looking for extremely talented drummers

I don't know if it's the style you're looking for, but ELP has Carl Palmer who is one of the better drummers in Progrock, did lots of soloing, and is busy, fast and technical like Peart and Portnoy.

Another band that has lots of (solo)drumming is King Crimson. Their double-trio line-up in particular featuring two drummers has lots of (electronic-) drums in the music.

Bozzio. Check out Black Light Syndrome and Polytown. He's got two Music for Drums CD's that are truly incredible.

Bruford, Wackerman, Husband and Vinnie Coialuta with Holdsworth.

Pierre Morlien with Gong and Steve Hillage.

Peart, of course.... So many........

Simon Phillips, lot of side-man stuff there.

Adamman:

Welcome to the site.

In addition to all the obvious choices here - Bill Bruford, Phil Collins, Carl Palmer, Neal Peart, Pip Pyle (National Health) et al, give a listen to John Macaluso (Ark): his drumming on the album "Burn the Sun" is some of the best prog drumming (a la Peart) I have ever heard.

You may also want to listed to some of the Italian prog bands, some of which have exceptional drummers, including PFM, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Deus ex Machina.

Have fun!

bityear wrote: Check out Planet X and, second, Spastic Ink! Virgil Donati is the drummer of Planet X, and is the best drummer I know about. He's doing some really mad things. You could check out his solo, On The Virg, and Tribal Tech. Planet X' CD "Moonbabies" is probably the best of it all, though you should also enjoy tracks like "Dog Boots". Spastic Ink are just WILD, and it's often impossible to figure out what they're doing - it can be stuff like a quintuplet being played over an 11/16 measure...you can check their website att www.spasticink.com, they explain how most songs are composed, and there are clips and stuff. Probably the best band on Earth.

I have nothing to add.

If you want some incredible drumming, try also the following albums :

New Tony Wolliams Lifetime : Believe it

Tool : Undertow

Rudess-Morgenstein Project

Dixie Dregs : Greatest hits live (with the great R. Morgenstein)

The jelly jam = Platypus - Sherinian, and once again with Morgenstein

Ice Age : The great divide (Rush meets Dream Theater)

Altura : Mercy

Fates Warning : Perfect symmetry

Derek Sherinian : Planet X( with V. Donati) or Inertia (with S. Phillips)

TOTO : Live in Amsterdam

Electromagnets

Deus ex machina : De republica

Metamorfosi : Inferno

Echolyn : As the world

ARK : ARK

Frank Zappa : live in NYC 1977 (with Terry Bozzio)

UK : UK

Spock's Beard : Snow

Jethro Tull : Thick as a brick (with the great Barriemore Barlow)

Bruford : Feels good to me

Spastic ink : Ink complete (with Bobby Jarzombek)

Voivod : Nothingface (with a cover of PF's "Astronomy domine")

GONG : live 2 infinitea

Cynic : Focus (with Sean Reinhart, later in Gordian Knot)

Every example so far is first rate.

If you like jazz and/or jazz fusion, check out anything Billy Cobham played on.

Cobham's "Spectrum" fusion album featuring Jan Hammer, Tommy Bolin and Lee Sklar is a great place to start.  All the playing, but the drums as much as anything, is as good as you'll find on any collection of music.  Some "off the hook" stuff.  Also check out Cobham in the original line up of the Mahavishnu Orchestra.