Pop drummers are rarely known by name, and are even more rarely known as innovators (and for good reason – most of them are mediocre at best). Stewart Copeland is a pop drummer. He’s also very well known and definitely innovative. What makes him innovative? He claims that his creativity comes from his early exposure to reggae and Arabic music. He’s a pop drummer, and all of his influence comes from every place in the world other than America. What are his defining characteristics? The way he uses his 12-inch hi hats couldn’t be further from the norm. How about his use of the bell? His four on the floor or three accented bass drum? His lightning fast fills? There are so many things that stand out about Copeland’s drumming that could have easily been lost amongst all the other rock and pop drummers throughout the last few decades of the 1900s. When he met up with Sting and Andy Summers, his style of drumming was the backbone of the obviously reggae-infused pop songs that made The Police.
As it is with any great drummer, Stewart Copeland’s drumming can be a PERSON. Take the song “Message in a Bottle.” Every element of the music stands out, particularly the drums. The Police were a result of three great musicians perfectly combining all of their influences and creating truly new music. There are only so many occurrences of new music being created, especially in the later part of the 20th Century. The Police most definitely did it, and they couldn’t have even come close to doing it without Stewart Copeland’s rock-solid, gorilla style of drumming. Any great drummer’s playing is so recognizable and so unique that it becomes a person in itself; except for Stewart Copeland….his style is a dinosaur.
ARTISTS - The Police, Sting, Oysterhead, Curved Air, Animal Logic
On the cd:
1. Roxanne – The Police
2. Message In A Bottle – The Police
3. Every Breath You Take – The Police
4. Don’t Stand So Close To Me – The Police
5. Murder By Numbers – The Police
6. Driven To Tears – The Police
7. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic – The Police
8. Reggatta De Blanc – The Police
9. Oz Is Ever Floating – Oysterhead
10. Owner Of The World – Oysterhead
11. Rose Colored Glasses – Animal Logic
12. Talking Is Good – Animal Logic
Albums by The Police:
Outlandos d’Amour
Reggatta de Blanc
Zenyatta Mondatta
Ghost in the Machine
Synchronicity
Stewart Copeland as a composer:
Rumble Fish
Rhythmatist
Orchestralli
VIDEOS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwpuhh0HY44&feature=fvw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlBFtQGF7oI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVyg8oOH7Pk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l80-fpDn5es
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thqo77ZFTCQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXOrqGTOsik
LINKS:
http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Stewart_Copeland.html
http://www.stewartcopeland.net/
http://www.infinitedensity.net/music/copeland/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_Copeland
