Showing posts with label Aynsley Dunbar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aynsley Dunbar. Show all posts

Monday, June 29, 2026

The Top 100 Drummers of All Time

Drummers:

Top 100

This list was originally posted on the DMDB Facebook page on August 23, 2010, and then revised on January 22, 2011. 30 best-of lists (see resources at the bottom of the page) were aggregated to create this one. As tends to be the case with music lists, it heavily slants toward rock drummers, so while far from flawless, the aggregate approach to creating this list should assure that this is a more representative list than any other out there. When relevant, groups or performers most associated with the drummers are listed in parentheses.

See other lists of Acts/Music Makers by Categories.

Neil Peart, Rush’s “YYZ”

1. Neil Peart (Rush)
2. John “Bonzo” Bonham (Led Zeppelin)
3. Keith Moon (The Who)
4. Ginger Baker (Cream)
5. Ringo Starr (The Beatles)
6. Stewart Copeland (The Police)
7. Dave Grohl (Nirvana/Foo Fighters)
8. Mitch Mitchell (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
9. Bill Bruford (Yes/ King Crimson)
10. Lars Ulrich (Metallica)

John Bonham, Led Zeppelin’s Moby Dick”

11. Ian Paice (Deep Purple)
12. Charlie Watts (The Rolling Stones)
13. Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa/Jeff Beck)
14. Danny Carey (Tool)
15. Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater)
16. Roger Taylor (Queen)
17. Buddy Rich
18. Phil Collins (Genesis)
19. Nick Mason (Pink Floyd)
20. Bill Ward (Black Sabbath)

Keith Moon, The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (isolated drum track)

21. Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
22. Carl Palmer (Emerson, Lake & Palmer/Asia)
23. Steve Smith (Journey)
24. Travis Barker (Blink-182)
25. Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden)
26. Dave Lombardo (Slayer)
27. John Densmore (The Doors)
28. Alan White (Yes)
29. Maureen “Moe” Tucker (Velvet Underground)
30. Topper Headon (The Clash)

Ginger Baker, Cream’s “Toad”

31. Jimmy Chamberlin (Smashing Pumpkins)
32. Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe)
33. Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band)
34. Vinnie Colaiuta (Frank Zappa/Sting/Jeff Beck /Herbie Hancock/Chick Corea)
35. Larry Mullen, Jr. (U2)
36. Alex Van Halen (Van Halen)
37. Aynsley Dunbar (John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers/Jeff Beck Group/Journey)
38. Cozy Powell (Black Sabbath/Rainbow)
39. Gene Krupa
40. Tommy Aldridge (Ozzy Osbourne/Whitesnake)

Buddy Rich vs. the Muppets’ Animal

41. Tim Alexander (Primus)
42. Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge)
43. Joey Jordison (Slipknot)
44. Bernard Purdie
45. Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac)
46. Frank “Tré Cool” Edwin Wright III (Green Day)
47. Steve Gadd (Paul Simon/Steely Dan/Eric Clapton)
48. Art Blakey
49. Michael Shrieve (Santana)
50. Al Jackson, Jr. (Booker T. & the MG’s)

Gene Krupa vs. Buddy Rich

51. Billy Cobham (Horace Silver/Miles Davis/Mahavishnu Orchestra)
52. Jaki Liebezeit (Can)
53. Matt Cameron (Soundgarden)
54. Max Weinberg (Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band)
55. Max Roach
56. Steven Adler (Guns N’ Roses)
57. Deen Castronovo (Bad English/Journey)
58. Elvin Jones (John Coltrane)
59. Tony Williams
60. William “Benny” Benjamin (Funk Brothers)

Max Roach

61. Hal Blaine
62. Simon Phillips (Toto)
63. Klaus Dinger (Neu/LA Dusserldorf)
64. Zigaboo “Ziggy” Modeliste (The Meters)
65. Vinnie Paul (Pantera)
66. Brann Dailor (Mastodon)
67. Rick Allen (Def Leppard)
68. Zak Starkey (The Who/Oasis)
69. Phil Rudd (AC/DC)
70. Clive Bunker (Jethro Tull)

World’s Greatest Drummers Salute Ringo Starr

71. Mike Giles (King Crimson)
72. Louie Bellson
73. Jeff Porcaro (Toto)
74. Chad Wackerman (Frank Zappa)
75. Don Brewer (Grand Funk Railroad)
76. Chris Adler (Lamb of God)
77. Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth)
78. Jim “The Reverend” Sullivan (Avenged Sevenfold)
79. John French (Captain Beefheart)
80. Dominic Howard (Muse)

Lars Ulrich of Metallica, drum solo

81. Dave Weckl (Chick Corea)
82. Dave Garabaldi (Tower of Power)
83. Anton Fier (Feelies/Pere Ubu/Golden Palominos)
84. Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle/Desert Sessions)
85. Jon Theodore (Mars Volta)
86. Stanton Moore (Galactic)
87. Don Henley (Eagles)
88. Tico Torres (Bon Jovi)
89. Levon Helm (The Band)
90. Clyde Stubblefield (James Brown)

Phil Collins takes drum quiz

91. Scott Travis (Judas Priest)
92. Stephen Morris (Joy Division/New Order)
93. Earl Palmer
94. Alan “Reni” Wren (The Stone Roses)
95. Roger Hawkins (Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section)
96. Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp)
97. B.J. Wilson (Procol Harum)
98. Damon Che Fitzgerald (Don Caballero)
99. Thomas Lang
100. Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs/Winger)

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First posted 8/23/2010; last updated 6/30/2026.

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Saturday, June 10, 1978

Journey “Feeling That Way/Anytime” charted

Feeling That Way/Anytime

Journey

Writers (“Feeling That Way”): Steve Perry, Gregg Rolie, Aynsley Dunbar (see lyrics here)

Writers (“Anytime”): Gregg Rolie, Roger Silver, Robert Fleischman, Neal Schon, Ross Valory (see lyrics here)

First Charted (“Anytime”): June 10, 1978

Peak (“Anytime”): 83 US, 75 HR, 6 CL, 1 DF

Peak (“Feeling That Way”): 6 CL, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.)

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

Just over 30 seconds into “Feeling That Way,” the baton is passed. Gregg Rolie assumes lead up to that point in the song, but then Steve Perry comes in. The pair then trade vocals throughout the rest of the song, but the transition is clear. Rolie’s days in Journey are numbered. Steve Perry, new to Journey as of the Infinity, album is about to become the face and voice of the band and lead them into the band’s heyday over the next few years, reaching a peak with 1981’s multi-platinum, #1 album Escape.

Officially, it was “Anytime” that was released as the second single from the 1978 Infinity. However, the song has so consistently been paired with “Feeling That Way” as its lead-in that the two have become inseparable. In its review of “Anytime,” Cash Box magazine called it a “dynamic, irrestible effort that features exuberant, multi-tracked harmonies and potent lead guitar.” WK

Interestingly, “Anytime” includes a songwriting credit for Robert Fleischman who was with the band for just a short time and didn’t actually perform on any of Journey’s albums. The song also included a credit for Roger Silver, a poet from San Francisco who contributed lyrics. The song was written before Perry joined the band. SF

Both songs are notable for producer Roy Thomas Baker’s layered sound approach, a technique he’d also employed with Queen. He stacked harmonies by having Perry and Rolie joined by Steve Valory and Neal Schon, sing each harmony part in unison, which created the effect of making three or four voices sound even bigger. WK

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First posted 7/7/2022.

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Friday, January 20, 1978

Journey’s Infinity released

First posted 10/12/2008; updated 10/17/2020.

Infinity

Journey

Released: January 20, 1978

Peak: 21 US, -- UK, 22 CN, -- AU

Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, -- UK, 4.0 world (includes US and UK)

Genre: classic rock

Tracks:

Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.

  1. Lights (8/19/78, 68 US, 4 CL, 30 AC, 74 CN, air: 1 million)
  2. Feeling That Way (6 CL)
  3. Anytime (6/10/78, 83 US, 6 CL)
  4. La Do Da
  5. Patiently
  6. Wheel in the Sky (4/8/78, 57 US, 3 CL, 45 CN)
  7. Somethin’ to Hide
  8. Winds of March
  9. Can Do
  10. Opened the Door

Total Running Time: 36:28

The Players:

  • Steve Perry (vocals)
  • Neal Schon (guitar, backing vocals)
  • Gregg Rolie (keyboards, co-lead vocals on “Feeling That Way” and “Anytime”)
  • Ross Valory (bass, backing vocals)
  • Aynsley Dunbar (drums)

Rating:

3.807 out of 5.00 (average of 14 ratings)

Awards:

About the Album:

“By 1977 Journey had reached a creative crossroads, with three underwhelming studio albums under their belt and little to show in the way of commercial success. At the prodding of manager Herbie Herbert, who felt a major shakeup was needed in order to reignite their spark, the band was convinced to audition and eventually recruit the services of former Alien Project vocalist Steve Perry.” FR He “was not a unanimous choice as Journey’s new singer.” CRM “Journey briefly enlisted front man Robert Fleischman and even recorded one track, ‘For You’, which would later appear on the Time 3 collection.” JM “But when Perry presented the bluesy Lights to the band, everyone sensed the possibilities.” CRM

“Sure enough, adding him to the band just prior to the sessions for Infinity proved to be a stroke of genius, and a move that undeniably altered the course of history for the fledging Bay Area act. Released in January of 1978, Infinity easily proved to be the band’s most cohesive work to date. Dead and buried were the jazz fusion overtones of previous offerings, and with the new songwriting combo of Perry/ Neal Schon leading the march, the band set out to completely redefine their sound. Traditional pop arrangements were now adopted, cutting out the unnecessary musical fat, and allowing each bandmember to play to his strength: Perry’s soaring, whale of a voice, Schon’s scorching fret work, and Gregg Rolie’s subtle keyboard arrangements.” FR

“Enlisting eccentric producer Roy Thomas Baker (already famous for guiding the likes of Queen and Nazareth to giant commercial triumphs of their own) also proved to be a rewarding move for the boys.” FR Baker “produced a layered sound approach, similar to his work with Queen, as demonstrated on tracks such as Winds of March.” JM “The re-focused Journey delivered their first set of accessible mainstream rock songs.” CRM

“Tellingly, ‘Lights’ was chosen as Infinity’s opening track – an introduction to the new Journey – and it remains one of the band’s best-loved songs, as does this album’s Wheel in the Sky,” CRM which was actually “written by temporary front man Fleischman.” JM “Even non-singles like Patiently (the first tune Perry ever wrote with Schon) and Somethin’ to Hide were leaps and bounds beyond the band’s previous accomplishments.” FR

“And, ultimately, though Infinity merely introduced the band to mainstream radio (it was the never-ending tour on which the band embarked on to support it that drove the disc past the platinum plateau), it effectively cemented their rep as one of America’s most beloved (and sometimes hated) commercial rock/pop bands. With over 170 shows under their belts, Journey had just begun to hit their stride.” FR

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Saturday, February 19, 1977

Journey’s Next charted

First posted 10/12/2008; updated 9/11/2020.

Next

Journey

Charted: February 19, 1977

Peak: 85 US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU

Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 1.0 world (includes US and UK)

Genre: classic rock

Tracks:

Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.

  1. Spaceman (2/77, --)
  2. People
  3. I Would Find You
  4. Here We Are
  5. Hustler
  6. Next
  7. Nickel and Dime
  8. Karma

Total Running Time: 37:37

The Players:

  • Gregg Rolie (vocals, keyboards)
  • Neal Schon (guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on “I Would Find You” and “Karma”)
  • Ross Valory (bass, backing vocals)
  • Aynsley Dunbar (drums)

Rating:

3.069 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings)

About the Album:

Journey’s third album maintained the same lineup as their sophomore effort, but they “began to break away from the jazzy progressive rock inclinations that dominated their first two albums.” AMG Still, “the group lacks focus and a pop sensibility, and its attempts at straight-ahead pop/rock suffer considerably as a result.” AMG This would end up being Gregg Rolie’s last album as the primary lead singer as Journey would draft Steve Perry for the next album and their commercial success would eventually skyrocket.

“Songs include the opening, moody number, Spaceman, as well as standout rocker Hustler, the odd timing instrumental Nickel and Dime, and the epic I Would Find You. The instrumental entitled ‘Cookie Duster’ was listed in very early pressings of the album, though not actually included on the pressings, and then not listed on the cover art at all. Many fans feel this song is one of their best instrumentals and should have been included. It was later released on their Time³ compilation.” JM

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Saturday, February 14, 1976

Journey’s Look into the Future charted

First posted 10/12/2008; updated 9/11/2020.

Look into the Future

Journey

Charted: February 14, 1976

Peak: 100 US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU

Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 1.0 world (includes US and UK)

Genre: classic rock

Tracks:

Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.

  1. On a Saturday Night (3/76, --)
  2. It’s All Too Much
  3. Anyway
  4. She Makes Me Feel Alright (7/76, --)
  5. You’re on Your Own
  6. Look into the Future
  7. Midnight Dreamer
  8. I’m Gonna Leave You

Total Running Time: 41:50

The Players:

  • Gregg Rolie (vocals, keyboards)
  • Neal Schon (guitar, backing vocals)
  • Ross Valory (bass, backing vocals)
  • Aynsley Dunbar (drums)

Rating:

3.088 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings)

About the Album:

After their first album, guitarist George Tickner left the band, although he has songwriting credits on two of the song’s here (You’re on Your Own and I’m Gonna Leave You). His departure didn’t really change the band. The other four members soldiered on, creating what “is essentially a reprise of their debut.” AMG

That meant they retained “some of the experimental approach and sound” JM of their self-titled first release, especially in the aforementioned “I’m Gonna Leave You” and the title track. JM At just over eight minutes, the latter song was the longest song in Journey’s catalog until 1980 when the song “Destiny,” from Dream After Dream, took the honor, clocking in at almost nine minutes. WK

“The music has a sharper focus and better instrumental sections than its predecessor, [but] it still lacks strong material and is a little too directionless to function as good jazz-rock. Still, it’s a marginal improvement over the debut,” AMG with the band having “toned down the overt progressiveness of their first, self-titled release, in favor of a more focused, commercial approach.” JM

The album features a cover of the Beatles’ song It’s All Too Much. The song was initially written and sung by George Harrison for the 1968 Yellow Submarine film and subsequent soundtrack the following year.

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Tuesday, April 1, 1975

Journey’s debut album released

First posted 10/12/2008; updated 9/11/2020.

Journey

Journey

Released: April 1, 1975

Peak: 138 US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU

Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, 0.75 world (includes US and UK)

Genre: classic rock

Tracks:

Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.

  1. Of a Lifetime (1975, --)
  2. In the Morning Day
  3. Kohoutek (instrumental)
  4. To Play Some Music
  5. Topaz (instrumental)
  6. In My Lonely Feeling/Conversations
  7. Mystery Mountain

Total Running Time: 36:57

The Players:

  • Gregg Rolie (vocals, keyboards)
  • Neal Schon (guitar, backing vocals)
  • George Tickner (rhythm guitar, backing vocals)
  • Ross Valory (bass, backing vocals)
  • Aynsley Dunbar (drums)

Rating:

3.253 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings)

About the Album:

Guitiarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Gregg Rolie played together on some of Santana’s classic early albums before jumping ship to form their own band in 1973. They brought drummer Aynsley Dunbar on board, who’d previously worked with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, the Jeff Beck Group, and Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention. Rounding out the group were Ross Valory on bass and George Tickner as a second guitarist. While Valory would become a mainstay with Journey, this was Tickner’s only album with the band.

“On their eponymous debut album, Journey were still trying to find their signature sound” AMG so “unlike their later recordings, the debut release is a progressive rock album, in the jazz-fusion vein” JM focusing on the instrumental talents of the band members. WK Consequently, the album is filled “with meandering jazz-rock instrumentals that never quite catch fire. Furthermore, their pop songs are ill-formed and lack hooks – in short, they are too mainstream for the progressive audience and too unfocused for the pop audience.” AMG Mainstream success would come, but not until their fourth album and the arrival of singer Steve Perry.

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Friday, October 5, 1973

Lou Reed Berlin released

Berlin

Lou Reed

Released: October 5, 1973

Peak: 98 US, 7 UK, 51 CN, 59 AU, 13 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.06 UK

Genre: rock

Tracks:

Click on a song title for more details.
  1. Berlin [3:24]
  2. Lady Day [3:39]
  3. Men of Good Fortune [4:38]
  4. Caroline Says I [3:57]
  5. How Do You Think It Feels [3:42]
  6. Oh, Jim [5:14]
  7. Caroline Says II [4:13]
  8. The Kids [7:55]
  9. The Bed [5:51]
  10. Sad Song [6:55]

Total Running Time: 49:23

The Players:

  • Lou Reed (vocals guitar)
  • Bob Ezrin, Steve Winwood (keyboards)
  • Steve Hunter, Dick Magner (guitar)
  • Jack Bruce (bass)
  • Aynsley Dunbar (drums)
  • Michael Brecker (tenor sax)
  • Randy Brecker (trumpet)

Rating:

4.038 out of 5.00 (average of 23 ratings)

Quotable:

“The most ambitious album of his career” – Mark Deming, All Music Guide

Awards:

(Click on award to learn more).

About the Album

“Transformer and ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ were both major hits in 1972, to the surprise of both Lou Reed and the music industry, and with Reed suddenly a hot commodity, he used his newly won clout to make the most ambitious album of his career, Berlin.” AM Fans and critics who were “expecting another upbeat glam outing” WK did not respond well to “Reed’s most brutal work to date.” RD While it was a commercial disaster, “its gloomy atmospherics stirred a new generation of musicians. Less than a decade later, Joy Division’s Ian Curtis would be praised for creating the sort of dark imagery that had left Reed critically crucified.” RD Reed was disillusioned enough about the album’s reception that for years he rarely played any of the material live. WK

The album is “the musical equivalent of a drug-addled kid set loose in a candy store.” AM Assisted by producer “Bob Ezrin at his most grandiose,” AM Reed crafts an album very different from the bulk of his work, fleshing out Berlin “with a huge, boomy production…and arrangements overloaded with guitars, keyboards, horns, strings, and any other kitchen sink that was handy.” AM

He also assembled top flight session musicians including Jack Bruce, Steve Winwood, Aynsley Dunbar, and Tony Levin. “Instrumentally, Reed himself only contributes acoustic guitar,” WK which made for quite a change from the “superb use of the two-guitars/bass/drums lineup with the Velvet Underground.” AM

Thematically, Reed was more adventurous as well. While he has “often been accused of focusing on the dark side of life, he and Ezrin approached Berlin as their opportunity to make The Most Depressing Album of All Time, and they hardly missed a trick.” AM Reed uses the songs to “form a loose story line about a doomed romance between two chemically fueled bohemians.” AM

“The album chronicles the demise of a relationship between two Americans, Caroline and Jim, living in the divided German city.” RD As is often the case with concept albums, “a few of the songs are little more than sketches” AM but the highlights…are powerful, bitter stuff.” AM “The songs weave through infidelity (‘Caroline Says I’), drug abuse (‘How Do You Think It Feels’), and violence (‘Caroline Says II’), ending with Caroline’s suicide (‘The Bed’). Chillingly, Jim refuses to mourn his girlfriend’s death, and ‘Sad Song’ closes with the unsettling couplet, ‘I’m gonna stop wastin’ my time / Somebody else would have broken both her arms.’” RD

The final assessment is that “it’s hard not to be impressed by Berlin, given the sheer scope of the project, but while it earns an A for effort, the actual execution merits more of a B-.” AM “The sheer size of Berlin ultimately overpowers both Reed and his material.” AM “But if Berlin is largely a failure of ambition, that sets it apart from the vast majority of Reed’s lesser works; Lou’s vocals are both precise and impassioned.” AM

Notes

In 2006, a live performance of the full album was captured and turned into a concert film and live album (Berlin: Live at St Ann’s Warehouse).

The Songs

Some of these songs originated as Velvet Underground songs (“Caroline Says II” as “Stephanie Says,” “Oh, Jim” as “Oh Gin,” “Sad Song”) and one (“Berlin”) was originally recorded by Reed for his first solo album. The other seven songs from this album are detailed below.

Lady Day

Lou Reed

Writer(s): Lou Reed

Released: Berlin (1973), Retro (compilation: 1989), Legendary (box set: 2002)

Peak: 30 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.93 streaming

About the Song:

“This song, ostensibly an ode to Billie Holiday, the original ‘Lady Day,’ seems out of place among the components of the story behind the album.” ER-29 “Is this the true Lady Day of jazz legend herself, or is this Caroline, without Jim, reveling in a moment of risky liberation only to return to the now changing and suppressive mundanity of their union?” ER-30

Steve “Winwood’s lurking Hammond organ chords, the listener is told of a woman who passed by a bar and ‘…had to go in and sing.’” ER-29 “The track’s musical arrangement stands out for its complexity in odd ways.” ER-30

Men of Good Fortune

Lou Reed

Writer(s): Lou Reed

Released: Berlin (1973), Perfect Day (compilation: 1997), The Very Best of (compilation: 2000), Legendary (box set: 2002)

Peak: 24 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.91 streaming

About the Song:

The Velvet Underground played Men of Good Fortune as early as 1966 WK but Reed’s version for Berlin is the first official recording and release of the song.

The place of “this study of paternal dichotomy” ER-30 “within the narrative of Jim and Caroline is unclear; is Jim painfully studying his own origin with spiteful regret, or is this song much closer to home for its author?”< sup>ER-30 “A great deal of Lou’s lyrics…has centered around the concept of the ‘father wound;’ the inevitable friction and emotional upheaval that will…occur between father and son.” ER-30 Lou explores “a father’s or whole family’s disappointment in their son, and the heavy toll this takes.” ER-30

“Jack Bruce first makes his presence known on the LP with uncharacteristically restrained, yet still melodically busy and tonally fuzzy bass guitar.” ER-30

Caroline Says I

Lou Reed

Writer(s): Lou Reed

Recorded: June 25 – July 29, 1973, at Morgan Studios in London and the Record Plant in New York

Released: February 1974 (single), Berlin (1973), Between Thought and Expression (box set, 1992), Different Times: Lou Reed in the ‘70s (compilation: 1996), A Retrospective (compilation, 1998), Legendary (box set: 2002)

Peak: 44 CL, 38 CO, 7 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.37 streaming

About the Song:

“Lou had a list of women who ‘said’ in his songs: Stephanie, Candy, Lisa, and now Caroline. It’s a neat literary trick that allows the singer or narrator to respond to another character’s impressions with their own first-person ideas. Here, Jim is lamenting Caroline’s many barbed tongue skewerings of his masculinity.” ER-31 “He believed that these storms could by duly weathered. Now, he is not so sure, but he will not throw in the towel.” ER-31

“Lou adds some real muscle to his vocals” ER-30 and “the orchestral flourishes and choral chords that uplift and round out the song to its conclusion add to its emotional fiber accordingly.” ER-31

How Do You Think It Feels

Lou Reed

Writer(s): Lou Reed

Recorded: June 25 – July 29, 1973, at Morgan Studios in London and the Record Plant in New York

Released: October 1973 (single), Berlin (1973), Walk on the Wild Side: The Best of (compilation: 1977), Retro (compilation: 1989), Between Thought and Expression (box set, 1992), The Best of Lou Reed & Velvet Underground (compilation: 1995), Legendary (box set: 2002)

Peak: 45 CL, 38 CO, 13 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 2.27 streaming

About the Song:

“The album’s only true rock ‘n’ roll song, and it’s a greasy one.” ER-31 This is a “a seedy, slimy speed freak’s lament on all things speed freak.” ER-31 “The listener must ask, is this Jim? Is this Lou? Is this both of them in collage?” ER-31

It features “Aynsley Dunbar’s rumbling tom-tom and double bass drum thunder that ups the dramatic quotient just enough for Lou to step right in and attend to business.” ER-31 Then on Steve Hunter’s guitar solo, “he simultaneously honors the vocal melody while also saying something completely unique and vital at the same time.” ER-31 “As the song chugs along, we are treated to fat, balls-out bursts of horns that add a vitamin jolt of Stax/Volt urgency.” ER-31

The Kids

Lou Reed

Writer(s): Lou Reed

Recorded: June 25 – July 29, 1973, at Morgan Studios in London and the Record Plant in New York

Released: Berlin (1973), Between Thought and Expression (box set, 1992), NYC Man – The Ultimate Collection (compilation: 2003)

Peak: 25 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.23 streaming

About the Song:

The Kids is “perhaps the most harrowing track on the album, or at the very least, it shares that honor with the next song.” ER-33 “Lou’s closely-mic’d voice casually utters a tale of a woman whose daughters have been taken away from her by the authorities.” ER-33 “Various one-line examples of this woman’s sexual promiscuity are lined up and addressed, as well as drug use, compounded by the fact that this woman had no compunction regarding the appropriate time or place for such interludes.” ER-33-4

The song “features the sounds of children shouting for their mother.” WK “Although deeply unsettling, [it] is a true masterstroke in effectiveness.” ER-34 “Oft-recycled rumor states that these are in fact Bob Ezrin’s children, who were brought to the studio and somewhat sketchily coaxed into their performance by being told that they would never see their mother again.” ER-34 “Musically, the song is excellent.” ER-34 “This largely acoustic number, strummed rhythm guitars and acoustic slide, joined by bass and drums, is despite its gentle instrumentation.” ER-33 “The opening strumming guitar sets up a rhythm that is shambling yet sure, ragged but right. Procol Harum’s BJ Wilson is on drums here, and his work is exemplary.” ER-34

The Bed

Lou Reed

Writer(s): Lou Reed

Released: Berlin (1973)

Peak: 27 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.91 streaming

About the Song:

“The pathos is unrelenting as we move from tragedy to tragedy.” ER-34 “The singer, presumably Jim, faces the ghastly task of assessing the before and after of the bedroom he shared with Caroline in the wake of her suicide. ‘This is the place where she lay her head’ and ‘This is the place where our children were conceived’ serve to record the singer taking grim stock of the history the room holds.” ER-35

“This song features yet another acoustic guitar intro, and Ezrin’s production must once again be celebrated here, as the plucked notes just soar and wave n the rich spacious sonic atmosphere that the producer has crafted. When Lou comes in, once again just barely above a whisper, his voices is another color added to the aural panoply.” ER-34 At the end, “the swirling voices and tones suggest perhaps Carolin’s spirit departing or the madness festering inside Jim’s mid at the time. It is a haunting end to a truly haunting song.” ER-35

Resources/References:

Related DMDB Pages:

First posted 3/3/2011; last updated 9/10/2026.

 
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