Beat This! My Ten Favourite Drummers…

As a kid, I had so much rhythm bursting out of my soul that I would play on anything, with anything. I would tap on school desks with pens, then click my teeth together as I walked home. In the lounge, I would line up cushions on the sofa and hit them with wooden spoons while playing loud music on the stereo.

It was my sister who suggested I save up for a drum kit, and get serious about music. Years later, I’ve moved onto guitar but I still play drums on my recordings.

Here are the ten drummers that made the most impression on me. Whether or not you’re a drummer, I hope you enjoy the clips, which feature some great music.

Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland was at the heart of The Police’s reggae-influenced New Wave sound. Their hits like Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon demonstrate his unique style, an energetic melange of intricate hi-hat work, snare-and-cymbal unison hits and clattering timbales. ‘Less is more’ was the band’s philosophy but Copeland also had phenomenal power and technique at his disposal. On the rare occasions he unleashed it, such as on this track, the effect was startling.

Pick withers
The drummer with Dire Straits on their first four albums, Pick Withers’ light touch was an indispensible part of the band’s early ‘rockaboogie’ style. Led by Mark Knopfler’s chiming guitar, the band’s sound emphasised musical taste and clarity, after the excesses of early seventies’ rock. A swinging ride-cymbal and hi-hat were part of Withers’ signature style, along with swift flourishes around the toms when it was needed, and only when.

Keith moon
Top of the tree in most drumming polls, Keith Moon is unique for the power and sense of freedom his drumming communicates. There’s no predictable logic to his fills; that’s what makes them exiting. It sounds like he doesn’t know where he’s going to go when he starts one. This endearing sense of mania is only amplified when you see his face and body gurning and contorting in ecstasy, like he’s being guided by some playful demon.

Larry Mullen Jnr.
In the early 80’s when everyone was trying to sound different, Larry was one of the few drummers that did. Sunday Bloody Sunday sums him up: his drum part is built around a quasi-military pattern on hi-hat, bass drum and snare, which as well as supporting the song is saying something of it’s own. A lot of U2 songs were built around Larry’s disciplined tribal/military patterns which allowed the lead guitar and vocals to explore more expressive and atmospheric territory.

John Bonham
One rock drummer it’s impossible to leave out for sheer technique and power. You can hear how hard he hits the drums and there is a certain macho thrill in the precision punishment he gives his kit. Unlike Keith Moon however, Bonham had discipline and knew how to lay down a sublime groove on the likes of Kashmir and When the Levee breaks. He also showed the ability to get seriously funky on some of the cuts from Physical Graffitti.

Mitch Mitchell
The jazz-influenced Mitchell was a perfect musical partner for Jimi Hendrix throughout most of his career. Playing on all three of the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s albums, the Englishman’s complex yet swinging patterns on tracks such as Manic Depression brought added impact to the songs. Onstage, his fluid improvisatory skills – owing a debt to Elvin Jones – meant he could go anywhere the guitarist went in their long onstage jams.

Mark mondesir
When saxohonist Courtney Pine burst onto the the UK jazz scene in the mid 80’s, the drummer behind him on the stage was Mark Mondesir. Bespectacled and studious, he had an astonishing technique as well as a deliciously tight, crisp snare sound. Described by drummerword.com as “one of the most astonishing drummers on the planet”, Mark has also played in recent years with guitar legend John McLaughlin.

Michael Shrieve
Santana made their breakthrough in the motion picture of Woodstock festival. One of the stars of the band for me, and a long-standing member was Michael Shrieve, powering through a fiery solo on Soul Sacrifice that contributed to their image as virtuoso rebels of latin-flavoured blues-rock.

Animal (The Muppets)
What better role model for an aspiring drummer was there than the Muppets’ resident maniac? Unforgettable.

Hunt Sales
The two-bar intro to Iggy Pop’s Lust For Life is one of the most exiting intros in rock. The drums sound huge and the drummer who batters them throughout this anthem (and the album from which it comes) is Hunt Sales. Whose idea was it to create a garage rock anthem based on rhythmic components more commonly found in Motown? Probably David Bowie’s, who produced the album. Whatever the case, this tricky and extremely sexy beat is nailed by Sales with bags of style.