Looking For High Quality Drum Music.

Dave Weckl can slap 'em pretty good too...

Here are a few;

Police Synchronicity Murder by Numbers (Stuart Copeland)
Tom Petty Wildflowers You don't know how it feels (Steve Ferrone)
Rush (most live stuff includes extensive drum solos by Neil Peart)
Average White Band Person to Person Live Album Pick Up the pieces (Steve Ferrone)

The above are just example of three very good drummers. The AWB album is not a great recording but has a great drum solo. Neil Peart also released a Drum Solo DVD "Anatomy of a drum solo" - if you like that kind of stuff Neil is a legend. Neil Peart is probably the best known drummer since Buddy Rich.
However, my all-time favorite has to be Steve Ferrone - check out all the bands that paid him to play with them, I believe he still plays for Tom Petty (anything Tom Petty has done is fanatically well recorded BTW). Steve makes small changes throughout that keep even the most repetitve rock sound soulful and interesting. I like Neil too but he makes you all too aware that he is drumming with a sometimes numbing precision.

Incidently, for comparison purposes....try Donald Fagen The Nightfly.....this abum has the orginal drumming replaced by splicing in a specific drum sound repetitively throughout....the effect is that the drums sound perfectly identical throughout....a precursor to electronic drum machines perhaps (like New Order, Human League etc.). Some find this precise and audiophile grade....I find the sound flat and lifeless (even if it is precise)

If you compare this kind of fare to Steve Ferrone then you really appreciate how drumming adds so much to the "life" of music.

http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Steve_Ferrone.html

Ginger Baker Trio: for drumming emphasis, particularly "Middle Passage", and for great jazz with Bill Frisell, "Going Back Home", and with James Carter, "Coward of the County."

Below are some of my favorites. These aren't pure drum cd's, but have a particularly notable drum/percussion presence.
- Michael Shrieve/David Beal "The Big Picture"
- Billy Cobham "Spectrum" and "Total Eclipse"
- King Crimson "Red" (most anything with Bill Bruford on drums is worth having, but this one is the one I remember the most.
- Blue Man Group "Audio" they have a 10 ft bass drum and drum on all things in sight.
- Steve Tibbets "Exploded View" - no Drum kit - this is more Congas, Tabla based percussion.
- Brand X "Unorthodox Behavior" and "Morrocan Roll". Phil Collins doing great drum work
- Buckethead "Cholma" mellow guitar and great basic drum lines.

Hi Kevine,

For performance of playing you should check out "Romantic Warrior" by Return To Forever. Lenny White's drumming is phenomemnal! The recording is somewhat dense but is still quite good. The bass is also amazing.

Best,

Barry