Scott K Fish

Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine Shares His 5 Favorite Drum Solos
“I’m more about drum performances than solos, But I do have a list for you.”    August 22, 2014 10:29 AM

Buddy Rich’s “impossible” drum solo from 1970

“To me, he was just the epitome of a drummer. He was unbelievable. His fluidity, his power, his grace, his aggression, his momentum, he was a force to be reckoned with. The guy was a freak of nature, and always a pleasure to watch. And also a pleasure to listen to.”

Elvin Jones’ performances from A Different Drummer

“Unbelievable drummer. He is also someone who plays with such grace, and such power. And when I watch him, it’s like I’m watching colors and numbers flying from his drums. He’s like a painter to me, he’s like painting this incredible picture on the drums.”

Neil Peart on Rush’s live “YYZ” from Exit… Stage Left

“I think Neil Peart has such an incredible mind to have created that drum solo. It’s an iconic drum solo! That’s not an easy thing to do. Every piece of that drum solo is a beautiful piece of work, and is executed with mass precision. That drum solo probably meant more to me than all the other drum solos that we’re talking about, because when I was 12 or 13 it was the first drum solo that I saw that made me say, ‘I want to do that.’”

John Bonham on Led Zeppelin’s “Bonzo’s Montreux” from Coda

“I didn’t really get into John Bonham until after I hit puberty, Led Zeppelin made so much more sense to me after that! [laughs] John Bonham may be my favorite drummer of all time. My favorite drum solo of his is not “Moby Dick.” It’s “Bonzo’s Montreux” from Coda. I absolutely love that, because it’s so musical.”

Keith Moon on the Who’s “Happy Jack” from A Quick One and “Bargain” from Who’s Next

I’ll never forget when I first heard [“Happy Jack”]. I was 12 years old…. …Keith Moon was just an absolute lunatic and…sounded like an orchestra… on the drums. It’s absolutely insane. With Keith Moon, almost every song he plays on sounds like a drum solo!

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