List you favorite drumming album.

beyondbetrayal

Platinum Member
I'm looking for some new music and inspiration. I think this will be good for others in the same boat looking to listen to some new music as well.

Please list you favorite album or a few, and include the band, album, drummer's name (if known), genera, and if you want to favorite song, or why this album is your top pick. (Examples could be chops, groove/pocket, technicality, etc)

Personally I am looking for some albums with drums being the focal point. IE some drum forward jazz and funk would be cool to check out.
 
Here are some of my favourites:

Roger Waters/The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking/Andy Newmark: Although he tends to be known for his groove, Andy Newmark opens up on this album. Some of the most musical drumming I've heard.​

Leonard Cohen/New Skin for the Old Ceremony/Unknown: An album with sparse drumming. What I like about it is that the drum tracks sound like several percussionists playing together rather than a drummer on a drum set. Some of the drum parts are trickier than they seem.​

Diamanda Galas with John Paul Jones/The Sporting Life/Pete Thomas: Nothing too complex, but what a deep and dirty pocket Pete Thomas can lay down.​

I can't say that the drums are the focal point on these albums, but they sure are some of my favourites outside of the greats we mostly talk about.
 
Soul Drums by Bernard Purdie and Live Mix Pt 2 by Breakestra, with Josh Cohen on drums replicating classic hip-hop drum samples. That's if you want the soul/funk groove side of things.
 
Any of your favorite drumming albums are good. I was just adding if anyone has some drum forward ones to include those as well for me.

Sometimes an amazing drumming album can be the choices the drummer has made, or chosen NOT to make. Being tasteful and not overplaying is always important. If the music calls for it, chop away.
 
Any Billy Cobham solo stuff in the 70s. Namely...

Spectrum
A Funky Thide Of Sings
Total Eclipse
Crosswinds
Shabazz

...are all great, listenable drummer's solo albums that aren't obnoxiously drum-centric. And all five are available in a handy and affordably box set :)
 
Chester Thompson - One Size Fits All, Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention

I'm a big Zappa fan. He's recorded and toured with many brilliant drummers, and this album is not only my favorite out of his catalog, but has drumming that just fits the music perfectly. "Florentine Pogen" is a great track and has a solid performance from Chester.
 
Rival Sons album Pressure and Time. I’ve been listening to this band a lot lately. The drummer is Michael Miley. He plays a 4 piece kit, and he’s what a lot of people may consider busy, but in my opinion he’s perfect for the band and music. Big old school drum sounds.
 
4 Hero - 'Two Pages' (side 1) - Luke Parkhouse 1998
The Egg - Travelator - Maff Scott 1998
Cinematic Orchestra - Man With a Movie Camera -Luke Flowers (2002).

These albums really helped me develop as a drummer.They still sound fresh and original today.
 
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Rival Sons album Pressure and Time. I’ve been listening to this band a lot lately. The drummer is Michael Miley. He plays a 4 piece kit, and he’s what a lot of people may consider busy, but in my opinion he’s perfect for the band and music. Big old school drum sounds.

They're a great band! 60s 70s type guitar and grooves, good stuff. I get so tired of the same ole pop music.

Check out Guthrie Govan's Erotic Cakes. The drummer on this album is Pete Riley. Some interesting time signatures. Guthrie's guitar playing is amazing.
 
Allan Holdsworth I.O.U. with Gary Husband on drums.
 
Bozzio Levin Stevens - Black Light Syndrome. Obviously Bozzio is a monster, as are the other two. I'm not sure if you would call it avant-garde jazz or what. It's very pretty.

Check out any James Brown also. I wouldn't say it's drum oriented, more funky ass groove oriented. Any drummer should really dig it.

Herbie Hancock has some really groovy stuff too.

Since you like metal, check out Burning Inside. Richard Christy pre-Death. His drumming is just so crazy and all over the place. It's at least worth a listen.
 
Actually, I'm not going to mention metal albums like I normally do, instead it's back to what inspired me as a kid:

Fragile - Yes
Dream of The Blue Turtles - Sting
Metal Fatigue - Holdsworth
Power Station - Power Station
It's a Mother - James Brown
Rhythm of the Soul - Weckl
Special Edition -Jack DeJohnette
 
Hard to name just one, but I will say Gavin Harrison's drumming on In Absentia inspired me to want to play drums again after not touching them form almost 15 years. I was fortunate enough to shake his hand and thank him for do doing so.
 
Moving Pictures by Rush is the one that got me to pick up the sticks in the early 80's, and I still have a visceral reaction to those tunes to this day.
 
The first Captian Beyond album with Bobby Caldwell on drums.
 
Not necessarily my favorite album of drumming (I don't think I can pick one), but 'Storm At Sunup' by Gino Vannelli has some incredible fusion drumming on select tracks from Graham Lear. Been listening to it a lot lately.
 
Extol- Undeceived

Living Sacrifice- Reborn

Fates Warning- Inside Out

The Mars Volta- De-Loused in the Comatorium

Smashing Pumpkins- Siamese Dream

Kill Devil Hill- Self Titled

These are some of my favorites
 
Although certainly not an album designed to feature the drums, Aja by Steely Dan has tasty drumming throughout by a number of world class players.
 
Although certainly not an album designed to feature the drums, Aja by Steely Dan has tasty drumming throughout by a number of world class players.

And Fagen and Becker were fussy about their drummers. I saw a documentary about the making of Aja which spent a lot of time on the recording of the song Peg. I seem to remember Jim Keltner going through what he played on the track and then him recalling that he went to the studio the next day to find an entirely different set of musicians working on the same tune, this time with Bernard Purdie on the drums.
 
Ending up with Rick Morotta on that track, who was delighted they left in his nuanced open and closing of the hi hats. Back then all you needed was clubs for arms and clubs for feet to be a drummer according to Rick. Read an interview about the Marotta brothers being in a studio to record. Ricks brother was working with a drum machine and changed all the settings so when he hit snare it may be bass drum, hits bass drum it may be tom tom, etc and he played beats that way. When Rick saw he said, "Im telling Mom." That story sorta made me love those guys. Sorry just spewing the stuff we've all seen and know, maybe someone didnt.

Jazz and funk drummer albums....check out some Dennis Chambers maybe, he had a solo album with James Brown covers and such was real fun. How about Big Swing Face Buddy Rich....which Im not even familiar with but have heard it mentioned here....maybe its time I check it out! Usually dont really love big band as a genre but can certainly appreciate it.
 
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