Over Rated Drummers? Who's yours?

[NPYYZ]

So I was just browsing the "Famous Drummers" Thread and I got this idea. Please lets keep this respectful and not turn it into a big pissing match. There are many famous drummers that are considered by the masses to be "Great" Charlie Watts , Ringo , Bonham , Keith Moon always seem to be a few that get shot down as not being as "Great" as the world thinks they are. So who is your over rated drummer? Who is the one drummer with a ton of success that you listen to and say , "I don't get it" why is everyone praising this guy? How has he reached "Legend" status?


For me it's Mick Fleetwood. I've heard his recordings , I've seen him live , actually walked out 1/4 of the way through the show. This guy just does not impress me at all. If I had to describe him with one word it would be "Snoozefest" He's considered a legend by many in the drumming world , I don't see it or hear it.

Now while we are at it tell us who that one drummer is that really impresses you , a guy that you put on the top of the Great Drummers list. For me this guy would be Steve Smith. I watch Steve play and I'm just blow away by the level of control , speed , precision and over all skill he possesses. He's been around for a long time and always at the top of his game , very deserving of Legend status in my book.

[rickthedrummer]

1st) I don't use the word great anymore because it gets thrown around so much that it ceases to have relevant meaning. When I look back over 62 years of playing and having been lucky enough to have seen a lot of the drummers that were still playing in the '60's and '70's and a few that were still banging away in the'80's. The last truly "great" drummers that passed were Shawn and Louie and Joe. The epitome of "truly great" drummers died 32 years ago, and that was Buddy.

On to your question. Literally all of the drummers playing or having played in the last 40+ years are overrated, but, if I had to pick 1, it would be Ringo. He's considered great because of the beatles (who were not great) who went from "I Want To Hold Your Hand" to "I Am The Walrus". You become a walrus when you spend too much time in the mushroom patch.

Probably not what you had in mind, but that's my pick.

[drummer]

Always a fun topic but unfortunately this type of thread usually gets shut down because, like politics and religion, people get upset and it turns out to be a pissing match regardless. We'll try and keep it open but please everyone, keep it diplomatic.

Here's my 2 cents: People have different ideas on what "great drummer" means. For many, it's the chops and technique, for others it's popularity and that drummer's role in music history and for some it's groove or the style of the individual that makes them great. A great example is Ringo Starr. Some rightfully ask, could the chops guys have thought to play some of the legendary drum beats that Ringo came up with for the Beatles songs? I don't know the answer but the compilation of hits and notoriety of those beats make him one of the drummer greats in many musician's eyes.

Underrated drummers? Bill Berg of Flim and the BB's comes to mind. He never got enough press in my opinion. The man is a beast!

[NPYYZ]

Darn Rick I just sprayed my coffee all over the place when I read Mushroom patch. Hilarious.

[drummer]

Darn Rick I just sprayed my coffee all over the place when I read Mushroom patch. Hilarious.

Yeah, that was pretty funny!

[Jack Keck]

1st) I don't use the word great anymore because it gets thrown around so much that it ceases to have relevant meaning. When I look back over 62 years of playing and having been lucky enough to have seen a lot of the drummers that were still playing in the '60's and '70's and a few that were still banging away in the'80's. The last truly "great" drummers that passed were Shawn and Louie and Joe. The epitome of "truly great" drummers died 32 years ago, and that was Buddy.

On to your question. Literally all of the drummers playing or having played in the last 40+ years are overrated, but, if I had to pick 1, it would be Ringo. He's considered great because of the beatles (who were not great) who went from "I Want To Hold Your Hand" to "I Am The Walrus". You become a walrus when you spend too much time in the mushroom patch.

Probably not what you had in mind, but that's my pick.

There is no way that I can respond with intelligent answers to the OP. I was blessed to see Buddy Rich once. Generally speaking, jazz drummers impress me more than rock drummers. The only reason I am responding is that, while I agree with this post about the Beatles, my son, who does not listen to much music other than metal, believes that Ringo or was the most talented member of the Beatles. I certainly acknowledge and appreciate what the Beatles did for pop music, I don't care to listen to much of their music anymore. Their songs are like period pieces to me.

[MDK]

While I appreciate the chops of the guys of yester year thank god that big band style faded out. That music IMO is just plain boring, and repetitious but then I guess people who like that style feel the same about my favorite genre. I think Buddy had some great chops but I never seen him groove and his style of playing never made me want to move and obviously a lot of other people either. I personally think Gene Krupa was a much better drummer and person. For over rated I cannot really say as they are pretty much all better than me because IMO not only is drumming a matter of chops, but IMO a huge part that people over look is the ability to create out of thin air. Yeah great chops but that 64th note paradiddle diddle would have killed just about every hit the Beatles wrote. If I had to pick one I would say Keith Moon but I just don't like his style of playing. I do remember trying to learn one of his songs a few years back and damn it was much much tougher than it sounded. Dont think I ever quite got it.

[rickthedrummer]

Darn Rick I just sprayed my coffee all over the place when I read Mushroom patch. Hilarious.

Yeah, that was pretty funny!

......................................and true. You don't become a walrus without a little outside help.

I'm not going to say anything more about certain drummers, but I will say this, if, back in the day, they offered me $5K a night to play with the beatles, and $500 a night to play with the Stones, I would have been with the Stones.

As for underrated drummers Pick Withers with Dire Straits gets my vote.

[inthpktplayer]

Alex Van Halen

[SpazApproved]

Lars Ulrich

[BigFatDrummer]

Lars Ulrich

+1

[gdmoore28]

I can feel the incredulity mounting even before I tell this story, but I swear that every word is true.

The first time I heard Rush on the radio (later learned the song was Tom Sawyer) I was still a farmer and was returning from a trip to the John Deere dealership for parts. When the song started, my ears perked up like my Chihuahua when she's call for dinner. I heard some Yes influences in the song, so that immediately won me over, and when I discerned a Rickenbacker bass guitar carrying the tune, I was hooked. Geddy Lee's voice made me wince, but I could live with it.

When the song was over, (I kid you not one bit) I remember saying out loud to myself, "If these guys had a different drummer, they could be BIG!" I saw Peart's style as overbearing, rigid, and uninspired. He sounded as if were trying to imitate the style of Steve Huston, the drummer for Head East (a band I absolutely hated but tolerated because of their first vocalist, Greg Schlitt, who later became the vocalist for Petra). That Peart would later become known as "The Professor" and "The Greatest Drummer in the World" would have left me shaking my head and mumbling indiscernable proclamations rich in profanities. My mind hasn't changed since back then, even though I've tried (really hard) to appreciate Peart's drum stylings. Instead, I've come to admire the upstanding and dedicated men that they are. Good people.

The World's Greatest Drummer? Even though I'm glad that I never knew or lived next door to his demon personality - Buddy Rich, no ifs or buts about it. There are drummers out there that have learned Buddy's styles and tricks, but none of them can bring 5% of his attitude and incomparable playing.

GeeDeeEmm

[nubdrummer]

It occurs to me that people are misunderstanding the premise here somewhat. For someone to be "over" rated I would think that they have to be highly rated to begin with by most people, but then some people think their ability doesn't warrant that high rating. Therefore someone like Lars, who seems to get bashed more often than not, couldn't be "over" rated. IMHO of course.

[NPYYZ]

Alex Van Halen

I actually think Alex is underrated. I recently watched a free concert Van Halen did a while back on You tube. Alex was rock solid it.

[slinky]

the same names are going to pop up. it's not their fault .. wish i had the same problem

[nubdrummer]

I actually think Alex is underrated. I recently watched a free concert Van Halen did a while back on You tube. Alex was rock solid it.

I agree.

[pastor_bob]

My choice for overrated drummer would be . . . me. I suck, and that's still overrated.

I think "overrated" could be most "lengendary" drummers that have been with a single band. It's really hard to say whether the drummer made the band, or the band made the drummer. Could a drummer that is famously associated with one band be just as successful with another band, or did they simply find the right band for their style of playing? "Best ever" gets thrown around so easily, with no really way to establish the true credentials. This not to downplay whether a drummer is really good, as there are certainly plenty of pro drummers in that category.

Just me 2 cents.

[gdmoore28]

I think Buddy had some great chops but I never seen him groove and his style of playing never made me want to move and obviously a lot of other people either..

You know, a few months ago, the same thought crossed my mind concerning my all-time drum hero. Could he have competed with the funk/rock/soul/pop styles that supplanted his once wildly popular big band/swing/jazz music?

That question was quickly answered a few days later when I ran across his band's performance of Birdland. Could Buddy have played in styles that "make me want to move?" I think the video answers the question with a resounding "YES!"

GeeDeeEmm

[Bridie]

Hi,
Since he recently passed away, I’ve watched Ginger Baker quite a lot ..
He was an interesting player to watch but not my cup of tea and I just don’t get why he is up there...
:-)
Spooky

[gdmoore28]

Hi,
Since he recently passed away, I’ve watched Ginger Baker quite a lot ..
He was an interesting player to watch but not my cup of tea and I just don’t get why he is up there...
:-)
Spooky

Agree 100%. He was great at exploiting the primitive beats of rock and roll - but so were hundreds of other drummers. If he'd never landed the gig with Clapton, I'm quite convinced that we would have never heard of him.

GeeDeeEmm

[rickthedrummer]

I was going to say that but figured I would get a lot of BS.

Outside of some double bass, I never heard him do 1 thing that I could not do when I was 16.

There are and were a lot of people out there that have or had reputations they didn't deserve.