Ginger Baker

[garygomesg]

Page considered B.J. Wilson of Procol Harum for Led Zeppelin when Plant recommended he try Bonham (They were in the same band together,) The original Led Zeppelin was Page, Entwistle and Moon (from the Who) and Steve Marriott. Terry Reid recommended Robert Plant. Page wanted Reid. Baker auditioned for ELP, but was never part of the Led Zep plan. Cream in 2006:, Baker has arthritis; Bruce had a liver transplant. I saw Baker (1968) and Bonham (1969)-both good, Baker was MUCH better,

[wheresthebeefheart]

Shirley had kind of a funky style which I also liked. Check out his playing on John Entwistle's 'Bang Your Head Against The Wall'. Cool shit.

[wheresthebeefheart]

Personally I like them both too. Along with many more drummers who don't get their due. Clive Bunker, Fito del a Parra, Carl Palmer, Billy Cobham just to name a few.

I just don't like phase shifting added to miked drums. It met it's match with Itchycoo Park & Matchstick Men.

[wheresthebeefheart]

The best part of Moby Dick is Pagey's dropped D riff. It's killer. The drum solo isn't that impressive to me. When they put phase shift on Bonham's kit during live solos that killed it for me. And yes, Ginger Baker plays jazz. Hit the Ginger Baker Trio w/ Charlie Hayden & Bill Frisell. Deep space-jazz. Cool stuff.

[stacy208]

you do know that jimmy page was considering hiring ginger baker as the drummer for led zeppelin, but when he saw bonham playing some minor gig, he changed his mind almost instantly

[foutupourfoutu]

@stacy208 Baker is great, but I can't imagine Led Zeppelin without Bonham . He's one of the first drummers to play everything in a perfect way. Nobody had this kind of playing, I don't know how to explain this but...y'know, POWER DRUMMING.

[stacy208]

@foutupourfoutu yeah i know lol w/o bonham zeppelin would definitely not have delivered that in your face way of playing (or not as much). baker's style is based on playing the drums with more of a light touch (at least lighter than bonham's) b/c he was primarily a jazz musician. but yeah i totally agree that bonham completed the zeppelin sound. otherwise he was the whole band practically! :P

[wheresthebeefheart]

That sounds like urban legend to me. Baker was at his height with Cream in 1968. I doubt he would have seriously considered joining another band, fighting with Jack Bruce and all. How about a reference link??

[realrdpone]

A drummer with a style all his own. Not polished, not deliberate like Bonham or fast and smooth like Mitchell.Baker accentuated the double bass, where Moon almost hid it. Early on, Baker tilted his tom-toms flat! No one else ever did! Way too hard to reach, consistently for a smooth roll from tom-toms to snare or to the floor tom-toms! Sadly, I saw Cream at Madison Sq. Garden and they were awful! Slow, way too loud, out of sync, sounded terrible and kind of stumbling. Bittersweet for sure!

[ter521fad]

@realrdpone You saw them in 2005 at the MSG? I was at one of those shows.

[polkiujhytg12345]

check out "moby dick vs Toad" is Bonham better than Baker?

[nickthebold]

I think so.

[JimGawthrop]

I am glad to see Led Zep well remembered by younger folks, and an interest in drummers in general in this age of techno pop, but I'm surprised that John Bonham i even mentioned in the same breath as Ginger Baker. Led Zep had some complex rhythms and tempo shifts. I remember Phil Collins trying to sit in with Zep and play this stuff. He thought it would be easy, and he got lost. But Bonham was an organ grinder's monkey compared to Ginger Baker.

[ruleoforder]

This is beyond funny.

LOL. LONG LIVE IGNORANCE...

[ottowes]

He had an incredible technique and sound. It's amazing the way he did drum rolls with his feet and played very close to the rims on the toms. On top of it all he would get that jungle rhythm with his feet playing the two bass drums while he drummed like mad with his hands. Ginger was in a class all his own.

[zappahead538]

check out this drummer hes pretty good

just go to geoff fortin

[franciscovaldevez]

The great, the best, the legendary Mitch Mitchell, the drummer that introduced the Jazz on Rock´n Roll. Mitch created the fusion.

The true drummer,Mitch Mitchell, and also made the drums a lead instrument not just percussion..just listen, by example, Are You Experienced (1967)and Live at Monterey(1967).

Thanks.

[OhYeah729]

word

[queersteerbeers]

cream not the cream

[biohazard700]

this guy has stood the test of time, only one other thats mike fleetwood. both best in the world..... rock on

[jetfreak4]

How about Buddy Rich? even though he was jazz.

[dhurley05]

Ginger is jazz as well.

[jetfreak4]

He's also rock, so he's kind of a mixture. I'm not sure I would group him in with the jazz legends. His style differs greatly from them.

[jetfreak4]

Mick Fleetwood? From Fleetwood Mac? That guy is NOT the best in the world are you kidding me? So many rock drummers, don't even need to say all the jazz ones, own him. He's quite good i'd say, not average, but he's not as good as guys like Bonzo or Peart who I think are as good as Baker, or Stewart Copeland.

[jetfreak4]

For anyone interested in seeing the full video of this performance of Toad I have it listed among my favorites in my profile. 9 minutes and 27 seconds of insane drumming matched only by Bonham's Moby Dick. Toad and Moby Dick = best two drum solos for rock. It should be every drummer's goal to learn to play these two solos. It's mine.

[braino2000]

Wow we meet again!! i love ginger, though bonzo is still my fav

[mannymo36]

awsome...anyone have the Baker Gurvitz Army album,theres a song called mad max......killet

[PCPERSONAL92]

the best of all time

[jetfreak4]

I actually have the full video version of this solo....the first time I heard Toad was in 2005 when Cream reunited...I thought that was an incredible solo...but man the 2005 reunion version of Toad is nothing near this....hear I think Toad ties Moby Dick for 1st place as the greatest rock drum solo of all time. Bonham and Baker were out of this world.

[Mikeycianciorocks]

Too jerky

[PainFulLossofPride]

too bad the video is all jacked up, cant se him do anything.

[2112at91198v76k]

lots of power

[woodoven]

that's a pretty insane drum solo.

[ribecean]

If anybody likes this style, check him out Live with Fela in Amsterdam (I think) There's a drum solo with Tony Allen that goes on for days that's like this + a full orchestra.

[Langal]

FuCkInG AwEsOmE :O

Owned...