Best Drummer of all times!

I find it shocking the amount of support Bill Bruford gets in these polls.  While an excellent drummer and I mean no disrespect, he is not even close to some of the other drummers on this list.  I have been drumming for most of my life and I like different drummers for different things.  Sometimes it's goove (like Jeff Pocaro), sometimes it's power (John Bonham), sometimes it's technical prowess (Neil Peart or Carl Palmer).  My favorite drummer is Phil Collins for his abilty to make songs better.  He has such an incredible feel for music.  Over the years my son has taken drum lessons from some very good teachers, and intersetingly enough, two of them picked Collins as their favorite. 

Christian Vander and Jaci Leibezeit for me

I think some outstanding drummers have not been mentionned either by this list or by other people:

John Bonham gets my vote....

akamaisondufromage wrote: Several people have mentioned Phil C not getting the love he deserves cos of him and his other music.  I too am guilty of not liking him much but his drumming is great and Chester too so I thought i would post one of their younger ish solos.     What I like about them is the solos are funky and enjoyable even if you forget the skill involved!   (Not sure this is the best example but its not as long as some of the others and they look youngish)..   Maybe someone knows when this is from?

I'm not 100% certain, but I think that may be from the Mama or Abacab tour. That duet is virtually the same in structure to the one they performed on the Invisible Touch tour.

Chester and Phil always worked brilliantly together. In some ways I think Chester was a better match for Collins than Bruford. However, my favourite duel performance from Genesis was Collins and Bruford playing the instrumental section of The Cinema Show, on the Trick of the Tail tour. I went to a Q'n'A session with Bill Bruford recently, and he showed the film of that, without the silly sepia film that accompanys it on the concert that was issued on the last release of the TOTT album, so you could see them working together. Phenomenol!

I would add Alex Holzwart  and Gavin Harrison as well as Michael Narada Walden (Mahavishu),  Andy Ward (Camel) and Gary O'Toole (Steve Hackett solo)... drummers who really impress me. From the list probably Neil, his drumming works on every level, sheer perfection to me. 

I voted Bruford.  He is the one I like the most.

Bruford wrote: Um.. although I voted for Bruford, I'm under the assumption that there are invisible parenthesis here: "Best Drummer of all times! (prog rock only and a few others).   I don't see Weckyl.  I don't see Chambers.  And about a hundred more who make Peart look like a beginner.   Peart fans.  You probably don't know this but Dave Weckyl and Dennis Chambers are incredibly gifted jazz drummers.

Yes we (they) do. But this is a Prog Rock site and besides most Jazz drummers can't rock!!!!


The first and last time I will use that appalling emoticon..

This was extremely difficult to choose. I ended up picking my favorite on the list (Danny Carey) instead of who I thought was best. I think it's widely accepted that Buddy Rich is the best drummer of all time, so that fact that he's scored so low makes me thing everyone else is picking their favorite drummers as well. Like Bruford above me said, drummers like Dave Weckyl and Dennis Chambers make Peart look like a retard using his big set to compensate (I'm saying this as someone who admits he's miles beneath Peart). My favorite drummer these days is Gavin Harrison, who's also omitted from the list, but not only has inhuman control and finesse, but also some of the most creative ideas in drumming, playing rhythms as mathematical as Haake's yet somehow making it sound emotional.

anfega wrote: Mike portnoy is the best, no doubt!!!

This.