Most Under-rated Drummers

Dill X

Pioneer Member
I know that most of us on here love to talk about those amazing and technical drumming masters, but what about those drummers who rarely get noticed. I'm talking about the drummers that have a solid back beat with a few minor fills throughout the whole song. These drummers are all about keeping the solid time and accenting the perfect parts of the song. When you listen to this drummers you can't help to tap along with your foot but yet it's just so simple as if their holding back.

The drummers I'm trying to highlight in this thread are those that seem help back by the music they play. You know that they could probably tear up on the drumset, but they'd rather take the job of the back beat and let the music flow from the rest of the group as a whole.

Guys like: Will Champion from Coldplay, Larry Mullin Jr. from U2, Fab Morretti of The Strokes, and Rob Bourdin (sp?) from Linkin Park.

These guys are all under-rated drummers who don't get the respect they deserve.

Who else do you think is an under-rated drummer?
 
Dominic howard, Muse nobody really seems to give him the credit he deserves...

Listen to songs like Butterflies and Hurricanes and Hyper music to see what i mean...
 
Patrick Wilson from Weezer is very under-rated, a lot of people think that he sucks, but ive seen them live a couple of times, and when he plays songs live he adds more complex drum fills

But dill X, back to what u said about larry mullen jr. i think that guy has to be pretty good, the stuff he plays on U2 albums is nothing special, but wasnt he tought by somebody who was considered to be the best drummer out of ireland? he has to be some what of a monster on the set.
 
JW89 said:
But dill X, back to what u said about larry mullen jr. i think that guy has to be pretty good, the stuff he plays on U2 albums is nothing special, but wasnt he tought by somebody who was considered to be the best drummer out of ireland? he has to be some what of a monster on the set.

I know, that's the whole point of thread. It's all about those drummers who are probably amazing but never get a chance to really shine because of the music they play. I've heard old material of Larry Mullin Jr. on the radio when U2 was just starting and he was just tearing it up on the kit.
 
thats what sucks, too many people judge drummers on what they do in the recordings for their bands. There are a lot of insane drummers out there, but they arent in bands that call for it.
 
JW89 said:
thats what sucks, too many people judge drummers on what they do in the recordings for their bands. There are a lot of insane drummers out there, but they arent in bands that call for it.

I personally think that if you're good it shows through anyway. Look at Matt Chamberlain's stuff with Tori Amos, particularly the live version of "Bells for Her". Almost nothing there, just a shaker, some bongos and the occasional backbeat in the chorus. But just try to play all that snare ghosting that appears every now and again - that's tricky stuff to get clean and tight, especially without a hi-hat or ride cymbal to cover up your mistakes.
 
forgot about phil selway, i think that guy is fantastic, he just never gets noticed, some of the beats he plays are great like in creep and climbing up the walls, they may be really simple but they're what you remember the songs for...

I also think mike portnoy is underrated as not many people actually know who he is (i also know that there is a thread dedicated to him) but thats just my opinion...
 
I would like to add that Jeff Porcaro is underrated too, even though he gets a lot of press from drummers. He's a drummer's drummer, but outside of drummers most people don't know his work.

Jeff Porcaro Discography
 
I'll have to check out the Tori Amos stuff. Everytime I've sampled it, I couldn't get into her music. I guess I can listen just for the drums.
 
boris williams, formerly of the cure. his drum beats are easy to play but most of them are unique.
 
I know Matt Sorum can tear the kit appart, but is very reserved when playing in GNR, Slashes Snake Pit, on Velvet Rovolver...
 
Stu_Strib said:
I'll have to check out the Tori Amos stuff. Everytime I've sampled it, I couldn't get into her music. I guess I can listen just for the drums.

I know what you mean, I got a video just to watch Matt play and wanted to kill that bloody woman after about five minutes. But on the other hand she's a very good singer, and the musicianship is top-notch all over. I can't really cope with any of the albums other than Choirgirl, but the live CD is astonishing.

Good drum songs to check out from the Choirgirl album:

* Liquid Diamonds (drum machine + very intricate live overdub)
* Hotel (Everything... the song's a mess, but there's heaps going on)
* She's Your Cocaine (for a very live drum sound for a change)
* Iieee (just for the loop, it's really cool)

Good live tracks:

* Space Dog (for groove and snare drum playing)
* Cruel (for aggressive stuff)
* Bells for Her (for minimalism)
* Cornflake Girl (for an awesome shuffle)
 
stagecustom said:
wow very very very lucky

I'm not feeling quite so lucky, I was talking to the editor of the local drum mag about setting me up an interview with ?uestlove. She was keen but the promoters came back and said they weren't allowing any interviews for anybody this tour. Bummer.

But still, I get to go see The Roots tonight. So I'm not exactly down. I saw them last time they were over here, they're one hard-working band - they played for so long that the car park closed and I had to catch the bus half way home and walk the other half! None of this 45-minute set nonsense you see from some bands, they did easily 2.5 hours ... maybe more.

Also, ?uestlove is just great. I love his approach, so funky and so deceptively simple sounding, yet so unique.
 
thats cool man, sorry you didnt get to meet him I would be pretty bummed also.

How did you get in touch with the editor of a drum magazine?
 
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