Best drum sounds you've ever heard

To me, the perfect drum sound is achieved by Les Binks throughout the whole Stained Class album by Judas Priest. Notable " Saints In Hell".

 

Not my favorite but a good one. I'd say that Simon Phillips on Sin after Sin had a great sound as well and Dave Holland on British Steel was amazing.

 

Some of my favs..

Metallica- The Black Album
Rage against The Machine-Self Titled
Tool-Lateralus
Miles Davis-Sorcerer
Zep- HOTH

 

Montrose Rock Candy:

 

All Jim Gordon, especially the layla and other assorted love songs lp and his playing on nils lofgren's cry toughs lp ; kenny buttrey on Neil young's harvest lp ; bernard purdie on steely dan's Home at last;

 

This is the first album I listened to only the drum sound the first time through.

 

One of the things I dislike about modern engineering is the tendency to make every instrument sound perfect at the expense of the overall feel. Drums are a major subject for that kind of microfocus. Each drum and cymbal may sound perfectly like itself but it doesn't always sound like a drum set. There's simply too much information.

The Monster Mash is a good example of how I personally like drums to sound. In the intro, you can hear the drums by themselves, and just sounds like a drumset in a room. One, maybe two mics on the kit. Not an especially 'good' sound on its own, but once the other instruments come in you really notice the air around the cymbals and the snare. The cymbals push and punctuate but they're never too loud. The hi-hats are almost implied and the crash is exciting but never brash. The snare cuts through in just the right balance, and it helps that the drummer keeps the groove and doesn't overplay. You get a lot of implied spacial context from the drums, which is much more exciting, to me, than a real tight kit.

I love the fill after 'Dracula and his son' at around 1:40, the way he slips the crash in at the end. It's nothing fancy but it's so well done.

 

I think this drum sound is nearly miraculous. Such a huge fat sound from probably two mics? Amazing.

 

Sly Dunbar

 

" BAP-ba-dap-BAPPP !!!"

Be My Baby - The Ronettes
Hal Blaine on drums

So distinct and memorable

 

Metallica - St. Anger

 

Who's Next - I have the Japanese SHM CD. Keith Moon's finest hour.

The Move - Shazam (Bev Bevan)
Blind Faith - Do What You Like (Ginger Baker)
Wynton Kelly Trio with Wes Montgomery - Smokin' At The Half Note SACD (Jimmy Cobb)

 

Just for fun (the opening hits especially):

 

was going to say albini knows drums!

 

the drums who lou reed's ecstasy album sound great.
as do the drums on shellac's recordings.

 

Yeah, I had always thought it was sort of a result of how Bonham pivots his foot creating that ghost note.

 

I always loved the drums on this:

 

I was thinking of records with drum sounds I like that wouldn't be the most common or obvious and thought of "In The Dark" by Billy Squire and also Sparks "Whoomp That Sucker" …..of course I find out the same guy produced those records. Reinhold Mack - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia »

 

BEATLES:
Rain, TNK, Abbey Road, Sgt Peppers... most all Ringo.

KING CRIMSON:
In The Court of the CK, Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Starless & Bible Black, Red... all things Bruford

Buddy Rich:
most all, especially live when he was fuming mad

So many more, but this is my quick list for now...

 

Nowhere near my fave Zep track, though I like it a lot, but Bonham's drums never sounded better. Fantastic drum sound.

 

As far as "sound" goes, I don't think anyone has surpassed Hi records in the mid 1970's



Al Jackson - drums
Willie Mitchell - engineer
Al Green - Producer

Sigma Sound(Philly International ) would be my second favorite.

 

King Crimson related: The McDonald & Giles album.

 

I know they're not 'natural', but I love Phil Collins' drum sound on We Can't Dance. Especially on stuff like "Fading Lights." It's just massive.