While enjoying Reggatta de Blanc recently the drumming really caught my attention. I would say that Copeland's percussion is the highlight of the album. He plays the drums on his high-hat better then most and never fails to add just the right amount of flair to what could be considered pretty simplistic melodies. I used to own a green copy of his mini album which was released under the name Klark Kent. A great drummer for sure.
I quite agree. Have you heard Murder by Numbers off the Synchronicity album. Awesome stuff. My favorite track off that album.
If you like the Police Rock/Reggae style then you will like Wesley Finley of Rebelution - also does great hi-hat work and a great relaxed touch and groovy feel. Another great and all time legend on the hi-hat is David Garibaldi but he plays funk so I am not sure if that is up your street. Anyway this is all old school technical quality stuff - no David Grohl banging away (although I like David's style too - albeit in brief doses)
Stewart Copeland is on my list of favorite rock drummers. In my mind, there's a genius in the ability of certain drummers (musicians. He's one of them.
Worth checking out is the "supergroup" Oysterhead comprised of Trey Anastasio (of Phish) Les Claypool (of Primus) and Stewart Copeland. It's a fun album and highlights a lot of great drumming by Copeland.
Humm, haven't listed to The Police in a while 'cause most of my Police stuff is on vinyl and I don't have my TT set up right now. So, I pulled out my copy of "The Singles" on CD and gave it a listen. WOW! I never really paid much attention to Copeland, but you guys are right. He's awesome! Check out his work on "Walking on the Moon". It's incredible......
"Murder by Numbers" is from the Synchronicity compact disc.
It is indeed on the CD.
I am pretty sure it was on the vinyl album I had. I am kind of elephant memory on these things - at least when it comes to music. However it was 1983 (a long time ago) and about 50% of all the Vinyl I ever bought were Japanese pressings (a lot of the rest was 12" 45's that always sounded better than LP's). I'll be honest but regular pressings were to put it mildly mostly crap!
Is it possible I had the Japanese pressing which was different?
Unfortunately, my Vinyl is in storage in my parents basement somewhere half way across the country so I can't confirm this but I remember playing it on Vinyl before CD came out.
BTW - Spirits has some great drumming too and pushes Sting's bass playing abilities (he's no John Deacon, Geddy Lee or John Taylor) but an amazing and influential songwriter. Many people say Ghost in Machine was dark but it was probably my favorite overall.
It may have been on a 45 rpm I bought. And yes you could find great sounding North American Vinyl - just I found it hit and miss - whilst Japanese recordings were almost always oustanding. Anyway it was a long time ago and although everybody dismisses this sound because of its unpolished feel - I found it was teh best on teh entire album principally becuase it demonstrated Stewart's amazing talent on drums.
I also remember hearing Message in a Bottle for teh first time and thinking WOW that is such a simple boring childlike nursery rhyme melody but Stewart Copeland's drumming just carries the entire thing - making it a huge hit.
Strange coincedence...Im currently returning to the Police as well...what an amazing group...they had a unique combination of pop sensibilites and progressive innovation...with Copeland being a key componet...for what it is worth...the 03 remasters are extremely well done...very lively with punchy bass...also have Police on wax and that sounds very good as well...cant go wrong my friends! Fave track"Bed is too big"...enjoy
the main reason why i got into the police: stewart's drumming. saw them in concert a year or 2 ago (the concert collectively was forgettable, except for stewart's awesome work).
Ejlif, per your recommendation I did check out Oysterhead and think its a great record, lots of fun. Really showcases Claypool and Stewart's abilities. Mdrummer01, I also got a hold of Animal Logic, a bit more straight edge, here Stewart seems to hold back a little to let the female vocalist shine. Thanks for both suggestions, I think Oysterhead is a bit more to my liking and anybody who appreciates this great drummer should also check them out. Its amazing how much great music I discover because of these forums.
Dreadhead - in addition to the Grand Pecking Order released by Oysterhead, many legal, live recordings are freely available. While the sound quality isn't as nice as the album version, the live shows are great as well. If you use bit torrent, many live shows are available at http://bt.etree.org, and for Oysterhead specifically, use this link: http://bt.etree.org/?searches=&cat=132
gonna have to break out my Police vinyl after reading this thread...
Question though...there was an 80's movie with Mickey Rourke (as Motorcycle Boy), Matt Dillon as his brother and another popular actor of the day and the song at the end definitely featured Stewart Copeland on drums. What was the movie, and what was the song & band?
A perfect example at Stewart at his best is a song by the Police called, "This Time". From the beginning to end of this track his in a world of his own making and appears to be racing full speed ahead toward and imaginary finish line. Its an exhausting piece to say the least.
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