St. Louis Jesuits - Lord of Light (North American Liturgy Resources, 1981)

Break track(s): "Lift Up Your Hearts"
Drummer: unknown

A short drum break comes straight out of this, surprisingly, Christian music album released by the St. Louis Jesuits. Another unexpected find, because I bet even you weren't expecting a drum break to come out of a Christian album. I've only heard of two Christian albums with drum breaks.

After the drum break, the rest of the song plays out like a typical Christian rock song. But nonetheless, it's worth checking out.

The Ventures - Swamp Rock (Liberty, 1969)

Break track(s): "Honky Tonk Women"
Drummer: Mel Taylor

From this release comes the Ventures' rocking version of the Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Women". Most versions of this track, including the original, have a drum break in it.

This version has some pretty sweet guitar and it, but that doll on the cover is damn creepy.

Philly Joe and the Motown Singers - Black Music Is Beautiful (Black Tulip, 1976)

Break track(s): "Superstition"
Drummer: unknown

This album sees this funk group covering hits from Motown artists, ranging from the Three Degrees to Stevie Wonder. Their version of Stevie's "Superstition" contains a drum break, though Stevie's version also has a sweet drum break as well.

I haven't found any information on this album's release date, so I have instead estimated the year this album was released. Also, I can't say for sure whether "Philly Joe" is from Philadelphia or not, because apparently this album is Dutch. But whatever.

("Superstition" starts at 2:47 in this video)

Electric Light Orchestra - Discovery (Jet, 1979)

Break track(s): "Don't Bring Me Down"

Drummer: Bev Bevan

One of ELO's biggest hits also contains a short drum break at the start, and it comes from this disco-influenced album (Wikipedia notes that Richard Tandy called it "Disco-Very"), and that is of course, "Don't Bring Me Down". Even non-beat diggers probably have this album sitting at home, whether it be in vinyl or in CD.

I like that cover, with that guy holding what appears to be some sort of ELO promotional frisbee (no, it's actually an spaceship, as you can see on the cover of their album Out of the Blue). You've also gotta love the music video for this track, especially that giant glowing hot dog about 10 seconds in.

Milt Jackson - Olinga (CTI, 1974)

Break track(s): "I'm Not So Sure"
Drummer: Mickey Roker

Straight out of this breezy jazz album comes this drum break, which starts off the last track on side 2, "I'm Not So Sure". The entire album is pretty cool too, you should check it out. Definitely one of my favorite jazz breaks, though not in my Top 10.

Claude Léveillée - If Ever (Leko, 1969)

Break track(s): "A Song Is a Trip"
Drummer: unknown

There's not much I can find about this album, other than the fact that it's an instrumental album. But nonetheless, the drum break present on the track "A Song Is a Trip" is pretty funky, though it's pretty short too.

I couldn't find a video source for "A Song Is a Trip", but someone selling this album on eBay shows a link to a 30-second preview of the track here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/CLAUDE-LEVEILLEE-IF-EVER-SMALL-LABEL-E-Z-DRUM-BREAK-/390166663329?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item5ad7bed0a1

Wild Turkey - Turkey (Chrysalis, 1972)

Break track(s): "The Street"
Drummer: Jeff Jones

I found out this album and this break through eBay. Don't have much time on my hands, so expect these summaries to be short.

Wild Turkey was fronted by ex-Jethro Tull member Glenn Cornick, after leaving the band. This was their second album, and "The Street" has a drum break at the start of it. They're still performing today.

Cold Grits - It's Your Thing (ATCO, 1969)

Break track(s): "It's Your Thing"
Drummer: unknown

This track is actually a cover of an Isley Brothers track, but nonetheless both versions are very good. This one is an instrumental cover, and contains no vocals other than some vocals of a guy saying "It's your thing..." Nonetheless, it's really good, and starts out with a hard-hitting drum break. This drum break has been sampled by many artists, but most famously by Kanye West for "Crack Music", and more famously, for "Power".

I haven't found any information on the group who performed this cover, "Cold Grits", and apparently this single doesn't turn up too often either.

Liberace - A Brand New Me (Warner Bros., 1969)

Break track(s): "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye"
Drummer: unknown

I'll be starting off this blog with one of my favorite drum breaks of all-time. You may be thinking that I can't be serious, but I am. The break from Liberace's cover of "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye".

This break is far from my list of the funkiest breaks I've ever heard, and it lasts a mere 4 seconds long. However, the main reason I like this break so much is because of the fact that it's on a Liberace album. It's hard to believe that a break could be present on one of his albums, and if you were just starting out beat digging, you'd probably skip this one out. But anyway, here it is: