Any old punks out there?

Just missed out at by being a little too young when The Jam, Clash and Stranglers came to town. Made do live with lesser known lights such as Northern Irelands Stiff Little Fingers. I went to my first punk gig (the Boomtown Rats (Bob Gelfdofs outfit) in cowboy boots which were all the rage then and felt like a right wally. Saw U2 when they were hauling crowds of 500 and spat (as one did then) at the Edge. Little did we know.Madly into drumming, I discovered The Police around 1979 who had the best drummer I have ever heard and I promptly dumped the infantile musicianmanship of punk bandThe Clash's London Calling still raise the hairs on my neck the odd time I hear it though ....

Where does one begin to start effusing over Stewart Copeland. I don't really know Crash as I was never that technical when it came to drums so couldn't analyse it in any objective way. He had things about him which just seemed to raise him above anyone else I've ever heard. You mentioned one yourself. His ability to draw so much out of snare/hi-hat/single bass drum (although his kit could be large in the tom-tom area at times)- on just about every song on every album he never fell into just doing routine or being satisfied with repetition. Take Walking on the Moon for instance. If one wanted to copy him, one would have to learn the whole song as there is a constant stream of variation within the basic beat. Then he caps of what is an understated beat at the end of the song with a magical turn of riff - powerfully complex but never drifting from understatement. Real subtle stuff that could only be picked up by careful, concentrated listening.- when you drum you find yourself falling into grooves which are a function of body - your whole body seems to move in harmony and it is the body movement that allows beats and patterns to come into existance. SC pulled out beats that would be almost impossible to carry out if one were relying simply on getting ones arms to do the work. As you learned his beats you found you body coming into areas and complexity of movement that you never had before- he could play stupendously fast. At my very best, keeping up with him was nearly impossible. On either the first or second album there is a song called I think No Time (No time at all - no time this time is the chorus). Not only is it impossibly fast but the ususal flood of interesting patterns and beats never lets up and are executed at this same impossible speed.- he is fantastic to watch drumming. Again for body shape and sheer fluidity. What he has could not be learned ever.- Many drummers input has a central roll in shaping the mood of the song - I loved the shuffling beat of Totos Rosanna for instance. With SC however his influence shapes all the songs. His influence is more central to the whole shape of the band that any other I've ever heard- he was consistant throughout his Police career and there isn't an album which dissappionts in the drum area even though the songs themselves could be weak.My hero.

Sorry for referring to you as Crash. The avatars are similar at a glance. Syncronicity is a good album but for the best drumming the first two have to be the best. The first was SC at sheer freeflow - staking his place. The second is more mature but still choc full of great riffs. Take the well known Message in a Bottle - their must be four or five different riffs withn the first minute. Set you sound system up so that you can hear the hi-hit with SC - its there he shines.If your son doesn't fall in love with his beat I'll renounce my faith

My mate was into Rush and Yes and it was them that got us interested in drumming in the first place. As an engineer I find I appreciate the fine mechanical to the grand, impressive mechanical. Its a bit like that in drums: I loved the technical intricacy of SC to the more lush power of Rush and Yes. I wasn't a big seeker of all kinds of styles anyway. My drumming was used more for bedding girls at post gig parties than anything else.

Only picked up the guitar myself a few years ago. Just for banging out songs in the worship group (I must smile at my Lords humor - he has me gigging again - but along the lines he prefers)Bar the piano, I know of no instrument to raise the hairs on your neck like a guitar played well