10 Greatest Classic Rock Drummers Of All Time
8. Stewart Copeland
Unlike so many other Rock drummers, The Police’s Stewart Copeland was not all about how much noise he could make- but how his abilities could best serve the song.
There is a subtlety and a grace to Copeland’s jazz-style drumming that works perfectly with The Police’s unusual sound. He never appears to be trying to take over the song but instead filling in the missing parts of it. Incredibly precise and deceptively quick, Copeland was such an integral part of all The Police’s best stuff.
Message In A Bottle is a perfect example of how well Copeland holds the whole band together. The driving rhythm of the song is maintained with Copeland’s metronomic sense of timing despite changes to the tempo throughout. It also showcases some of the subtlety that make Copeland such an underrated great.
Sting was the man who reaped up most of the plaudits for the success of The Police but they would never have reached the levels they did without Copeland’s undoubted mastery of his instrument.