Up jumped the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie: great rhythm sections

[reebty]

You know, I just can't think of many. I mean I can think of plenty of excellent bass players and drummers who play in the same band, but not many that really congeal into a standout rhythm section. Googling "greatest rhythm section" resulted in a lot of talk about whether Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts are the greatest ever; I haven't paid much attention to them as a team, but Watts doesn't consistently blow me away on his own. So tell me which rhythm sections you think are truly great. Here's my list. I know it's an Aryan dream right now. Members of certain funk/soul/R 'n' B bands need to added (Funkadelic? Parliament? Booker T and the MGs?), but I need to listen to them again to judge (and find out the players' names).

Holger Czukay & Jaki Leibezeit (Can)
Paul Simmonen & Topper Headon (The Clash)
Jack Bruce & Ginger Baker (Cream)
Joe Lally & Brendan Canty (Fugazi)
Dave Allen & Hugo Burnham (Gang of Four)
John Archer & Doug Falconer (Hunters and Collectors)
Steve Harris & Clive Burr (Iron Maiden)
Noel Redding & Mitch Mitchell (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
Colin Greenwood & Phil Selway (Radiohead)
Fred Smith & Billy Ficca (Television)

[Antero]

Pete Thomas & Bruce Thomas (Elvis Costello & The Attractions)

Thread over, night y'all.

[YojimboMonkey]

Pete Thomas & Bruce Thomas (Elvis Costello & The Attractions)

Thread over, night y'all.

How can it be, when nobody's mentioned Les Claypool & Tim Alexander?  Then again, because of Claypool's style & the direction it moved Primus' music into, they were not only the rhythm section I guess.

[narlus]

Moon/Entwhistle
Prescott/Conley
Porter/Modeliste

[Daniel]

Ed Thigpen and Ray Brown.

[davy]

Yeah, it's not easy. The problem I'm running into is that the turnover for bassists is even worse than drummers. I wanted to immediately put Deep Purple and King Crimson on the list, but those rhythm sections lacked stability.

Maybe the best traditional rhythm section in the business right now is Spoon's: Jim Eno and Josh Zarbo (who really doesn't get enough credit).


Jeremiah Green/Eric Judy (Modest Mouse)
De Lorenzo/Ritchie (Violent Femmes)
Grohl/Novoselic (Nirvana)
Lovering/Deal (Pixies)
Drozd/Ivins (Flaming Lips)
Wilson/Sharp (Weezer)
Dahlquist/Midgitt (Silkworm)
Haughton/Maby (Joe Jackson Band)
McCarthy/Goddard (Karate)
Carey/Chancellor (Tool)

[Maaik]

Eugene Wright/Joe Morello (Dave Brubeck Quartet)
Coletta/Barocas (Jawbox)

Word on Lovering & Deal.  Them two is solid.

[jm]

Word on Lovering & Deal.  Them two is solid.

Until Lovering breaks down and just starts playing whatever, because he has lost his mind, at least.

[Maaik]

Oh yeah.  That was a good reminder that guitarists and singers aren't the only crazy assholes in any given band.

[died_trying]

how is sims/mcneilly not the first to pop into anyone else's mind?

[Maaik]

how is sims/mcneilly not the first to pop into anyone else's mind?

good point

[narlus]

how is sims/mcneilly not the first to pop into anyone else's mind?

transgression noted.

i would also put down a vote for Joyce/Rourke.

[davy]

how is sims/mcneilly not the first to pop into anyone else's mind?

good point

It crossed my mind but I didn't put it in my list because I'm not all that familiar with them.

How 'bout Morphine? Don't know them dudes' names.

[narlus]

mark sandman was the bass player. dana colley played sax. can't remember the drummer.

[davy]

Sad. He was pretty good.

Ok, damn it, I'll look it up.

Billy Conway played on everything after the first album, which featured Jerome Dupree.

[donblood]

This needs to be broken down into two categories -

1) professional rhythm sections - drummers/bassists/guitar players/piano players who played on jazz, big band, soul, and early rock & roll records, up to & including motown/stax (the MGs)/trojan/the nashville establishment

2) any drummer/bassist combo, especially in indie & college rock

I think most of you are thinking of #2.

[Trousers and Pat]

Al Cisneros/Chris Hakius (ommmm/sleep)

[narlus]

frantz/weymouth

[davy]

frantz/weymouth

Wrong thread! That's actually the worst rhythm section of all time!

[Trousers and Pat]

I'm trying to sleep but I just wanted to jump in again to add
Gibson/Chippendale - Lightning Bolt!

[Ignatius]

Also the only cool people in history named Brian.

[kyle]

Can yall do me a solid and name the band as well? I'm annoyed by having to google things.

Also confused when referring to indie rock bands as having "Rhythm Sections".

Also, jones/bonham (led zepplin)

pretty intense shit.

[davy]

Also confused when referring to indie rock bands as having "Rhythm Sections".

What a silly thing to say.

[Ignatius]

Whether it's obvious what is meant or not, it's a pretty weird designation for "drummer and bassist" in this context. Like a guitarist or keyboardist in any of these bands just noodles around all day, carrying the melody and nothing else.

[narlus]

frantz/weymouth

Wrong thread! That's actually the worst rhythm section of all time!

worst?  really?