Greatest Rock Drummers


Given the subject line many names come to mind such as  Ginger Baker, Keith Moon, Phil Collins and Carl Palmer but, is Neil Peart the greatest rock drummer of all time?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSToKcbWz1k
128x128falconquest
Of course Neil Peart. And Phil Collins, Steve Gadd, Hal Blaine, Taylor Hawkins, Dave Grohl, Mitch Mitchell, Jack DeJohnette, Max Roach, Art Blakey.

Not Ginger Baker (I have all  Cream's albums and Blind Faith). I just think he's sort of a plodding clod troglodite and plays the toms way too much, the ONE exception is his work on Deserted Cities of the Heart and I only wish he played more in that style. I mean you can actually hear the SNARE on that track. But I digress...

Yes: Jim Hodder; Jim Gordon, Jeff Porcaro, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, Paul Humphrey, Rick Marotta, Jim Keltner, Simon Philips, even Bill Ward dammit.



Michael Shrieve 1969 upstate NY. I was about 25 feet away from them when they did Soul Sacrifice
.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_pDjX65vHo

What a moment of R&R genius. An irrefutable high point, so to speak.
Y’know, I haven’t seen a mention of Liberty DeVito. DeVito was fking superb. I saw Billy Joel a bunch of times and it was mostly more to see LD. The kit rocked. Haven’t bothered with Billy Joel since the disbandment.
Same idea for Rush. I really have no use for Rush, but seeing Peart was worth the price of admission.
Kenny Aronoff is a Master. Absolutely one of my favorites. Remember when his kit had the hihat on the right? No hand over hand?
Gadd is simply fking spiritual. I overpaid for Clapton twice just to see Gadd too.

No mention of Art Blakey? Take him over Roach ANYDAY. Blakey was soul.
Clem Burke may not be "the greatest"- nobody is, I think he’s unfortunately underrated by some. I was lucky enough to hear Art Blakey at a Hollywood jazz club a few years before he died- as was so often the case the group was all young guys except for Art. He drove those "kids."
Damn!

Neil Peart Si!  Rush? Not so much.  :)