You Might Not Know These 3 Alternative Rock Songs From the 1990s if It Weren’t for the Drummers

Many iconic rock songs are known for guitar riffs and vocal hooks. But this list highlights the importance of a great drummer. And anyone who has ever attempted to form a band knows exactly what I’m talking about. So here are three alternative rock songs from the 1990s you might not know if it weren’t for the drummer.

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“Geek U.S.A.” by The Smashing Pumpkins

The Smashing Pumpkins fourth studio LP is one of sheer survival. Or at least an attempt at survival. Following the departure of drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, Billy Corgan powered through and completed Adore with a combination of session drummers and drum programming. But if you were to pull up nearly any track from the first three LPs, you’d immediately notice just how essential Chamberlin is to The Smashing Pumpkins. He’s the kind of musician who, if he had gone on before your band, your drummer might just pack up his sticks and go home.

I’m selecting “Geek U.S.A.” because it shows a range of Chamberlin’s dynamics—from muscular jazz to muted rudiments. While Corgan remains one of the great song and riff architects of his generation. His compositions wouldn’t be anywhere near as commanding without his longtime drummer.

“Jesus Christ Pose” by Soundgarden

One drummer who wouldn’t pack up his sticks and head home is Matt Cameron. Similar to Chamberlin, Cameron had a background in jazz and infused a sense of complexity into Soundgarden’s primal screams.

I saw Soundgarden perform at Lollapalooza in 1992. It was still daytime outside when Cameron propelled his band through a high-energy performance of “Jesus Christ Pose”. If you hadn’t already realized how much rock music had changed before Lollapalooza, you immediately understood it then, as Chris Cornell howled about pop-culture martyrs over a menacing riff and Cameron’s relentless percussion.

“Give It Away” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

When the backing band is a three-piece (guitar, bass, and drums), each component is crucial. Many alternative rock bands benefit from a wall-of-sound approach, but there’s surprisingly little instrumentation happening on a Red Hot Chili Peppers record. Producer Rick Rubin has an arrangement style that keeps only what’s necessary in a kind of compressed minimalism. Which brings me to “Give It Away”.

First, Flea’s low bass surrounds Anthony Kiedis’s altruistic stream of consciousness in a deep pocket groove. Next, the guitarist John Frusciante plays a funky riff, but he’s also responsible for the band’s melodic instincts. Yet even with such high musicianship, what makes RHCP so exciting is how they always seem on the verge of falling apart, like kids jamming in a garage. Or like a tube sock, dangling perilously, and at any moment…

But Chad Smith gives RHCP its power with a hard-hitting drumming style that’s akin to John Bonham playing for James Brown. Here, Smith’s kinetic beat drives “Give It Away”, just as it has guided the band’s most iconic anthems.

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