Drummer Deathmatch: Larry Mullen Jr. vs. Nick Mason

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The better drummer?

  • Larry Mullen Jr.

    Votes: 36 70.6%
  • Nick Mason

    Votes: 15 29.4%

  • Total voters
    51

Zoots

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Both play for bands that don't require a very prolific drummer. A lot of mellow songs in discographies of both bands. Vote for who you think is better.

:dancing:
 
They're both solid drummers. Not breathtaking, but solid.

I'll give it to Larry because of his work on War. Some badass drumming on that album.
 
xaviMF22 said:
but I'll go with Nick, he is one of my favorite drummers:drool:

Haha I'm surprised by your answer actually. Pink Floyd is not exactly known for Mason's drumming, is it? I think Larry is better overall. But :up: to you if you really believe Mason is better.
 
Zootlesque said:


Haha I'm surprised by your answer actually. Pink Floyd is not exactly known for Mason's drumming, is it? I think Larry is better overall. But :up: to you if you really believe Mason is better.

no, I don't think he is better.........I just prefer his style:shrug:


anyway it all comes down to this for me

Pink Floyd>>>>u2:drool: :reject:
 
Zootlesque said:


EYKIW Blasphemy! :ohmy:

anyway this isn't really a deathmatch my man...most people here will pick Larry :shrug:

you should do a Roger Waters vs Bono....
in terms of who is the better lyricist.....

and we all know who's better :wink:
 
xaviMF22 said:
you should do a Roger Waters vs Bono....
in terms of who is the better lyricist.....

and we all know who's better :wink:

Well........................ Bono did write several poetic gems in the 80s and 90s! But that'll be a tough one I agree. :yes:
 
Larry Mullen is a piss poor drummer, especially since Achtung.

Mason wins by a mile.
 
Zootlesque said:


Well........................ Bono did write several poetic gems in the 80s and 90s! But that'll be a tough one I agree. :yes:

agreed....... but he didn't write "Brain Damage", or "The final cut":drool: :drool:
 
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Axver said:
Larry Mullen is a piss poor drummer, especially since Achtung.

Mason wins by a mile.

um.. what about Mofo? Please? Miami? Gone?

And other than the title track on A Saucerful Of Secrets, I'm finding it hard to see the highlights of Nick Mason's career.
 
Zootlesque said:


um.. what about Mofo? Please? Miami? Gone?

And other than the title track on A Saucerful Of Secrets, I'm finding it hard to see the highlights of Nick Mason's career.

Larry Mullen has to be one of the most unimaginative, boring drummers I have ever heard in my life. He's very promising on October (his best album) and War, and there are flashes of that promise for the rest of the eighties, but since then? Dull, dull, dull. None of the songs you mentioned feature drumming that stands out to me.

It would be nice if he would at least use a time signature other than 4/4 a bit more often (if I remember correctly, only 3 U2 songs are not in 4/4) and introduce some variety into his style.

Mason has much more talent and ability.
 
Axver said:



It would be nice if he would at least use a time signature other than 4/4 a bit more often (if I remember correctly, only 3 U2 songs are not in 4/4) and introduce some variety into his style.

:up:
 
At least Larry has some shred of originality as a drummer mostly in his early 80s attacking style.

Nick's only recognizable hook is thumping the toms slightly behind the beat before a new bar of music. I mean, he's like Ringo Starr to Waters' John Lennon.

That said neither is very memorable except for the band each is associated with.
 
xaviMF22 said:


I was about to post that same video.... ..weird

Good ol' Nick. That video's not really the highlight of his career, but it's the only really Nick-centric video around out there.

I think Achtung Baby is the album that killed Larry in terms of his ability. There's only so much you can do with that sort of music when it comes to the rhythm section. Prior to that album I think he was a very inventive and interesting drummer. I suppose the trade-off then is that The Edge became a far more interesting guitarist (in terms of effects and whatnot) with Achtung Baby. I don't really blame Larry for not coming up with any interesting time signatures. A lot of that depends on the primary writers of the music, i.e. Bono and Edge. I mean, Nick Mason sure as hell didn't come up with the time signature for Money. That was all Roger Waters. Same goes for a lot of the odd Pink Floyd time signatures (Nick didn't even play on some of them because he couldn't.) Unless the music supports rhythmic freedom, it's that much more difficult to do anything interesting on the drum kit. U2's earlier songs had the kind of open quality that allowed Larry to be inventive. Given the kind of music U2 write today, it would be virtually impossible for him to drum like he did on, for instance, Rejoice. Or on Sunday Bloody Sunday. Or on Exit. Or even on Please. If U2 continue to write boring four chord songs like All Because Of You, Larry will continue to plod along like he does these days. Hey, the same thing happened to Nick with The Division Bell and the limited drumming he did on that album.
 
I know one of the first thing I look for in a song i'm gonna like is a odd time signature.

And a way out there mode of the guitar scale.
 
MrBrau1 said:
I know one of the first thing I look for in a song i'm gonna like is a odd time signature.

And a way out there mode of the guitar scale.
The more notes you play per second,
The better music you make

It's an easy formula
tardqf5.gif
 
MrBrau1 said:
I know one of the first thing I look for in a song i'm gonna like is a odd time signature.

Well done, you missed the point entirely. I have nothing against 4/4. My problem is that Larry just keeps doing the same thing over and over again, album after album, with precious little variation to speak of. His drumming is dull and has been for quite some time. It would be nice if he would actually break out of his extraordinarily narrow mould once in a while. I find his contributions to U2 to be the least worthwhile. I can't think of one thing he's done since God Part II that's really made me sit up and take notice.
 
Axver said:


Well done, you missed the point entirely. I have nothing against 4/4. My problem is that Larry just keeps doing the same thing over and over again, album after album, with precious little variation to speak of. His drumming is dull and has been for quite some time. It would be nice if he would actually break out of his extraordinarily narrow mould once in a while. I find his contributions to U2 to be the least worthwhile. I can't think of one thing he's done since God Part II that's really made me sit up and take notice.
You haven't really provided any arguments relating to the thread's subject besides bemoaning Larry's last decade of mediocrity. :tsk:
 
Canadiens1160 said:
You haven't really provided any arguments relating to the thread's subject besides bemoaning Larry's last decade of mediocrity. :tsk:

Which rather strongly relates to the thread's subject given that it's a comparison between Mullen and Mason and I'm saying Mason wins by default as Mullen is terrible.
 
Larry's drumming generally consists of a straight constant (see ACD/ITH, ISHFWILF, IWF, Pride) or something repetitive but a little more complex (see Mofo, The Fly, COBL, Streets).

I don't think he even really attempts to create anything new or attempt to use a little more talent.1

The exceptions to this rule of course are October and War.
 
As much of my likings for Pink Floyd are based on Waters and specially David Gilmour , I must say Mason's drumming is terrific , not only in the great parts of Live @ Pompeii , lot of Floyd's most known songs have excellent drum parts

But I have the daring of sayin , Larry can be better when He wants , it's all about the songs and how they are built , any song that is left space for him , he shines greatly .

So I leave this as a star wars note : Mason X Mullen =

Mason looks , sounds and may even be th best , but Larry can be better when he wants/needs
 


you should do a Roger Waters vs Bono....
in terms of who is the better lyricist.....

and we all know who's better :wink:

My two favorite lyricists...I still have to give the edge to Waters. Nobody writes caustic lyrics quite like good old Roger. Animals is especially true in this regard. I posted something similar in another thread; Bono has many moments of brilliance, but does not carry an extended theme the way that Waters has done so many times.
 
cdisantis83 said:


My two favorite lyricists...I still have to give the edge to Waters. Nobody writes caustic lyrics quite like good old Roger. Animals is especially true in this regard. I posted something similar in another thread; Bono has many moments of brilliance, but does not carry an extended theme the way that Waters has done so many times.

Hello. Do you want to be my new favourite person? :wink:
 
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