There are no great bands without great drummers. Charlie Watts is the master of solid understated groove that always serves the song. He's no good because he doesn't play chops heavy long boring solos?

A picture from Shreive's website, playing that same set in 1966, with the caption:

"1966 - 17 years old in my parents' garage playing on my first full drum set, the same I played at Woodstock. Note the flower attached to the tom-tom."

http://www.michaelshrieve.com/gallery.html

Scott

Thats awesome! Who else could say that? I mean your first real drumset and playing it at woodstock?? Mind Blowi

Exactly....thats like saying Al Jackson Jr. or Ringo or Bonham or Moonie or any number of great drummers is the worst.....if Charlie is that bad then why has he been in the Rolling Stones for years?? Now...Peter Criss.....I could see him being called the worst drummer.....there's one guy who owes his entire career to Gene Simmons....I mean if it wasn't for Gene and his savy marketing....KISS would have been nowhere, and so would have Peter Criss.....Kiss was all about the show and such, the music....eh!

Not only that - he got his first real drum set in 1966, and less than three years later he was playing at the very top of his field. Amazing.

Scott

Wow, I'm taking some heat for knocking Charlie but kinda expected it. OK, a truly great drummer is obviously not needed for the Stones much like U2 because the focus is not so much on percussion in those bands but rather on the singers and axe men. BTW, I like Larry Mullen - he's a pro. C'mon Charlie's been using the same fill-in his whole career............can he at least try to mix it up? Without the Stones, he's playing weddings.

One of, and maybe it's the big one, enigma's of playing drums is that it's pretty easy to play lots of fast flashy stuff but much harder to "do nothing", not stick out whatsoever and just groove.

At least he could get a gig playing weddings.

Could Keith Moon? I seriously wonder.

The point is that the same 4 piece drum set can provide endless possibilities--different in the hands of whoever is sitting behind it.

The chemistry of the group together is FAR more important than any individual. Honestly, are the Beatles, ironically John Lennon in particular, as special alone than when together?

Not just music--how about the original Star Trek cast? William ****t-actor and Nimoy, Bones, Scotty on their own--yawn. But together something very cool and special.

Different formulas in music require different drummers. I love Keith Moon, I love Bonham, I love Morello and I love Charlie Watts.

The only constant is that they have to be damn good at being in the groove. Even a band of lousy non drummers who write good songs (like the Clash) are fantastic when the drummer is great (in this case Topper Headon).

I personally would love to see Keith Moon play a wedding.

It would start off ok but soon Moon the Loon would be playing "Sparks" type floor toms licks in "The Girl From Ipanema".

It would then digress to the point where eventually Keith would be running around the hotel lobby in the wedding dress throwing cake at anyone in his way. I'd pay to see that.

To put us back on topic, Keith Moon also played a Super Classic set in the early days of the WHo, when they were called the HIgh Numbers and then the Who again....