Who Would Win the Ultimate Drum Off Finals?

By Ron - Friday January 06th 2006

THE SETUP
The greatest percussionists of all time have assembled for the ultimate drum off. Keith Moon, Tommy Lee, Max Roach, Sheila E., Joe “Mama” Besser–they’re all here. It’s a no holds barred competition so anything goes.

THE QUESTION
Who is crowned the greatest drummer of all time and why?

To enter the contest, leave your response as a comment below along with your preferred contact email.

THE REWARD
Our three favorite answers will win a pair of tickets to see the nationâ€™s top undiscovered drummers compete in Guitar Centerâ€™s Drum Off Grand Finals at the Wiltern on Saturday, January 14. The event will feature a headlining performance by punk legends Bad Religion, a special collaborative performance by Travis Barker (Blink 182 and The Transplants) and Adrian Young (No Doubt) and an opening performance by The Bronx.

THE DEADLINE
Thursday, January 12 at 12:00 noon PT. Excessively long drumroll please…

For the less adventurous, tickets for the show are also available for $15 online.

What now?

57 Responses to “Who Would Win the Ultimate Drum Off Finals?”

JJ : 1/6/06 at 12:23 pm

Keith Moon would literaly blow away the competition by igniting kegloads of gunpowder at the end of his solo. This would kill off his competition making him champion by default.
huphtur : 1/6/06 at 12:33 pm

Where’s Phil Collins?
Ron : 1/6/06 at 12:39 pm

Phil just delivered my pizza.
mfv : 1/6/06 at 12:40 pm

I vote for percussive visionary Trilok Gurtu, who talks out his Indian tabla like a funny little Magoo and then plays whatever he says.
Pete : 1/6/06 at 1:14 pm

Tony Williams makes all of the aforementioned performers look like Meg freakin’ White. RIP.
Mike : 1/6/06 at 1:44 pm

I’m going with Clyde Stubblefield of the JB’s, The oft-sampled O.G. Funky Drummer. His tight rolls on the snare have never been reproduced with his same feel. No one chops it up like him.
Spike : 1/6/06 at 2:30 pm

http://www.tr-808.com/
Pete : 1/6/06 at 3:31 pm

I think Spike wins.
Victoria : 1/8/06 at 8:49 pm

So, I’ll make my choices creative and interesting. So I’m breaking it up in three genres cause its so hard to choose.

First in Classic Rock, none other than
JOHN BONHAM! No one comes close to his thunderous sytle! Listen to “When the Levee Breaks”

Then for Indie rock, I’d say, Brian Chase. Even though he plays for the new NY based band, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, consider there’s only 3 people in the band, so he does alot of work and keeps em movin’

Finally, for punk I’d say Travis Barker. Sorry Adrian, but he’s more reggae and punk, so if there was a genre for that than I’d say Adrian. But Travis has got skills plain and simple.

Hook it up, ain’t got no plans I’d love to go for free
Lola : 1/9/06 at 3:52 pm

John Bonham is my 1st choice.

2nd choice would have to be Neil Peart.

But, that’s coming from a girl perspective. Feel free to disagree.
Reggie : 1/9/06 at 8:13 pm

Ringo Starr–I know he’s not the greatest technical drummer but he’s the most universally iconic of the bunch.
Sheila : 1/10/06 at 4:16 pm

I think Reggie gets an honorable mention for just having the balls to say Ringo. Admit it, more than a few of you were thinking of him, but chickened out. Ringo’s the most underrated component of the Beatles. Think of that cranberry sauce coda on Strawberry Fields. They held Ringo back!
paco : 1/10/06 at 5:28 pm

The winner by unamimous decision and NEW…HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD…JOHNNNNN…BONHAMMMMMMMM!!! No really, anyone with any other answer must never have listened to Moby Dick.
ryan : 1/10/06 at 5:51 pm

oh you simpletons. i’m surrounded by lightweights. everybody knows it’s don brewer from grand funk.
mark farner would be nothing without him, plain and simple. you don’t get invited to a SECOND tour with Seger and the silver bullet band…a SECOND tour… especially in 1987… by being just anybody. you know it. i know it. don brewer sure the hell knows it, but he’s too modest. done.
Lucy : 1/11/06 at 10:36 am

Keith Moon he drummed like no other !!!
MC Pee Pants : 1/11/06 at 3:51 pm

The triumverate of drumming power:
Roland 808, EMU SP 1200 and the AKAI MPC. You will respect these machines because they rule you. Just ask Afrika Bambaataa.
Kim : 1/11/06 at 11:38 pm

I’m going to have to say the Ultimate Drum off winner is… Neil Peart. If you want someone who was a technical master of the drums and could deliver a style of his own, Neil “the Professor” Peart is the man.. I’m also cheering for my future drum off champion friend Drew Langan and I hope to see you play and win in the Drum off Saturday!!
Corey : 1/12/06 at 12:05 am

Nobody mentioned Lars Ulrich!! He may not be a technical master, but he can lay down a sick drum solo..
Christopher : 1/13/06 at 6:16 pm

Pretty difficult to judge just from a technical standpoint. If it’s on stage and we are taking sheer presence into account, it has to be either Moon the Loon(I don’t think anybody given more when playing) and Bonzo(he knows exactly when to play like clapping thunder and when to hold it all back)And let’s face it, these guys were both utter originals.
john h : 1/25/06 at 12:37 pm

the best drummer in every category is hand down Neil Peart. Keith Moon is a very close second, and you don’t even know unless you saw him in person. Terry Bozzio is also a very dynamic percussionist. Tommy Lee and Lars Ulrich should not even be near the list much less on it!
weipeng chen : 3/1/06 at 7:33 am

Well I think that the ultimate drummer thing is a very hard thing to classify. because there are soooo many master drummers in the world, and ofcourse the most famous and popular are Neil Peart, Terry Bozzio and etc. Yet what about drummers from blackmetal bands, like Jaska Raatikainen, Darren White, and more. I bet that all master drummer can play the same songs and beats, I think that people like us get too over exited when we watch a neil peart drum solo because he have sooo many things in his drum set, and therefore, we think that he is the best drummer. I think that that is just a stupidity. Brian chase is one of my favorite drummers of all time now. I think that he is very creative and besides have you guys tried play the song maps? well I think that that is one of the hardest songs I’ve ever played, well I don’t know but oh well.
weipeng chen : 3/1/06 at 7:38 am

if you want to share stuffs about drummers or any drum involved issue please email me at weipengchen@hotmail.com k thanks
deadbolt : 4/6/06 at 5:11 pm

thebest drummer of all time is the dude from the metal band death i think his name is richard christy but if i am wront ill post his name on another poast, to proove my point check out spiritcrusher live on http://www.video.google.com
Knuckle9 : 4/7/06 at 11:19 am

Keith Moon would win if it was Live, plus he was pretty technical.
Thomas : 6/30/06 at 6:16 pm

Tommy Lee?! Who said he was an incredible drummer? Well, at least he’ll definitely win last. Tony Williams, Dave Weckl, Dennis Chambers, Billy Cobham, Thomas Lang, Dave DiCenso, and Carter Beauford would be quite entertaining however.
bob : 11/19/06 at 9:40 am

TRAVIS BARKER!! he has so much technique. He kicks so much ass. And by the way hes not only a punk drummer. He plays everything. I have a video of him doing a crazy jazz solo!
Rita : 11/30/06 at 8:08 am

im sure is Tre Cool …
he is the funnest guy ever … i mean it stills be important the personality right?
he can talk with his drums … he can tell us whats going inside him by playing drums, by being the best fucking drummer ever …
of the best band ever ..
Jeff : 11/30/06 at 8:52 am

Absolutely. It stills be important the personality.

If you drive a shitty car, there’s your new sticker.
deadbolt : 12/2/06 at 5:25 am

you guys are all going by famous low skilled drummers, you sound like a bunch of geriatric teeny boppers, i mean tre cool who the fuck cant play his shit, kieth moon i influental but in comparison to modern instrumentalists hees nothing
Scotty : 12/20/06 at 8:18 pm

Mike Portney of Dream Theatre is right up there with the best of them. Still a huge John Henry Bonham fan though
joolz : 12/21/06 at 12:37 am

I think that dude from Secret Machines gets after it. . .
shagn : 12/21/06 at 1:09 am

#1 if you guys are talking too-old-to-rock prog drummers then steve smith destroys all these idiots. journey still sucks though.

#2 Tony Williams and Elvin Jones would take these guys to school.
Herklarock : 12/21/06 at 9:07 pm

I beleave “Eddie The~Z~FORCE Zuniga” is a force and power to be felt in todays druming world!
charlie : 12/26/06 at 7:54 pm

In my opinion, Joey Jordison of Slipknot is one of the greatest, i think he has the fastest feet out of just about anyone.
Nicole : 1/11/07 at 5:30 pm

My husband. Yes, I’m serious. Many of the people in these comments have serious talent and have left their mark in history but what strikes me is that most of them started a career while they were young then started a family; my husband is an awesome drummer with a lot of passion but since he started his family first I wonder if his mark will ever be left. He is a huge Barker fan and would love the chance to see him and the hopefuls at the Drum Off. My husband works harder than anyone else I know for me and for our son - in a perfect world that would not hinder his opportunities in music. Wouldn’t it be great if a guy with talent and priorities got a deserving break?! Besides, he’s got the looks, the ink and piercing…the badass little boy and the coolest wife…he’s on his way!
For the record: I’m sure he would have to throw out Joe Franco and his double kick for discussion.
Herklarock : 1/11/07 at 9:10 pm

“Eddie The~Z~Force Zuniga” is not a matter of opinion like, what’s that’s dudes name who trys to be a talented traid mark with that black shit all over face, joey who? the so called fastest feet in the west. As a matter of fact can’t compair to the trend smashing sick style of “THE~Z~FORCE” with his dynamic foot work and accent’s of power & force while delivering beat’s tone’s and scale’s of future and present, a wonder in todays drumming taking tuning to a new level in harmonic drum rolls and fluxuatetion of bass drums with his combo of pedal’s four for two base drums unheard of from many of todays standard drummers like the so called fast feet joey jordison (Happy Feet) and fin hand , he needs to learn to delever not run with it!!!!!
Ryan : 1/12/07 at 1:31 pm

I’m changing my vote to Nicole’s husband.
Jeannette : 1/12/07 at 8:09 pm

Nicole,
Can you post a Youtube of your husband drumming?
Jano : 1/13/07 at 9:12 am

Dennis Chambers, why? ultimate technical control and speed, all in one, he is the master
By Mr Rocko : 1/14/07 at 1:58 am

Z Force clocks in with speed hand roll of 1129 beats in 60 seconds, almost breaking the record of over 1200 bpm’s in 60 sec, now thats some technical control to go with them sick combo tone speed kicks. Now thats what i’m talking about !
John Schaffer : 1/22/07 at 8:28 pm

Tre Cool would win this easily with kieth moon close behind him but overall tre has the most skill. Green day rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dirk Nowitzki : 1/22/07 at 8:30 pm

Shiela E is the most overrated drummer of all time. Tre Cool is much more talented
bob : 2/6/07 at 6:42 pm

Rodney Holmes is the most talented drummer, unlike dave weckl he has the soul to match the chops
Jeannette : 2/7/07 at 3:15 am

shut up Rodney.
John : 2/8/07 at 11:59 am

I really like all of those drummers, but I think we should also mention Akira Jimbo. Four way independence, unbelievable.
dief : 2/18/07 at 2:12 pm

keith moon would blow away the competition and hes cleary more talented than trAVIS BARKER
Jeannette : 2/18/07 at 3:01 pm

yeah cleary
Dirk : 2/20/07 at 8:03 am

Ry Cooder once said the trouble with guitar players is they’re always playing!

That goes for drummers too.

Some of the drummers mentioned above can reproduce the kind of sound you’d hear if a gas truck drove into a furniture store, but if you want lean, mean power - knowing when to shut up as well as when to play - there’s only one man: Charlie Watts.

He’s the only rocker who can swing, plus, with Keith Richards he’s half the greatest rhythm section ever.
Kevin : 6/3/07 at 1:01 pm

I had the pleasure of seeing Led Zep in 75 and the Who twice in 76. Saw a lot of other bands, too! I know there are a LOT of very technically superior (Peart, Buddy Rich, Watts, etc.) drummers out there but the best drummer I ever saw had to have been Bonzo. Moon (whose favorite drummer was Ringo!) was definitely the superior showman and he really made the Who (witness them without him), but I was really impressed with Bonham. A really strong, powerful drummer. Didn’t seem to be a great showman but his playing really stole the show!
Joe : 7/18/07 at 7:52 am

Moon For live and tech
and Cool for everything else
Chris : 8/27/07 at 5:30 am

All of those drummers are really great, but Mike Portnoy would win hands down, he is the youngest drummer in the drummer hall of fame. and is named one of the top 3 drummers of the world.
watch this video and ill prove it (listen to what the drumer is doing)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCwWDqg1_lI
Dch666 : 11/27/07 at 3:27 pm

joey jordison from slipknot is one of the greatest drummers. have you seen how many cymbols he uses. he did one of the sickest drum solos ever, he was playing while spinning on a revolving platform.
Jon : 12/9/07 at 2:02 pm

Joey Jordison? pfffft
The person with the fastest feet?
Tim Yeung.
Fastest hands?
Mike Mangini.
Widest variety of styles?
Brett Batdorf.
Greatest original?
Mike Portnoy.

Out of all those, I’d give the title of greatest to Brett Batdorf.
The guy is a genius, he’s fast, he’s multifaceted doing metal jazz funk etc., he’s creative, he’s got the whole package. Nothing else comes close.
Freddie : 12/23/07 at 5:35 pm

For sheer technical prowess I would say Mike Mangini. He holds the world record for fastest matched strokes (1247bpm), fastest single strokes (1203bpm) and fastest traditional grip (1126bpm). He also held the record for fastest feet (13222 in 15 mins and 5222 in 5 mins). He can hold incredibly fast one handed rolls (with both hands! in one video he switches between hands without missing a beat), he plays some of the most obsenely difficult polyrhythms ever (just watch his video with the steve vai band or the one in london 1998 to see this), he can also do very very fast crossovers. In the Steve Vai video he does all these things (except the records of course :P) and for the whole solo it looks like he’s just messing around but it’s flawless. Like I said, for technical prowess he is second to none, even (dare i say it) Buddy Rich. I have no idea what his personality, passion, creativity or dedication is like (although to get that good you have to be extremely dedicated i should think :P).
Joe mazzgato : 3/16/08 at 6:43 pm

My hats off to Eddie the Z Force Zuniga who has been playing the drums for 37 of his 44 yrs as a insparation to many up and coming drummers of this age new line drummers, Eddie Zuniga’s sick & uniqe style of 30 plus years of playing drums has also braught the driving force behide brutal sounds of the “Christian Rock Band BRETHREN” to cutting edge rock and the hard place.
EDDIE THE Z FORCE IS SICK !!!!!!
Kevin Hall : 7/31/08 at 12:25 pm

It’s great to see Don Brewer listed above, and I would 2nd that vote. He was, and is, a huge inspiration. A huge pocket, great feel, his contribution to rock drumming is priceless, and GFR should be in the R&R Hall Of Fame. Great voice, too.
nme30 : 10/1/08 at 2:35 pm

definitely venetian snares!!!

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Who Would Win the Ultimate Drum Off Finals?

What now?

57 Responses to “Who Would Win the Ultimate Drum Off Finals?”

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