Take Five: Stellar Tracks featuring Terry Bozzio

Terry Bozzio is one of the most powerful and versatile drummers in and beyond rock. His career has taken him through pop, progressive rock, new wave, fusion and more. And in the course of his 50-plus years as a professional musician, he’s worked with some of the biggest and most admired names in music.

One of San Francisco native Bozzio’s earliest recording credits was playing membranophone (a percussion instrument, naturally) on 10cc’s Deceptive Bends album from 1977. Bozzio has lent his drumming skills to recordings by Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor, keyboardist Gary Wright, jazz composer Mark Isham, shredding guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, power pop heroes The Knack, Dream Theater’s Jordan Rudess, Korn, the Brecker Brothers and many others. He has also been a key member of important bands. Here are five standout tracks featuring the distinctive and remarkable Terry Bozzio.

“Danger Money” from U.K.’s Danger Money (1979)
When it was formed in 1977, U.K. was a formidable progressive rock quartet featuring guitar wizard Allan Holdsworth, bassist John Wetton (Family, King Crimson), violinist/keyboardist Eddie Jobson (Curved Air, Roxy Music) and former Yes and King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford. But after releasing a well-regarded self-titled debut, the band fractured, with Holdsworth and Bruford departing the lineup. Holdsworth wouldn’t be replaced; with Terry Bozzio taking over on drums, U.K. continued as a guitar-less trio. In 1979 that lineup released a pair of fine albums: the live Night After Night and a studio set, Danger Money. The latter reached no. 45 on the Billboard 200 chart, and the title track is a highlight among many on the album.

“Dancin’ Fool” from Frank Zappa’s Sheik Yerbouti (1979)
Terry Bozzio was the featured drummer on 16 Frank Zappa albums released during the composer’s lifetime. And since Zappa’s death in 1993, at least 15 more albums featuring Bozzio have been released. But it would be on Sheik Yerbouti – Zappa’s most commercially successful album – where fans were introduced to the drummer playing as part of FZ’s ensemble. The most well-known track from that album – and one of the few cleared for radio play – is the hilarious disco parody “Dancin’ Fool.”

“Destination Unknown” from Missing Persons’ Spring Session M (1982)
Even while playing with Frank Zappa, Bozzio co-founded another group: Missing Persons. An angular new wave ensemble, the band featured several players from Zappa’s orbit: guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, bassist-keyboardist Patrick O’Hearn, and vocalist Dale Bozzio (then Terry’s wife). At their MTV-era height, Missing Persons scored a string of successful singles including “Words,” “Walking in L.A.” and this song, a no. 24 hit single on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock radio play chart.

“Broken Arrow” from Robbie Robertson’s Robbie Robertson (1987)
Often credited as forefathers of the Americana musical movement, former Bob Dylan backing group The Band called it a day with their 1976 Thanksgiving gala Last Waltz concerts. All group members went on to careers as solo artists or working with other players. Guitarist Robbie Robertson wouldn’t release his solo debut for nearly a decade, but when he did, it was a rousing success. Featuring musical contributions from members of U2, Peter Gabriel and others, Robbie Robertson reached no. 35 on Billboard’s album chart. The album spawned several singles, but the atmospheric deep album track “Broken Arrow” – featuring Terry Bozzio on drums and Gabriel on keys – is an overlooked gem.

“Guitar Shop” from Jeff Beck’s Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop (1989)
One of the more unusual entries in guitarist Jeff Beck’s body of work, Guitar Shop found the former Yardbirds six-string master leading a trio that included Tony Hymas (on keyboards) and drummer Bozzio. Working without a bassist, the group served up deeply angular and challenging music that didn’t fit neatly into a genre classification. Was it prog? Fusion? Metal? Opinions vary, but most would agree that Guitar Shop ranks as a fascinating and exploratory release from Jeff Beck. The album is nominally an instrumental set (save for his 1968 single “Hi Ho Silver Lining,” Beck didn’t sing), but the jagged electronica of the title track features a wacky spoken-word performance by Bozzio, along with his thunderous and mathematically precise percussion work.