Favorite Drum Records

My list of favorite drum records (as of 2013)

--no particular order

RINGO STARR

Ringo is my favorite drummer of all time. He knows just what to add to make each song work, and he is full of clever ideas, is tasteful without being showy, and rocks hard. These are some of my favorite Ringo moments with the Beatles:

I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You) (BBC)

It Won't Be Long

Tell Me Why

Any Time at All

You Can't Do That

Slow Down

What You're Doing

Ticket to Ride

The Word

She Said She Said

Tomorrow Never Knows

Rain

Strawberry Fields Forever

I Am the Walrus

Only a Northern Song

Glass Onion

Happiness Is a Warm Gun

Cry Baby Cry

Sexy Sadie

Come Together

She Came in through the Bathroom Window

Old Brown Shoe

ELVIN JONES

John Coltrane: Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings

John Coltrane: First Impressions

RASHID BAKR

Cecil Taylor: The Eighth

PIP PYLE

Hatfield and the North: Hatfield and the North

Hatfield and the North: The Rotters' Club

TERRY CHAMBERS

XTC: English Settlement

  

BILL BRUFORD

Yes: Close to the Edge

King Crimson:  Larks' Tongues in Aspic

King Crimson: Starless and Bible Black

King Crimson: Red

ANDY McCULLOCH

King Crimson: Lizard

BILLY COBHAM

Mahavishnu Orchestra: Inner Mounting Flame

RONALD SHANNON JACKSON

Cecil Taylor: One Too Many Salty Swift and Not Goodbye

Ornette Coleman: Body Meta

Last Exit: Last Exit

Ronald Shannon Jackson & the Decoding Society: Mandance

ROBERT WYATT

Soft Machine: Volume Two

Soft Machine: Third

Soft Machine: Fourth

Matching Mole: Little Red Record

Matching Mole: Smoke Signals

CHRIS CUTLER

Henry Cow: Leg End

Henry Cow: Unrest

Henry Cow: Western Culture

PHIL COLLINS

Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

CLYDE STUBBLEFIELD/JABO STARKS

James Brown: Star Time

JABO STARKS

James Brown: Live at the Apollo Vol. 2

MELVIN PARKER

James Brown: Sex Machine [Live] (especially "Bewildered")

AI

OOIOO: Taiga

YOSHIMI P-WE/YOJIRO TATEKAWA

Boredoms: Vision Creation Newsun

MICHAEL SHRIEVE

Santana: Santana III

Santana: Caravanserai

DAVID GARIBALDI

Tower of Power: Tower of Power

Tower of Power: Back to Oakland

CHARLIE WATTS

some great tracks:

Satisfaction

Jumpin' Jack Flash

Paint It Black

My Obsession

All Sold Out

2000 Light Years from Home

Rocks Off

Rip This Joint

TOM RAINEY

Tom Rainey Trio: Camino Cielo Echo

MITCH MITCHELL

Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced?

Jimi Hendrix Experience: Axis Bold as Love

Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Ladyland

DENARDO COLEMAN

James Blood Ulmer: Tales of Captain Black

STEVIE WONDER  I have a soft spot for musicians for whom drums aren't their main instrument: folks like Paul McCartney, Todd Rundgren, Jan Hammer, Prince. The best of these is Stevie, whose world-class drumming helped solidify the stature of his '70s masterworks.

Stevie Wonder: Music of My Mind

Stevie Wonder: Talking Book

Stevie Wonder: Innervisions

Stevie Wonder: Fulfillingness' First Finale

Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life

AL JACKSON JR.

Booker T. & the MG's: Time Is Tight (box set)

Various artists: The Complete Stax/Volt Singles: 1959-1968

Al Green: Let's Stay Together

Al Green: I'm Still in Love with You

Al Green: Call Me

THOM  MOONEY

Nazz: Nazz Nazz

BARRY ALTSCHUL

Dave Holland: Conference of the Birds

Anthony Braxton: Five Pieces 1975

Anthony Braxton: The Montreux/Berlin Concerts

SUNNY MURRAY

Cecil Taylor: Nefertiti the Beautiful One Has Come

Albert Ayler: Spiritual Unity

HAN BENNINNK

Peter Brotzmann: Nipples

TONY OXLEY

The Baptized Traveller

Cecil taylor: Leaf Palm hand

RASHIED ALI

John Coltrane: Live in Japan

John Coltrane: Interstellar Space

John Coltrane: Stellar Regions

TONY WILLIAMS:

Eric Dolphy: Out to Lunch

Miles Davis: Sorcerer

Miles Davis: Miles in the Sky

Miles Davis: Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1

TOM BRUNO

Tom Bruno/Sabir Mateen: Getting Away with Murder

DANNIE RICHMOND

Charles Mingus: Mingus Dynasty

Charles Mingus: Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus

Charles Mingus: anything from 1964 European tour

BILL KREUTZMANN

Grateful Dead:  any version of "Dark Star," "Playing in the Band," or "The Other One" from 1972 or 1973

GEORGE HURLEY

Minutemen: Double Nickels on the Dime

JON THEODORE

Mars Volta: Frances the Mute

OTHER DRUMMERS RESPECTED BUT NOT LISTED:

Thurman Barker

Gregg Bendian

Ed Blackwell

John Bonham

Joe Chambers

Andrew Cyrille

Dino Danelli

Jack DeJohnette

Whit Dickey

Marc Edwards

Al Foster

Michael Giles

Milford Graves

Sonny Greer

Roy Haynes

Gerry Hemingway

Billy Higgins

Zach Hill

Clifford Jarvis

Philly Joe Jones

Paul Lovens

Paul Lytton

Steve McCall

Louis Moholo

Paul Motian

Don Moye

Max Roach

Greg Saunier

Gunter Sommer

John Stevens