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welcome to watch mojo
and today we're counting down our picks
for the top 10 drum
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the solos drum work of don brewer
for this list we'll be ranking the most
memorable drum solos of all time
but excluding extended live versions or
short but memorable fills
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these drum sequences and solos don't
necessarily need to be unaccompanied to
count
but they should drive home the
performer's skill and technique in an
obvious way that commands the listeners
attention
what's your favorite drum solo tell us
in the comments below
number 10 in a gotta davida iron
butterfly
it's one of psychedelic rock's most
legendary songs and also among the
longest
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in a gotta davida by san diego's own
iron butterfly
is a staggering 17 minutes and 5 seconds
long
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the track's epic length is thanks to a
number of solo sections for each member
of the band
with the guitars bass and drums each
getting their turn in the spotlight
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former drummer ron bushy's part the
percussionist
shines on both the solo drum section as
well as a dual solo with organ player
and singer doug engel
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heck even bassist lee dorman gets in on
the act soloing alongside bushy during
the final act of inagar devita
and its hazy proto metal durge
number nine west side story medley buddy
rich
bernard buddy rich is what you might
call a drummer's drummer
the new york native has long been lauded
as one of the finest drummers to ever
pick up a pair of sticks
influencing countless musicians in the
wake of his big band success
case in point rich's incredible work
recording the music of west side story
in particular the series of selections
that make up the west side story medley
buddy rich's insane chops and flawless
jazz technique are on full display here
as he leads his swinging band in some
impressive and innovative musical
directions
simply stated it's an incredible piece
of music and one which deserves serious
investigation from anyone remotely
interested in the art of percussion
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number 8 46 and 2 tool
they say that it isn't always about the
destination it's about the journey
this line of thinking could also apply
to the musical approach of danny carey
as the tool drummer has made a career
out of perfecting the art of restraint
and precision
this can be best heard on songs such as
ticks and leeches and 46 and 2.
the dark brooding intensity of which has
played a major role in defining tool's
progressive metal sound
carrie crafts percussive buildups with
his hard-hitting style
lurching alongside guitarist adam jones
and bass player justin chancellor
to create dreary symphonies of drum
heavy bliss on the latter
which was released in 1998 as enema's
fourth single
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number 7 painkiller judas priest
subtlety no thanks the heavy metal
legends and judas priest would rather
hit you over the head with this pile
driving title track to their 1990 opus
painkiller
drummer scott travis pummels listeners
with an unaccompanied double bass intro
and never looks back driving the song
from first note to last with furious
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aggression
judas priest had always had something of
a revolving door drum position within
their ranks
and painkiller was travis's first album
with the band
travis still holds that position today
as priests
longest serving drummer but painkiller
might be the man's best performance with
the band
a tour de force track that serves as a
highlight of judas priest's enviable
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career
number six wipeout the safaris
what comes to mind when you think of the
musical genre known as surf rock
sandy beaches bikinis pounding drums
if you're a fan of the safaris then it's
most definitely the latter
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this has proven especially true when
examining the pioneering surf rock
group's biggest hit
wipeout largely an instrumental other
than the brief cackled intro
wipe out rocks and rolls with tremolo
picked reverb drenched guitar
and the frenetic drumming of ron wilson
wilson in particular gets to bust out on
his own alternating energetic drum solos
against the riffing and solos
of guitarists jim fuller and bob
berryhill
it's a driving infectious little number
that has transcended genre to become one
of the world's most instantly
recognizable songs
number five the end the beatles
not every drummer necessarily enjoys
standing in the spotlight to perform a
flashy self-serving drum solo
beatles legend ringo starr was a
famously understated performer
but he nevertheless performed one to
kick off the end the final track on what
would be the iconic rock and roll band's
second to last studio album
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setting aside the hidden track her
majesty the end appropriately closed out
abby road
star actually re-recorded the simple yet
effective solo alongside guitar and
tambourine
while in studio
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however these instruments would be
lowered in the mix prior to the album's
release
allowing stars hard-hitting tom work to
shine through on this fan favorite
beatles cut
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number four rat salad black sabbath
the founding four members of black
sabbath are all monumental musicians in
their own right
but drummer bill ward arguably flies
under the radar as the most underrated
performing with the group
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ward's impressive and impactful talents
as a drummer were always put to good use
by the band
but perhaps don't receive the attention
they deserve
case in point rat salad the sometimes
forgotten instrumental
tucked away on side two of sabbath's
1970 album paranoid
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at barely two and a half minutes the
track nevertheless manages to leave a
mark
thanks to the heavy interplay between
ward's octopus-esque
kid abuse and guitarist tony iommi's
beefed up blues menace
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we'll have the rat salad please number
three
won't get fooled again the who during
his time with the who
keith moon paired self-destructive
behavior with serious drumming skills
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my generation is a great showcase of his
chops but for this pick we had to go
with the epic won't get fooled again
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not only does this track from the who's
fifth album who's next
feature one of classic rock's all-time
best screams from singer roger daltrey
but also boasts an incredible solo
section from moon near the track's back
end
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keith begins to ramp up his playing
around the six minute mark
before coming round near the song's
finale for one final rush to the finish
line
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it's pure musical magic number two
yyz rush it's been a fan favorite
instrumental for rush fans ever since
the track was first released back in
1981
yyz is the title and it's been somewhat
of a musical calling card for these
members of canadian rock royalty
thanks largely in part to the
unbelievable percussive skills of one
neil piert
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although live renditions of yyz may
feature more pronounced
unaccompanied drum solos from piert the
track itself is a tour de force of
virtuoso musicianship
from any drummer's perspective
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not to mention exceptional work from
guitarist alex leifsen
and bassist getty lee
yyz hits hard and hits often reminding
us that there are few acts out there
that can do progressive rock quite like
rush
before we hit you with our number one
drum solo here are a few
heavy honorable mentions radar love
golden earring
frankenstein edgar winter group
toad cream
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tnu tnuc grand funk railroad
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fire the jimi hendrix experience
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number one moby dick led zeppelin
classic rock fans often debate which
drummer is the all-time
greatest
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the conversation is ever-changing but
more often than not
led zeppelin's john bonham sits atop
these lists as an
untouchable giant of the instrument
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it's not hard to imagine why either at
least when listening to this classic cut
from the band's second lp
moby dick is the penultimate song on the
album but it makes a huge impression not
only with bonham's punishing of his drum
kit
but also the badass riff jimmy page lays
down to bring it all together
it's hard it's aggressive it's legendary
moby dick has it all as one of the best
examples of the classic rock
drum solo as art
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