positively the worst drummer?

Those were my words, and I guess a poor choice of words, but I'm glad that it amused you anyway. It's not a term I made up, BTW, and it wasn't meant to be quite that literal, but I get your point. I was trying to give Aman some credit for mentioning the names of a few drummers who are highly regarded as being at the top of their field...I guess that backfired.

All things being relative, it doesn't really matter. What were we talking about again? Midday brain fog is starting to creep in....


***

 

That wasn't an accident. George intended on playing more, but Paul was just starting to tell him how to play the drums too, and George wasn't having it.

 

I've always hated the drumming in Blondie. Suddenly, on Parallel Lines, its a lot better.

 

I cannot believe people would actually list u2's drummer? The weakest element of u2, in this u2 fans opinion, is Bono. To me, they have the best rhythm section I've ever heard.
Bono ultimately is the heart of the band, for better and for worse. But I heard them doing a rare 10 jam of Bullit the Blue sky and I was blown away.

 

I like U2 a lot, and I've often stood up for them here, but Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. are not the best rhythm section that I've ever heard.

 

We disagree on this one. I think Clement Burke is one of the best drummers in rock.

 

Wow, Clem Burke! If I'm not mistaken, I believe I saw him playing with Iggy Pop around 1981 or so on a VHS bootleg of a concert filmed in San Francisco.....he was great! He almost looked like McCartney playing drums.

 

Maybe he was recorded badly on the S/T

 

A study in contrast:

When I was growing up, some friends of mine attempted to put
together a "Rush" cover band. I think they wanted to
get a summer gig at a NJ seaside bar. At the time, it was
quite normal for different bars to have different bands
that specialized in one specific group. For example, one
bar would feature a band that did Styx covers exclusively.
Another bar would feature a band that did Chicago covers
exclusively. Etc.

Their ace in the whole was a guy named Bob Dylan (his
actual name - no relation to Mr. Zimmerman) who was
blessed (?) with a voice that sounded like Geddy Lee.
I guess they figured with the vocals intact - it was just
a matter of hammering out the instrumental parts.
I remember they spent what seemed like months
trying to learn "Spirit Of The Radio"... and I don't
feel like they EVER got it right. The transition to
reggae in the middle killed them every time. And
I don't think that part was technically hard to
play - just hard to suddenly play after the other
stuff in front of it. The drummer flubbed it
every time....

Me? I always laughed and said they need to
spend their time learning "every Chuck Berry
song ever written" so they can get out of
the garage and actually into a real working
gig (which they never accomplished)



Years later, I found myself working in an office
environment with an older guy named Russ who
was known around the office as a good drummer.
There was even a rumor he had played with Frank
Zappa... which it turns out WAS true... just
not in the context I assumed. Russ told me
he jammed with Zappa once in a bar in Kansas.
He never recorded or toured with him.

Nevertheless - everyone who saw Russ play
swore he was quite good. I never saw him
play but I had very little reason to doubt
the rumour.

One day I found myself riding a subway in
Tokyo with Russ and I broke down and asked
him about the Zappa rumour and drumming
in general. We talked for a while and the
conversation finally got around to Neil
Pert. I was curious what he thought of
him...

His answer was very interesting and
illuminating. His initial reply was
"Pert's stuff is *VERY* difficult to play..."
I quickly asked "Well, can YOU play
it ???" He confidently replied
"Yes". The way he explained it
however was interesting. He
specifically mentioned "Spirit Of The
Radio" as an example.... "It's not
like any one section of it is difficult
to play... it's just hard to MEMORIZE"
He then compared it to reading a book.
"Look - I can read the parts - just
like you can read the words in a book...
but reading them and memorizing them
are two different things... it's like
the difference between remembering
a one or two sentence quote vs memorizing
a 4 or 5 page chapter in a book....
**** - it took me a WHOLE HALF HOUR
to learn 'Spirit of the Radio' "


My mind suddenly drifted back to my friends
in the garage who devoted months to the
same task


And that's all I can really say about the
great debate that always follows the
"technical" drummers... the reality
is a bad amateur musician might need
weeks or months of practice to match
a Neil Pert... while a good musician might
need 30 minutes for the same task.

But BOTH sets of people tend to notice
that it takes each of them longer than
it does to learn the parts that are
usually acknowledged as simpler....


The only thing that really matters to
me is if the song swings.

 

here here!

 

Ringo's drumming is good on y/b bad on capitol lol.

 

Top 3 :Neil Peart Carl Palmer Dave Grohl

 

But which one is positively the worst drummer in the history of recorded music?

 

this is the worst drummer thread, not the best

 

Positively

I didn't think so, either

 

None of the ones he mentioned.

 

Helen Wiggin. End of discussion.

 

I second it. Close thread.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...bs_b_2_1/002-8671985-7080043?v=glance&s=music

She makes Meg White seem like Neil Peart in comparison

 

Has to be Carl Beavers.

 

Aman, I think you are debating a straw man argument here. Unless I've missed something (which is possible, this thread is long) no one here is arguing that Moon was a technically skilled drummer. What people who like him are saying is that he was creative, dynamic and innovative and his drumming is entertaining and cathartic to listen to, hence they feel he was a great drummer. He had a unique sound which was different than what had been done before. He was a great drummer in the same way Chuck Berry is a great guitarist. Technical skill is only a small part of what makes someone a great rock musician... were that not the case, dozens of guys in bar bands across the nation would be hailed as "better" guitarists than Berry. Paul Shaffer's band would be in the rock-n-roll Hall of Fame and the Velvet Underground would not.

One might need to be a musician to assess someone's level of techical musical skill, but certainly not to assess one's talent. Just as I don't need to be a chef to assess whether the food I've been served in a restaurant is good or not.

 

_ What do you want?

- Well I was told outside ...

- Don't give me that you snotty faced heap of parrot droppings!

- What!

- Shut your festering gob, you tit! Your type makes me puke! You vacuous toffee nosed malodorous pervert!

- Look, I came here for an argument.

- Oh! I'm sorry. This is abuse.

- Oh I see, that explains it.

- No, you want Room 12A next door.

- I see. Sorry.

- Not at all ... Stupid git.

(Knocks on door to Room 12A)

- Come in.

- Is this the right room for an argument?

- I've told you once.

- No you haven't.

- Yes I have.

- When?

- Just now!

- No you didn't.

- Yes I did!

- Didn't.

- Did.

- Didn't.

- I'm telling you that I did!

- You did not!

- I'm sorry, is this the five minute argument, or the full half hour?

- Oh, just the five minutes one.

- Fine ... Anyway, I did.

- You most certainly did not.

- Now let's get one thing quite clear; I most definitely told you.

- You did not.

- Yes I did.

- You did not.

- Yes I did

- Didn't ...

 

I don't know about "worst drummers" but I would nominate Jim McCarty and Dave Clark as two of the least impressive drummers I've ever heard.To give an idea of where I'm coming from my favorite drummer is Bobby Elliot of the Hollies.To stay on British Invasion I also like Keith Moon And Charlie Watts, and think Ringo is very underrated.

 

I just finished watching the 3 songs from the 1973 concert on the BTR 30th DVD. Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez plays drums & sings backing vocals on "Spirit In The Night" & "Thundercrack".

I found the early career 5 piece "Mini Street Band" to be just as compelling as the larger 7 or 9 piece E Street Band.

Vini Lopez plays his butt off on the live version of "Thundercrack". Yes he's a little wild but in a "force of nature" kind of way.

I'd take him in my band anytime.