Jeremy and Dave both know what they're talking about. Whereas I just talk a lot, but then, most folks already knew that.
There are such variables that go with your question. Thick cymbals, thin cymbals. Ringy drums, dead drums. Good acoustics, bad acoustics. Chocolate covered doughnuts, jelly filled doughnuts. No, I wouldn't/don't generally compress overhead microphones while tracking. Of course if I'm doing live for broadcast, everything is out the window and the skies the limit. With my original 1978 Sphere, I could EQ to the stereo bus while not tracking the EQ to the 24 track. Or vice versa. I can't do that with my old Neve as there is no separation between church and state, between microphone preamp and EQ. So I really have to be committed.... to do something like that. Where it is fun to crunch drums, with all of the pumping grunge and distortion you can eat it, is when all else sounds like crap. Then, it might be slightly uncrappier to try and make it sound crappier. Crappie rooms and crappy acoustics can sometimes benefit from crappy compression. If not, it's Miller Time.
Does anybody like Bush anymore?
Ms. Remy Ann David