Best Yes Drummer?

[patrickq]

Which of these Yes members is the best drummer? (As opposed to your favorite.)

[Gilly Goodness]

How soon we forget Tony O'Reilly?

In all seriousness. Me likey Broof. And his ratatat.atrattatat style. White was great esp on Drama. Schellen is a monster. Bringin' the power to the band post Quest. In safe hands.

[pianozach]

[Sigh.]

[Soundwaveseeker]

Well, best drummer or best Yes drummer? Do you mean the best technical player or the best drummer for the Yes band? Bruford is no doubt the more inventive and stylized drummer with fearless creativity. But I always thought of him as the King Crimson drummer, despite his beginnings in Yes. I vote Alan White, who for me is the best drum fit for Yes, the drum sound of Yes, and a lot of the soul of Yes. He's on most of the albums. Jay Schellen will not get a single vote, but he's very much in the Alan White mold, so Yes are indeed in good hands.

[RelayerI]

White, then Schellen. Both can play about anything.

I don't like Bruford, but more to the point he may be technically excellent, but he's less versatile.

[rabin105]

White….


i like bruford i honestly do but Alan was the drummer of Yes even Bill would likely agree with that …. Alan and Chris could do anything in yes from jazz fusion of relayer to Pop Prog of the 80’s to new wave of Drama to even modern Prog of heaven & Earth they were able to do it all and have a great time too

[Roundabob]

Bruford’s playing on Roundabout and America (songs I heard on the radio before I started buying albums) was one of the first things that lured me into Yes music. He also got me started down the road with King Crimson. He was an incredible talent, but I voted for White, because, as someone stated above, he was more versatile. I think that Alan gave the music more power (particularly live), and made Yes more of a rock band. Alan wasn’t John Bonham heavy on his kit, but he was a lot closer to that than Bruford.

[Mr. Holland]

Bruford’s playing on Roundabout and America (songs I heard on the radio before I started buying albums) was one of the first things that lured me into Yes music. He also got me started down the road with King Crimson. He was an incredible talent, but I voted for White, because, as someone stated above, he was more versatile. I think that Alan gave the music more power (particularly live), and made Yes more off a rock band. Alan wasn’t John Bonham heavy on his kit, but he was a lot closer to that than Bruford.

Could not have said it better myself.

[gbh90125]

Bruford is the most inventive drummer, second only to Collins. Alan White was a fantasticly versatile and spirirted drummer but there was a magic that BB brough to Yes through the first five albums that was never relaed when he left - that stubborn " well i'm not doing what everyone ELSE would do here" thought process that he exhibits through out his career. Collins has it in abundance as well though he reigned it in in later years - but those flashes of utter .... "wow!"... they were never when he left.

[Ash Armstrong]

I prefer Bill's playing, his style, his swing, his choices, especially his snare, overall, but I have no idea if that makes him 'best' or anything. It's just a musical preference. But that doesn't mean I denigrate Alan as a musician one iota. It's a taste thing.

[Kevin W]

I prefer Bill's playing, his style, his swing, his choices, especially his snare, overall, but I have no idea if that makes him 'best' or anything. It's just a musical preference. But that doesn't mean I denigrate Alan as a musician one iota. It's a taste thing.

pretty much this. I find Bruford’s career outside of Yes to be one of the most interesting of all the musicians to have been in the band but then I do have a reasonably extensive jazz collection and my dad loves lots of jazz so was quite an influence on me as I was growing up. So maybe I was always destined to prefer Bill’s playing.

[kkleinschmidt]

I'm sure Jay is awesome (and Lou Molino) and of course I love Bill for all of his work in and out of Yes but I have to give this to Alan for nearly 50 years of Yes with extra credit for how he jumped right in and took over from Bill on short notice. I also really appreciate how Alan treated the songs from Bill's time in the band when compared to other replacement Yes members (cough *Trevor* cough).

[JMKUSA]

Alan was the “best” drummer for Yes because he kept the music going for nearly 50 years.

Bill was certainly a more distinctive drummer in many ways, but that’s not necessarily better than Alan, who always served the music. Bill’s drumming is kind of the same on Yes songs, that distinctive sound. But Alan did play a lot of varieties of music in Yes, from Tales and Relayer to 90125 and Big Gen.

[luvyesmusic]

Where is Dylan Howe? He combined Bruford's and White's playing styles on the tour he played. Did a fantastic job.

[luna65]

Broof is the best drummer. Alan was the best drummer for Yes.