetise in particular had me hooked. The way the drum part progresses is a work of genius changing dynamic from intrigue to raw power and back. Gavin is a master of preserving time through a fill which so many drummers fail at, as well as ignoring all the obvious stereotypical drum fills. Check out his wonderful explanation of the ‘Bonnie the Cat’ groove in particular, watch the ghost notes on the snare. Incredibly it’s in 4/4 which is the most prog thing ever…A total troll on the myth of common time being boring. This is the work of a master craftsman who thinks intently about his role in the band.
Stewart Copeland – I loved the way he regularly put 4 on the floor or put the kick on beat 2 and 3 instead of 1. Techniques more akin to Reggae which was such a big part of The Police sound. Listen to ‘Can’t Stand Losing You’ for some of the most creative, individual drumming you will ever hear on a record. He also had some of the best sounding kits of all time.
Phil Collins – By far, the best singing drummer that’s ever been. But his stratospheric success as the Genesis front man and even more so in his solo career sometimes overshadows the fact that he was also one of the best drummers in the world too. Let’s not forget he wrote the most famous drum break of all time.. For the more muso side of his playing try ‘And So to F’ Brand X from 1978 where he was probably at the height of his powers as a drummer. Despite his amazing prowess he had a terrible posture at the kit. A rounded spine, neck constantly in hyperextension and sitting probably too low would have likely contributed significantly to the spinal and nerve damage that ultimately forced him to stop drumming.
Nick D’Virgilio – I’ve been blessed to work and tour with Nick and he’s one of very best musicians I’ve ever worked with, as well as being a lovely guy. He played on 3 albums for Cosmograf and had a ridiculous ability to learn a song within a few minutes of listening to it. On the first take he’d felt his way around it and by the second he was already pushing it in different directions, fleshing out grooves. The magic happened on the third take. For ‘The Unreasonable Silence’ he smashed out the entire album in around 5 hours…such was his work rate. He plays very much in the Collins style, groove and feel and a rare talent for making odd time sound completely natural as if it’s common time. There’s a distinct ‘snap’ to his snare hits that other drummers don’t seem to get even using the same snare. Conversely to Collins, NDV also has the best posture I’ve ever seen in a drummer. He sits as if suspended by strings, like a Marionette doll, symmetrically aligned, head central above a straight back, and of course we’ve all seen the trademark ‘De Niro’ face he pulls when getting on a groove.
Larnell Lewis – I came to Larnell via Snarky Puppy. He’s another drummer that has an insane ability to learn parts by ear even without a set of drums. He reportedly learned the parts for Snarky Puppy’s album We Like It Here during a plane journey to a gig in Europe. He was a last-minute replacement and had about 7.5 hours to learn the music by ear before the session. He has a deep musicality and has demonstrated insane chops playing everything from Jazz to a famously epic cover of ‘Enter Sandman’ on Drumeo. Check out this very unusual drum solo where the keyboard player is the one keeping time and he swings the timing so hard it goes way out and back in. He literally plays around him.
Neil Peart – It took me a long time to appreciate the true skill of ‘The Professor’ and my early naive impressions of him were that he was maybe too metronomic and lacking feel. Some of that I think was about how effortlessly he despatched the more complicated parts in Rush’s canon. He was heavily influenced by Buddy Rich and this wonderful video of him playing ‘Cotton Tail’ demonstrates he’s probably the only drummer that could be considered equal to that particular legend. . I love Neil though for always giving me the biggest urge to ‘air drum’ every time I hear it. Tom Sawyer was my favourite song to drum along to when I was learning… but of course I couldn’t get anywhere close to it. He had an almost comedic simian posture at the kit which implied he was going to hit hard…His music certainly did.
The discussion of Neil Peart brings me neatly on to a more thorny issue. You will have probably noticed that there isn’t a single woman on this list. Please understand that this isn’t some level of misogyny on my part. The music I listened to as a teenager, just didn’t have many female drummers…It’s getting better. The barriers are starting to break down and we are seeing a new generation of uber-talented females going head to head with male counterparts across all instruments. But gender means nothing in music, it’s about ability. I’ve seen ridiculous notions in the last few weeks since the Rush tour announcement, about lack of stamina, hand speed, wrist action and whatever else grotesque sexist bollocks that insecure male egos displaying small dick energy want to comment about the recent appoint appointment of Anika Nilles. She’s not in this list because I’d never heard of her before the Rush furore. That’s a combination of my ignorance and the still sexist world of rock music keeping her talent out of the limelight. From what I’ve seen she will more than do it justice..
Taylor Hawkins – The Foos already had a legendary drummer in the band, so to say this was a tough gig was a bit of an understatement. I just love the way he played, delivering straight head rock songs with real verve and swagger. He cited his single biggest influence as Roger Taylor but he played quite a bit differently. His performance on ‘All My Life’ was typical of his explosive power. I remember being absolutely gutted when he died.
Bill Ward – Bill put the swing into Sabbath. The founders of Heavy Metal really had a Jazz drummer on the throne. Check out the swung shuffle feel on ‘A National Acrobat’. It works so well and is one of those great examples where a seemingly contradictory ingredient brings out magic in the finished result.
Vinny Appice – Following the Sabbath theme I really couldn’t leave out Vinyl purely for his stellar contribution to my favourite metal band. He was such a perfect fit for Dio-era Sabbath and made the band even heavier. Mob Rules is one of my favourite albums of all time. He has this wonderful fill he repeatedly uses throughout the album, snare, tom and ending on the kick which is the perfect foil for Iommi’s planet crushing power chords.
Bill Bruford – Simply a legend in progressive rock drumming. Bill has that thing where you are sure he has separate brains in each limb.. A master of polyrhythmia decades before that was even a thing.
Ginger Baker – Always loved his upside down drumming style with Cream, putting the snare on the 1 instead of a 2 and giving the groove far more interest. His use of West african inspired beats were legendary and was an intoxicating mix with his early jazz influences. I think he was an incredible drummer but an absolutely appalling human being. The documentary ‘Beware of Mr Baker’ gives you an insight into how un-glamorous the life of a violent and cantankerous rock star could be. He dreadfully abused his own son and it’s not hard to see that his own childhood was unbelievably miserable too. Despite all this he remains one of the most cited influences to other drummers.
Chad Smith – One of the funkiest drummers in rock. I love the way he plays, so much feel and and in the pocket groove. He hits really hard too.
Dave Grohl – He’s in elevated company here to be honest but he has an incredible heritage with Nirvana and QOTSA, and some of the most recognisable drum parts ever. I love his playing and his infectious personality and enthusiasm for rock music. He was also outstanding with the super group Them Crooked Vultures which showcased his more esoteric abilities much more. I think he will be one of the few Gen X rock stars to be considered a legend.
Lastly but not leastly,
I’d like to mention Cosmograf’s own drummer,
Kyle Fenton – Kyle has been Cosmograf’s drummer now for 5 albums since The Hay Man Dreams in 2017. He’s influenced by Gavin Harrison, NDV and Craig Blundell but has a style of his own. He just gets better and better each time and his work on ‘The Orphan Epoch’ had some real stand out moments. Check out the intro ‘Purdie Shuffle’ on ‘Division Warning’ and the Crimson-esque breakdown on ‘We Are The Young’. One day he’ll get the call from a huge band…he deserves it.
Some final mentions:
Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys, great young player with boundless energy), Nic Collins (Just a frightening talent in his own right), Ronnie Vanucci Jr (The Killers. Constantly entertaining and a unique style). Vinnie Colaiuta (Just brilliant through Sting’s work). Brad Wilk (Audiosalve, RATM. Love his straight ahead rock style), Nick Mason (OK, no virtuoso, but has to be here just for being the sound of Floyd. How could I not?), Roger Taylor (Queen – Same reason as Nick.) Steve Gadd……
As with all these lists I could go on for hours and 10mins after posting this I will have doubtless thought of someone else I’ve missed. I should also state there are some famous names I’ve left out, a few I think are overrated or it’s just their work hasn’t connected with me. Feel free to share your own suggestions.
Photo: Robin Armstrong taken of Kyle Fenton’s recording kit for ‘The Orphan Epoch’. Taken at Aubitt Studios Southampton.
