After Neil Peart, who was the next best drummer of all time.

[flack]

Nicko McBrain
Musician
Description
Michael Henry "Nicko" McBrain is an English musician and drummer of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which he joined in 1982. Wikipedia

Before that he drummed for the Pat Travers Band.

Cool about Travers - I never knew that.

Yeah. I didn't list any 'exclusively'metal drummers, because that's a whole other category with Dave Lombardo, Lars Ulrich, Nick Menza, Tommy Lee, Scott Travis...you know the list.

Oh yes I do.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Steve Vai describing Vinnie Colaiuta

"I was just enamored with Vinnie. Back in the Frank days, his whole approach, when I heard Vinnie play, his phrasing - it satisfied something in my heart. It was easy to get certain rhythmic gratification from straight up-and-down-type players. Playing grooves, alternate grooves here and there. But Vinnie just came in and threw a wrench into the works. The guy is an alien. He was able to touch buttons with his sense of polyrhythms that no one has ever done. Frank's band was the perfect soundboard for that. I started transcribing his playing for The Frank Zappa Book. I mean, there's five to six different notations for the hi-hat!" [laughs]

"I'll tell you a really great Vinnie story. He's one of the most amazing sight-readers that ever existed on the instrument. One day we were in a Frank rehearsal, this was early '80s, and Frank brought in this piece of music called "Mo 'N Herb's Vacation." Just unbelievably complex. All the drums were written out, just like "The Black Page" except even more complex. There were these runs of like 17 over 3 and every drumhead is notated differently. And there were a whole bunch of people there, I think Bozzio was there."

"Vinnie had this piece of music on the stand to his right. To his left he had another music stand with a plate of sushi on it, okay? Now the tempo of the piece was very slow, like "The Black Page." And then the first riff came in, [mimics bizarre Zappa-esque drum rhythm patterns] with all these choking of cymbals, and hi-hat, ruffs, spinning of rototoms and all this crazy stuff. And I saw Vinnie reading this thing. Now, Vinnie has this habit of pushing his glasses up with the middle finger of his right hand. Well I saw him look at this one bar of music, it was the last bar of music on the page. He started to play it as he was turning the page with one hand, and then once the page was turned he continued playing the riff with his right hand, as he reached over with his left hand, grabbed a piece of sushi and put it in his mouth, continued the riff with his left hand and feet, pushed his glasses up, and then played the remaining part of the bar."

"It was the sickest thing I have ever seen. Frank threw his music up in the air. Bozzio turned around and walked away. I just started laughing."

Drum! 2003 - Vinnie Colaiuta

Not a bad resume.
[Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck,Sting, Herbie Hancock, Five Peace Band, Damian Drăghici, Joni Mitchell]

Zappa "discovered" Vinnie. After he told Bozzio and a few others in the band that it was time for them to move on, he held an open audition in LA. Literally hundreds showed up, vocals, bass, guitar and drums. After they auditioned, he pulled Vinnie and singer Ike Willis to the side and told them, "I doubt anyone remaining will cut you out, but I have to let them all have their chance"

One of the first things Vinnie played on Joe's Garage "Keep it Greasy" in 19/16



Zappa's three CD set "Shut Up and Play Yer Guitar" is absolutely stellar collaboration between Frank Vinnie and Arthur Barrow (bass). It's just beyond comprehension. It's 3 CD's worth of "guitar solos", but really it's a spontaneous instantaneous improvisation.

 

[flack]

Nicko McBrain
Musician
Description
Michael Henry "Nicko" McBrain is an English musician and drummer of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which he joined in 1982. Wikipedia

Before that he drummed for the Pat Travers Band.

Cool about Travers - I never knew that.

Yeah. I didn't list any 'exclusively'metal drummers, because that's a whole other category with Dave Lombardo, Lars Ulrich, Nick Menza, Tommy Lee, Scott Travis...you know the list.

I saw them three times. The man is a beast on drums. That live album says it all.

 

[the other mike]

I saw them three times. The man is a beast on drums. That live album says it all.

They have several live albums .Rush discography - Wikipedia
I got to see them 6 times in the 70's and 80's, and had front row
for the 2112 tour ( dead center stage Alex to the left Geddy to the right and Neil straight ahead like a Greek God at his throne), so I've made eye contact with the legend, actually twice - another time backstage before a show at the Richfield ,Coliseum in Ohio where I worked part time after school as a parking attendant there, so we always had backstage passes. So my buddy Al and I were coming inside and they all 3 walked right past us with a big crowd around them. We never got to meet and talk with them but my friend got a fist bump from Geddy......Farewell to Kings tour I believe.

 

[rightwinger]

Most popular fake drummer- Davey Jones.

He did play a mean tambourine though

 

[the other mike]

Most popular fake drummer- Davy Jones.

He did play a mean tambourine though

Was Mickey Dolenz the fake drummer ?

 

[bluzman61]

Most popular fake drummer- Davy Jones.

He did play a mean tambourine though

Was Mickey Dolenz the fake drummer ?

Nope. From what I've read, Mickey really DID play the drums.

 

[rightwinger]

Hard to beat the guy from Ant Man

 

[the other mike]

 

[hjmick]

Hard to beat the guy from Ant Man

Oh please...

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...

The Naked Drummer:

 

[the other mike]

Mike nails this Nick Mason intro....


And he can sing a little...

 

[the other mike]

Nope. From what I've read, Mickey really DID play the drums.

Okay.

Maybe Mike will bring it up.

 

[the other mike]

Barriemore Barlow was a great drummer on a lot of Jethro Tull albums
and touring in the 70's..

 

[the other mike]

 

[Mac1958]

Buddy Rich, Billy Cobham.

For rock, Bonham & Moon were the trailblazers.

 

[basquebromance]

"oh boy, John Bonham and i had such a connection. John changed drumming overnight. "Good Times Bad Times" was a revelation. no one could play it. NO ONE! As the band progressed, he and i developed this extraordinary intuition. we were renowned for being able to stretch songs live, and that come from John following my guitar and just improvising and bending with where i was going. "Dazed And Confused" is a classic example. he read my mind and went anywhere and did anything without it falling apart...the songs on our first album, these are moments of genius" - Jimmy Page

 

[the other mike]

 

[the other mike]

I feel pretty stupid that I've never heard of this guy...Louie Bellson in 1955.