Whos the better Drummer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter VOXVENDOR
  • Start date Start date

Who's a better technical player

  • Alex Van Halen (Van Halen)

    Votes: 30 20.7%

  • Stuart Copeland (The Police)

    Votes: 115 79.3%
  • Total voters
    145
I think that Stuart is more of a school'd drummer while Alex has the raw edge. Like both but would have to go w/ AVH....

Oh, by the way....Mike Portnoy is a Monster

Check him out.....http://www.mikeportnoy.com

Rock on........
 
There's a movie called "Cross-Roads" in which Ralph Macchio plays a kid who is studying classical guitar and suddenly decides to learn the blues. At the end of the movie, he ends up in a guitar-duel for his soul with the Devil's guitar prodigy, who is played by Steve Vai. Vai's character and Macchio's character trade licks and ultimately Macchio's character wins the battle by playing a classical lick that Vai's character can't mimic.

I suppose that one measure of who is the "best" guitar player (or drummer) is, as this movie (and many of the above posts) suggests, is the one who can do something on his instrument that the other player can't mimic. That's basically a measure of technical proficiency.

While I'm not knocking technical proficiency, I don't think it's a very valuable end in and of itself. I really don't care whether Steve Vai's character (or for that matter, Steve Vai himself) could play a classical lick to save his life. IMHO, the "best" musician is the one I listen to and think "man, that is totally awesome." Not awesome because I can't do it, or because some other great guitarist or musician can't do it, but because I really enjoyed it when that person did it.

That standard is easy for me to apply to drums, because I am not a drummer. Which means I can't speak to technical proficiency in any meaningful way. Instead, I can only say how much I (as someone who knows nothing about playing the drums) enjoy one person's drums in any particular song.

It may well be that if Alex Van Halen had been the Police's drummer, many of the Police's songs would have lacked many of the subtle sounds that made those songs what they were. But Alex gave VH exactly what it needed when it needed it, and in the old VH glory days, I enjoyed his drums almost as much as I enjoyed his brother's guitar. Not because Alex had Eddie's technical proficiency (I don't know enough about drums to say whether he did or not), but simply because everything he did rocked.

For the same reasons, I can't say whether Alex was technically as proficient as Copeland, and I really don't care. But I enjoyed what Alex did more.
 
sessionselect said:
ctc3b said:
Alex Van Halen is an underrated rock drummer. He has created many great drum parts.

first of all, there's no such thing as an underated rock drummer. Rock is as basic as drumming gets. Yes there are wonderful rock drummers but a lot of rock drummers do what sounds cool instead what is musical.

by the way......stuart rules...........there shouldn't even be a debate....he actually plays with musicallity instead of balls to the wall drumming.
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i read this reply to state "what sounds cool instead *of* what is musical."


to my thinking, what sounds good, IS musical ;)
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Oh yea

You guys forgot about Tim Alexander of Primus and Sean Kinney from Alice In Chains.



My vote would undoubtedly go to ALEX VAN HALEN!


Like who you like and enjoy who you enjoy.. This debate could go on forever!
 
This is really STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Both are great musicians!


You should be ashamed, this is really childish!


Amund
 
Oh, I forgot... No fun polls/comparisons allowed....

Im Sorry.


Ok, lets get back to talking about the latest version of the j-station :rolleyes:


Stay off my thread!:mad:
 
Copeland!

Ok, AVH can use double kick, that's just swell. He has no taste. He BASHES the drums and cymbals. There is no musicality in his playing, I'm sorry.

Copeland, however: You all know about his Police stuff, some have been talking about it... But, have you heard some of the stuff he did with Oysterhead? Unbelievable!! Some very complex, tasteful drumming on that album. If you haven't checked it out, you should. It's Stewart Copeland, Les Claypool, and Trey Anastasio.

Speaking of Tommy Aldridge, I own one of his kits! Picked it up a couple months ago when he finished his series of Clinics across Canada. It's real nice!!
 
It looks as so Alex is getting whipped here, maybe we should have put Liverty Deveto up against Copeland. Now that would be a technical drummer shootout to hear. And Stewart may lose that one.
 
Hands down it's Copeland. these cannot be dtermined by getting a Van Halen CD and Police CD and comparing either. Has anyone heard any of Copelands work on the Oysterhead CD? Truly impressive and nothing like the Police days. He's quite percussive and unique. Not to knock Alex, but Alex is just a drummer to me (as is Neil for that matter), where I see Copeland in more of an all around RHYTHM role.

Billy Martin from MMW beats 'em both ;) :D
 
O MY GOD PEOPLE!!!!!
if i could make the print here 5000000 feet tall i would...
MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE!!!!!!!!!
if any drummer in here, or AVH can play that song, i'll fly out from my little middle of nowhere town and buy him his favorite drink.
that all that there is to say about wether AVH is a better drummer than stewart copeland.
makin a mood is what makes a drummer, in my opinion. now, it's not that AVH isn;t making such drastic moods, he's doing it with a 10 piece kit and like 30 cymbals or something.
STEWART COPELAND PLAYS A 4 PIECE!!!
and creates twice the mood and gains twice the reaction out of an attntive listener.
and van halen pre-hagar is crap compared to the versitality and creativeness displayed on OU812 or balance. dude, thats just facts.
early van halen is nothing but upbeat, very poppy blues revolution. it is just that, a new re-vamped blues sound. it;s all the same. great GREAT music. but all "off the same album" once they stopped being the 80's chick band and took on the more serious artistic rock all the members of that band were able to get alot more expressive and wide ranged.

ladies and gentlemen, stewart copeland has the ability to make a listener vomit, have an orgasm, feel itchy (walkin on the moon, imo.) if the surrounding instruments of the band have a "destined" or "fated" drumline, stu will find it. and my opinion is not fully based on the police. open your ears guys. theres much more to listen to with stu's name on it.
 
dcptnsdcvd said:
O MY GOD PEOPLE!!!!!
if i could make the print here 5000000 feet tall i would...
MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE!!!!!!!!!
if any drummer in here, or AVH can play that song, i'll fly out from my little middle of nowhere town and buy him his favorite drink.
that all that there is to say about wether AVH is a better drummer than stewart copeland.
makin a mood is what makes a drummer, in my opinion. now, it's not that AVH isn;t making such drastic moods, he's doing it with a 10 piece kit and like 30 cymbals or something.
STEWART COPELAND PLAYS A 4 PIECE!!!
and creates twice the mood and gains twice the reaction out of an attntive listener.
and van halen pre-hagar is crap compared to the versitality and creativeness displayed on OU812 or balance. dude, thats just facts.
early van halen is nothing but upbeat, very poppy blues revolution. it is just that, a new re-vamped blues sound. it;s all the same. great GREAT music. but all "off the same album" once they stopped being the 80's chick band and took on the more serious artistic rock all the members of that band were able to get alot more expressive and wide ranged.

ladies and gentlemen, stewart copeland has the ability to make a listener vomit, have an orgasm, feel itchy (walkin on the moon, imo.) if the surrounding instruments of the band have a "destined" or "fated" drumline, stu will find it. and my opinion is not fully based on the police. open your ears guys. theres much more to listen to with stu's name on it.
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Okay.... so now the number of drums and cymbals a drummer has is a part of the comparison game?:rolleyes:

If I had two cymbals, I could hit them both at the same time. If I had "like 30 cymbals" I could still only hit two at a time.
A hardcore Van Halen fan is not likely to also be a hardcore police fan so the comparison is not feesible in the first place. As far as "If someone can play message in a bottle", that's absurd! WE can all play 8th notes, 16th notes, triplets and so on...... None of us could play it the way he does it only because well..... HE played it. It has HIS feel! I'm sure an accoplished drummer could play it note for note but the feel is the the unattainable part of the equation. Both of those drummers are top notch in their fields.
It's as simple as this this..... bands do not become HUGE unless there is a connection between the musicians and the audience in a massive scale. You can look many example of musicians that on a technical level are questionable. but they've manged to make that connection. I hesitate to use this example but look at Jimi Page..... He's not the most proficient guitarist out there but he has made a connection ( of course in a combined effort with the rest of the band). It really boils down the the mood in which your music is presented.
Sorry for the book but comparisons between musicians gets me fired up but I still have to read them! :D

RF
 
COPELAND

alex is a great drummer but copeland is an innovative and incredibly creative drummer. he's a great influence across the musical spectrum. if van halen, the band, were a different type of music perhaps alex would have emerged as something different but he's a rock drummer. he's a hell of a lot better than most of those 80's rock drummers but copeland definitely stands out head and shoulders above him. you don't see alex at namm and pasic, doing clinics or composing do you?
 
This thread isn't dead yet?

STEWART COPELAND PLAYS A 4 PIECE!!!
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Not that it's particularly relevant, but Stewart plays a 14 piece kit.

From Tama's site:
18X22 Bass Drum
8X10, 8X12, 9X13 Tom Toms
15X15, 16X16 Floor Toms
8", 10" Tymp Toms
443, 472, 536, 600 Octobans
14X20 Gong Bass
Stewart Copeland Signature Snare

He also isn't lacking for cymbals.
 
I don't know.. maybe I have bad taste, but im starting to think both these drummers bite.

Travis Barker (Blink 182) wins!

(That was sort of a joke)


But seriously, im really starting to respect Travis Barker's chops.

Maybe cause im a drummer and we do one of their covers, and it's fucking difficult.:eek:

I haven't done any Copeland or Rush covers so this is all subject to change.


Joe

PS> Thanks for Reviving this thread Elevate... Thumbs Up!
 
Nooooo.

It was I!
I revived the thread from it's July death with a vote for AVH (based on you mentioning it in another thread).

Not that I give a rat's ass regarding who's "better." Better at what? At appealing to numerous people? At appealing to specific people? At speed? At subtle dynamics. At technical proficiency? At longevity in a band to crank out tons of great albums?

Is music a sporting event where there are winners and losers? Good, better, worst, best?

All I know is I like Alex's style better.

And they are both better than I.

And these threads are always fun.
 
PIont 1: if copland was any good he would have punched Sting in the face twentyfive years ago and got on with some real music.
point 2:if copland was any good why would he be in the new reincarnation of "the doors" thats right he is going to be drumming for the doors remake with Ian Astbury(cult)on vox and the 2 other old farts that were in the original line up.If he was a great drummer he would have laughed in their faces and said "go and start planing your funeral you wont be able to handle another tour.
point 3: HOT FOR TEACHER,that ends all discussion as far as Im concerned
 
if copland was any good he would have punched Sting in the face twentyfive years ago and got on with some real music.
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That would have been before the Police recorded their first album.
If he was a great drummer he would have laughed in their faces and said "go and start planing your funeral you wont be able to handle another tour.
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Yea, great drummers are known for telling old people they're too old to play.
HOT FOR TEACHER,that ends all discussion as far as Im concerned
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I could say the same thing about any number of Police or Oysterhead songs.
 
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