It is not often that the drums on Bowie's albums are discussed but there are several drum "bursts" on Bowie's albums that really sound great.

The first one I would mention is at the beginning of Young Americans. This brief drum passage is so famous and recognizable that Bowie once "fooled" his audience when his drummer played it, and then the band launched into another song, All The Young Dudes.

Another great drum moment occurs after the acoustic intro of Starman. Just before, "Didn't know what time it was the lights were low...." the drummer plays a flourish that will always sound beautiful.

The last bit of drum music occurs as the opening of Time Will Crawl. This is a battle blast that explodes with power. Try to notice this the next time you play this song.

Like any great musician, Bowie gives his drummers their due, allowing them their moments to shine with brief, blasting musical parts.

Hardly a drum burst but the bit Woody plays at the end of Five Years is brilliant. To a close.

That and the explosion in Sound and Vision.

And the drum in Blue Jean......

I always noticed the drums in young americans right at the beginning.

Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.
Friedrich Nietzsche

Boys Keep Swinging has the best drums ever.


Temperature's rising, but any idiot would know that...

i find the drums are my current choice of "air" instrument when miming along to Bowie songs. There truely are some remarkable performances.

'Look Back In Anger' stands out in my mind, as does nearly everything that Sterling Campbell does. Check out the drum fills on the live version of 'Fame' on the Reality DVD - impeccable timing.

I often find myself marvelling more at what drummers don't play, when the skip over a beat to come back in dead on time.

Its about time I had a signature

The Thin White Duke: David Bowie Tribute Band

I find Zachary a better drummer than Sterling in almost every single way.

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Don't listen to the crowd
They say jump

Crystal Japan has the best drums ever.

In reply to:

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I find Zachary a better drummer than Sterling in almost every single way.

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You aren't the only one.

The odd thing abour Sterling is that technically speaking there really isn't anything wrong with his playing. There's just something missing that Zachary has.

Q: What's the difference between Michael Jackson and a plastic bag?
A: One is made of plastic and is dangerous to kids, while the other is used to carry your groceries home.

Zachery was also fortunate to play on two great drum albums, 'Outside' and 'Earthling'. Listen to "Battle for Britain" and "Hallo, Spaceboy" for proof of this.

But....I will say that for an overall drum sound, Sterling has several cool sounds to his credit. "Heathen" has some very unique ways in which the drum is reverbed and Sterling is very powerful, which is always a good drummer attribute. Sterling also successfully plays all the Zachery drums while on tour. So I will not say who is the better drummer between Zach and Sterling. They both have chops.

On subject, it is always a pleasure to hear a Bowie album knowing that he utilizes all the instruments in his composing. He is also lucky to have producers (notably Visconti) that can get great sounds out of them.

I dunno how I forgot that one!

Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.
Friedrich Nietzsche