Blackwell, Blackwell, and Blackwell

tab32792 said:

Bobby Z better than sheila e? What the hell? Lol

That kills the credibility of that list right there - and Hannah over MOrris Day is questionable at best

My fave:

01. Michael Bland
02. Sheila E.
03. John Blackwell


Worst --- we all can agree on (I think?)...:

Kirky J

JoshuaWho said:

tab32792 said:

Bobby Z better than sheila e? What the hell? Lol

That kills the credibility of that list right there - and Hannah over MOrris Day is questionable at best

Hannah's 10x more versatile a drummer than Morris. Morris's sound is very tight and precise, which makes him sound better on certain types of songs, but if you asked him to do the variety of things than Hannah or Cora could do, he wouldnt be able to pull them off.

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The only major problem I have with Aiden's list is putting Bobby Z at number three. I think all of the girls in the list are technically better drummers than him. But I'd put him ahead of Morris and Kirky in terms of technical skill. I think one has to focus on technical skill in a discussion like this because everything else is just as issue of personal preference of style.

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I also think John B is a better drummer than Michael Bland. It just Bland power that sets him apart from many other contemporary drummers.

1. Michael Bland

2. Sheila E

3. John Blackwell

4. Bobby Z

5. Hannah Ford

6. Cora Dunham

7. Morris

8. Kirky J

The top 3 switch around depending on my mood since they each have their own style. Mike B is power & funk, Sheila has latin flair and Blackwell has the technical chops.

Bobby Z is great, it takes a lot to keep time with them drum loops

Hannah & Cora - Meh.

Morris - I didn't think he played with Prince that much.

Kirky J - Who cares?

This is just my opinion, yours is likely different.

lezama said:

Sheila E is the most diverse with her phenomenol capabilities on the drums, percusssion, congas, bongas. Listen to her solo on "Alexa de Paris", "Dance On" or the Sign o' Times concert movie. Hands down she should be number #1. Michael Bland is my choice for second best.......when you hear his drumming in "Shh, What's my Name, and "Back to the Lotus" are fantastic

1. John Blackwell

2. Sheila E

3. Michael Bland

4. Morris Day

5. Hannah Ford

6. Bobby Z

7. Kirky J

8. Cora

Prince. Actually. Just listen to Junk Music.

bobby z is the best

hannah is the worst

blackwell

bland and shiela are all quality (but were not part of pioneering the prince sound)

prince and morris were great but likely could not handle a whole concert

the rest are mediocre

moderndaysaint said:

lezama said:

JoshuaWho said:

That kills the credibility of that list right there - and Hannah over MOrris Day is questionable at best

Hannah's 10x more versatile a drummer than Morris. Morris's sound is very tight and precise, which makes him sound better on certain types of songs, but if you asked him to do the variety of things than Hannah or Cora could do, he wouldnt be able to pull them off.

.

The only major problem I have with Aiden's list is putting Bobby Z at number three. I think all of the girls in the list are technically better drummers than him. But I'd put him ahead of Morris and Kirky in terms of technical skill. I think one has to focus on technical skill in a discussion like this because everything else is just as issue of personal preference of style.

.

I also think John B is a better drummer than Michael Bland. It just Bland power that sets him apart from many other contemporary drummers.

What makes John a better drummer than Michael? I´m just asking because I´m curious. I´m not a drummer and can only judge by ear. My favorite drummer is Michael Bland, and I think it´s more than just the power of his drumming style. Some songs just sound better the way Michael performed them. John is my second favorite drummer.

aiden said:

Well the top 2 are very easy for me... Not as easy for the rest. I think Hannah is really good by the way but there are some unbelievable musicians on this list. Also I never saw Shelia E live which may have made me rate her less. I listened to Bobby Z on a 1982 show recently and it blew me away. I saw Cora 10 times in 2007 and she absolutely killed it especially at the aftershows. 1. Michael Bland 2. John Blackwell Jr 3. Bobby Z 4. Sheila E 5. Cora Coleman Dunham 6. Hannah Ford 7. Morris Day 8. Kirky J Who's in your list?

Nice list. I´m not a drummer and I like the fact that you appreciate Bobby Z´s drumming skills. I like him a lot and think he´s very underrated but to be honest, even Bobby himself mentioned a couple of times that he understood why Prince later chose Sheila over him.

And I think that Rolling Stone interview by Neal Karlen in 1985 also shed some light on Bobby´s skills....what he is capable of and also his flaws. (I don´t remember Prince´s exact words but he seemed to appreciate him even though he also admitted that Bobby wasn´t really the best drummer out there). To me, he´ll always be very important regardless of his technical skills simply because I liked the sound he created back then. Even with the triggered drum sounds.

thedance said:

My fave:

01. Michael Bland
02. Sheila E.
03. John Blackwell


Worst --- we all can agree on (I think?)...:

Kirky J

I wasn´t a big fan of Kirky J. in the mid to late 90s but that´s mainly because he became Prince´s drummer right after Prince disbanded the original NPG with Michael Bland, and Michael is just phenomenal so Kirk paled in comparison BUT keep in mind that Michael Bland has a very high opinion of Kirk Johnson as a drummer. And I don´t think that Michael is just trying to be polite. He really means it.

But since I´m not a drummer I can´t really make a judgment. It´s just that I think he´s not as bad as people say he is.

What, in your opinion, makes him the worst drummer?

hannah gets mad respect in the world of drumming.....u may wanna check out her youtube clips

speaking of drummers, i think Cora is unreal.........saw her up close once and was quite blown away

but JB is on some other level

TrevorAyer said:

bobby z is the best

hannah is the worst

blackwell

bland and shiela are all quality (but were not part of pioneering the prince sound)

prince and morris were great but likely could not handle a whole concert

the rest are mediocre

1. Sheila E*

2. Michael Bland*

3. John Blackwell

4. Hannah Ford

5. Cora Dunham

6. Morris Day

7. Kirky J

8. Bobby Z

The first two are the only ones I really like. Sheila is so funky and Michael's incredibly groovy.

My list

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1. Michael Bland (Powerhouse drumming)

2. John Blackwell (Technique and skills)

3. Sheila E (Percussive and rhythmic)

4. Morris Day (Cloreenbaconskin is proof of his skills)

5. Bobby Z (Solid if unremarkable drummer)

6. Cora (As above)

7. Hannah (Very average, but give her time)

8. Kirky J (An abortion)

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There's very little in it with the Top 3, all are incredible and separating them was note asy. At the end of the daily I go with Michael as he was impressive in his skills, sound and presence. John too as he is a lot like Michael and uses a lot more range and skills. Sheila too, as she is a wall of sound full stop, plus her percussion abilities which the other two lacked in some ways.

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A bit of a drop to Morris, who was still great, but did not have the presence of the big three, plus his talents in singing and all round walking poseur outweigh his drumming skills. Bobby was a solid but average drummer, just part of band dominated by synths and guitars. The fact Prince used a lot of Linns and the rest around showed how he did not depend on him.

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The others deserve their place, although Hannahs drums on Plectrum Electrum show some promise.

Shouldn't Prince be somewhere on the lists? He's been his own drummer.

Only a few in no order except John Blackwell will always be 3rd.

Michael Bland and Sheila E.