Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Attractions)
Pete Thomas was tasked with holding down Elvis Costello’s ever-changing rhythm section. Costello, as many know, has bounced around through a ton of genres, holding his surf and jazz roots close at all times though (one of the original Jazzmaster players, go figure). From album to album, Costello constantly challenged himself, and the Attractions to adapt to new ideas and excel, quickly. Pete Thomas held every single album down, and is considered by Elvis Costello himself as the “single best drummer of our generation, without a doubt.” That sounds pretty biased, but if you listen to “Lipstick Vogue” off of This Year’s Model, you’ll understand in the first 5 seconds of the song.