OK I'd like to say a few things. First of all I'm sick of "who's the best" anythings in music. What is the competition? Seriously? It's the most circular pointless discussion. At the end of the day Meg White who you've all heard of is raking in checks for her playing because it fits their wack ass tunes but Ted Poor who I'm willing to bet no one here has heard of, yet is absolutely one of, if not the most, proficient and musical drummer alive, struggles to eat while playing a gig every night in NYC. What it comes down to is who is the best for what they do? John Bonham is the best drummer. For Led Zeppelin. Keith Moon is the best drummer. For The Who. Ginger Baker is the best drummer. For Cream. Neil Peart is the best drummer. For Rush. And finally you guessed it, Danny Carey is the best drummer.... for Tool.
There is good reason all these bands are epicly famous. They had the right person for their own unique sound. Someone here said "Neil Peart plays too many fills..." well, in just about every city in the country 25,000 people will pay 80 bucks just to see Neil Peart play too many fills. Just like the same number will pay whatever to see Meg White play sloppy as **** and probably wouldn't have it any other way.
I'm guilty of this too because I posted on this page earlier... but for anyone to say that they know who the best drummer is, is to say that they are an authority on all of music, defining what is good and what is bad, and then what a good drummer ought to be to suit that. We can talk about our opinions but the tone of authority and certainty people argue with on this page is hilarious. The beauty of music is that its not competitive and the more people argue about "who the best drummer" is, the more bull**** technique will overtake musical honesty.
Look at Ringo. (And yes I know John and Paul played on a bunch of tunes but still...) The dude was super sloppy and his chops were non-existent. But his choices were immaculate. And he is part of the reason The Beatles are what they are and will always be remembered as. Not to mention the entire generation of drummers he inspired.
So after all that I apologize because there is plenty of intelligent discussion going on here... The point I'm trying to make is just that I think the notion of a "best" drummer or guitar player or whatever existing is ridiculous and I know we can humbly talk about what we like and dislike about our favorite musicians without that assumption.
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"Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God." -Bockonon-
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