Best Disco Drummer!!!!

**Blaxman** · June 27th, 2002, 12:24 PM

Hi everybody, after the "Best Bass Player" and "Best Guitar Player", on disco of course, let's start another topic.

Who is/are the best disco drummer or all times??

My choices:

EARL YOUNG - The creator of disco beat. Listen to all that Philly gems. MFSB, SALSOUL ORCH., THE TRAMMPS, BILLI PAUL stuff, etc.

ED GREENE - Fabulous drummer! Listen to the tone of the snare!!! The skill!!! LOVE UNLIMITED ORCH., BARRY WHITE stuff, GENE PAGE, TAVARES, TEMPTATIONS, etc.

BRUCE CARTER - From PLEASURE. Listen and think.

TONY THOMPSON - From CHIC, SISTER SLEDGE, DIANA ROSS, DAVID BOWIE, etc.

NOTE: This topic is about DISCO drummers, in other type of music (funk or rock in example) my choices would be quite different from that.

BTW: The results of the Best guitar and bass player are:

Bernard Edwards: BEST BASS player!
Nile Rodgers: BEST GUITAR Player!

So, make your posts!

_________________
SENHORES DO GROOVE - BRAZIL

[ This Message was edited by: Blaxman on 2002-06-27 13:25 ]

**sammyperez** · June 27th, 2002, 12:35 PM

My pick is probably most people's choice, Cerrone. Like his songs or not you have to give him his just due.

Easy,

Sam "ALL JAM"

**Blaxman** · June 27th, 2002, 12:40 PM

Hey, SUPERSAM! Faster than light, uh? :lol:

I'm very curious about Zeca's opinion about your choice.

Peace.

_________________
SENHORES DO GROOVE - BRAZIL

[ This Message was edited by: Blaxman on 2002-06-27 13:41 ]

**BrunoRepublic** · June 27th, 2002, 12:50 PM

My vote goes to Keith Forsey or Laurin Rinder.

**Fantomas** · June 27th, 2002, 01:30 PM

I never thought of "best drummers" in the disco category. For that, you go to Rock.
The best were Rollimg Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who.

**jazz_pilgrim** · June 27th, 2002, 02:47 PM

My vote goes to Paulinho da Costa. Great drummer. His name seemed to pop up everywhere in the late Seventies.

And I cannot leave out a jazz-fusion track that was absolutely MASSIVE with the Jazz Pilgrims all those years ago. Check out WILLIE BOBO and his drumming in his version of "Always There". An absolute stormer of a track ... Bit of a nightmare of a track to find, though...

_________________
It's got to be about the music !!

[ This Message was edited by: jazz_pilgrim on 2002-06-27 15:49 ]

**Ricardo_Mata** · June 27th, 2002, 07:50 PM

Hi guys! On this one I have to go with Jazz: Paulinho da Costa gets my vote for DISCO drummer. And I have to say that Mr. Da Costa wasted his talent in those disco records. Ask any self-respecting drummer and he/she will tell you that disco has the most monotonous rhythm of any kind of music out there. I'm a bit of a drummer myself and disco is the only style I can play well; I can do it because it is very simple and easy. (I can honestly tell you that I'm a much better drummer than DJ!)

Now, if you want to hear REAL drummers I suggest you listen to these guys (in no particular order:) Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich (THE drummers who set the standards for everybody else. The creators of "Drumming 101") Neal Peart (Rush), Jeff Porcaro (Toto and many others,)Steve Smith (Journey but much better as a jazz drummer,) Stewart Copeland (The Police, the guy who brought reggae drumming to a whole new level,) Chester Thompson (A lot of bands including Genesis and Yes) Manu Katché (Peter Gabriel and many others), Alan White and Bill Brufford (Yes and others) Ian Mosley (Marillion, a drummer with a simple yet elegant style) and Steve Negus (Saga, one of the most under-rated bands ever.)

There is a couple of other drummers whose names I can't quite remember right now. Among them; the drummer for the Dixie Dreggs and Steve Morse, and the drummer for SAXON. I'll think of their names and post them later on.

I was about to close this post when I thought of a drummer whose style is nothing out of the ordinary but whose heart, dedication, and sheer "testicles" deserve mention: The drummer for DEF LEPPARD. I can't think of his name right now but the guy lost an arm in a car accident and had the guts to teach himself to play all over again. What he lacks for style or technnique he makes up with relentless determination. A well deserved drum roll!

[ This Message was edited by: Ricardo_Mata on 2002-06-27 20:55 ]

**NickNack** · June 27th, 2002, 08:25 PM

Hi Jazz_P & Ricardo,

Help me out. I always thought Paulinho da Costa was a percussionist. I know, drumming is percussion. I haven't lost my mind. But, on the majority of lp's where I see his name there is always someone else listed as 'drummer' while Paulinho gets credit for 'percussion'. I always thought he was doing conga, bongo, etc. Am I wrong?

Oh yeah, my choice for best drummer is Earl Young. That Philly stuff is awesome.

_________________
Dancin'... A Thing To Free Your Mind

Nicky

[ This Message was edited by: NickNack on 2002-06-27 21:27 ]

[ This Message was edited by: NickNack on 2002-06-27 21:29 ]

**HustleBaby** · June 28th, 2002, 12:36 AM

[quote]
On 2002-06-27 15:47, jazz_pilgrim wrote:
My vote goes to Paulinho da Costa. Great drummer. His name seemed to pop up everywhere in the late Seventies.
---------------------------------------------

Jazzy,
I'm not familiar with Paulinho da Costa. Can you list some songs that he is well known for.

*DELIGHTFUL*

**jazz_pilgrim** · June 28th, 2002, 05:41 AM

First of all, NickNack, I am not sure if you are worng or not!! I thought percussions and drums were the same thing, too! Like you, I will check my LPs when I get home tonight.

In answer to your question, HustleBaby:

Jazzy,
I'm not familiar with Paulinho da Costa. Can you list some songs that he is well known for.

It is almost a matter of what didn't he work on!!!

His most famous appearances were with Michael Jackson on "Off The Wall", "Thriller" and "Bad". He worked a lot with Quincy Jones around the late 70's / early 80's, and that included QJ productions like George Benson. Others artistes where he made an appearance: Earth Wind and Fire, Lionel Richie, Donna Summer (80's stuff), Emotions, Bros Johnson, Paul Jabara (his '79 LP), Vernon Burch, Patrice Rushen, Luther Vandross ...

Oh yeah, and he had 4 LP's out under his own name. One of his most popluar tracks in the UK discos was "Deja Vu" from around 1978 ....

**Ricardo_Mata** · June 28th, 2002, 06:47 AM

Hi guys! Yes, Paulinho Da Costa is, indeed, a percusionist. He plays congas, bongoes, timbales, and everything else he can hit, strike, pound, and whip! In some LPs he has also played drums.

Jazz is right in the sense that Mr. Da Costa appears in hundreds of recordings. At the time of Disco, which relied a lot on percussion, Mr. Da Costa was everywhere! After Disco faded away, he turned to jazz and rock. He has played in some many recordings that listing his discography would take hours. In fact, I seem to remember reading somewhere that Guinnes lists him as the individual who has appeared in most recordings in history. By now, he has participated in several THOUSAND of them.

If you pick a recording that has percussion on it, most likely it is by Mr. Da Costa.

**jazz_pilgrim** · June 28th, 2002, 06:51 AM

There is a website that claims to list ALL the records he has ever appeared on. Try this link ...

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=R66735

I wonder if it has missed any??

**Funky Dude** · June 28th, 2002, 07:44 AM

Best drummer, well it's certainly hard to say but I can list some real good drumming in certain songs:

Bar-kays - Don't Stop Dancing To The Music 1969 (NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL DRUMMING!!! This song has a similiar style to Sly & The Family Stone's "Dance To The Music")

Commodores - Cebu 1975 (The drumming gets real wild towards the end of the song)

Patti Joe - Make Me Believe In You 1975 (The funky drumming in this song really stands out)

Gary's Gang - Keep On Dancing 1978 (I LOVE the thrashing of those metal drums along with the slapping of the congas)

Ralph McDonald - Calypso Breakdown 1976 (The conga slapping in this song is simply the best)

Al Green - Love & Happiness 1972 (A funky song with a super-funky drum beat)

Hot Chocolate - Disco Queen 1974/Heaven's In The Back Seat Of My Cadillac 1976 (Super hard funky drum beat)

Brass Construction - Movin'/Dance 1975 (As well as they have super-cool disco guitar sounds the drumming really kicks arse!)

Commodores - I Feel Sanctified 1974 (Just like many cool funky tracks the drum beat really kicks arse!)

Foxy - Get Off 1978 (I'm not sure if it's electronic drums or not but the drum sound sounds fantastic)

Eastside Connection - You're So Right For Me 1977 (The drum beat and the congas are fantastic)

Crown Heights Affair - Dreaming A Dream 1975 (I LOVE that distorted drum beat)

Katmandu - The Break 1979 (Really nice drum work with fast conga sounds)

Those are some of many disco and funk songs I can think of but there are so many and which have better drum beat than the ones mentioned above.

**Blaxman** · June 28th, 2002, 07:54 AM

Hi, everybody! I'm glad to see this topic is interesting you.

Let me say something about my "country mate" Paulinho da Costa. He's mainly a percussionist but, he played drums in a couple of records too! Zeca told me a funny story about him (he did read it somewhere), as all you know Paulinho played on "millions" of records since the 70's, the story says that the artist or producers did think that Paulinho da Costa playing on a record was a sign of luck, yes luck!!

Maybe for his brazilian roots and his relation with "macumba" .

So, we can say one thing: If Paulinho da Costa is not the best disco drummer, at least is the luckiest (spelled right?) disco drummer!!! :lol:

Peace.

**Blaxman** · June 28th, 2002, 08:10 AM

Ok, this topic turn off to drummers in general.

So, my best drummers choice is:

CLYDE STUBBLEFIELD - JB's drummer, the most sampled drummer in the world (remember that classic early 90's house beat).
Hey Ricardo, try to play just like this guy but, watch your neck, uh? :lol:

JABO STARKS - Another JB's Drummer.

EARL YOUNG - Philly stuff.

WALTER ORANGE - Commodores. (Funky Dude is right, "CEBU" is a masterpiece).

ED GREENE - Love Unlimited Stuff.

Peace.

_________________
SENHORES DO GROOVE - BRAZIL

[ This Message was edited by: Blaxman on 2002-06-28 09:11 ]

**sirius** · June 28th, 2002, 10:43 AM

These are my favorite drummer-boys:
1)KEITH FORSEY
2)TONY THOMPSON
3)CERRONE

Cosmic Love & Kisses From SIRIUS & DARKTUNES

**rhessel** · June 28th, 2002, 05:46 PM

Ok,

My vote goes to the drummer playing in "It's good for the soul" by Salsoul Orchestra, I do not have this song here with me, so I do not remember his name, anyway I think he did a great drumming...

Cheers,

**Funky Dude** · June 29th, 2002, 07:54 AM

How could I forget Parliament. They are one of the funkiest groups and they have a SUPERBAD drummer!!! Listening to:
Mothership Connection
Side Effects
Do It What Comes Funky
Unfunky UFO
Give Up The Funk
etc...
The funky drumming really KICKS ARSE!!!!!

**Ricardo_Mata** · June 29th, 2002, 08:21 AM

Hi guys! I just wanted to add a little comment here. I noticed that some people talked about the drums and the congas and other percussion from certain songs. Notice that you are talking about the rythm section of the songs, not just the drummer. I think that would be a completely, and very interesting, new topic.

If we talk strictly about drummers --One guy behind a drum set-- I think my choices come down to just 3: Krupa, Rich and Peart.

I didn't have the pleasure of seeing either Krupa nor Rich playing but I have almost everything they recorded. As I said in my previous post, these two gentlemen set the standard for everybody else to follow. These gentlemen invented drumming as we know it today.

Several times I have had the pleasure of seeing Neal Peart playing. I have seen him using just a basic acoustic drum set and a full-blown percussion set with a variety of electronic devices. Both ways, acoustic and electronic, in my opinion he is the most accomplished and technically proficient drummer alive today. If you have not seen him, do not miss him in their current tour. By the way, RUSH will be in Charlotte next Monday. I'm going with my daughter!

**NickNack** · June 29th, 2002, 02:29 PM

Thanks Jazz & Ricardo. I thought I had it right about Paulinho.

A funny thing I noticed yesterday: Guess who is listed as one of two "Percussionists" on that gawd-awful Ethel Merman lp some of us have been talking about?

You got it --- not even Paulinho could save that one.

**Blaxman** · July 1st, 2002, 09:02 AM

On 2002-06-28 18:46, rhessel wrote:
Ok,

My vote goes to the drummer playing in "It's good for the soul" by Salsoul Orchestra, I do not have this song here with me, so I do not remember his name, anyway I think he did a great drumming...

Cheers,

Hi Rhessel, how are you?

The drum player for this track is exactly "HE" , my prefered DISCO drummer: EARL YOUNG !!!

Peace.

**NickNack** · July 1st, 2002, 07:27 PM

On 2002-06-28 08:54, Blaxman wrote:
Hi, everybody! I'm glad to see this topic is interesting you.

Let me say something about my "country mate" Paulinho da Costa. He's mainly a percussionist but, he played drums in a couple of records too! Zeca told me a funny story about him (he did read it somewhere), as all you know Paulinho played on "millions" of records since the 70's, the story says that the artist or producers did think that Paulinho da Costa playing on a record was a sign of luck, yes luck!!

Maybe for his brazilian roots and his relation with "macumba" .

So, we can say one thing: If Paulinho da Costa is not the best disco drummer, at least is the luckiest (spelled right?) disco drummer!!! :lol:

Peace.

Hi Blaxman,

I meant to ask you the other day. Who or what is "macumba"?

**Blaxman** · July 2nd, 2002, 07:37 AM

On 2002-07-01 20:27, NickNack wrote:

Hi Blaxman,

I meant to ask you the other day. Who or what is "macumba"?

Hi Nicky,

Macumba (mah-COOM-bah) is an african-brazilian religion. I'm catholic so, I'm not a specialist on it.

But, I'll try to explain in a simple way, ok?

Macumba is something like the "voodoo" religion on Africa or Haiti but, is not related (at least to me)with "black magic" it is related with "white magic". Something to help the people, bringing luck, good health, divine powers, whatever.
There are rituals with chants, offers to the gods, something like that.
The Macumba gods are in general "borrowed" Catholic saints. It happened because the slaves (who created tha macumba) were forbidenn to express you believes openly so, to hide their faith on macumba they adopted Catholic saints as gods to fake the bosses. A very clever move,uh?

Again, sorry about my english, I hope you can understand my words.

Peace.

_________________
SENHORES DO GROOVE - BRAZIL

[ This Message was edited by: Blaxman on 2002-07-02 08:39 ]

**NickNack** · July 2nd, 2002, 10:21 AM

Thanks, Blaxman. The minute you said "religion" I knew where you were going. I knew I had heard the word before but couldn't get it together.

BTW --- You worry too much about your English. It's fine.

_________________
Creatures of wilderness, wild are we.
Pleasure seeker obsessed --- his eyes on me.

Nicky

[ This Message was edited by: NickNack on 2002-07-02 11:23 ]

**PearlD** · April 6th, 2012, 10:56 PM

Alvin Taylor played drums on much of Barry Whites stuff in the 80's - and was one of the best drummer's around, tripple scale, which was basically unheard of during that time, he was in demand.