Cover illustration made with an AI image tool, chosen and framed by the editor.
A playlist for…
The Great Drum Solos
From Gene Krupa at Carnegie Hall to Slipknot: thirty-three tracks where the drummer takes the spotlight. Jazz first, then rock, then heavier. Nearly four hours, much of it very loud.
- Length
- 3h 55m
- Tracks
- 33
- Energy
- Lively
- Vocals
- Mixed vocals
Many tracks are instrumental; others have singing around the drum spotlight, among them In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, both songs called The End, I Can See for Miles, Won’t Get Fooled Again, 21st Century Schizoid Man, Aja, 6:00, Disasterpiece and Say Goodbye.
Listen on SpotifyPublished October 29, 2026
A drum solo is the moment the rest of the band steps back and the drummer has the room. These thirty-three tracks put the drummer in the spotlight, from standalone solos to fills, intros and whole-band showcases, running roughly in order from a 1938 swing concert into the 2000s.
It opens with jazz. Gene Krupa drives Benny Goodman’s band through “Sing, Sing, Sing” at Carnegie Hall. Art Blakey, Max Roach and Buddy Rich each get tracks under their own names, and Joe Morello plays in the 5/4 of “Take Five.” Sandy Nelson’s “Let There Be Drums” and the Surfaris’ “Wipe Out” put the drums right up front in a two-minute record.
Then it turns to rock. Cream’s “Toad” runs sixteen minutes live, about thirteen of them drum solo, and Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” is here in its full seventeen minutes. Keith Moon, John Bonham, Michael Shrieve at Woodstock, Bill Ward, Carl Palmer, Ian Paice and Billy Cobham follow, with Neil Peart three times: “La Villa Strangiato,” “YYZ” live and “The Rhythm Method.” The last stretch gets heavier, with Dream Theater and Slipknot, and ends with Carter Beauford live at the Gorge.
Several of these are live recordings on purpose: a drum solo often lands hardest in front of an audience.
We built the list, then checked it against published picks: Far Out, Thomann, Grunge’s all-time, ’60s and ’70s lists, and American Songwriter. Many of their picks are here, some in a different recording than the list chose (the notes say where), and a few we couldn’t include. The jazz at the start goes beyond what the lists cover.
Turn it up, and maybe warn the neighbors.
Tracklist
Side A
- 01Sing, Sing, SingBenny Goodman · Live at Carnegie Hall, 193812:02
Recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York on January 16, 1938, with Gene Krupa on drums, and not issued on record until 1950. The roughly twelve-minute performance features Krupa on drums, with solos by Babe Russin, Harry James, Goodman and then pianist Jess Stacy. [source]
- 02The Drum Thunder SuiteArt Blakey & The Jazz Messengers7:31
- 03Take FiveThe Dave Brubeck Quartet5:29
Paul Desmond wrote it in 5/4, a meter Joe Morello often soloed in. The quartet recorded it on July 1, 1959, and it became the biggest-selling jazz single of all time. [source]
- 04Let There Be DrumsSandy Nelson2:19
- 05Wipe OutThe Surfaris · Hit Version2:18
- 06The Drum ThingJohn Coltrane Quartet7:23
- 07The Drum Also WaltzesMax Roach3:32
- 08For Big SidMax Roach3:02
Far Out’s Max Roach pick, from the same 1966 album as “The Drum Also Waltzes.” [source]
- 09West Side Story MedleyBuddy Rich · Live10:49
- 10The EndThe Doors11:43
John Densmore’s playing on this one is on Grunge’s list of the best rock drum solos of the ’60s. [source]
- 11I Can See for MilesThe Who4:10
- 12ToadCream · Live, Wheels of Fire16:16
Ginger Baker wrote it, and Cream first cut it for Fresh Cream in 1966. This is the sixteen-minute live version from Wheels of Fire, about 13 minutes of it drum solo. The piece is one of the earliest drum solos recorded by a rock group. American Songwriter picked Baker’s 2005 Royal Albert Hall performance; this is the 1968 one. [source 1] [source 2]
- 13In-A-Gadda-Da-VidaIron Butterfly · Full album version, 2006 Remaster17:04
- 14Moby DickLed Zeppelin · Remaster4:21
A little over four minutes on Led Zeppelin II. Played live, the piece could last anywhere from six minutes to half an hour. [source]
- 15I'm a ManChicago · 2002 Remaster7:43
- 16Soul SacrificeSantana · Live at Woodstock, 196911:49
Michael Shrieve was 20 when he played this solo at Woodstock. [source]
- 17The EndThe Beatles · Remastered 20092:22
Side B
- 1821st Century Schizoid ManKing Crimson · Original album mix7:23
Michael Giles’s drumming here made both Far Out’s list of the ten greatest drum solos and Grunge’s list of the best rock drum solos of the ’60s. [source 1] [source 2]
- 19Rat SaladBlack Sabbath · 2012 Remaster2:31
Bill Ward’s showcase on Paranoid, picked by both Far Out and Grunge. [source 1] [source 2]
- 20TankEmerson, Lake & Palmer · 2012 Remaster6:52
- 21Won't Get Fooled AgainThe Who · Original album version8:31
Grunge’s Keith Moon pick. Its ’60s list picks Moon on “I Can See for Miles,” also here. [source 1] [source 2]
- 22The MuleDeep Purple · Live, Made in Japan9:28
- 23FrankensteinThe Edgar Winter Group4:44
Chuck Ruff’s solo is on Grunge’s list of the best rock drum solos of the ’70s. [source]
- 24StratusBilly Cobham9:50
- 25The Black Page Drum Solo / Black Page #1Frank Zappa · Live, Zappa in New York3:51
Terry Bozzio playing Frank Zappa’s music, from the live Zappa in New York, as Grunge’s ’70s list names it. [source]
- 26AjaSteely Dan7:58
- 27La Villa StrangiatoRush9:35
- 28YYZRush · Live, Exit… Stage Left7:43
The most-picked track we added: Far Out, Thomann and Grunge all name Neil Peart’s “YYZ,” and Thomann and Grunge both point to this live version from Exit… Stage Left. [source 1] [source 2] [source 3]
- 29The Rhythm MethodRush · Live in Birmingham, 19884:37
- 30Sos Kate (Drum Solo)Sheila E.1:00
American Songwriter picked a 2011 Sheila E. television performance. We use this studio drum solo from her album Sex Cymbal instead. [source]
- 316:00Dream Theater5:31
Mike Portnoy, from Dream Theater’s Awake. On Far Out’s list. [source]
- 32DisasterpieceSlipknot5:08
Joey Jordison, from Slipknot’s Iowa. On Far Out’s list. [source]
- 33Say GoodbyeDave Matthews Band · Live at the Gorge, Live Trax Vol. 449:55
American Songwriter picked Carter Beauford’s intro to “Say Goodbye” at a 2011 Gorge show. This is a different Gorge performance, recorded September 4, 2016, from Live Trax Vol. 44. [source 1] [source 2]
Total3h 55m
At a glance
- How long is the “The Great Drum Solos” playlist?
- 3 hours 55 minutes, 33 tracks, played in the order listed.
- Does it have singing?
- Many tracks are instrumental; others have singing around the drum spotlight, among them In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, both songs called The End, I Can See for Miles, Won’t Get Fooled Again, 21st Century Schizoid Man, Aja, 6:00, Disasterpiece and Say Goodbye.
- Where can I listen to it?
- On Spotify, as a public playlist. Anyone can see the tracklist there, and playing it needs the Spotify app or web player.
- Who made it?
- It was picked, put in order and listened through by the editor at A Playlist For…. Software did not choose the songs.