A collection of Taylor Hawkins’ favourite albums
The sad death of Taylor Hawkins shocked the world of rock and roll. The drummer for the Foo Fighters, having cut his teeth on tour with Alanis Morissette, was a welcomed warm smile amid a sea of icy-cool expressions. While many of his contemporaries seemed intent on portraying an image of disdainful scorn, Hawkins was far happier smiling through the apparent joy he felt when being allowed to enact the only dream he really cared to pursue: being a rock star. So while many artists would happily scoff at the work of those who came before them – taking potshots at the generation of rockers that preceded your band is par for the course – but Hawkins was always happy to be affectionate to the forebearers of the rock canon.
It meant that during the recent tribute shows, the last of which recently took place in Los Angeles, fans and mourners were given the chance to dwell inside the musical brain of Hawkins for a few hours. Some of the drummer’s most beloved artists were within that maze of influence and inspiration. From AC/DC to David Bowie and beyond, all of Hawkins’s favourite artists could perform. Below, we’re trying something similar by collating some of the drummer’s favourite albums of all time.
Naturally, we could use the list of acts who performed over those two nights in London and Los Angeles and pull together a rough list of favourite artists — some of which are included. However, we’re trying to stay true to the quotes and picking out only the albums that Hawkins explicitly showed his love for. With that in mind, it’s worth mentioning that Oasis’ Definitely Maybe, a whole heap of David Bowie albums, and pretty much anything Led Zeppelin ever released could also be easily placed with only a minor leap of confidence.
Still, that doesn’t diminish the collection of records. The selection shows Hawkins paying tribute to some of the most important musical figures in his life, namely the drummers who inspired him. One drummer that routinely inspired Hawkins was Queen’s stickman, Roger Taylor. Hawkins often shared his love for the band, and their record The Game was the first LP he ever purchased, making it a shoo-in for a spot on this list. Another Queen LP that deserves its place is the self-titled full-length, about which Hawkins once said: “If you’re not sure if you’re a pussy or a tough guy, get Queen. It’s just a raw rock record.”
During the same conversation, back in 2005, Hawkins also claimed some of the Foo Fighters’ favourite albums as some of his own. “You gotta get The Knack’s first record,” he told the interviewer about Get the Knack. He also noted that The Zombies Odyssey and Oracle was a genuine piece of brilliance, saying about the album: “The lost Sgt. Pepper. It was recorded at Abbey Road around the same time, but it tanked then; a year later, ‘Time Of The Season’ got big in America.” However, some of his finest praise was saved for another British export.
Also appearing at the aforementioned tribute shows was Supergrass. Providing one of the stand-out moments of the event, with a singalong of ‘Alright’, the Britpop band were one of Hawkins’ favourites. About their self-titled record, Hawkins boldly declared: “It’s like the Kinks on fucking speed. Live, they’re either the best band on the fucking planet or the worst fucking band you’ve ever seen in your life.”
In an interview from Foo Fighters’ early days in 1998, Hawkins noted how one drummer meant more to him than most: Stewart Copeland. The drummer for The Police was an ever-present influence in Hawkins’ life, and he saved special praise for his band’s debut record Outlandos d’Amour: “I always use the Police’s first album as an example. It basically sounds like a shitty demo, but it fucking rocks. It’s amazing – and with rock ‘n’ roll it’s all about energy, isn’t it? When you hear the energy off the drums and music like that, you just want to put it on loud and drive down the street with it blasting. It’s like, ‘Hey, dudes, this rocks!”
Speaking to Prog in 2014, Hawkins paid tribute to one of the genre’s forefathers and one of Hawkins’ favourite artists, the irreplaceable Neil Peart and Rush. Hawkins told the publication: “I got into prog when I started drumming. I must have been 10 or 11, and the first band I heard were Rush. It was the live album Exit … Stage Left. I picked up so much from listening to Neil Peart.”
When speaking to the magazine, Hawkins also paid tribute to another prog giant, another group he discovered via their live records. “It was thanks to Rush that I got into Genesis,” Hawkins explained. “After listening to Neil, I bought the Seconds Out live album, which was released in 1977. It’s just amazing. Not only hearing Phil Collins playing the drums, but also singing. He gets a really bad rap from some people for ‘daring’ to take over after Peter Gabriel quit, but you just hear the way he sounds here.”
Taylor Hawkins’ favourite albums:
- The Game – Queen
- Get The Knack – The Knack
- Queen – Queen
- Odyssey and Oracle – The Zombies
- Supergrass – Supergrass
- Outlandos d’Amour – The Police
- Exit … Stage Left – Rush
- Seconds Out – Genesis
With any list of favourite albums from a true music lover, this one must be taken with a pinch of salt. Of course, given time and space, this list may have changed over time, perhaps even day to day. However, there can be no doubt that within the playlist below is a myriad of inspirations and influences that deeply affected Taylor Hawkins and his rise to becoming one of the most respected, revered and beloved drummers in rock.
Stream the playlist, below.
