I am going to add my two cents in on this discussion. Alex Van Halen is an awesome drummer. Everybody already knows this. If anybody says that AVH is not that good, well then they are an idiot. AVH has always been an awesome drummer. He was very good as far back as Van Halen's debut albut in 1978. Sure, there are better drummers out there. There are more technical drummers out there than him, but I'm sure that he could match better drummers note for note I'm guessing. I'm sure that AVH could match Peart note for note if he wanted to. I'll list why AVH is an awesome drummer: very funky and syncopated, good double bass work, good ride cymbal work, good high hat work, good cowbell work, very good and cool fills(maybe some of the best in rock music) and he's got the Ginger Baker Factor. In my opinion he sounds alot like Baker with the very smooth, impossible to do fills and rudiments. And he had the awesome snare sound back in the day. So that is why AVH is an awesome drummer. He might be overrated a little bit, but he's still pretty f' ing good. If I was one fourth as good as him, I would be very happy. Take care. Later.