Best drumming album of all time?

DogBreath said:
What single album had the most technically and musically excellent drumming that tied the music together while advancing style and still rocking your socks off?

I suggest Rush - Moving Pictures. Neil Peart took drumming to new heights with this album. If you can listen to "YYZ" without tapping your feet, beating your hands on your legs, and nodding your head, you have no pulse.

Bonus Trivia Question: Do you know what the significance of the letters "YYZ" is in reference to the song?
I agree moving pictures is the greatest drum album of all time. And the significance of the letters YYZ you want to know? The small 2 measure thing at the begining neil does on the ride cymbal means YYZ in morse code.
 
Marvin 'Smitty' Smith on Steve Coleman and 5 Element's 'Black Science'. Also Strata Institute's "Cypher-Syntax" also with Coleman. The concept and use of the 'drum chant' a true innovation IMO. All of Coleman's M-Base projects push the envelope hard.

Cobham's 'Spectrum' came to mind first and has been mentioned several times. Ditto on Elvin on any record with Coltrane.

Can't leave out Tony on any of the Miles Quintet recordings. Now that was innovative! "E.S.P"., and especially "Miles Smiles".
 
Best drumming album has to be whitepony with abe cunnigham behind the trape. Digital bath gives me chills
 
Steve Gadd on Chick Corea's Mad Hatter (especially Humpty/Dumpty) or the Friends Album! Gadd & Corea - landmark music!!
 
I really liked Iron Maiden's greatest hits cd, 666 number of the beast is an amazing song........and i have 666 posts....uh oh, UH OH!
 
Back In Black.
Phils driving beats and no nonsense approach is amazing.
Zep II (Duh)
Hysteria
Rick Allen is inspirational. Come on the guy only has one arm!
Perfect Stangers
Ian is the man.
 
Mudvayne - The End Of All Thing To Come
Augury - Concealed (Augury review , mp3's
Dream Theater - Awake
Porcupine tree - In Absentia
 
Burning For Buddy

Zeppelin - In Through the Out Door (the bonham shuffle is my favorite drum groove ever)


Rush - Moving Pictures
 
It's the airport location identifier (call letters) for the Toronto Airport.

Class A Drummer said:
I agree moving pictures is the greatest drum album of all time. And the significance of the letters YYZ you want to know? The small 2 measure thing at the begining neil does on the ride cymbal means YYZ in morse code.
 
Matt's Top 21
Here's a short list of albums that have been special and influential to me. I strive to be a drummer who can play a lot of styles, so there's quite a bit of different influences here.
These are in no particular order...

1. Let There Be Drums..Sandy Nelson
2. Something New, The White Album...Ringo Starr
3. Count Basie at Newport...Joe Jones (My Dad Turned Me On To Jazz with this album)
4. Wheels Of Fire...Ginger Baker
5. Electric Lady Land / Axis Bold As Love....Mitch Mitchell
6. Derek & The Dominos..Layla--Jim Gordon
Tied with Joe Cocker's Madogs and Englishmen...Jim Gordon, Jim Keltner
7. Johnny Cash At San Quentin or Folsom Prison...W.S. Holland Drums
8. Traffic...John Barley Corn... Jim Capaldi (and many other Traffic albums
9. The Doors Debut...John Densmore (and all other LPs)
10. Cannonball Adderley...Live In San Francisco..Louis Hayes
11. Miles..Something Else..Art Blakey
12. Led Zep-- 1, 2, 3, 4.and beyond.Bonzo
13. Who's Next and other Who Albums..Keith Moon
14. Deep Purple... In Rock and others...Ian Paice
15. Merle Haggard I'm a Lonesome Fugitive...Biff Adams (And Other Merle and Buck Owens Albums).
16. Mercy Mercy...Buddy Rich
17. Jazz At The Philharmonic..Gene Krupa
18. Shelly Manne and His Men Live At the Black Hawk Volumes 1-4
19. The Band (Brown LP) Levon Helm..(and many other Band albums)
20. Blood Sweat & Tears ..Bobby Columby "Child Is Father To The Man" and BS&T (second album)
21. The Ventures Onstage...Mel Taylor (Contains my favorite version of Wipeout)
 
Auger said:
I don't think I could call one album "best," but I'll mention a particular one of my personal favorites because not many people seem to know of it:

Cure for Pain, by Morphine

A masterpiece of an album all in all, in my opinion.

Jerome Dupree plays on most of the album's tracks and his drumming is beautiful in its own right, but serves the songs completely. It's never flashy or distracting, complimenting the band's "less is best" approach, but the groove is overwhelming and his fills are perfectly constructed, yet sound totally effortless. That being said, the drumming's not simplistic or easy stuff -there is a lot of off-beat hihat pedal work and syncopated cymbal parts and his feel is just unbelievable. I highly reccomend this album to any drummer. I was really into the prog thing (rush/primus/tool ...etc) back in '94 when I first heard this album and it was completely unlike anything I'd ever listened to. I was floored and although I still loved guys like Peart, Alexander, and Carey, I thought "that's how I want to sound when I play"

The music's best called rock, I guess, but there's no guitar. These guys were right on the fringes of the international main-stream and their stuff is easily available, but surprisingly few people know them. They had a sad ending around 2000, but were one of the most original bands of the 90s. Morphine was a trio with vocals, bass (played with only 2 strings, a pick, and a bottle-neck slide -I know, but it sounds amazing), drums, and sax (mostly barritone). If anyone decides to check them out, I'd go for either Cure for Pain or The Night at first -both incredible albums, if you ask me. Their other albums (and one or two songs on Cure for Pain) feature Billy Conway on drums who I also liked very much, but he was a much different player -more of a charlie watts thing going on with him.

Wow, Having just signed on here, it's a honor to be in such great company. I'm really glad you liked this enough to list it. It's something I'll always feel both proud of and lucky to have just been on it. It's still amazing to me that something I did has been heard by folks around the world. In any case thanks again for all the kind words. It's an honor!

Oh, and not to be too picky about it.. the last name is D E U P R E E .. most folks think that first e is a mistake..Thanks again....
 
Sol Niger Within by Fredrik Thorendal's Special Defects. Drummer is Morgan Agran or somehting like that. This guy is like Tomas Haake on steroid and he plays brilliantly, while meanwhile Haake is stuck doing these weird vocals. I think that says something about who's better, heh.

Tool's Lateralus and Aenima, take your pick. Both are equally impressive...Danny Carey is definitely on of my favorite drummers out there.

Steely Dan's Aja, of course.

Porcupine Tree's In Absentia...Gavin Harrison doesn't get enough credit, but I can't even follow what he does, and when I saw him live he was even more impressive.

Death's Symbolic, go Gene Hoglan.
 
DogBreath said:
What single album had the most technically and musically excellent drumming that tied the music together while advancing style and still rocking your socks off?

I suggest Rush - Moving Pictures. Neil Peart took drumming to new heights with this album. If you can listen to "YYZ" without tapping your feet, beating your hands on your legs, and nodding your head, you have no pulse.

Bonus Trivia Question: Do you know what the significance of the letters "YYZ" is in reference to the song?
You took the words out of my mouth i love rush and yyz is my fav song i just love the drums but i dont know what yyz stands for.
 
DogBreath said:
What single album had the most technically and musically excellent drumming that tied the music together while advancing style and still rocking your socks off?

I suggest Rush - Moving Pictures. Neil Peart took drumming to new heights with this album. If you can listen to "YYZ" without tapping your feet, beating your hands on your legs, and nodding your head, you have no pulse.

Bonus Trivia Question: Do you know what the significance of the letters "YYZ" is in reference to the song?


it code for the toronto intnl airport!!
i agree with Moving Pictures. i was gonna say any Rush album, but mostly MP, FTK,RTB,TFE
 
Hmm. In terms of the drumming which I most mimic and enjoy in regards to albums, it's probably either 'Larks' Tongues in Aspic' by King Crimson (Bill Bruford) or 'In The Court of the Crimson King' again, by King Crimson. This time though, the drummer is Michael Giles.

Both demonstrate phenomenally good musicality and phrasing. On both the title tracks of the former, Bill Bruford demonstrates his best talents, phrasing and grooving odd time signatures (particularly on Larks' Tongues in Aspic Part II - A deceptively simple 5/4 groove that is easily learnt and mimiced, but never mastered) and Bill Bruford's continuity and meshing with percussionist Jamie Muir is exceptional. Just a great album.

On ITCOTCK, Giles demonstrates his jazz credentials, particularly on the first track, 21st Century Schizoid Man. In the 'mirrors' section, the band play as a tight unit, with almost no time reference between the entire band. In itself, that passage is phenomenal. The song as a whole is frenetic and eclectic but multi-layered tonally and rhythmically diverse. Not to mention heavy. The rest of the album demonstrates tasteful, clean and precise support for the rest of the virtuoistic ensemble and is a pleasure to listen to throughout. The recent reissue in HDCD is definately one to check out, and the sound quality is superior to the vinyl in most respects.
 
My personal faves in no particluar order

"Headhunters" - Herbie Hancok with Mike Clark
"Back To Oakland" - Tower of Power with David Garibaldi
"Exit Stage Left" - Rush with Neil
"Spectrum" - Billy Cobham
"10,000 Days" - Tool with Danny Carey
"Star Time" - James Brown (Compliation with many great drummers)
"Prescence" -Zeppelin
"Tony Williams Quintet Live In Japan"
"Katy Lied" - Steely Dan with Jeff Porcaro and Hal Blaine
"Karizma" - All Star Fusion Qunitet with Vinnie Colaiuta
 
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