Besides Ginger Baker, I think I'd have to put in Carl Palmer from Emerson, Lake and Palmer. I wish he had been mentioned in the movie, and I wonder what Baker thinks of him (assuming he even knows who Palmer is!).
I saw ELP in concert in the 70's, and his drum solo (which I think can also be found on YouTube) was incredible.
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Carter Beauford.
shareOne aspect of Ginger Baker's recorded output (Cream / Blind Faith) for me that is a distraction is that the drums aren't recorded all that well.
They are sort of un-dynamic in the mix, and to my ears, all of his toms seem to be tuned very close together.
Keith Moon's drums in the '60s have that same quality--lots of toms, but they all sound the same.
I think Baker is 100% wrong when he claims Bonham cannot swing. Bonham gets frequent accolades for the power of his playing, but what I appreciate most is his taste and his versatility. Baker may very well have more on the ball when it comes to polyrythms and time signatures, but Bonham is making the songs come alive. I will state that if you were to put Ginger in Zeppelin and Bonham in Cream, Zeppelin wouldn't sound as good and Cream might even sound better--at least more uncluttered.
I don't put Keith Moon in the class of the really great drummers. He was a performer. He is the drummer I want to watch more than the others because it is so wild and out there. But he isn't about technique or versatility--he's like a tornado.
I think the admiration Neil Peart receives is well deserved. He is a great artist and has contributed so much to drumming. He has also spent most if not all of his carreer finding ways to improve his playing. One of the few drummers I have ever heard who is light years better in his 50s-60s than he was in his 20s.
I don't much care for drum solos --both Moby Dick and Toad bore me to hell, but Peart was one of the few that would create a dynamic and entertaining solo.
(and while I don't like drum solos, I do very much like drum ensembles with 2 + drummers, ala Allman Bros, Santana and the Grateful Dead.
Copeland is definitely one of the greats, as is Bill Bruford