Comments on: Best drums solos

Question: Best drums solos

ajbattrick — Thu, 26 May 2005 01:51:11 -0800

What songs, pieces of music or audio tracks contain the best drum solos ... ever

By: peacay

peacay — Thu, 26 May 2005 01:53:33 -0800

Deep Purple: The Mule

By: peacay

peacay — Thu, 26 May 2005 01:59:19 -0800

Led Zeppelin: Moby Dick

By: the cuban

the cuban — Thu, 26 May 2005 02:01:39 -0800

Won't Get Fooled Again

By: nicwolff

nicwolff — Thu, 26 May 2005 02:39:22 -0800

Drummerworld is your site for this.

I nominate any of Lewis Nash's sets with Tommy Flanagan, such as those in the Quicktime videos right here. Really, watch at least the first one.

And here's video of Bonham's monster "Moby Dick" solo (sadly, chopped in three files, link is to part 2).

By: nicwolff

nicwolff — Thu, 26 May 2005 02:54:30 -0800

How about ?uestlove's fill in the hair salon in the 2nd season Chapelle's Show sketch where Dave and ?uest and John Mayer are showing that people of all races will dance if the music's to their taste. That was nice.

By: uncanny hengeman

uncanny hengeman — Thu, 26 May 2005 02:57:17 -0800

There is a lengthy drum solo in Midnight Oil's 'Power and the Passion'.

It contains a smashing glass at the end. Kewl.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 26 May 2005 03:45:02 -0800

Anything by Krupa< ?a> beats anything rock listed here.

By: Marquis

Marquis — Thu, 26 May 2005 04:21:53 -0800

Dave Brubeck/Joe Morrello/Paul Desmond/Gene Wright) - "Take Five"

By: Doohickie

Doohickie — Thu, 26 May 2005 04:45:34 -0800

Another vote The Mule. But then again, if you read my posts, you already knew that.

By: furtive

furtive — Thu, 26 May 2005 05:48:02 -0800

Buddy Rich beats Gene Krupa (no really, scroll down)

By: furtive

furtive — Thu, 26 May 2005 05:49:31 -0800

Oh, and anything by Denis Chambers.

By: nylon

nylon — Thu, 26 May 2005 06:01:52 -0800

48 by Shoji Hano, the greatest drummer of the modern age. It's a solo album.

By: box

box — Thu, 26 May 2005 06:03:59 -0800

Rich versus Roach, with the aforementioned Buddy Rich (also known for his obscene rants) and Max Roach.

By: box

box — Thu, 26 May 2005 06:07:13 -0800

Check out Roach's percussion ensemble M'Boom, too.

By: Witty

Witty — Thu, 26 May 2005 06:19:49 -0800

I think you have to include the drum solo in YYZ by Neil Peart of Rush (on the Exit... Stage Left album). Whether his style of playing is for you or not, that effort is certainly a classic.

By: andrew cooke

andrew cooke — Thu, 26 May 2005 06:23:41 -0800

i'm sure i've read, a couple of times now, about a track on some album (jazz of some kind?) where the drummer goes off on some long break, and which ended up being sampled and used on most of the seminal sampler-based tracks back in the 80s. in some way - measured by influence on other music, for example - that would be one of the "best". however, i've no idea where i read that text, or whether or not it's true.

By: cosmicbandito

cosmicbandito — Thu, 26 May 2005 06:35:16 -0800

Willie "Too Big" Halls fill in the "Sweet Home Chicago" as performed by Jake and Elwood Blues is the the coolest 2 seconds of drumming I've ever heard.

By: beagle

beagle — Thu, 26 May 2005 06:40:42 -0800

Ginger Baker in Cream's "Toad".

By: Kwantsar

Kwantsar — Thu, 26 May 2005 06:43:20 -0800

Rush's YYZ, La Villa Strangiato, Where's My Thing?

By: Doohickie

Doohickie — Thu, 26 May 2005 07:10:11 -0800

MeTooFilter: Neil Peart of Rush

By: apple scruff

apple scruff — Thu, 26 May 2005 07:12:08 -0800

Personally I'm partial to "The End" by the Beatles...not necessarily because the drum solo could really stand on its own versus all the other solos out there, but it was Ringo's only drum solo, and the other three squared off in solos, and it was the last (sort of) track to Abbey Road.

By: theora55

theora55 — Thu, 26 May 2005 07:28:23 -0800

Can I possibly be the 1st person in this thread to post IRON BUTTERFLY's - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida? No idea if it's actually good, as I'm not sure I ever heard it straight/sober, but it's long and (in?)famous.

By: fingers_of_fire

fingers_of_fire — Thu, 26 May 2005 07:31:56 -0800

I'll also advocate for "The End", precisely because it is as good a drum solo as any of the ones mentioned here - in the sense that it is exciting, tasteful, perfectly fits and indeed advances the song.

As for perfect drum soloing that is ALSO technically exciting, Steve Gadd on "Aja" by Steely Dan and, in the Jazz world, anything by Jack DeJohnette. Particularly from this record.

By: googly

googly — Thu, 26 May 2005 08:07:53 -0800

Well I just can't believe that no one has mentioned Clyde Stubblefield, "Funky Drummer." (Warning: realaudio link).

Not only one of the funkiest beats ever, but also possibly the most sampled piece of music ever. (This might be what andrew cooke was thinking of).

By: Ikazuchi

Ikazuchi — Thu, 26 May 2005 08:07:56 -0800

From the metalhead's perspective, Rhino's drum solo in Manowar's Achilles, Agony and Estasy (from the CD Triumph of Steel) is pretty tight.

By: Fuzzy Monster

Fuzzy Monster — Thu, 26 May 2005 08:16:09 -0800

Damn! googly beat me to it! Here's some more info on "Funky Drummer," including a list of songs that have sampled the Funky Drummer break.

By: altobarb

altobarb — Thu, 26 May 2005 08:17:58 -0800

This is another vote for madman Buddy Rich. Never discount the historical!

By: pwally

pwally — Thu, 26 May 2005 08:29:42 -0800

John Bonham is generally considered to be the best drummer of all time. Just listen to pretty much any Zeppelin ballad. He is influenced by almost all of the drummers that came before him, even back to some African tribes, and he still maintains a very unique style.

By: teleskiving

teleskiving — Thu, 26 May 2005 08:34:03 -0800

Too obvious, but there will be something missing from this thread until someone mentions "Wipe Out" by the Surfaris. Also, check out "Out of Love" on Drummerworld's Alex Van Halen page.

By: safetyfork

safetyfork — Thu, 26 May 2005 08:34:10 -0800

Many great drummers and solos have already been called out above (especially those jazz octopuses Art Blakey, Buddy Rich, and Max Roach as my friends like to call them). I want to add one to the mix that's a little different since the album doesn't have any drum solos proper: hella's hold your horse is. Here's an album where all the songs are just drums and guitar that feel like two people precision soloing or dueling with each other on each track. See in particular, the song City Folk Sitting, Sitting which has the closest thing to a traditional drum solo section in it (although like I said all the songs are damn fine and solo-ish). To watch Zach Hill play the drums live is pretty inspiring.

By: therealadam

therealadam — Thu, 26 May 2005 08:44:29 -0800

"The Black Page" by Frank Zappa. Skinny little Terry "Ted" Bozio is quite talented. Allegedly Frank Zappa made it harder because Bozio learned the first version in one evening.

By: gentle

gentle — Thu, 26 May 2005 08:52:48 -0800

Joe Morello's drum solo on Take Five by the David Brubeck Quartet is famous, and rightly so. One of the quintessential jazz drum solos, in my mind.

By: agropyron

agropyron — Thu, 26 May 2005 09:01:40 -0800

There's a really killer timpani solo introducing the fugue section of William Schuman's Third Symphony.

By: thimk

thimk — Thu, 26 May 2005 09:05:36 -0800

phil collins and chester thompson drumming on Genesis Live (Seconds Out?) album.

By: thimk

thimk — Thu, 26 May 2005 09:07:15 -0800

dave weckl stuff with Zappa

By: grateful

grateful — Thu, 26 May 2005 09:17:17 -0800

*Dusts off Mickey Hart's At The Edge*

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 26 May 2005 09:28:46 -0800

(no really, scroll down)

Buddy Rich is awesome, but I didn't see what you were trying to point out to me.

By: timeistight

timeistight — Thu, 26 May 2005 09:39:18 -0800

John Bonham is generally considered to be the best drummer of all time.

*head explodes*

By: safetyfork

safetyfork — Thu, 26 May 2005 10:11:07 -0800

Dale Crover's assorted drum solos with the Melvins seem to require patience and a sense of humor. He credits working them out with the band, presumably that mostly means King Buzzo. Some examples: the solo on Black Stooges from Hostile Ambient Takeover, the end of Cow on Bullhead, and Spread Eagle Beagle from the album Houdini.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Thu, 26 May 2005 10:11:31 -0800

Ringo Starr, "Drumming is My Madness"

By: juv3nal

juv3nal — Thu, 26 May 2005 10:13:35 -0800

Maybe something by Glen Velez although what he does isn't quite soloing in the rock sense of the word.

By: raster

raster — Thu, 26 May 2005 11:21:33 -0800

I like "Rat Salad" by Black Sabbath, though it's more of a "like the whole song, not just the drum solo part" thing...

By: danb

danb — Thu, 26 May 2005 12:14:18 -0800

I second Take Five.

Also, Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band) is a fantastic drummer, although he doesn't often get to solo per se.

By: Voivod

Voivod — Thu, 26 May 2005 13:13:38 -0800

Art Blakey's A Night in Tunisia. Oh man I love those drums...

By: CCK

CCK — Thu, 26 May 2005 14:17:47 -0800

I still like the phil collins fill from In the Air Tonight

By: schyler523

schyler523 — Thu, 26 May 2005 15:03:43 -0800

Santana - Soul Sacrifice (Woodstock)
Ween - Vallejo (Paintin' the Town Brown)

By: joaquim

joaquim — Thu, 26 May 2005 15:38:31 -0800

John Bonham is generally considered to be the best drummer of all time.

*head explodes*

At least he didn't say Ginger Baker.

Oldie but goodie: Sandy Nelson's Let There Be Drums

By: onlyconnect

onlyconnect — Thu, 26 May 2005 16:17:41 -0800

Yes CCK, anyone else remember that scene from the pilot of Miami Vice where Don Johnson is driving his car down the highway to In the Air Tonight and Phil Collins busts out with the eleven-note solo right before the chorus repeat? I watched five years of pastel tee shirts under white suit jackets just for more moments like that.

By: crapulent

crapulent — Thu, 26 May 2005 21:52:52 -0800

ELVIN JONES !

By: kindall

kindall — Thu, 26 May 2005 21:53:56 -0800

Buddy Rich made Animal's head asplode on the Muppet Show.

And Phil Collins is a hell of a drummer, really... you should listen to some of his playing with Brand X, a jazz fusion he was in before Genesis. For quite a while he actually sang and played drums at the same time in Genesis -- I once saw a live concert recording of him playing and singing "Abacab." It can't be easy to do something as physical as playing skins and simultaneously maintain a steady singing voice.

By: Doohickie

Doohickie — Fri, 27 May 2005 09:10:54 -0800

Santana. Although I'm not sure you can call them solos because some of the drum breaks consist of more than one percussionist. Santana's Greatest Hits has a good selection.