Drummers' albums

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I'm looking for records that are known for great drums, don't have to be flashy, two examples that come to mind: Court and Spark (can't remember drummer's name), and Some Girls. Thanks in advance!

― iago g., Sunday, 6 May 2007 18:54 (eighteen years ago)

You can't really go wrong with Don Caballero.

― MacDara, Sunday, 6 May 2007 19:06 (eighteen years ago)

Glen Velez: Handdance & Internal Combustion

― libcrypt, Sunday, 6 May 2007 22:22 (eighteen years ago)

A guy who went to Berklee School of Music was telling me about his freshmen roommate, a drummer, who was always playing one of the Peter Gaberiel albums. I don't know which one, but apparently there aren't any cymbals. He kept make people listen to it with him, and kept annoucing, "See, listen to that....no metal..."

Also, didn't the first Throwing Muses drummer not use *metal*?

The A Frames write their songs starting with drums. I think it really comes through in the music.

― bendy, Sunday, 6 May 2007 22:24 (eighteen years ago)

macdara OTM

― cutty, Sunday, 6 May 2007 22:26 (eighteen years ago)

I might not be a typical drummer in this regard, but I always think Neil Young's Harvest and On The Beach both have fantastic drums.

― Hurting 2, Sunday, 6 May 2007 22:28 (eighteen years ago)

weezer's Pinkerton is often praised for its raw, powerful drum sound, and I have to agree.

― St3ve Go1db3rg, Sunday, 6 May 2007 22:31 (eighteen years ago)

Other favorites:

Steely Dan - Aja (Steve Gadd and other fine studio players)
Joni Mitchell - Hissing of Summer Lawns
Yes - Close to the Edge (or anything else with Bill Bruford)
Sam Prekop - s/t (Chad Taylor on drums)

― Hurting 2, Sunday, 6 May 2007 22:35 (eighteen years ago)

Max Roach - We Insist! The Freedom Now Suite

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Sunday, 6 May 2007 22:42 (eighteen years ago)

Don't even get me started on jazz records.

― Hurting 2, Sunday, 6 May 2007 22:44 (eighteen years ago)

Christian Vander - Korusz. Double CD of drum solos from famed Magma mainman! Listen to THAT and tell me you like drums. Even I only made it through the once, and I paid £12.99 for it.

Also, Reign In Blood.

― Matt #2, Sunday, 6 May 2007 22:46 (eighteen years ago)

regatta de blanc (or almost any police album, but that's the one where i think copeland really figured out what he was doing.)

― tipsy mothra, Sunday, 6 May 2007 22:52 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, that's a good one. He overdubbed some of the parts though, right? (not that there's anything wrong with that, but it can drive a drummer crazy trying to figure out how to play Copeland's parts)

― Hurting 2, Sunday, 6 May 2007 22:55 (eighteen years ago)

hurting please share with us your favorite jazz drummer records?

― cutty, Sunday, 6 May 2007 23:57 (eighteen years ago)

"drummers' records" i mean

― cutty, Sunday, 6 May 2007 23:57 (eighteen years ago)

My thread title was rather infelicitously phrased, I should've said "Records known amongst cognoscenti for not necessarily showy, but really fine drumming". Thanks for all the great responses!

― iago g., Monday, 7 May 2007 00:05 (eighteen years ago)

One drummer I know says that he thinks the drums on Rubber Soul and Abbey Road are nearly perfect.

― Nathan, Monday, 7 May 2007 00:21 (eighteen years ago)

i would say the mahavishnu records but mclaughlin makes them pretty unlistenable

― cutty, Monday, 7 May 2007 00:27 (eighteen years ago)

I think I'm gonna check out this album pretty soon.

― James Redd and the Blecchs, Monday, 7 May 2007 00:28 (eighteen years ago)

Gabriel's fourth album (Security) has no cymbals.

― Mark Rich@rdson, Monday, 7 May 2007 00:29 (eighteen years ago)

Not even hi-hat?

― sonderangerbot, Monday, 7 May 2007 00:32 (eighteen years ago)

One drummer I know says that he thinks the drums on Rubber Soul and Abbey Road are nearly perfect.

I would agree with this. I've listened to the Beatles records for so long and from so many angles that lately I've just been listening to them for the drumming.

My own perfect drummer's album would be Double Nickels on the Dime. I think George Hurley is the most underappreciated drummer of the last 25 years.

― Rock Hardy, Monday, 7 May 2007 00:41 (eighteen years ago)

Great! Thanks all

― iago g., Monday, 7 May 2007 00:51 (eighteen years ago)

Poking around I see that Gabriel III has no cymbals either.

― Mark Rich@rdson, Monday, 7 May 2007 00:59 (eighteen years ago)

Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Live in Stockholm

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Monday, 7 May 2007 01:01 (eighteen years ago)

Rubber Soul - yes! I've often come to agreement with other drummers that the drum part on "In My Life" is one of the best ever.

Jazz records are hard to pick - for example I could say almost any John Coltrane Quartet record with Elvin Jones. I guess Transition is particularly impressive, as is Love Supreme. My Favorite Things is killer, especially the solo on "Summertime." Any Tony Williams-era Miles record too, though I really like the way he plays on the Plugged Nickel sessions and on parts of Water Babies.

Yeah, certainly Mahavishnu records with Billy Cobham. Weather Report pretty much always had great drumming too whoever was on the kit, though I can only stand to listen to the pre-Jaco ones.

Miles Davis - Milestones is a favorite. Probably best work Philly Joe ever did, especially the brushes on Billy Boy.

I love listening to Paul Motian on the Bill Evans Village Vanguard sessions.

Roy Haynes is mind-exploding on Chick Corea's "Now He Sings Now He Sobs" but he's great on almost everything.

Frankie Dunlop's drumming on Monk's Dream.

The drumming on the Miles Davis Cellar Door stuff is amazing.

Ornette Coleman - Free Jazz -- Blackwell AND Higgins

Max Roach - Drums Unlimited (mostly for the solo pieces)

Herbie Hancock - Headhunters, but Mike Clark is also great on Thrust

anything with Hamid Drake

― Hurting 2, Monday, 7 May 2007 03:22 (eighteen years ago)

Dannie Richmond was always really inventive playing with Charlie Mingus. Didn't Mingus dictate many of Richmond's pats?

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Monday, 7 May 2007 03:39 (eighteen years ago)

...or his parts for that matter?

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Monday, 7 May 2007 03:39 (eighteen years ago)

I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me - it wasn't unusual for big band arrangements to include written "hits" that would be accented on the snare, kick or crash, and it wouldn't surprise me if Mingus composed in a similar way.

― Hurting 2, Monday, 7 May 2007 04:20 (eighteen years ago)

Han Bennink's drumming is pretty amazing on that Mohammed Jimmy Mohammed record he guested on. Thanks to Hurting for hipping me to it.

― James Redd and the Blecchs, Monday, 7 May 2007 04:56 (eighteen years ago)

Chaos AD by Sepultura. Stabbing Westward's Ungod, though mostly the song Violent Mood Swings (and to be accurate, the awesome drum sounds are the single decent thing about that album). Dr. John's Gris Gris has really surprisingly intricate drum parts mixed way down and to the back. The quality of 'em isn't surprising once you realize that it's the Meters doing congo work behind him, but where they're placed and how they're recorded is kinda interesting too.
And of course there's always Jean-Paul Kernec's Best of Hifi Drums...

― I eat cannibals, Monday, 7 May 2007 06:27 (eighteen years ago)

David Axelrod - Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience

― Hurting 2, Monday, 7 May 2007 06:34 (eighteen years ago)

there's also kenny aronoff on scarecrow, a nice example of a straight-ahead rock record given extra dimensions by a drummer. he taps into and amplifies the r&b influences in mellancamp's music (and "r.o.c.k." notwithstanding, he's more memphis than motown).

― tipsy mothra, Monday, 7 May 2007 06:51 (eighteen years ago)

I think George Hurley is the most underappreciated drummer of the last 25 years.

I'd second that. But I haven't yet heard any of his stuff with The Red Krayola.

― MacDara, Monday, 7 May 2007 08:17 (eighteen years ago)

I really like what Matt Tong gets up to on the first Bloc Party album.

― j-rock, Monday, 7 May 2007 11:48 (eighteen years ago)

If it's rock drums that go the distance, pretty much any of the Mahavishnu Orchestra albums (except maybe Apocalypse) and related (Billy Cobham's Spectrum, etc.), Shakti (for killer telepathic Indian music beats; try Natural Elements), maybe try Gong's Gazeuse!, solo Bill Bruford, Can/Jaki Liebezeit...and of course, Magma/Christian Vander (and nowadays Tatsuya Yoshida/Ruins)

― Joe, Monday, 7 May 2007 13:27 (eighteen years ago)

jack dejohnette on miles davis' On The Corner -- on the one

basically tony williams on anything -- master of the cymbals

tony thompson on the chic records -- he's not up in your face so they may not qualify as "drummers albums" but everything proceeds from the beat -- master of the funky 4/4 -- try Take It Off for knotty rhythms

― m coleman, Monday, 7 May 2007 13:39 (eighteen years ago)

Pretty much any Steely Dan record will fit the definition of what the original poster is looking for as they always used top studio drummers (and used them well).

― Hurting 2, Monday, 7 May 2007 13:43 (eighteen years ago)

Deep Purple-Burn and Made In Japan. I have a couple of buddies who are drummers who think these albums of biblical importance when it comes to drumming.

― Bill Magill, Monday, 7 May 2007 13:45 (eighteen years ago)

listening to steely dan for the drums ok whatever

you want R&R ? detroit legend johnny "bee" bandajak is yr man. in comparison charlie watts is a wimp.

http://media.bestprices.com/pop/cov200/drd500/d556/d55637iq61b.jpg

― m coleman, Monday, 7 May 2007 13:54 (eighteen years ago)

James Lo on the Chavez records
"To Everybody" by 90 Day Men is a total drummer's album.
Trans Am records have great, very minimal drumming.

― call all destroyer, Monday, 7 May 2007 13:59 (eighteen years ago)

The greatest drummer of all time (for my ears) is Ziggy Modeliste of The Meters. So, probably Cabbage Alley or Look-A-Py-Py.

― Oilyrags, Monday, 7 May 2007 14:07 (eighteen years ago)

The original poster said this:

My thread title was rather infelicitously phrased, I should've said "Records known amongst cognoscenti for not necessarily showy, but really fine drumming"

Steely Dan records very much fit that definition.

― Hurting 2, Monday, 7 May 2007 14:09 (eighteen years ago)

I have to be honest. I never once considered The Police to be of any interest, after all Sting is pretty horrible, but I tried downloading the title track on "Regatta de Blanc" and it was shocking good! In drumming ways not least, I had no idea. Funny how you spend so much time methodically searching for new music and then something like this just hits you... Aaaanyways nice thread this here though no one seems to speak about the same thing. To me Billy Ficca in Television could be the definition of not flashy, but really fine drumming.

― sonderangerbot, Monday, 7 May 2007 21:31 (eighteen years ago)

Kenny Aronoff's drumming on John Cougar Mellencamp's Uh-Huh fits the bill. Great rock drumming, but not showy - don't expect drum solos.

― o. nate, Monday, 7 May 2007 21:36 (eighteen years ago)

Ah, I see someone already mentioned Aronoff. Well, consider him seconded.

― o. nate, Monday, 7 May 2007 21:38 (eighteen years ago)

i learned how to play drums from listening to sara lund on unwound lps and george hurley on double nickels and what makes a man start fires? drumming that's been catching my attention lately is the stuff on this heat-deceit

― earth mystery, Monday, 7 May 2007 22:20 (eighteen years ago)

I've always though Spoon's Jim Eno was a damn fine, economical drummer.

― Binjominia, Monday, 7 May 2007 22:32 (eighteen years ago)

and you are absolutely correct

― cutty, Monday, 7 May 2007 22:43 (eighteen years ago)

anything with al jackson (any and all otis redding records, sam & dave, eddie floyd, some al green)

and i was going to suggest anything with keith moon, but he wasn't a drummer. he was a lead percussionist.

― Lawrence the Looter, Monday, 7 May 2007 22:57 (eighteen years ago)

nassau by the sea and cake. mcentire's in fine form on that one. and the who sell out too

― kamerad, Monday, 7 May 2007 23:54 (eighteen years ago)

oh shit, every tortoise record is drummer boner time

― cutty, Monday, 7 May 2007 23:56 (eighteen years ago)

o. didn't read the question carefully. those are flashy drumming records. still good though

― kamerad, Monday, 7 May 2007 23:56 (eighteen years ago)

can't wait for bumps

http://www.myspace.com/bumpsbreaks

― cutty, Monday, 7 May 2007 23:56 (eighteen years ago)

Anything by The Who, or Jeff Porcaro-era Toto.

― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 00:15 (eighteen years ago)

Smokey Johnson - It Ain't My Fault

fantastic New Orleans Funk/Soul drummer from the sixties. he's got amazing flow and makes it all sound so eeeeeasy.
and i'll second the Meters and the A Frames.

― Fetchboy, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 00:27 (eighteen years ago)

If we're talking decidedly non-flashy, then I have to go with

The Band - s/t
Fleetwood Mac - s/t
Dead - Europe '72
CCR - anything
ZZ Top - Tres Hombres

In addition all of these records have good drum *sound*, which is a total rarity these days.

― Johnny Hotcox, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 00:32 (eighteen years ago)

Hella
The Ladies

and I 2nd Bruford. Even his genesis stuff

― CaptainLorax, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 00:41 (eighteen years ago)

The drumming on Blonde Redhead's Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons is great. Nothing impossible to play, just hypnotic, locking grooves that manage to be interesting without being overpowering or distracting.

― Z S, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 02:41 (eighteen years ago)

Seconded

― Hurting 2, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 02:46 (eighteen years ago)

I second Hella.

― Belisarius, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 02:57 (eighteen years ago)

Confession: I can't stand to listen to most Hella.

― Hurting 2, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 02:57 (eighteen years ago)

Get one Tito Puente record.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1MX9sMLSO0

― leavethecapital, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 03:26 (eighteen years ago)

tarentel: we move through water. just this album though (maybe paper white and black box also), not the earlier records (which I prefer actually)

― akm, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 04:02 (eighteen years ago)

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