My Top Drummers, Pt. 5

#2
Name: Stewart Copeland
Associated Bands: The Police

While all three members of the Police don’t get enough credit for the instrumental skills, Stewart Copeland’s flowing, complicated drum patterns deserve the most praise. Finding a middle-ground between rock’s force, jazz’s subtlety and reggae’s emphasis of off-beats, Copeland’s work as a member of the Police is exquisitely intricate and smooth. His snare hits always have a startling crack to them, giving songs some energy, but his crisp cymbal-playing recalls the steady beats of jazz. To top it all off, you’ve got the drum breakdown in the middle of “Walking On The Moon”, which threatens to fly off the rhythmic rails entirely but still somehow works.

Required Listening: “Walking On The Moon”, “Driven To Tears”, “Spirits In The Material World”

#1
Name: Phil Selway
Associated Bands: Radiohead

Most of the drummers on this list play in rock bands, but few really play in that heavy, forceful style usually associated with rock music. Those that do (McNeilly, Dailor, Carey) are noteworthy for their intricacy or unearthly sharpness. Phil Selway is amazing because he can do both. To this day, I’ve never heard as drummer as versatile as this bald, mild-mannered Englishman. As Radiohead has warped and evolved creatively over the years, Selway has been there all along, contributing whatever types of rhythm the band needs at the time. He can play smash-your-face-in-rock, or he can dial it way back and play funereal jazz. He has even sampled and programmed drum tracks on Radiohead’s more techno-influenced material. Phil Selway is the Swiss Army knife of drummers, ready and willing to supply the perfect rhythm for every musical problem imaginable.

Required Listening: “My Iron Lung”, “Climbing Up The Walls”, “Dollars & Cents”