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21 greatest drum intros

By Stuart Williams, Drum Expo 2014, Chris Barnes
published 12 September 2014

Featuring U2, Rainbow, Benny Goodman Orchestra and more

Intro
21 greatest drum intros
(Image credit: Neal Preston/Corbis)

Intro

DRUM EXPO 2014: As drummers, nothing excites us more than a band opening up a song with a killer drum intro. From Toto's Rosanna to Iggy Pop's Lust For Life, there are so many examples of great drum intros we simply had to pull together this list of our favourites.

But what defines a great drum intro? It's subjective but, for the purposes of this feature, a great drum intro is something that's instantly recognisable and considered a drum 'riff' or key motif in the song. A great drum intro can also be musically and technically brilliant, or simple yet iconic. The really great drum intros have all of those elements.

Rhythm magazine are joining in on the greatest drum intros fun by launching a poll so that you can help them decide what is the greatest drum intro ever! You can find details of the poll at the end of this feature - make sure you vote.

For now, things are about to get real 'fiery' as we walk you through our picks for the 21 greatest drum intros...

Page 1 of 23
Page 1 of 23
Fireball - Deep Purple
Drummer: Ian Paice
(Image credit: Dmitry Golubovich/ZUMA Press/Corbis)

Fireball - Deep Purple

On this 1971 classic, Ian Paice lights some fires of his own with a heart pounding eight-bar drum solo. Kicking off with a single stroke double kick pattern and some syncopated snare drum hits, before one of Ian's signature single-stroke rolls, played as sixteenth notes and clocking in at 240bpm, brings in the rest of the band.

Page 2 of 23
Page 2 of 23
Sing, Sing, Sing - Benny Goodman Orchestra
Drummer: Gene Krupa
(Image credit: Bettmann/CORBIS)

Sing, Sing, Sing - Benny Goodman Orchestra

Nearly 80 years after Gene Krupa played the opening bars, his intro to Benny Goodman’s version of Louis Prima's Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing) remains the archetypal big band tom pattern. The alternating accents march the tune along, making it a must-learn for budding jazzers.

Page 3 of 23
Page 3 of 23
Dr Feelgood - Mötley Crüe
Drummer: Tommy Lee
(Image credit: ETTORE FERRARI/ANSA/Corbis)

Dr Feelgood - Mötley Crüe

Tommy Lee kicks off the title track of the LA hellraisers' 1989 album with a stunning groove, hooking headbangers in with open hats on the ‘and’ of 1 and on beat 3, while the kick drum bounces along with Nikki Sixx’s rumbling bass line.

Page 4 of 23
Page 4 of 23
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Drummer: Stevie Wonder
(Image credit: Neal Preston/Corbis)

Superstition - Stevie Wonder

Few people are aware that Stevie was the talent keeping it loose and funky behind the drums on this 1972 smash. Switching between straight and swung feel, it's the organic nature of the beat that makes it so hard to replicate, as well as the right hand chops you'll need to keep the shuffle going on the hats.

Page 5 of 23
Page 5 of 23
You Could Be Mine - Guns N' Roses
Drummer: Matt Sorum
(Image credit: Paul A. Hebert/Press Line Photos/Splash News/Corbis)

You Could Be Mine - Guns N' Roses

Semiquavers played between the bass drum, toms and snare kick off Matt Sorum's most famous drum part before he busts out a classic punk dum-dum-cha-da-da-dum-dum-cha beat. Learn it, then get a tiny motorbike and pretend you're being chased by a robot from the future.

Page 6 of 23
Page 6 of 23
Two Princes - Spin Doctors
Drummer: Aaron Comess
(Image credit: Amy Harris/Corbis)

Two Princes - Spin Doctors

If you're only going to be mostly remembered for one track, it's best to make it a corker like Two Princes. Aaron Comess' precision, Gadd-esque snare drum intro is a thing of percussive beauty with subtle ghost notes and a thumping kick drum pattern.

Page 7 of 23
Page 7 of 23
Lust For Life - Iggy Pop
Drummer: Hunt Sales
(Image credit: Simone Cecchetti/Corbis)

Lust For Life - Iggy Pop

Who'd have thought the lizard-like godfather of punk would have his biggest hit shaped by Motown? Lust For Life borrows its famous beat intro from The Supremes' You Can’t Hurry Love. Regardless, the stomp and feel is all Hunt's.

The same beat has since been recycled by Jet on Are You Gonna Be My Girl.

Page 8 of 23
Page 8 of 23
Painkiller - Judas Priest
Drummer: Scott Travis
(Image credit: josi/Demotix/Corbis)

Painkiller - Judas Priest

The 1990 arrival of former Racer-X drummer Scott Travis helped bring a modern thrashier sound to the Priest. Out were the keyboards, in were the double kicks, starting with the first notes on the album.

It's a barrage of sixteenths on the feet, accenting the down and up-beats with the snare and crashes before settling into a busy thrash groove.

Page 9 of 23
Page 9 of 23
Rock and Roll - Led Zeppelin
Drummer: John Bonham
(Image credit: Neal Preston/Corbis)

Rock and Roll - Led Zeppelin

Bonham was the drum intro king, and this is one of his most celebrated and debated beats, inspired by rock 'n' roll legends such as Little Richard and Chuck Berry. The big misconception is that the first snare hit is on beat one when in fact it begins on the 'and' of beat three.

Pile some of that dirty Bonham funk on top and you have a classic on your hands.

Page 10 of 23
Page 10 of 23
My Sharona - The Knack
Drummer: Bruce Gary
(Image credit: Bob King/Corbis)

My Sharona - The Knack

Legend has it that the famous beat was already conceived by guitarist Berton Averre. However, it's Bruce Gary's tight groove between the toms/kick and snare that gives My Sharona its driving pulse. Run DMC criminally left the drums out when they borrowed the riff for It’s Tricky in 1986.

Page 11 of 23
Page 11 of 23
Rosanna - Toto
Drummer: Jeff Porcaro

Rosanna - Toto

Jeff Porcaro's sublime touch can be heard on hundreds of tracks, but Rosanna's opening is his finest hour. Beginning with a basic half-time shuffle with the backbeat on '3', the ghost notes were inspired by Bernard Purdie's shuffle on Steely Dan's Babylon Sisters, while the kick and snare pattern are given a Bo Diddley-type syncopation.

Page 12 of 23
Page 12 of 23
Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
Drummer: Ndugu Chancler
(Image credit: Sayre Berman/Corbis)

Billie Jean - Michael Jackson

Bass drums on one and three, snares on two and four with a constant eighth-note hi-hat pattern might sound easy, but to play simple grooves with enough pocket to satisfy Michael Jackson on one of his biggest hits takes skill. Play it and they will dance.

Page 13 of 23
Page 13 of 23
Wipe Out - The Surfaris
Drummer: Ron Wilson

Wipe Out - The Surfaris

The intro to this surf classic has become a staple primer for developing single stroke accents. Played as single-stroke sixteenth notes, the first bar is played straight, accenting the downbeats, but it flips in the second bar, accenting the off-beats of beats one and two.

Page 14 of 23
Page 14 of 23
My Hero - Foo Fighters
Drummer: Dave Grohl
(Image credit: Sonny McCartney/The Hell Gate/Corbis)

My Hero - Foo Fighters

A powerful, tom-heavy track and easily one of Dave Grohl’s drumming career highlights. And that’s saying something. The thumping backbeats and the toms were recorded separately and panned slightly off centre to give each their own weight and distinction. We reckon it worked a treat.

Page 15 of 23
Page 15 of 23
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon
Drummer: Steve Gadd
(Image credit: Tom Morgan/Demotix/Corbis)

50 Ways To Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon

Steve Gadd's technical vocabulary and command take centre stage here as he mixes up singles, doubles and flams. It also features some subtle work between his left hand and foot on the hi-hat, all with the tonal characteristics that make Gadd great.

Page 16 of 23
Page 16 of 23
Hot For Teacher - Van Halen
Drummer: Alex Van Halen
(Image credit: Neal Preston/Corbis)

Hot For Teacher - Van Halen

Arguably one of the most iconic drum intros in rock, and playing it is a holy grail for a lot of drummers. Alex Van Halen steps out of his brother Eddie's shadow to shine with a blistering drum solo before kicking into a furious double bass shuffle in a flurry of kick drum notes.

Page 17 of 23
Page 17 of 23
Reggatta De Blanc - The Police
Drummer: Stewart Copeland
(Image credit: Brendan McDermid/Reuters/Corbis)

Reggatta De Blanc - The Police

The opening bars of Reggatta De Blanc is classic Copeland distilled. The complex interplay between the hi-hat and cross-sticking is made even trickier by a short delay courtesy of Copeland's Roland Space Echo producing a dotted eighth-note.

Check out Can’t Stand Losing You and Walking On The Moon for other examples of Stewart Copeland's delayed drum lines.

Page 18 of 23
Page 18 of 23
Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2
Drummer: Larry Mullen Jr
(Image credit: Neal Preston/Corbis)

Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2

The spotlight shines bright on Larry Mullen Jr as he kicks off this military-style intro that complements the song’s political overtones. A classic hand-to-hand 16th-note feel played between the hi-hats and snare and driven by four-on-the-floor on the bass drum. It’s simple but Larry nails it.

Page 19 of 23
Page 19 of 23
Walk This Way - Aerosmith
Drummer: Joey Kramer
(Image credit: Francesco Castaldo/Demotix/Corbis)

Walk This Way - Aerosmith

One of the most recognisable drum intro’s ever, the stabbing open to closed hi-hats on beat 1 of the bar, together with the funky 16th note bass drum pattern made it an instant classic. Run DMC’s 1986 cover sent Aerosmith’s career stratospheric.

Page 20 of 23
Page 20 of 23
Looking For Love - The Babys
Drummer (Tony Brock)

Looking For Love - The Babys

How do you make a tired 6/8 groove sound more interesting? Simple: add cowbell on the second, third, fifth and six (‘and-a-two-and-a’) eighth notes. Before that, though, you do like The Babys' Tony Brock and smash out an intro containing tight five-note groupings, concert toms and pump the whole lot through a flanger. Magic.

Page 21 of 23
Page 21 of 23
Stargazer - Rainbow
Drummer: Cozy Powell

Stargazer - Rainbow

Most bands would run a mile from any drummer suggesting a four-bar drum solo to kick off a track, but when your drummer is Cozy Powell you needn’t worry. Blistering, flourishing fills and a relentless, thrilling sense of forward propulsion pushes the listener toward the opening riff.

Page 22 of 23
Page 22 of 23
Vote in the greatest drum intros poll
Help Rhythm decide the greatest drum intros!

Vote in the greatest drum intros poll

The 21 greatest drum intros you've just read about are the Drum Expo 2014 team's favourites, but the guys at Rhythm Magazine are putting together their own list for a future cover feature and they want your input.

Have your say now by voting in their Greatest Ever Drum Intros poll!

Page 23 of 23
Page 23 of 23
Stuart Williams
Stuart Williams
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Drums

I'm a freelance member of the MusicRadar team, specialising in drum news, interviews and reviews. I formerly edited Rhythm and Total Guitar here in the UK and have been playing drums for more than 25 years (my arms are very tired). When I'm not working on the site, I can be found on my electronic kit at home, or gigging and depping in function bands and the odd original project. 

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