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100 greatest drum beats of all time

Countdown: from Bonham to drum machines

Rhythm Magazine, Tue 21 Apr 2009, 12:19 pm UTC

Love rears ugly head - living colour

70. Love Rears Its Ugly Head – Living Colour

Who played it? Will Calhoun

Where to find it: Time's Up, 1990

Why it's great: Grounded by an eighth-driven hi-hat, Calhoun's rock-solid backbeat and soulful hip-hop flavoured bass drum are melodic siblings to the bass and guitar riff.


Overkill - motorhead

69. Overkill - Motorhead

Who played it? Phil 'Philthy Animal' Taylor

Where to find it: Overkill, 1979

Why it's great: It was Year Zero for thrash metal as Phil Taylor's blistering double bass drum performance, captured here, became the launch pad for the countless metal drummers who were to follow in his footsteps.


Hot fun in the summertime - sly and the family stone

68. Hot Fun In The Summertime - Sly And The Family Stone

Who played it? Gregg Errico

Where to find it: Greatest Hits, 1969

Why it's great: This is a sublime example of keeping the groove in the pocket, Gregg Errico's 6/8 pattern is the bedrock on which the Family Stone build their funky soul.


Suck my kiss – red hot chili peppers

67. Suck My Kiss – Red Hot Chili Peppers

Who played it? Chad Smith

Where to find it: Blood Sugar Sex Magik, 1991

Why it's great: Chad Smith, so often labelled as 'just' a rock drummer, brings the funk to some super tight riff-stabs, decreasing from three to one after each chorus.


Rock around the clock – bill haley his comets

66. Rock Around The Clock – Bill Haley & His Comets

Who played it? Billy Gussak

Where to find it: '20th Century Masters: The Best Of Bill Haley & His Comets (Millennium Collection)', 1999

Why it's great: Gussak's feathered bass drum and distinctive two-bar shuffle on the hoop is highlighted by a sharp snare drum accent on beat four of the second bar.


In the air tonight – phil collins

65. In The Air Tonight – Phil Collins

Who played it? Phil Collins

Where to find it: Face Value, 1981

Why it's great: A Roland drum machine does its work, building tension before Collins launches a thousand imitative air drummers with a cleverly conceived dynamic snare drum entrance.


Jambi - tool

64. Jambi - Tool

Who played it? Danny Carey

Where to find it: 10,000 Days, 2006

Why it's great: Sinister, unpredictable and rock solid – all the things we like about Tool can be applied to Carey's slippery drum beat on this experimental song.


Baba o'riley – the who

63. Baba O'Riley – The Who

Who played it? Keith Moon

Where to fi nd it: Who's Next, 1971

Why it's great: From the lurching tom fill with which he enters to the exuberant snare-led playout, Moon's flamboyance lifts this album opener to another level.


Lapdance - nerd

62. Lapdance - NERD

Who played it? Eric Fawcett

Where to find it: In Search Of…, 2002

Why it's great: Shuffling hi-hats, super economical parts and machine-gun snare fills into wig-out chorus sections add up to a spot-on hip-hop/rock crossover. Pharrell has never sounded cooler than this.


Tom sawyer - rush

61. Tom Sawyer - Rush

Who played it? Neil Peart

Where to find it: Moving Pictures, 1981

Why it's great: Proof that music can be both demanding and commercially successful – rock's finest technician navigates changing time signatures with intricate patterns fl owing one after the other.

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User comments (6)

  • fingerclickingood

    Avatar for fingerclickingood

    40 weeks ago.

    Paolo,
    For a person growing up in Northern Ireland and family involved in the troubles, I am disgusted by your comment. 'Im not a U2 fan; Theres your first mistake, dont comment about a song or a band, if you dont know anything about it or the situation.
    Please think before commenting.

    Mark as inappropriate

  • mickjames

    Avatar for mickjames

    44 weeks ago.

    2 things are true,
    Faith No More are awesome and
    Paolo, you're an idiot.

    Mark as inappropriate

  • aikowolf

    Avatar for aikowolf

    46 weeks ago.

    Paolo,
    maybe you should tell Bono what his song is about them. because it is about a Protest in Northern Ireland that turned Deadly when British Paratroopers opened fire on the crowd and killed 27. SUNDAY 30 JAN 1972
    ever since pretty much been called Bloody Sunday since
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_Bloody_Sunday_(song)
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_(1972)

    Mark as inappropriate

  • Paolo

    Avatar for Paolo

    46 weeks ago.

    Only one issue really and it's not even about the list. The comment regarding Sunday Bloody Sunday is ridiculous and completely inaccurate. I'm not a U2 fan but I know that the song had nothing to do the IRA or the British Army or the Red Army or even Oliver's Army. If you specifically wanted to add in an Irish drummer doing a military drumbeat then Brian Downey's work on Soldier of Fortune would be the only choice. Then again, anything by BD is way ahead of anything Larry could do.

    Mark as inappropriate

  • toneklang

    Avatar for toneklang

    46 weeks ago.

    Dear friends at MusicRadar. I really enjoy this site, but may I say I'm very disappointed about your beatlist...:-) I'm searching everywhere for the 'Amen break' by the Winstons. The legendary beat thats been used by almost every sampler all over the world, that is so famous it's got its own wikisite is missing!!!? There must be some mistake. To much sting and AC/DC for my taste but otherwise a fun list to browse through.
    Søren

    Mark as inappropriate

  • distaudio

    Avatar for distaudio

    46 weeks ago.

    You guys should do a similar thing for Greatest Bass lines.
    Glad to see Queens Of the Stone Ages "No one knows" Dave Grohl has some chops.
    Faith No More too, Puffy is god.

    Mark as inappropriate

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