10 Best Drum Solos In Classic Rock

Right...like I was gonna make a classic rock drumming list and not include Rush. From their second album onward, this power trio was never the same once the Professor Neil Peart stepped behind the kit. While there is a strong lineup of great drum parts from Peart's recording career, "YYZ" is probably his purest artistic expression ever put to tape.

Many uninitiated fans might take a look at this instrumental as a passing track amid other hits, but Rush are about something much more than just noodling. Starting as a jam between Peart and Geddy Lee, the song quickly spread out into a complete extravaganza of musical brilliance. After each stab of guitar chords from Alex Lifeson, Peart fills in the gaps with some of his most tasteful fills as he makes his way around his drum village.

All of the little accentuations that Peart puts into his performance are some of the greatest examples of songwriting on the drums. While much of this period for Rush was dominated by more commercial material, the band never forgot how to wow their audience with purely concentrated music. There have been many great drummers who have played with incredible fury in the rock sphere, but this song goes to show you that there's only one Neil Peart.