Drums at the forefront of a song

[don_t_ask]

The Mountain Goats New Monster Avenue. More surprising because of Darnielle’s spare use of percussion at all.

[AllShookDown]

The Association - Requiem for the Masses

[Sparky812]

I guess it depends on what genres you like.

Of course, as previously mentioned, there’s the classic greats Neil Peart(Rush), Stewart Copeland (Police) , Alex Van Halen, Keith Moon(Who), John Bohnam (Led Zep), or Nicko MacBrain (Iron Maiden)
If you’re looking for “newer” high energy drummers, maybe Joey Jordison, Travis Barker, Shannon Larkin, or The “Rev” James Sullivan.

[gallows_fodder]

This is a great compilation album of songs featuring drummers from a number of big and little alternative bands in the '90s. Or

Masterminded by Redd Kross’ Brian Reitzell, Flyin’ Traps is a celebration of rock drumming similar in spirit to the solo records of Hal Blaine or Sandy Nelson. Moving the drums and percussion to the front of the mix, the record not only spotlights the often-overlooked importance of drummers, but also allows players like Soundgarden’s Matt Cameron, the Jesus Lizard’s Mac McNeilly and the Screaming Trees’ Barrett Martin to step out from behind their kits to reveal their other musical talents. The results are often excellent, ranging from surf (the Fastbacks’ Mike Musburger’s “Noodles”) to worldbeat (Jane’s Addiction’s Stephen Perkins’ “Monkey to Brazil”) to evocatively gorgeous soundcapes (the Flaming Lips’ Steven Drzod’s “Headphone Theme From Seeming Infinity”).

My favorite track is the last one in that paragraph – “Headphones Theme from Seemingly Infinity”.

Danny Carey from Tool is another phenomenal drummer. I don’t have speakers at work here to find a particularly good example, but any song off of the Tool album Lateralus would show you how his drumming is the backbone and peripheral skeleton of their music.

[stpauler]

Gus’s song [“Summerday”](javascript:amz_js_PopWin(‘/gp/recsradio/radio/B00000I8KR/ref=pd_krex_dp_001_002?ie=UTF8&track=002&disc=001’,winName,winArgs);void(0) has a really great drummer throughout the whole song who changes it up while maintaining a constant theme. (I know, it’s a relatively obscure song, but worth hunting down).

There’s also the aussie band Big Pigwho comprised mostly of percussionists. They had a minor hit in the US with “Breakaway” which was in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

[jjimm]

@SeaDragonTattoo

There’s the old Adam and the Ants stuff (the band, not solo), if you can get past the craziness (which I loved as a teen) the double drum set and Marco’s guitar is pretty great music.

I still love the craziness! Their early stuff (before Ant Rap, which was atrocious) is fantastic. The most drummy of all their songs or is it this one? Double drumkit FTW.

[Dietrich_K]

“The Drumming Song” - Florence and the Machine

“Suck” - Pigface

“Jesus Christ Pose” - Soundgarden

“Percussion Gun” - White Rabbits

“Killer In the Home” - Adam and the Ants

“My Hero” - Foo Fighters

“Scentless Apprentice” - Nirvana

“Power and the Passion” - Midnight Oil

“When the Levee Breaks” - Led Zeppelin

And of course:

“In the Air Tonight” - Phil Collins

[Novelty_Bobble]

@EinsteinsHund

I think that the Who’s “The Kids are alright” is classic example of a drum driven song. Moon basically is the lead instrumentalist on this (of course, what makes many Who songs so great is the permanent battle between Townshend, Entwhistle and Moon for the lead, but in this case Keith clearly wins).

In addition, I suggest “The Real Me”. Again though that is a bun-fight between drums and bass (and one of the greatest intros ever!)

[mcgato]

@SeaDragonTattoo

There’s the old Adam and the Ants stuff (the band, not solo), if you can get past the craziness (which I loved as a teen) the double drum set and Marco’s guitar is pretty great music.

The Ants part reformed, without Adam, as Bow Wow Wow and kept the drums at the front.

[Annie-Xmas]

Crosby, Stills, & Nash Ohio. The lyrics even talk of drumming.

[don_t_ask]

Mind you I do have tickets to see Iannis Xenakis Pleiades - all 4 movements. Part of one can be seen here.

[Sparky812]

@Dietrich_K

And of course:

“In the Air Tonight” - Phil Collins

Or even better “I Don’t Care Anymore”

[smithsb]

“Take Five” and “Blue Rondo à la Turk” also Unsquare Dance.
Joe Morello with the Dave Brubeck Quartet.

Just great drumming.

[control-z]

From playing drums on Rock Band, I like:

Dead Weather - Hang you from the Heavens

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps

The Who - Young Man Blues

[WordMan]

@stpauler

There’s also the aussie band Big Pigwho comprised mostly of percussionists. They had a minor hit in the US with “Breakaway” which was in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

I found the video on Youtube and was going to add it to the list, because it has some footage of a big corps of drummers…but the song itself isn’t all that drummy…

How about we cut to the chase and go with Drummingby minimalist composer Steve Reich? I got your drums-at-the-forefront, polyrhythmic percussion right here.

[stpauler]

@WordMan

I found the video on Youtube and was going to add it to the list, because it has some footage of a big corps of drummers…but the song itself isn’t all that drummy…

That song probably isn’t their best example, try Nation. (I’m not entirely sure if the link works).

[kayaker]

Mickey Hart’s Planet Drum.
ETA:

“It had long been a dream of mine to bring together great drummers from around the world to make a recording based entirely on percussion,” says Hart. " In 1991, that dream became reality." For the companion recording to his second book, Mickey Hart drew upon the stellar musical friendships he had made over several decades to make real his dream of a percussion masterwork, blending the talents and native instruments of percussion giants from five traditions into a celebratory classic.

[cjepson]

If you are OK with art-rock, Bill Bruford contributed a lot of interesting percussion to the King Crimson albums he was on, particularly Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, on which he was joined by mad percussionist Jamie Muir.

In the jazz realm, Max Roach led a group called M’Boom consisting entirely of percussionists.

I think there are a number of Beatles songs on which Ringo’s drumming is an important part of the overall sound; “A Day in the Life” comes to mind.

[control-z]

@cjepson

I think there are a number of Beatles songs on which Ringo’s drumming is an important part of the overall sound; “A Day in the Life” comes to mind.

The End is another good one.

[Ibanez]

I find the drums in Misfit Love by QOTSA pretty sweet.

These guys are touring with Pearl Jam this year along with Mudhoney.