Stewart is great. I had the privilege of meeting him a few years ago and he couldn’t have been nicer.Originally Posted by twonabomber
Conflict creates great art. I'm pretty sure Stewart Copeland wasn't referring to Andy Summers
Stewart is great. I had the privilege of meeting him a few years ago and he couldn’t have been nicer.Conflict creates great art. I'm pretty sure Stewart Copeland wasn't referring to Andy Summers
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Some great bass playing on DD songs. Love the bass lines on Rio.
I play drums. Got a recording studio in my basement. While I am officially the vocalist for the songs I write/record with my band, I usually do the Phil Collins thing and lay down the drums before the other guys do bass, guitars, sometimes keyboards (which I do too)...
I can play all sorts of drums and sometimes try to emulate players I enjoy...
...but the one guy I never even TRY to emulate in any way is Stewart Copeland.
The guy is simply too amazing to even try and emulate.
I hear rock fans always go on and on about Neil Peart...and with good reason...
...but the guy (to me) who is BEYOND amazing and yet makes it sound so easy (even though it's not remotely easy) is Stewart Copeland.
The man is a GOD on drums. Talk about being born with a gift.
I thought The Police's reunion tour was a competent, excellent return by a great band. My girlfriend (now wife) & I thoroughly enjoyed the show we saw. But the band were clearly in it for the money. It was a little too laid-back, a little too Sting-a-fied play-the-songs-and-go...
...and yet I still spent the night marveling at how amazing Stewart was. Even if the band were doing some kinda laid-back versions of some of the songs, Stewart was simply amazing.
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The songs were mostly done the way Sting played them with his solo band. My friend said "hey, that's different!" and if you had ever seen Sting solo, it really wasn't.
I remember standing in line for the tickets. A couple had gotten to the Ticketmaster outlet before I did, and we were talking about Sting's music. The guy brought up the lute album and some of the later solo records and I'm thinking "this show might not be for you" lol because there wasn't gonna be any of that shit.
The Police show here in 2007 was on Stewart Copeland's birthday. The VH show a few months later was on Dave's birthday.
I picked up Copeland's Police Deranged For Orchestra but haven't listened to it yet.
Copeland has some good stuff on his YouTube, that drum program he did on the BBC was good.
Last edited by twonabomber; 09-24-2023 at 11:41 AM.
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I watched a bunch of stuff from the reunion tour - maybe it was a documentary...I can't remember now - and did notice the arrangements had been changed. I kinda gave The Police a pass on it because they hadn't been retiring and unretiring for decades, and history since has thus far proved that to in fact be a one-off reunion tour. One tune on the reunion tour that really stood out to me re: rearranging was Synchronicity II, which sounded a bit too manned on the reunion tour for my tastes. There were a couple other tunes I recall being more than a bit reconstituted and am assuming it was all a bit more laid back simply because the band itself was 25 years older and a bit too long in the tooth to blitz the tunes out energy-wise in the manner that they had a quarter-century older.
But, again, the band did the one-off reunion and didn't keep flogging it into the ground. A classy way to go about it. Doubtless one gets the sense that Copeland and Summers would like to have done more, but The Police were ultimately smart in that they went out on top and didn't stay too long at the party.
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The only drummer that Neil Whathisface stole from. To meeeeeeeeeeeee his best playing was not with that fuckface ego-tripping puke Stung but when he formed Animal Logic. Seeing (and reiterating) that I am so much cooler than all of you cretins I recommend you pick up an Animal Logic album if you can find them. (Been out of print for years)
Fault with Animal Logic they weren't not only fucking boring, they are awful to take drugs to. I am at the point in my life where I solely base a band's worth and merit if I enjoy doing various drugs to their music. Animal Logic is not one of them.
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Now, you cretins may be asking, "Well, fuck me like a goose in a hot oven, Kristy. Just what is a good Copeland tune-ish I can take my (expensive) drugs to and not worry about looking like a dick in the process?"
Here ya go:
The shit I do for you cretins. I swear.
Yeah, it still was a really good show. I also ALWAYS enjoy when bands jam on things and play around with them...NOT just redoing the songs EXACTLY like the studio versions. (For example, I really like AIN'T TALKIN' 'BOUT LOVE in particular on the TOKYO DOME live album because they really jam it out and don't just re-create the studio version.)
I've heard good things about that release. Been meaning to pick it up.
The documentary that comes with the Buenos Aires Blu-Ray is really cool. Lots of behind the scenes shit with some tension and everything. Just really cool to see. (It's amazing how much better The Police were than Van Halen when it comes to having a TON of professionally-shot footage and documentaries. Stewart's DOES EVERYONE STARE documentary, all shot from his personal 8mm film collection and with instrumental/merge tracks from the band's multitrack tapes is really cool.)
I think Summers would have done more...but EVERYTHING Copeland says about the reunion is that he's glad he did it, he's glad that a lot of fans who never had a chance before got to see the band...but he's happy to just be friends with Sting and Andy without having to slog through difficult tours with them.
I really wanted a reunion album...even if it were The Police doing modern Sting material...but I knew it was never going to happen.
I'm just happy. I saw The Police. Awesome (I was 7 when SYNCHRONICITY came out). It was cool hearing some of the arrangements of songs I love like BRING ON THE NIGHT. I got a great Blu-Ray/live album (with documentary) out of it that I've enjoyed a few times. And, to this day, I still have a TON of great concert footage, documentaries and other stuff from their classic years. Not only are there a ton of official releases, there are at least 15 or more professionally-shot concerts (in GREAT quality) that fans can enjoy on YouTube. I've downloaded them all and made a great Blu-Ray series out of them for my home theater.
Stung is such a cock. Their producer on Synchronsuckity Hugh Padgham speaks in endless stories of how much Stung and Copeland argured so much he called the suits at A&M trying to get out of his contract on working on the album. Hugh spoke of how cock smock Stung would have Hugh erase of lot of Copeland's drum tracks simply because he thought they were "absolute shit."
I have to say...I went into it with an open mind but I just don't hear it. Stewart has played much better on songs like WRAPPED AROUND YOUR FINGER and ONE WORLD (NOT THREE). (That said, the bass player is seriously good.) But you're right...it's not a great song...not the worst thing I've ever heard, but not great.
Maybe I should have taken some drugs to this. Well, I had back surgery and I'm still in some real pain, so I actually did take a Norco this morning...but the song isn't enhancing the experience.
This is, to this day, one of my favorite car songs.
He’s a good guy to talk to about music in general. He really understands it. My wife’s nephew is majoring in music and wants to be a professional drummer. The advice Stewart gave was look at yourself as a musician and not just a drummer and you are going to have to be creative to make a living in music. Session musicians aren’t needed like they once were and recorded music doesn’t have the value it did. He said it’s all about being creative looking for opportunities and having the courage to try new things.
From Stewart himself*
(Skip ahead to 5:18-ish)
*WARNING: This is a limey podcast with that fucking creep from Spandu Ballet and some shitty bass player. Listen at your own risk.
Yeah, I heard this too. It's amazing...because for the most part, that last album is one of their best. It's very creative...and while Sting is very pretentious, it hasn't overtaken his music the way it would eventually in his solo career. But yes, there they were in Monserrat, recording amazing music...and Sting would bitch to/about Stewart all the time.
I'm glad I have DREAM OF THE BLUE TURTLES. It's a great, great album...musicians (collectively) even better than The Police. But he never made another solo album quite as strong as that one...and if it hadn't been such a success, he would have had his ego knocked down a few rungs and maybe we would have gotten more Police music.
That was all Hugh Padgham. After all, he made Phil Collins sound er, passable.
THAT fucking album was all Pete Smith who made Stung sound like a limp-wristed Style Council-era Paul Weller.
Stewart told me he was trained to be a jazz drummer but he said growing up in the Middle East and hearing Arabic music all the time probably influenced his style. He said Arabic music has interesting drum styles and again, it’s about being creative and doing something different. Well his drumming was definitely different. I saw the Ghost in the Machine tour and Stewart blew me away.
In the 1981 documentary (hosted by Jools Holland) showing the band in the studio recording GHOST IN THE MACHINE, Stewart is by far the most engaging interviewee. Just listen to the part during which he breaks down just what is different about reggae music (accent on the down-beat). I've heard other people explain this...but he does it with such clarity, humor and charisma that you not only come off with a better understanding of what makes reggae tick but you also will remember it better.
And, again, you're right...he was creative as a drummer. He really understood music and was always finding new sounds and things to do in his music...not just new percussion instruments but new rhythmic ideas.
Oh, and you can take drugs to any Style Council album (well, maybe not the last one they did) But you're a total moron if you do.
You lucky bastard. I didn't see them 'til the reunion.
GHOST IN THE MACHINE is my least-favorite Police album (I love all five albums...I just rank GHOST and the debut a bit below the others)...but that tour was amazing. (I only know this because I've seen one of the concert videos...they still had some hunger, some oomph...and they were still creative.)
SYNCHRONICITY is an insanely-great album...but the tour itself is the least-appealing (of the original tours) to me because they had become more "professional," too polished (with the backing singers) and some of the improvisation was toned down. Tours like ZENYETTA's and GHOST's were more dynamic.
Technically, I believe if you had some really good cocaine or some really top-notch Norco or THC, all sorts of music would sound better. I remember once listening to a Bay City Rollers song (my friend's iPod was playing random...don't ask me why he had Bay City Rollers) at a campfire while baked...and it sounded like one of the great pieces of music...
Then I sobered up.
Hey, make fun of me all you want...but I still love ABACAB and the 1983 self-titled GENESIS album. The sound on those albums and the mix of polish and spontaneity was still appealing...before the 80s really dragged on...
Jesus, talk abut selling yourself short
Colorado has decriminalized psy mushies so I'm free to "see" and "feel" and "experience" um, things to Copland's drumming without THE MAN trying to fuck up my day.
Yeah Stewart said him and Sting are polar opposites and fought like dogs. He said when The Police fell apart he actually felt relief because it always was tense. He loves visiting Sting and staying at his wonderful estate in Italy. They get along if music isn’t involved.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the albums apart from Phil Collins playing and signing on them.
I did lots of things in my youth, but I never tried mushrooms and I guess I'm too old to try now.
Sting seems like he could be a nice guy...in certain situations not designed to inflate his already-massive ego.
Trudie Styler, on the other hand, is apparently a gigantic cunt. I'll never forget the story of their pregnant chef being forced to drive back in the middle of the night to make Trudie a sandwich or something. Trudie apparently got angry when the chef became pregnant and eventually the chef was fired.
Nah, even on those albums, Phil is just fine. His drumming on certain songs is amazing (JUST A JOB TO DO is not one of the band's best songs...but Phil's drumming is great). His drumming on the title track of ABACAB is amazing...the song has such a simple rhythm but Phil just plays the shit out of his drums. People can make fun of Phil (justifiably) for all sorts of reasons...but to deny his drumming talents is crazy.
They were the best around 1980. Still hungry and they had a great live sound. Andy was just using a few stomp boxes and some four input Marshall’s. He sounded great. Sting sounded best with a Fender Precision bass going through an Aiembic preamp driving some Clair Brother’s PA speakers with power amps. That was one mean sounding rig.
Rikk (09-24-2023)
Stewart said Sting is quiet and deep. He’s extremely talented and likes control of his music. Sting wants to be in full control like a dictator. You get big egos together and you are going to clash but just hanging with Sting and his wife Trudi is wonderful. Always a great visit but the fighting will begin if making music is involved.
Stewart said The Police was composed of three very different people. It never was an easy working relationship but some great stuff came out of it.
Well Stewart didn’t say anything bad about Trudie but he said they live very well. He said there are lot’s of servants and if you lay a jacket down someone will grab it and hang it up and make sure you get it before you leave. Your wine or water glass is always filled. Stewart calls it The Magic Stingdome. Ha! Ha!
So you didn’t let your excesses get the best of you.
You've never heard of Stanley Clarke?
I had the first Animal Logic CD, I must have traded it in toward something else.
They fought all the way up to the release of the first greatest hits album. Copeland supposedly got hurt falling off his horse while playing polo so he couldn't play drums for the remake of Don't Stand So Close to me. He and Sting fought over which workstation was better, the Fairlight or Synclavier.
I like those albums too, along with Duke.
A lot of it had to do with only having begun listening to the band when the Misunderstanding single came out, having never heard any of the stuff the band did with Gabriel (I was only ten years old or so at the time) before. Point of fact, I didn't even listen to any of the Genesis stuff with Gabriel until the 1990s (didn't much care for that stuff, either).
Enjoyed the first Phil Collins solo album just fine.
Wasn't really until the second Collins solo album and the Invisible Touch Genesis album - where I didn't really care for the material on either of those - that Collins started to irk me, mostly because he was starting to churn out cheese and his silly mugging face was seemingly everywhere circa 1985 or so.
The bass player is Stanley Clarke. Usually he's a jazz guy, but he was known to join rock bands now and then. Before working with Stewart Copeland, he was in a little band called The New Barbarians in the late 1970s..
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Rikk (09-26-2023)
Interesting. The induction ceremony will be shown live on Disney+, with the cut down version on ABC later. The HBO deal must be over.
Rock Hall members got invited to the groundbreaking of the new addition. I doubt I will go.
I have HBO, so having it wasn't the problem. I just stopped watching as there became less and less bands I care about.
I did enjoy watch Lars induct Deep Purple...but even then I was angry that they left out a couple of members of the band over the years.
Incidentally, Jann Wenner's book is now a monster flop. It premiered at No. 7,594 on Amazon’s book sales list.
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