In the realm of rock and roll, drumming tends to become somewhat of a lost art. Any musician can attempt to compose a half-melody with a few good chords and a catchy melody. However, it doesn’t deserve the same respect as creating a masterpiece. Especially when that musician’s sole responsibility is to bang out time in the background. Roger Waters understood the value of a good drummer. The Pink Floyd frontman believed Ginger Baker to be on par with Keith Moon during that era.
But let’s be clear: in the annals of rock & roll, there will never again be a Keith Moon. Like Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham, Moon had a physical style that was nearly impossible to mimic. He would leap up and down the kit whenever he had the opportunity. Eventually, he created drum rolls that are audible when played at his typical tempo.
But then, Pete Townshend’s songwriting was never impeded by that style of drumming either. Moon’s strength throughout The Who’s run also stemmed from his ability to know when to back off. He could lay down a straightforward groove on ‘Love Reign O’er Me.’ He could also execute some of the most chaotic drum fills ever.
Moon had good reason to be known as “The Loon,” but Baker was another animal behind the kit. Although he shared the same kind of wild gene as Moon, his training in jazz and blues music allowed him to play huge drum fills with ease as well as to make them swing like nobody’s business.
All that mattered to Waters was that swing; he subsequently told Rolling Stone, “I remember Ginger Baker was wild back then, and I’m sure he still is.” I think Keith Moon may have been the only person who could have hit the drums with more force than he did. And Ginger hit them with an incredible rhythmic style all his own.
Cream’s swing was what kept them captivating throughout the 1960s. No one on Earth could have imagined adding that tribal style of drumming to “Sunshine of Your Love.” They still managed to rack up a few rock gems during their time together.
More than most people realize, that kind of experimental nature shaped Pink Floyd. While there’s no denying that Nick Mason was a formidable drummer in comparison to his prog counterparts, listening to him experiment on songs like “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” is a tribute to the unique methods that Baker first introduced.
It wasn’t, however, just a matter of playing loud for the sake of doing so. Every song had to set the right mood, and Baker could serve the composition by playing frantically or getting into a groove.
