7 Awesome Non-Obvious Drumming Moments In Rock
Let me be clear about this little list of awesome drumming moments. This isn’t to highlight Neil Peart on Tom Sawyer or Phil Collins on In The Air Tonight. Those are obvious and everyone knows them - there are plenty of those lists out there all of which include those. By themselves those moments are part of pop culture. I’m talking about little moments when the drummer seemingly just did a little thing that made a huge impact. A fill or a well-placed cymbal crash - something that just happened. There’s a good chance you know some of these but I don’t think they get talked about. I also wanted to include a couple more obscure drumming performances you might not be aware of - if I saw it on one of the existing lists out there I didn’t include it here. This is NOT a comprehensive list, nor are these THE best 7. But it’s a cool list and that’s all that matters. Do you know these? Have any to add?
7 Awesome Non-Obvious Drumming Moments In Rock
Unit 731 - Slayer (2009) - Dave Lombardo At the 1:20 mark of this speedy latter-day thrash gem from the masters of the game Dave Lombardo puts on a 41 second clinic. It’s ridiculous - working the whole kit with a crazy flurry of soloing during the guitar solos… I’m curious to know how many Slayer fans have really noticed this… I didn’t until just recently. You can listen to it here.
Dave Lombardo in 2009 Stueymedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Sabbra Cadabra - Black Sabbath (1973) - Bill Ward The two minute and 8 second jam that closes out this track is the type of thing that gives the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath LP such a special place in metal history for me. It’s funky, jazzy, heavy - all of that. This wasn’t just some primitive pioneer of a band - these guys pushed the boundaries musically all over the place and in 1973 they took it to a new level, recording this album in a haunted castle and adding some keys and synths courtesy of the great Rick Wakeman. And right at the 5 minute mark Bill Ward adds some crashing cymbals, and then some more for about a total of 20 seconds that are impossible not to air drum to. You can just feel him feeling it as the band just keeps it going. I get so hyped every time I hear it! You can listen here starting at the 4:40 mark for a little context…
Bill Ward in 1973
Custard Pie - Led Zeppelin (1975) - John Bonham Another classic that ends with a bit of an extended jam starting at the 2:44 mark, and at the 3:37 mark Bonzo adds what can only be described as a massive thunder clap - it lasts all of a couple seconds but it rattles your bones - if you know you know. You can hear it here starting at the 3:30 mark for context…
John Bonham 1975 (?) Dina Regine, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Siva - Smashing Pumpkins - Jimmy Chamberlain This entire album is a showcase for this monster player, but one of his defining moments comes at the 4:04 mark with a fill of snares that is just perfection. Another hyped up air drumming opportunity for those who get it. You can hear it here starting at the 3:55 mark for context in the video - it’s off by a second or two because this is the official video.
Jimmy Chamberlain (not sure the year)
Harvester Of Sorrow - Metallica - Lars Ulrich Yes, Lars. So he may not have the best chops in the game, yes he might take too many takes to get a track right in the studio, yes there may be overdubs used, BUT - at the 1 minute mark of this heavy classic he turns in one of his finest moments with sort of a rolling solo with some well placed off beat snares to wrap it leading into the first verse. The whole track is one of his best really.
Lars Ulrich 1988
Frogs - Alice In Chains - Sean Kinney The entire 8:18 of the song is drumming genius in my opinion, and I don’t see this song on any list of great drum performances. I think Kinney is one of the best of all time and this ominous track includes the most hypnotic drumming you may ever hear. One of the best fills comes at the 7:40 mark but he’s adding them all over the place throughout. It’s just amazing. You can hear it here - clip starts at 7:14 for context.
Sean Kinney 2002 cc wiki (had some trouble finding a usable photo from 1995)
Bo Diddley - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Charlie Allen Martin A somewhat “forgotten” powerhouse drummer, Charlie Allen Martin was tragically paralyzed from the waist down when he was hit by a car in 1977, but for a few years he was one of the best in the game. Seger talks about how important he was to the band in this fantastic article and at the 2:20 mark he steals the show for almost a minute and a half during an instrumental breakdown in what is really a medley of Bo Diddley & Who Do You Love on the Live Bullet album. This could be cheating a bit since it’s a live performance but it’s one that stands out for me and deserves a mention. You can hear it here starting with the end of the preceding sax solo.
Charlie Allen Martin
So there you go! As I mentioned I’d love to hear of any more but they aren’t obvious to come up with. When I had the idea for this post I thought I’d be able to think of more… if I do I’ll write a sequel! Add any you have in the comments below!
M10 Social is owned by Doug Cohen in West Bloomfield, MI and provides social media training and digital marketing services from the Frameable Faces Photography studio Doug owns with his wife Ally. He can be reached there at tel:248-790-7317, by mobile at tel:248-346-4121 or via email at mailto:doug@frameablefaces.com. You can follow Doug’s band Vintage Playboy at their Facebook page here. You can also send your furry friend on vacation even if it’s just pretend at Doug’s www.VirtualPetcations.com!
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