The drum intro to Van Halen classic “Hot For Teacher” has been voted the best of all time – ahead of work by Led Zeppelin, Rush, Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana, and Queens Of The Stone Age.
The team at Rhythm magazine have pulled together a massive list charting the 101 greatest ever drum intros. From Dave Grohl’s iconic ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ pick up fill with Nirvana to the frantic tom pounding of Rat Scabies that kicks off The Damned’s ‘New Rose’, these are iconic drum beats that have gone on to define many hit songs and become air drumming anthems for drummers and non-drummers alike.
There are so many drum intro gems that putting together a top 101 was a huge task, let alone settling on a top 10, so it was put to a vote on Facebook to let the fans decide.
Rhythm magazine’s reader’s Top 10 Drum Intros
10) Iron Maiden: Where Eagles Dare
9) Foo Fighters: My Hero
8) Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit
7) Judas Priest: Painkiller
6) Led Zeppelin: When The Levee Breaks
5) Queens Of The Stone Age: A Song For The Dead
4) Led Zeppelin: Rock And Roll
3) Guns N’ Roses: You Could Be Mine
2) Rush: The Spirit Of Radio
1) Van Halen: Hot For Teacher
Rhythm say of Alex Van Halen’s start to 1983 track Hot For Teacher: “It’s arguably one of the most iconic intros in rock, and playing it is a holy grail for a lot of drummers. Alex Van Halen steps out of his guitarist brother Eddie’s shadow to shine with a blistering solo before kicking into a furious double-bass shuffle in a flurry of notes.”