https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/rush_drummer_neil_peart_i_am_retiring_from_music.html

Everyone else is vying for second best.

Mike Portnoy disagrees.

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Always a subjective subject. IMO, just Peart's oeuvre alone is enough to rank him above Portnoy, at this point. Twenty years from now it may be different, but I think Peart will always be the giant whose shoulders Portnoy stood on to see and play farther. MP does some far-out things, no doubt. And those young whippersnappers coming out today? Sicker and sicker.

A few years ago I noticed that some idiot on Youtube responded to every video of a well-know drummer by saying something like, "___ sucks, he can't hold a candle to Travis Barker - Travis is the GOAT!". Buddy Rich, Tony Williams, Neil Peart - it didn't matter. Maybe if the others had worn an oversize ball cap backwards at a ridiculous angle, he would have improved his estimation of them. Barker's pretty good in his own right, but I have doubt as to whether his stuff will stand the test of time like the rest.

Uh...you young punks unfortunately never had the pleasure of knowing a guy called Ginger Baker.

Tiernan;1768252 wrote:Uh...you young punks unfortunately never had the pleasure of knowing a guy called Ginger Baker.

Most likely in my top 5, largely overshadowed since he was always setting the table for Clapton.

Tiernan;1768252 wrote:Uh...you young punks unfortunately never had the pleasure of knowing a guy called Ginger Baker.

Smile when you say that, whippersnapper. Fortunately, I'm a late-blooming student of the art, so I have an appreciation of all the great ones. I'm certainly more familiar with Peart's work, so I'm always biased toward him, but I'm not going to say he's the absolute best.

Like I said, very subjective. Modern Drumming put out "Drum Gods", in two volumes, total of 50 names. And of course, the controversy is that they left out this or that person's favorite drummer. Check out the editorial comments to get an ideal.

http://www.rushisaband.com/blog/2007/04/22/950/Modern-Drummer-Drum-Gods-special-issue-features-Neil-Peart

Five or six years ago, MD had a monthly feature called "10 Things I Like About _____". The guy wrote the one about Peart started off with, "I never liked Neil Peart". He was honest, he'd never been a fan, but he solicited input from several contemporaries and did a great job of listing the facets that NP is known for. One of the more unique articles I've ever seen.

BTW, I just checked out a Ginger Baker CD from the library two months ago, I think it was a solo project he did in Africa, and some old Creem CD's. Great stuff.

I have no problem with Neil Peart being labeled the best. There are about 10 drummers that you could say are the best and I would have no problem with that either. Ginger Baker is very good but I favor the music of Rush over Cream so Neil Gets my vote.

As long as you aren't making a wild ass claim like my friends step-father that George Lynch from Dokken & Lynch Mob is a better guitar player than Jimi Hendrix I am cool with your opinion.

Danny Carey

dwccrew;1768224 wrote:Mike Portnoy disagrees.

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this guys blows

Spock;1768366 wrote:this guys blows

He isn't you in a junior high locker room, dude.