We’ve covered the most underrated guitarists in rock: now it’s time to turn our attention to the drummers. Often hidden away behind the other band members, there’s an argument that all drummers are underrated.
That said, it’s probably worth putting a disclaimer here. Much like the underrated guitarists list, there’s some big names below, some names you could argue aren’t underrated amongst their peers. But we wanted to look at drummers that we felt don’t get the accolades of their guitar wielding counterparts when they probably deserve them.
Small print out of the way, let’s get to the important stuff!
Top 10 Most Underrated Drummers in Rock History
10. Phil Taylor
Phil “Philty Animal” Taylor was one of the cornerstones of 70’s heavy metal with his band Motörhead. His mind-boggling double bass and astonishing rhythm made him the measuring stick in the thrash metal scene.
He was the final piece in the Motörhead puzzle, with his thunderous beats elevating songs like “(We Are) The Road Kill,” “Damage Case,” “Overkill” and of course “Ace of Spades.”
9. Larry Mullen Jr.
Larry Mullen Jr. is the consistently perfect and engaging beat behind everything that makes U2 great. He may not be the quickest or the most breathtaking. He’s definitely not flashy and loud like some of his 80s peers. But, he made himself as important to the bands success as everybody else.
Usually there’s a clear hierarchy in a successful group, as you can see so clearly with the likes of Queen, Led Zeppelin and Van Halen. Mullen’s ability to blur the lines of a hierarchy and place himself alongside Bono and The Edge whilst not taking from their influence, is a true testament to him as a drummer.
8. Tré Cool
Some people on this list are really quick, some are really intricate, some are specialists in a specific genre. Tré Cool of Green Day is a little bit of all of them. He mastered the groups early punk sound, transitioned fantastically into their 2000’s alt rock phase and now they’ve gone more towards pop with their sound, he’s still holding his own.
It’s hard to imagine that the guy going at four million miles an hour on “Welcome To Paradise,” is the same person methodically marching his way through the 9 minutes of “Homecoming.”
7. Josh Freese
Josh Freese is most notably a full-time studio drummer. He has played for A Perfect Circle, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Weezer, Sting, Paramore and as of now is with the Foo Fighters, Devo and The Vandals full time.
He has consistently shown incredible versatility and never looks out of place, no matter who he’s on stage or in the studio with. The morale of the story for this entry seems to be: if you’re starting a band, give Josh a call!
6. Chad Smith
Chad has been part of Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988 and has played some of the most iconic drum beats of the 90’s and early 2000s. From “Can’t Stop” to “Suck My Kiss” and even a fantastic cover of “Higher Ground.” Chad has rocked his way into everyone’s ears at some point. There’s no doubt in my mind you’ll have a song he played on in your playlist.
He can craft an infectious rock beat, sprint his way through a metal-esque track or slow it down for the likes of “Scar Tissue” or “Under The Bridge.” But most importantly he can craft an infectious, funky beat to pair Flea’s perfect playing and that’s the final piece of the RHCP puzzle.
5. Ringo Starr
A member of the fab four and one of the most important figures in music history, it’s hard to imagine Ringo Starr being underrated but he truly is. Just think in your head now who the best drummers are, I bet he’s not in that list for you, but he should be. Even the man himself didn’t rate his ability, saying in an interview “I’m no good on the technical things…”
It’s Beatles producer George Martin I turn to now though. When asked about Ringo on the drums he said “He’s got tremendous feel. He always helped hit the right tempo, and gave that support we needed – that rock solid back-beat – that made Beatles songs much easier to record.”
You don’t have to trust my judgement, I’m just a mysterious internet dude with an opinion. But for the love of god, trust the guy who was in the room making the music with him.
4. Taylor Hawkins
The late, great Taylor Hawkins had good reason for being underrated. When he joined the Foo Fighters, he wasn’t even the most famous drummer in the group.
Not a single person would have looked down on Taylor for staying in Dave Grohl’s shadow, but he went and made that spot his own. He was adored by hardcore fans around the world, Dave included, and his incredible versatility shows you why.
For the most part the Foo’s were a rock band, sometimes heavy, sometimes anthemic, always fantastic. Taylor had that skill-set perfected. Every time a new album was released, you went into it knowing Taylor would be on fire.
Then out of nowhere they drop Hail Satin an album of disco-rock Bee Gees covers and Taylor takes to the new style like a disco duck to water. Without a doubt, I know Foos fans will have their favourite Taylor beats and if you don’t yet, you’re letting yourself down.
Honourable Mentions
Sadly, with just 10 to choose from, there was always going to be some great drummers that would be missing out. Here are some amazing drummers who we think don’t get quite the credit they deserve.
- Clive Burr (Iron Maiden)
- Joey Kramer
- Ginger Baker (Cream)
- Meg White (The White Stripes)
- Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa)
- Rufus “Tiger” Taylor (The Darkness)
- Abe Cunningham (Deftones)
- Stevie Wonder
3. Roger Taylor
From one Taylor to another, from one drummer in the shadow of their iconic frontman to another. If Freddie was the face and Brian was the brain, Roger Taylor was the heartbeat of Queen. As I’ve already mentioned, it’s so easy to overlook Roger Taylor’s work when he has the rest of the rock gods in front of him. But once again, his talent shines through the greatness of his bandmates.
The word of the day today seems to be versatility and it’s coming up again because Queen tackled every genre they could think of. Roger put his hand to any style of drumming and never sounded out of place. He crafted some of the most iconic beats in music history and continues to play them to millions around the world.
2. Phil Collins
I love Phil Collins. I love Phil Collins so much it hadn’t even occurred to me that he was underrated, but it would appear that he is! Yes, he maybe doesn’t have the greatest of reputations amongst prog rock fans for “ruining” Genesis.
But put your bias aside for a moment and think about it. What’s the greatest drum break of all time, and who wrote it? Correct, “In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins. His work through the 70s and 80s is iconic and still massively famous and well placed in pop-culture today.
Maybe one drum break isn’t enough to convince you, you’re wrong, but I’ll indulge you for a second. What about his other fantastic hits, “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Another Day In Paradise,” “Against All Odds,” “Sussudio.”
I could go on but the overarching theme in all of those massive hits is the fantastic, thunderous drums. I didn’t even mention how his work with Disney in and around the new millennia made him the soundtrack of a generation of young kids. Of course, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion but if you think Phil Collins doesn’t belong on this list, you’re the reason he’s here.
1. Alex Van Halen
There’s a few reasons Alex Van Halen tops this list and I’ll break them down for you now. Number one, he’s probably the third most famous person with that surname, that’s if you even recognised him at all.
Number two, there was so much deserved hype around the vocals and guitar sound of Van Halen at their peak that the drums naturally fell further out of mainstream minds.
And reason number three, the most important reason of all, and the one that you’ll agree with most: Hot for Teacher. I say no more and bid you farewell.
Most Underrated Drummers in Rock – Final Thoughts
We hope you enjoyed looking at our list of the most underrated drummers in rock history. If you enjoyed this list, when why not check out some of our others such as the 10 best basslines in rock history. Thanks for reading and have a great day!