Michael Giles as a drummer in progressive rock

Here is hes solo album where he fully expresses hes progressive drumming 

^Giles/Giles and Fripp

Hrychu wrote: Honestly? I can't care less about some YouTube top 10 lists. I think that Michael Giles is a badass drummer. The reason not many people are talking about him might have something to do with his infrequent input in "classic" albums. Heck. Can you name a more/less well known album with Michael Giles' drumming that isn't a King Crimson album?

Michael Giles is an excellent drummer with a very creative and inventive style of playing. He has a very distinctive style and I can usually tell when he's playing....except maybe for a track on Broadcasting From Home by Penguin Cafe Orchestra which is mainly percussion and not standard drum kit.

He played on Jackson Heights albums ...a band I still haven't listened to. He was very great on the Anthony Phillips albums!
! His playing on the piece Nightmare is superb. Wheneve I hear it I usually visualize him playing the drums up on a cliff under black rolling clouds with wind.

In the 80s he was involved in a experimental project with Jamie Muir and another person I can't recall. I can't recall the album title but a lot of people leave comments regarding how it's a letdown and for completists only.

The first 2 Crimson albums and McDonald and Giles contains some pretty outstanding drum work which is very creative. As a drummer his playing tells a story.

Progress is my favorite! I have this on cd and I love it. It features a couple of ex- Caravan members and imo this has the writing style of the 70s Canterbury bands. His singing improved on this album. Seriously...he sings really decent on here.

Years ago when he was asked about his departure from King Crimson on the American tour...he described the situation having similarities to how an animal in a traveling circus is caged up and transported to a show...then uncaged...and brought out to perform...then caged up again and transported to the next state.

He's pretty accurate regarding that way of life. I recall having the same set up when I played the national circuit. I couldn't wait for it to end and get back to my retreat house in the woods..and write music. You have to be cut out for that way of life and it didn't seem to be very good for him....

On the cover of Progress he's standing by railroad tracks alongside his drum cases. The inside cover shows a house in the countryside....possibly where he lived...and on the song Moving he sings about moving to the sea and children playing which are forms of escapism from the aforementioned way of life with King Crimson. As such waking up to the countryside and living a more peaceful life is probably what he desired or valued more than success. Though the picture on Progress could be symbolic of the life of a drummer who takes the train into London to do session work ...which may have been a more peaceful surrounding for a musician with those values... Some of the songs on Progress seem to be about that.

^

richardh wrote: Honestly in terms of 1969-70, Jon Hiseman of Coloseum was way more important imo as was a 19 yr old Carl Palmer who was just getting going with Atomic Rooster and then some other band (erm can't think who that was). I like his drumming more on the second King Crimson album by quite a bit but that may be due to the sterile mix of the original that now virtually renders it unlistenable to my ears. He is certainly great on Pictures Of A City especially, just jumps out of the speakers and is very heavy indeed.  Interesting that he worked on Jacksons Heights. This was Lee Jackon of the Nice (and later Refugee) who also worked with the excellent Brian Davison perhaps another drummer who also deserves some love (take a listen to Rondo or War And Peace off the Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack album, great stuff) and was right there at the prog coal face of the day.

Hiseman and Palmer are phenomenal!! I've noticed in today's world are younger drummers playing Death Metal who practiced technique used in Jazz Rock...for example Joey Jordison ( RIP) from SLIPKNOT who studied with an R&B Jazz drum teacher... Carl Palmer and other Progressive Rock drummers in the 70s seemed to be influenced by Buddy Rich. ..but I'm pretty sure that certain younger drummers in Death Metal bands of today would make excellent Progressive Rock drummers

Jacob Schoolcraft wrote: richardh wrote: Honestly in terms of 1969-70, Jon Hiseman of Coloseum was way more important imo as was a 19 yr old Carl Palmer who was just getting going with Atomic Rooster and then some other band (erm can't think who that was). I like his drumming more on the second King Crimson album by quite a bit but that may be due to the sterile mix of the original that now virtually renders it unlistenable to my ears. He is certainly great on Pictures Of A City especially, just jumps out of the speakers and is very heavy indeed.  Interesting that he worked on Jacksons Heights. This was Lee Jackon of the Nice (and later Refugee) who also worked with the excellent Brian Davison perhaps another drummer who also deserves some love (take a listen to Rondo or War And Peace off the Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack album, great stuff) and was right there at the prog coal face of the day. Hiseman and Palmer are phenomenal!! I've noticed in today's world are younger drummers playing Death Metal who practiced technique used in Jazz Rock...for example Joey Jordison ( RIP) from SLIPKNOT who studied with an R&B Jazz drum teacher... Carl Palmer and other Progressive Rock drummers in the 70s seemed to be influenced by Buddy Rich. ..but I'm pretty sure that certain younger drummers in Death Metal bands of today would make excellent Progressive Rock drummers

Both Hiseman and Palmer was in the top 10 prog drummer list presented by Andy Edwards youtube channel which was my inspiration for this Michael Giles thread, not that i dissagrea with Andys list, i feel a need to give some honarable mention to Giles as i  feel hes drumming contribution is seldom talked about.