From uMusic.com-The Greatest Prog Drummers: An Essential Top 25 Countdown

[starless and bible black]

The rock’n’roll cliché says that the drummer is always the wildest, unhinged part of the band – which may be true when you’re talking about The Who or Led Zeppelin. But in the world of prog rock, that stereotype gets ripped to shreds. The prog world is full of drummers who are versatile, inquisitive musicians, and sometimes the band’s resident deep thinker – and in at least one case here – they were also the band’s lyricist. Nearly every drummer here did a lot of exploring, many ventured into jazz or classical music and became better prog drummers as a result. Along with a few overlooked masters on this list, some of these drummers are some of the most admired musicians in prog rock or anywhere else.

Read More Here:
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stori...prog-drummers/

[Munster]

May I be the first to jump in here and say: "How dare they not include..." But where is Guy Evans of Van Der Graaf Generator, surely one of the most inventive drummers around?

Perhaps these lists would not be so contentious if they were labelled "A List of My Favourite Prog Drummers" or "A List of My Favourite Prog Guitarists" (which, in truth, is what they are). That is not a value-infused title and cannot really be contested. However, to state baldly that X or Y is the "greatest" drummer/guitarist in the genre is surely an invitation to be corrected.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I'm afraid Morgan Ågren, Tatsuya Yoshida, Zach Hill, Damon Che, Guy Evans, Christian Vander, Pip Pyle and Dave Kerman would play 3/4 of them off the floor. And they're acknowledged even by "non-prog" standards and voices.

Kudos for including Mattacks, Wilson, Liebezeit and Cutler, of course. But technically, Moerlen should have been top five.



Well, well. Lists will be lists.

[Dana5140]

Not including Christian Vander and Morgen Agren is criminally idiotic, and I would add Kerman as well. Pretty stupid list as lists go.

[flowerking]

How dare they Phil Collins wasn't the party animal in Genesis. Actually, if not him, who? I can't see any of them being the unhinged member of that band!

I agree with Scrotum, they left off some excellent prog drummers: Pip Pyle and Guy Evans were the first that came to my mind, also Andy Ward and Phil Ehart. Plus, Steve Smith over Ansley Dunbar? Give me Dunbar any day.

[Progatron]

WHERE THE F**K IS MICKY DOLENZ?!

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ He's considered mere proto, not full-on.

[markwoll]

Bah!
It's all subjectively relative, but not even Simon Phillips, Chad Wackerman, Narada Michael Walden, Mattias Olsson?
If Chris Cutler is there, then that opens some doors to otheres.

[moecurlythanu]

If Animal's not in, I'm out.

[Jaco]

Virgil Donati , he's just recently been interviewed and wa listening to a lot of Yes and ELP in the 70s

Michael Giles ?

[chalkpie]

Tommy Lee? NUMBER ONE!!!

[SunRunner2]

Furio.jpg

This guy.

[Gizmotron]

Well, in my opinion, they mostly got the top 5 right. Bill deserves to be number one, at least in the long-range view of history.

But in many ways, any list of drummers without Gavin Harrison as number one is pretty much...wrong. Gavin is on a completely different planet. And Bruford would agree; he has sang his praises (and championed Gavin’s exercises) for several decades.

I don’t think any drummer gets more kudos from other drummers than Gavin.

[chalkpie]

No Vinnie Colaiuta? Get the funck out of here seriously.

[Mister Triscuits]

No John Marshall, no Franz di Cioccio, no Triscuits.

Dave Mattacks is a brilliant drummer, but a few session gigs and one tour as fill-in drummer for Jethro Tull doesn't make him prog.

[Marco]

Top [insert any subject here] of all time lists are inherently stupid.

[bRETT]

Top [insert any subject here] of all time lists are inherently stupid.

Try thinking of this as something that gives a little mainstream press attention to some great musicians that don't usually get any.

There's no way to do a list like this without getting people upset about who you've left off. To my mind the top five is just what it should be. Otherwise, it was trying to represent a good range of people (with more neo-prog than these lists usually include) and mix some obvious innovators with a few who are great and overlooked.

If you hate the whole idea of lists like this, you might want to frequent different websites.

[Gizmotron]

Try thinking of this as something that gives a little mainstream press attention to some great musicians that don't usually get any.

There's no way to do a list like this without getting people upset about who you've left off. To my mind the top five is just what it should be. Otherwise, it was trying to represent a good range of people (with more neo-prog than these lists usually include) and mix some obvious innovators with a few who are great and overlooked.

If you hate the whole idea of lists like this, you might want to frequent different websites.

A fine post!!

I often find it interesting how variable we humans are; at times, we delight in making lists that rank things or people, and at others, we abhor the concept.

I agree that these published lists often are simply a way to give some well-deserved attention and publicity to someone other than the extreme mainstream artists that get far more than their share.

[Shadow]

When you see Steve Smith from Journey at 25 you can stop reading. Steve Smith is a jazz drummer more than likely better that most on the list and Journey is not Prog.

[Zappathustra]

There's no list without Christian Vander. Looks like these guys don't even know the name Magma.

[Marco]

Try thinking of this as something that gives a little mainstream press attention to some great musicians that don't usually get any.

There's no way to do a list like this without getting people upset about who you've left off. To my mind the top five is just what it should be. Otherwise, it was trying to represent a good range of people (with more neo-prog than these lists usually include) and mix some obvious innovators with a few who are great and overlooked.

If you hate the whole idea of lists like this, you might want to frequent different websites.

Gladly I do. It'd be much better if authors could limit themselves to calling them their favorites instead of a clickbaity top [thing] of all time.

[bRETT]

Gladly I do. It'd be much better if authors could limit themselves to calling them their favorites instead of a clickbaity top [thing] of all time.

Sorry, but that does tend to be the format. And it's not only one person's opinion-- the original list was vetted by the editorial board who suggested a few people.

The same writer previously included Mekanik Destruktiv Kommandoh on a list of greatest prog albums so yeah, he's heard of Magma.

[moecurlythanu]

When you see Steve Smith from Journey at 25 you can stop reading. Steve Smith is a jazz drummer more than likely better that most on the list and Journey is not Prog.

Gotta agree with this.

[moecurlythanu]

Just looked at the list. Wished I hadn't. Yes, some things aren't arguable because they're down to taste. Others, I would submit, are not. Portnoy (aka The Thumper) and Carl Palmer are better than Phil Collins? Alan White is 7? (cue uproarious laughter.) The first guy you trot out from 90s-current is Nisse Bielfeld from Par Lindh Project? I have a couple PLP albums, I've never noticed the drummer. Doesn't mean he isn't good, it means he isn't 15. Clive Bunker instead of Barrie Barlow? Pffft! Sorry, this isn't even a good list.

[AncientChord]

No Christian Vander or Michael Giles among others? The author's perspective on prog is extremely limited at best.