Modern Drummer's 50 Greatest Drummers of All Time (2014) by 
AAL2014 
Here's a fun chart idea I came up with.. Modern Drummer Magazine, the same mag I've been subscribed to and thumbing through for almost 5 years, published a list of the 50 Greatest Drummers of all time voted by the readers back in 2014. I love lists and this was a very poignant list at the time for me. Of course with any list, there will be omissions. Everyone on this list is a very special and influential player so it's tough to say who should be on instead.
This chart is ordered the exact way the drummers were voted. The albums chosen are ones I think of as being the best (or one of the best) works by the artist, and the comments on each are my own. Drums have been an enormous part of my life for almost 10 years. I wouldn't be apart of this website without the drums choosing me to be apart of a spectacular rhythmic journey.
Here is my tribute to the drums, the greatest drummers, and the greatest drum magazine on the planet.
- Chart updated: 06/28/2017 21:15
- (Created: 08/23/2016 21:27).
- Chart size: 50 albums.
There are 3 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Modern Drummer's 50 Greatest Drummers of All Time (2014) has an average rating of 87 out of 100 (from 2 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 56,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from the 1980s. (Remove this filter)
Buy album
- #Sponsored
NEIL PEART
The Legend: If there is but one term I can use to describe the Professor, Neil Peart and his drumming, it would be Focused Intensity. Neil has been a mainstay among popular drummers for over 4 decades. He has influenced generations of drummers, widened the mindset of a typical rock drummer, and still plays at an incredibly high level today at 60+ years old. Neil's beats, fills, solos, and stick twirls have been drummed (or air-drummed) probably more so than any other drummer. Night after night on tour, Neil's solos were more than drum solos, they were musical explorations mixing traditional drum set pieces with electronic pads making sounds varying from conga to jazz horn. Neil Peart's hunger for rhythmic knowledge has inspired me since day 1.
The Album: Let's start with the drum sound on Moving Pictures. It's fucking immaculate. The snare drum is tight, the bass drum is punchy, the toms and cymbals are crisp in their own, distinct ways. Moving Pictures was the record that launched Rush from prog rock heroes to enormous arena packers around the world and Neil's drumming is a huge part of that. The solo in Tom Sawyer is one of the most legendary drum parts in the history of the instrument. It's as well crafted as it is famous. YYZ also contains legendary drum moments and interplay between the 3 members that almost mimics free jazz. The Camera Eye, Vital Signs, and Red Barchetta also contain poignant drum tracks from Neil who cemented his legacy on this album.
Best Performances: La Villa Strangiato, Xanadu, YYZ [First added to this chart: 08/24/2016]
The Legend: If there is but one term I can use to describe the Professor, Neil Peart and his drumming, it would be Focused Intensity. Neil has been a mainstay among popular drummers for over 4 decades. He has influenced generations of drummers, widened the mindset of a typical rock drummer, and still plays at an incredibly high level today at 60+ years old. Neil's beats, fills, solos, and stick twirls have been drummed (or air-drummed) probably more so than any other drummer. Night after night on tour, Neil's solos were more than drum solos, they were musical explorations mixing traditional drum set pieces with electronic pads making sounds varying from conga to jazz horn. Neil Peart's hunger for rhythmic knowledge has inspired me since day 1.
The Album: Let's start with the drum sound on Moving Pictures. It's fucking immaculate. The snare drum is tight, the bass drum is punchy, the toms and cymbals are crisp in their own, distinct ways. Moving Pictures was the record that launched Rush from prog rock heroes to enormous arena packers around the world and Neil's drumming is a huge part of that. The solo in Tom Sawyer is one of the most legendary drum parts in the history of the instrument. It's as well crafted as it is famous. YYZ also contains legendary drum moments and interplay between the 3 members that almost mimics free jazz. The Camera Eye, Vital Signs, and Red Barchetta also contain poignant drum tracks from Neil who cemented his legacy on this album.
Best Performances: La Villa Strangiato, Xanadu, YYZ [First added to this chart: 08/24/2016]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,279
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
86
Buy album
- #Sponsored
VINNIE COLAIUTA
The Legend: The most complete drummer of all time? In my eyes, it's very possible. Vinnie's resume features a list of who's who names in the history of popular music including Zappa, Sting, Jeff Beck, Megadeth, and Herbie Hancock. The artists in that sentence are very different in style yet Vinnie, over the course of 40 years in the business has fit each role like a glove while adding his flair and flavor of virtuosity. Vinnie can play things with his left hand I can only dream of playing with both hands. Studying his heroes like Cobham, Williams, and Rich, Vinnie continued to mold himself to be one of the greatest drummers who ever lived.
The Album: Joe's Garage is not only one of my favorite Frank Zappa albums, it also contains drumming from Vinnie (in of course all different styles) that I will show to anyone unfamiliar with his playing. You want playing in 21/16? Okay. Pop-fueled reggae patterns? Yup. Explosive and perfectly placed fills? Of course. Vinnie's work on Joe's Garage made him a legend long before his work with many artists that would cement his legacy as it was named one of the top-25 drumming performances of all time by Modern Drummer in 1993. [First added to this chart: 08/24/2016]
The Legend: The most complete drummer of all time? In my eyes, it's very possible. Vinnie's resume features a list of who's who names in the history of popular music including Zappa, Sting, Jeff Beck, Megadeth, and Herbie Hancock. The artists in that sentence are very different in style yet Vinnie, over the course of 40 years in the business has fit each role like a glove while adding his flair and flavor of virtuosity. Vinnie can play things with his left hand I can only dream of playing with both hands. Studying his heroes like Cobham, Williams, and Rich, Vinnie continued to mold himself to be one of the greatest drummers who ever lived.
The Album: Joe's Garage is not only one of my favorite Frank Zappa albums, it also contains drumming from Vinnie (in of course all different styles) that I will show to anyone unfamiliar with his playing. You want playing in 21/16? Okay. Pop-fueled reggae patterns? Yup. Explosive and perfectly placed fills? Of course. Vinnie's work on Joe's Garage made him a legend long before his work with many artists that would cement his legacy as it was named one of the top-25 drumming performances of all time by Modern Drummer in 1993. [First added to this chart: 08/24/2016]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
STEWART COPELAND
The Legend: I think one of the main reasons Stewart is such a noted influence and so highly revered in the drum world is because he nearly created a style through his playing with the Police. He was one of the first to mix so many kinds of styles in such a drastic way (rock, ska, pop, jazz) and take it to the mainstream, and for that I give him endless kudos. His feel and intricacies can be heard and felt from countless drummers from at least the last 2 generations now. A drum giant.
The Album: [First added to this chart: 08/24/2016]
The Legend: I think one of the main reasons Stewart is such a noted influence and so highly revered in the drum world is because he nearly created a style through his playing with the Police. He was one of the first to mix so many kinds of styles in such a drastic way (rock, ska, pop, jazz) and take it to the mainstream, and for that I give him endless kudos. His feel and intricacies can be heard and felt from countless drummers from at least the last 2 generations now. A drum giant.
The Album: [First added to this chart: 08/24/2016]
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,546
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
JEFF PORCARO
[First added to this chart: 08/24/2016]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
803
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
TERRY BOZZIO
The Legend: The flat out king of melodic independence. Just this past weekend I had the treat of seeing him in a very intimate setting performing on a smaller (lol) drum kit at Sweetwater's Gear Fest. It was an all encompassing, jaw dropping performance from a man whose playing I've admired for sometime. He spoke about Zappa, DW drums, and how much he loved playing for us, what a legend. You might say that anyone could sound good on a kit Terry's size. Well, that's total bullshit. Terry plays the drums unlike anyone I've ever seen. He's one fully functioning melodic being behind the kit pounding away at an ostinato with his feet while creating sounds akin to a full percussion ensemble with his hands. Maybe the single most unique player on this list.
The Album:
Best Performances: Punky's Whips, [First added to this chart: 08/24/2016]
The Legend: The flat out king of melodic independence. Just this past weekend I had the treat of seeing him in a very intimate setting performing on a smaller (lol) drum kit at Sweetwater's Gear Fest. It was an all encompassing, jaw dropping performance from a man whose playing I've admired for sometime. He spoke about Zappa, DW drums, and how much he loved playing for us, what a legend. You might say that anyone could sound good on a kit Terry's size. Well, that's total bullshit. Terry plays the drums unlike anyone I've ever seen. He's one fully functioning melodic being behind the kit pounding away at an ostinato with his feet while creating sounds akin to a full percussion ensemble with his hands. Maybe the single most unique player on this list.
The Album:
Best Performances: Punky's Whips, [First added to this chart: 08/24/2016]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
JIM KELTNER
[First added to this chart: 08/24/2016]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,228
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
CLYDE STUBBLEFIELD
[First added to this chart: 08/25/2016]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
LARS ULRICH
The Legend: Few rock drummers have been more important and influential over the last 30 years than Lars Ulrich and that is exactly why he is on the list. Lars deserves a lot of credit for being a driving force in making Metallica one of the biggest bands in the history of rock music and in turn putting heavy music on the mainstream map. Lars may not have many chops, but he has great feel for James Hetfield's rhythm guitar and can arrange a great drum track based around it. The drum tracks on songs like Master of Puppets, One, Blackened, and For Whom The Bell Tolls really helped mold my metal drumming early on.
The Album: ...And Justice For All is Metallica at their most progressive. On Master of Puppets, Metallica already had long song structures with elongated solos and other instrumental breaks, but those qualities were only amplified on Justice. Songs like Frayed Ends of Sanity, Blackened, and ...And Justice For All feature fierce grooves, sprawling fills, and plenty of odd time. Lars pushed his drumming to its peak and in terms of technical ability he was never this good again. Luckily we will always have this album as documented proof that Lars Ulrich was indeed a fucking bad ass drummer. [First added to this chart: 08/25/2016]
The Legend: Few rock drummers have been more important and influential over the last 30 years than Lars Ulrich and that is exactly why he is on the list. Lars deserves a lot of credit for being a driving force in making Metallica one of the biggest bands in the history of rock music and in turn putting heavy music on the mainstream map. Lars may not have many chops, but he has great feel for James Hetfield's rhythm guitar and can arrange a great drum track based around it. The drum tracks on songs like Master of Puppets, One, Blackened, and For Whom The Bell Tolls really helped mold my metal drumming early on.
The Album: ...And Justice For All is Metallica at their most progressive. On Master of Puppets, Metallica already had long song structures with elongated solos and other instrumental breaks, but those qualities were only amplified on Justice. Songs like Frayed Ends of Sanity, Blackened, and ...And Justice For All feature fierce grooves, sprawling fills, and plenty of odd time. Lars pushed his drumming to its peak and in terms of technical ability he was never this good again. Luckily we will always have this album as documented proof that Lars Ulrich was indeed a fucking bad ass drummer. [First added to this chart: 08/25/2016]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,311
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
SIMON PHILLIPS
[First added to this chart: 08/25/2016]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
ALEX VAN HALEN
The Legend: AVH was the very first player to make me want to play the drums. Huge influence on me growing up. Often times, he may get overshadowed by his little brother... whose name alludes me at the moment, ;) .... but it's Al's groove, drum tone, and brilliant rock orchestration that helped make his brother standout and become the guitar God we all know him as today, and also helped to make Van Halen the global force it was for several decades. I don't care how many tracks there are in the intro to Hot For Teacher, it's an unbelievable moment in the history of rock drumming and beyond, not to mention many drummers' first double bass influence. Purists may see this Modern Drummer list and wonder why a guy like Alex is here. Don't. He's arguably the most important rock drummer in the post-Bonham-pre-Grohl era.
The Album: The aforementioned Hot For Teacher isn't the only great drum song/moment on 1984. Jump, Van Halen's most successful hit features unmatched feel and a very cool syncopated groove underneath Edward's solo. Listen again if you don't recall. Some of Al's most powerful grooves are packed into 1984 such as I'll Wait, Panama, and Drop Dead Legs, which shows the Van Halen brothers weren't going to let odd time slow their groove down.
Best Performances: Hot For Teacher, I'm The One, Little Guitars [First added to this chart: 08/25/2016]
The Legend: AVH was the very first player to make me want to play the drums. Huge influence on me growing up. Often times, he may get overshadowed by his little brother... whose name alludes me at the moment, ;) .... but it's Al's groove, drum tone, and brilliant rock orchestration that helped make his brother standout and become the guitar God we all know him as today, and also helped to make Van Halen the global force it was for several decades. I don't care how many tracks there are in the intro to Hot For Teacher, it's an unbelievable moment in the history of rock drumming and beyond, not to mention many drummers' first double bass influence. Purists may see this Modern Drummer list and wonder why a guy like Alex is here. Don't. He's arguably the most important rock drummer in the post-Bonham-pre-Grohl era.
The Album: The aforementioned Hot For Teacher isn't the only great drum song/moment on 1984. Jump, Van Halen's most successful hit features unmatched feel and a very cool syncopated groove underneath Edward's solo. Listen again if you don't recall. Some of Al's most powerful grooves are packed into 1984 such as I'll Wait, Panama, and Drop Dead Legs, which shows the Van Halen brothers weren't going to let odd time slow their groove down.
Best Performances: Hot For Teacher, I'm The One, Little Guitars [First added to this chart: 08/25/2016]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,121
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 12. Page 1 of 2
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Modern Drummer's 50 Greatest Drummers of All Time (2014) composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 4 | 8% | |
| 1960s | 8 | 16% | |
| 1970s | 14 | 28% | |
| 1980s | 12 | 24% | |
| 1990s | 3 | 6% | |
| 2000s | 8 | 16% | |
| 2010s | 1 | 2% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Dream Theater | 2 | 4% | |
| Frank Zappa | 2 | 4% | |
| The Traveling Wilburys | 1 | 2% | |
| The Beatles | 1 | 2% | |
| Joe Satriani | 1 | 2% | |
| Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers | 1 | 2% | |
| The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Modern Drummer's 50 Greatest Drummers of All Time (2014) chart changes
There have been no changes to this chart.Modern Drummer's 50 Greatest Drummers of All Time (2014) similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums | zelecaster23 | Overall chart | 2024 |  |
| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums | Dimitritov | Overall chart | 2018 |  |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | coppolaleone | Overall chart | 2016 |  |
| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums | ralflord | Overall chart | 2010 | |
| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums | Gassman | Overall chart | 2011 | |
| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums | JuanLuisGG14 | Overall chart | 2023 | |
| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums | luigi522 | Overall chart | 2017 |  |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | KeithGM | Overall chart | 2016 | |
| Top 50 Greatest Music Albums | kscotti | Overall chart | 2010 | |
| Top 40 Greatest Music Albums | vince | Overall chart | 2014 | |
Modern Drummer's 50 Greatest Drummers of All Time (2014) similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
Other custom charts by AAL2014
Modern Drummer's 50 Greatest Drummers of All Time (2014) ratings
87/100 (from 2 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing all 2 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 90/100  | 06/15/2017 01:45 |  bobbyb5 | | 90/100 |
| 100/100 | 10/01/2016 12:41 | mostlymor | | 89/100 |
Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating
Modern Drummer's 50 Greatest Drummers of All Time (2014) favourites
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a favourite
Modern Drummer's 50 Greatest Drummers of All Time (2014) comments
Showing all 3 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
From AAL2014 06/15/2017 06:54
AAL2014 06/15/2017 06:54
Thank you Bobby. I appreciate that, I still have some work to go on this chart with comments and I still have a couple of these drummers to listen to so I can provide an honest comment on why they were voted onto this list. So hopefully you'll revisit later haha.
Karen Carpenter was indeed a great drummer. Unique player who had a lot of personality and made it come through in her playing. I haven't listened to a ton of the Carpenters' music however I've seen a number of awesome solo videos from her on YouTube. Pretty great snare chops.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From bobbyb5 06/15/2017 01:49
bobbyb5 06/15/2017 01:49
That was very informative to someone like me who really doent shit about music. Heh heh. I like it. Ive heard people i know who play drums say that Karen Carpenter was actually a good drummer. Is that true? I thought they were joking but they weren't. Lol
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From mostlymor 10/01/2016 12:42
Excellent chart, enjoyed your comments particularly.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment
Your feedback for Modern Drummer's 50 Greatest Drummers of All Time (2014)
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.