Five Albums That Inspired Your Playing

I was arranging my record/cd collection yesterday and hit upon some records whose drumming really inspired me. I could think back to copping beats and hitting the woodshed upon hearing them.

1. Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti - Bonzo's Bass Drum, Triplets, hi-hat work and thunderous sound started me on my way.
2. Black Sabbath - Sabotage - Bill Ward came up with some truly unorthodox stuff - like Keith Moon meets Gene Krupa. Still love it.
3. Roxy Music - Siren - Paul Thompson is a very underrated drummer. Great solid work. I learned this whole album.
4. Miles Davis - KInd of Blue - Cobb's ride is hypnotic.
5. Pink Floyd - Animals. Mason's understated pulse is definitely textbook.

What about you?

MT

1. Chick Corea -- The Mad Hatter. Steve Gadd was completely unleashed on this record. His playing on tunes like Humpty Dumpty and Dear Alice opened my mind to the possibilities of linear playing and the application of rudiments on the drum set.

2. Miles Davis -- My Funny Valentine + Four and More: The Complete 1964 Concert. I had listened to Tony Williams before I heard this set, but it was this record that completely blew my mind. I had never heard jazz played like this before. Just endless creativity and spontaneity even at the fastest tempos, a band exploring but never losing the collective meaning of it all. Tony had a way of playing the unexpected, the opposite of "licks."

3. Van Halen -- Van Halen II. I was a huge fan of the band as a kid and so Alex's style crept into my playing. I loved the way he infused a bit of swinging and soul into such hard-rocking performances. Outta Love Again is a favorite; what a snare sound!

4. John Coltrane -- My Favorite Things. Elvin's approach to 3/4 time created an entire style of jazz drumming. His way of breaking up the triplet rhythms between all four limbs and the way he attacked the ride cymbal almost like a swashbuckler goes at his opponent with a sword made a deep impression on me and how I hear jazz time.

5. Rush -- Moving Pictures. From the moment Tom Sawyer hit the airwaves, I was hooked. I studied the drum part to that tune and all the rest, and it taught me about technique, endurance and the creation of a drum part. Neil was so logical. He took a pattern, built on it and played it slightly different when he returned to it later. Nobody could rock in 7/8 like these guys.

Kiss- Alive. I was a huge fan of this when I was a kid. By the time I started playing,I had moved on to other things. I've been revisiting a lot of Kiss these days and I hear lots of little things that I subconsciously copped.

Van Halen- II. Like someone else said OUTTA LOVE AGAIN!!! Great sound and awesome rock drumming.

Led Zeppelin- IV. Probably my favorite drum sound of all time and my favorite rock drummer.

Black Sabbath-Mob Rules. There are are surprising number of Vinny Appice haters out there. He manages to keep this doomy,plodding, AND interesting. No small feat

Rainbow-Long Live Rock and Roll. Cozy was a powerhouse.

Deep Purple - Made In Japan (favorite album as a kid)

AC/DC - Back In Black (easy to practice to and learn steady rhythm)

Nirvana - Nevermind (rekindled my desire to play at a low moment in rock n' roll history)

Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks (took my playing in a new direction...punk)

Van Halen II (This was my favorite band back in the 80's, of course this album is on the list)

...

A love Supreme- Coltrane

Kind of Blue - Miles Davis

Bitches Brew- Miles Davis

Heavy Weather- Weather Report

Royal Scam/Aja- Steely Dan

Live at Fillmore East - Allman Brothers

...

Weird list, but here you go -

Paul Revere and the Raiders - Just Like Us (when I was a kid, my sister got a sort of toy drum set for Christmas one year. "Just Like Me" was the first song I ever played, on her drum set.)

Kiss - Alive

Rush - 2112/All the World's a Stage

Steely Dan - Aja

Sammy Davis Jr w/ Buddy Rich - The Sounds of '66

I've been playing for 9 years or so, but only really got into bands, drummers and whatnot for probably the last 5, so sorry if I don't have the 'classics' haha.

Benny Greb - Brass Band Having played the trombone in primary and high school, this sort of music I can really enjoy. Benny's style of playing really makes the drumming sound fun. He has a big influence on my drum setup and playing style.

Porcupine Tree - In Absentia Gavin's drumming is the other side of the influence pie chart. Partly because of his technique, but also because of his philosophy as a drummer (see 'When to play fills' on the guitar center sessions YouTube Channel).

Liquid Tension Experiment - LTE The album that got me onto Portnoy, and later Dream Theater. The virtuosity of the album as a whole was like nothing I had ever heard, the opening track being a big part in that. ('Universal Mind' just blew mine away) Random fact; I was originally told it was a Joe Satriani album. (the mp3s were also tagged that way...)

Metallica - Symphony and Metallica Yeah, I know it's not a studio recording, but I listened to that SO much. Probably the album that got me into double kick drumming.

James Morrison - Scream Machine This is the Aussie Jazz muso, not the singer. I got this album cause I played Chameleon in the high school stage band - on trombone - and loved the sound of 5 trumpets. David Jones, the drummer has great groove. Probably the first Jazz stuff I really listened to was him playing. Watching him play live is a real treat, too. (16th notes on hihat; using only his left hand w/traditional grip... Just insane.)

The Police: Reggatta De Blanc — completely changed my approach. Sounding alive became way more important than playing parts perfectly.

Porcupine Tree: Nil Recurring — Jesus was thinking of taking up the drums but then heard this album and decided to try a less challenging instrument.

Sausage: Riddles are Abound Tonight — Primus before they were Primus. All slinky and groovy like with Jay Lane on drums.

Stewart Copeland: Rumble Fish Sound Track — The other side of Copeland. Every time I listen to this album, I want to run out and buy a set of crotales.

Rush: A Farewell to Kings — That jam section in the title track still blows my mind.

Brundlefly said:

Porcupine Tree: Nil Recurring — Jesus was thinking of taking up the drums but then heard this album and decided to try a less challenging instrument.

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That is a drumming masterpiece!

2. Metallica - And Justice For All (the double kick in 'One' made me buy my double pedal)

3. Cog - The New Normal (Lucius Borich gets the technical/organic balance perfectly for this prog monster)

4. Opeth - Orchid and Morningrise (technically two albums but they both have such a similar style of drumming that I was able to take a huge amount from)

5. Tool - Aenima (Danny Carey and his hypnotic rhythms)

1. Brand X - Unorthodox Behaviour
2. Police - Regatta be Blanc
3. Weather Report - Heavy Weather
4. Pink Floyd - Dark side of the Moon
5. Dave Brubeck - Greatest Hits

This selection affects my creativity and my music choices. None of these have been selected because of the drummers per se.

Davo

Well my playing is only really beginning, but these are the kickers:

Game Theory - The Roots

?uestlove, and the music itself, is so dirty, stanky funky on this rather ominous album, that I've regularly seen people enjoy their first hip hop song with this album. I sooo wanna play like this.

Oneirology - Cunninlynguists

The grooves on this are beautiful. Kno's production is magnificent. And it's very accessible; even my parents this it's gorgeous music!

Moanin - Art Blakey

Incredible swing and drive. This was my choice out of the 6 recommended albums in Art Of Bop - all of which are big influences right now because John told me to!

Perceptual - Brian Blade

While this is a very good album, it's far from one of my top favourites. But in drumistic terms, it's a great one to pull out - Blade's drumming here just sounds so darn incredible from tone to groove...

Live in Tokyo - Tony Williams

Enough said.


It's very painful to not mention 10!

1. Moving Pictures-Rush (The wonder of technique, and general Neil Peart-ness)
2.Power To Believe-King Crimson(The wonders of syncopation)
3.Dark Side of the Moon-Pink Floyd (The wonders of not playing to much, picking and choosing what you play)
4.Guitar Shop-Jeff Beck (The wonders of pure drumming, aka, I have no idea how to explain this one)
5.Irradiance-Canvas Solaris( Moar syncopation!)

Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (Phil just shreds it up)
King Crimson - Red (bruford is an animal)
Rush - Permanent Waves (worst recording of drums ever, but Neil is starting to show his technical side)
Porcupine Tree - In Absentia (I agree with the above posters, this is a tremendous work)
Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Pictures at an Exhibition (completely opened my eyes to the drum and its' part in music)


F

Florian said:

Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (Phil just shreds it up)
King Crimson - Red (bruford is an animal)
Rush - Permanent Waves (worst recording of drums ever, but Neil is starting to show his technical side)
Porcupine Tree - In Absentia (I agree with the above posters, this is a tremendous work)
Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Pictures at an Exhibition (completely opened my eyes to the drum and its' part in music)


F

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Phil does not get talked about enough. Loved his stuff growing up. He was a big influence on me. Thanks for the reminder.

sticks4drums said:

Phil does not get talked about enough. Loved his stuff growing up. He was a big influence on me. Thanks for the reminder.

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He was a huge part of my aural education....he is truly underrated and is a great drummer.


F

Elton John-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road/Caribou
Boston-Boston/Genesis-Duke(Sorry I had to add it in. Both albums where big to me at about the same time. )
Rush-2112(My favorite album of all time.)
Rush-Hemispheres(La Villa Strangiato, and all of side two)
Alter Bridge-One day Remains(made me realize I needed to have tasteful doubles as part of my arsenal)

Nick Kershaw - The Works. Vinnie shows everyone just how good drumming can be on a pop album. The whole album is a writing masterpiece too, but this fill at 3:15 is just crazy, & pops up out of nowhere http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPUKS6UA500

Sting - Ten Summoner's Tales. Another Vinnie example of the untouchable application of taste in drumming. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=920BnH5bRJk

Simon Phillips - Protocol. The whole album filled with dynamic wonderfulness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H0tm-Hs9qo&feature=related

Toto - Hydra. Jeff, C/W some of the most proliferant muso's ever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D2KKDpg2ac

The Tubes - Completion Backwards Principal. Although by far the most commercial of the Tubes album offerings (the early stuff is so wonderful), it was this album that really got under my drumming skin. Prairie Prince is such an underrated player. IMO, one of the best rock pop players of all time. Huge live presence & entertainment value. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r57OrW1yz00&feature=fvwrel

sticks4drums said:

Elton John-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road/Caribou
Boston-Boston/Genesis-Duke(Sorry I had to add it in. Both albums where big to me at about the same time. )
Rush-2112(My favorite album of all time.)
Rush-Hemispheres(La Villa Strangiato, and all of side two)
Alter Bridge-One day Remains(made me realize I needed to have tasteful doubles as part of my arsenal)

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I'm totally with you on the Yellow Brick Road choice. Nigel is one of my all-time favorites. Non-busy underplaying. Love him.

Also on the topic of Rush, the production on the classic 70s and early 80s stuff seems light years better, warmer than the current snakes and arrows prodcution, which is too sterile and digital.

1. Rush - Moving Pictures
2. Van Halen - 1984
3. Kiss - Love Gun
4. Motley Crue - Shout at the Devil
5. Whitesnake - Whitesnake (1987)

My earliest memories of being inspired to play the drums is me listening to these CD's.
-Best of Led Zeppelin: Volumes 1&2
-Led Zeppelin: How The West Was Won
(these 2 are kind of cheating, but these were the first 2 CD's I got after I started drumming and I was amazed by them)
-Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd
(Once again, cheating, but I still played the crap out of these CD's)
I've since made it my mission to own these albums individually on vinyl, so far I have
Led Zeppelin
-1
-2
-Houses of the Holy
-Physical Graffiti (on cassette tape)
-Presence
-The Song Remains the Same
Pink Floyd
-Dark Side Of the Moon