Stewart Copeland on the album that “trashed” everything that came before it
Everyone has their favourite drummer. It could be decided on virtuosity, stage presence, fashion sense or even an amiable personality. However, when it comes to a drummer’s favourite drummer, we can expect technical skill and unique style to exert more weight in the equation. What better living legend to decide on the best drummer of all time than Stewart Copeland of The Police?
Though Sting stood front and centre as the obvious focal point, The Police benefitted infinitely from the virtuosic beat keeping of their American import. Copeland sunk his teeth into the band’s genre-defying sound, incorporating styles from every corner of the musical map. The classic 4/4 signature of rock music was always boring to him, so in classic tracks like ‘Driven to Tears’ and ‘Synchronicity I’, he mixed things up to great effect.
From Copeland’s approach to drumming, one might assume he is a lifelong jazz aficionado. While the traditional genre has undoubtedly informed his style, Copeland is actually somewhat ambivalent to jazz in its pure form. “My current immunity to jazz has been ascribed by jazz chums to being raised on wrong jazz,” Copeland once told Goldmine, alluding to his damaging exposure to “big band” jazz.
Despite his aversion to jazz music, Copeland, like most drummers, can appreciate the virtuosity of Buddy Rich. In many, perhaps most, rankings of the last half century, the American jazz dynamo has been listed as the best drummer of all time. “For drum-set virtuosity, Buddy inarguably set the bar back in 1966, and it has not been reached since,” Copeland added.
When it comes to rock ‘n’ roll drumming, the arena he is most interested in, Copeland’s ears gravitate to jazz-inspired musicians. In 2018, Mason and Copeland were welcomed as guests on Amazon’s motoring show The Grand Tour. With a percussion ambassador from each side of the Atlantic and two disparate rock genres in front of him, host Jeremy Clarkson knew he would have to deviate from petrolhead conversation for a few minutes.
The night before the show, Mason and Copeland met for dinner, during which they discussed their favourite drummers. As they relayed to Clarkson, they discovered their hierarchies were much the same. Both felt that Mitch Mitchell was the best rock drummer of all, closely followed by Cream’s Ginger Baker.
After establishing that the late Mitchell was both musicians’ favourite, Clarkson addressed the audience. “This was Jimi Hendrix’s drummer, I think we should explain to those of you who are not as old as we are,” he clarified.
At this point, Copeland interjected enthusiastically. “Well, that’s the travesty right there,” he said with mock aggression. “This great towering… this monument of drums, was Jimi Hendrix’s drummer!” Perplexed, the host replied, “Well, how would you describe him?” “Well, Jimi was Mitch’s guitarist,” Copeland asserted, exchanging a look of triumph with Mason.
Indeed, Hendrix’s majesty as the greatest rock guitarist of all time and the namesake frontman of The Jimi Hendrix Experience has eclipsed Mitchell’s legacy somewhat over the past half-century. However, the success of Hendrix’s three albums with the Experience was the result of a cohesive unit. Hendrix was the hub, but his world-class rhythm section, featuring bassist Noel Redding, put the wheel in motion.
Speaking to Goldmine, Copeland once again revealed his admiration for Mitchell’s work with Hendrix, picking out the Experience’s 1967 debut album Are You Experienced as one of his all-time favourites and an undeniable milestone in rock evolution. “And then came Hendrix. All changed,” he noted. “Everything that came before is trashed. I couldn’t decide whether to fantasize about being the drummer or the guitarist. Those blazing drums and guitar became an overlay upon everything else, from Stravinsky to The Beatles.”
