Underrated Drummers

Pick Withers- Dire Straits

those early Straits albums are much better than the ones with hired drummers because of his classic hi hat works which do stand out .

Carl Riddle- the infamous beat in "Bell Bottom Blues"-- stands out!
 
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Christoph Schneider, the Rammstein drummer, has some pretty powerful chops and doesn't seem to get much mention on this forum.
 
I decided to post here after reading a few different threads for some drummers. There's no such thing as a rating system in music. Music, unlike athletics, is a member of the arts. Unless you're a music student going to school, ratings are nothing but a way to create competition where it does not belong. If you have the basic technical skills of drumming, such as good time, knowing the musical language you're playing within, and decent chops, from there it's all about musicality. Drummers develop reputations based on their playing. Therefor there are no under rated players. Only players who for one reason or another, are not as known as others.
There is a reason for every drummer we all heard of, to be known. Whether its magazine promotion via advertisements, or word of mouth. People at drum companies don't know a thing about music, they know about selling drums. If a drummer has major tours, they will push their products. If a drummer has no tours but has amazing technique and makes a career out of drum clinics, they will also use that drummer to push their products. It's all about marketing to drummers who are not professionals. Professionals who are known do not buy drums. People who buy gear are either students, weekend warriors, amateurs or hobbyists. The marketing involved is why certain drummers become known at NAMM shows and in magazines. It's business. Not music.

If you're a great musician, you will work. Thats all that matters. When you hear about musicians in publications and in music store ads, there's a financial motive behind it. It doesn't mean that those drummers are better. Also, usually if the word of mouth on a drummer is very strong, and that drummer works alot, chances are that drummer is monsterous and musical. Ratings? there are no ratings. If there are no ratings, then how can one be under rated?
 
JazzRock said:
If you have the basic technical skills of drumming, such as good time, knowing the musical language you're playing within, and decent chops, from there it's all about musicality.
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There you go with rating!! The aspects you're listing create a quite large field of rating possibilities.
JazzRock said:
If you're a great musician, you will work.
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And there you go again. If there were no ratings, there were no great and not great musicians. So there is at least a need for rating between great and not great, isn't there?

We've had that discussion, and as MattSmith once mentioned, while there are theoretical and philosophical discussions about good or bad etc, musicians get hired because they are better than others. Leaders and producers don't believe in everybody playing an instrument is equal. It's art, yes, definitely, but some are more sophisticated in it than others.
 
Swiss, you're confused and I guess because your native language is not English, you're probably having a hard time with semantics. In order to play an instrument and make music , you need a certain set of developed skills. This is not rating. It's a fact. You cannot play drums if you can't keep time well. Saying someone is a great musician means that they have the skills needed to work. It's not rating drummers against drummers and comparing them. In the professional world of successful drummers who only play drums for a living, there are certain skills one must have. Listing those skills is not rating. Those skills are either developed, or they are not. There is no possibility for anything else.
Not only that, you are not understanding the premise of this thread, which is drummers being under-rated. An under-rated drummer, in English means drummers who have great skills, and are not known in the drumming community. My point was, there is no rating system, and that there are logical reasons for some players being famous, and others being more behind the scenes. So I say again, by simply saying someone is under-rated, you're beginning a comparison to other players, thus creating competition. Music is not sports. There is no rating in the world of pro musicians. Read my post several times before you post in reply to me, because by your answers I feel that you're not understanding. The only place a rating system applies in music is in school with regards to student musicians who are still learning the basics.
 
Me!

Ok, not really, I'm no good haha.

I'd have to say Jeremy Taggart of Our Lady Peace. I can't say I enjoy much by the band except their first three albums which I've been in love with on and off for the last 7 years, but his playing really suits the music well and he does the occasional choppy fill and jazzy rhythm that I can never seem to get. I don't really hear a whole lot about him, but I really appreciate his playing.
 
Jerry Speiser - Men at Work (back in the 80's). I loved his overplaying! Great fun to listen to.

David Carr - Third Day. Not an overly complex drummer, but fairly musical in his approach. Very solid as well. I steal a lot of his chops.

Fergal Lawler - The Cranberries. Very melodic drummer. I love the colors he creates with his playing. Great fun to mimic.
 
...and just one more thing to mention on this topic...

With the help of youtube, I am amazed by all of the talented drummers out there who have never been a full-time professional drummer. There are a lot of really talented drummers who will never be a "big name" drummer. It really humbles me as a player (weekend hacker) and pushes me to get better.

Good stuff!!
 
JazzRock said:
Swiss, you're confused and I guess because your native language is not English, you're probably having a hard time with semantics. In order to play an instrument and make music , you need a certain set of developed skills. This is not rating. It's a fact. You cannot play drums if you can't keep time well. Saying someone is a great musician means that they have the skills needed to work. It's not rating drummers against drummers and comparing them. In the professional world of successful drummers who only play drums for a living, there are certain skills one must have. Listing those skills is not rating. Those skills are either developed, or they are not. There is no possibility for anything else.
Not only that, you are not understanding the premise of this thread, which is drummers being under-rated. An under-rated drummer, in English means drummers who have great skills, and are not known in the drumming community. My point was, there is no rating system, and that there are logical reasons for some players being famous, and others being more behind the scenes. So I say again, by simply saying someone is under-rated, you're beginning a comparison to other players, thus creating competition. Music is not sports. There is no rating in the world of pro musicians. Read my post several times before you post in reply to me, because by your answers I feel that you're not understanding. The only place a rating system applies in music is in school with regards to student musicians who are still learning the basics.
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Thanks, I think I do understand what you're saying, and I stick to my opinion. I'm also aware of what underrated means.
With those two sentences I marked bold you're contradicting yourself. And again I say, we've had this discussion a lot, music isn't sports of course, but...well, let's have our own opinions.
 
I agree with JazzRock. There are no under rated musicians. I don't see any contradictions in posts actually. Opinions are like a**holes everyone has one. But what JazzRock is saying is fact. Drum students, intermediate and beginning drummers along with those who just dabble, need a measurement of progress. They need to rate themselves against pro's in order to develop so they themselves are able to one day make a living playing music. In the world of pro musicians, there is no rating, and there is no under rating.

Chris McHugh? Are you joking? He's known as the top session drummer in Nashville. How is that being under rated? This is what JazzRock is talking about. Chris is an amazing contemporary drummer, and people who are really into music know about him.
 
I don't think the OP meant underrated among pro-drummers, but rather in a wider public context. Like drummers like Travis Barker tend to be overrated - I've had students who believe he is the best drummer in the world - there are some who deserved a lot more attention and appreciation, thus underrated.
 
I find that the many drummers who are not lauded from the rooftops are talented but have a fairly generic sound and/or approach - not much there that's really obviously identifiable.

You can usually pick Steve Gadd, Ringo, Billy Cobham, Bonzo, Moonie or Bill Bruford immediately - less likely to pick, say, Ritchie Hayward, Will Calhoun, Fran Breen, Ralph Humphrey, Harvey Mason or Michael Shrieve even though they are great players. They also have their idiosyncrasies that no doubt some of you can pick, but they are less obvious.

Having a conventional sound and style is no crime, of course, since the aim of the game is to work with your group's sound and often a fairly standard approach is what works best.
 
One of my recent influences has been the band Can. They were a not so well known band from Germany in the late 60's and throughout the 70's. Their sound is really different I can't think of one band to compare them to. The genre is defined as "Krautrock" and is very experimental mix of improvisational progressive and psychedelic rock with aspects of world music, jazz, blues etc. Anyways the drummer Jaki Liebezeit, is really awesome. He had a backround in freejazz before Can which really shows in the "noisey" parts of the songs but for the most part his drumming is really groovy. Some grooves are really simple but are played so tastefully, some grooves makes me think to myself "what in gods name just happened there" (like the song spoon if you want to check it out) and in alot of songs he adds the most amazing, creative percussion overdubs. The song "Halleluwah" is an 18 minute jam of the juiciest groove I've ever heard with some of the coolest percussion over dubs i've heard since I bought King Crimson - Red 4 years ago. As for vocals they are, for most nothing special, but I have always loved his weird style. In one song he sings and is edited to play backwards and then he sings in Japaneese (his origin) Anyways I thought I would share with you one of my new favourite bands, even though they are over 40 years old and the amazing underrated but more or less undiscovered drumming of Jaki Liebezeit! Here is my favourite song off my favourite album by Can. "Halleluwah -Tago Mago"

This is part one, I suggest listening to both parts if you like it but this is not music for everybody, I like to dig for the unpopular avant-garde music.... it makes me smile :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBVdqjPEZqs
 
Jimmy Miller-- u cant always get what u want.... Charley boy never plays the way Jimmy did, when playing live... the non groovy style... the song is a hit!
 
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