Jump to content

[From "Ultimate Classic Rock"] The Police's Stewart Copeland says RUSH didn't bite concerning feud


alieninvasion76
 Share

Recommended Posts

This is an excerpt from a story that Ultimate Classic Rock's Dave Lifton just wrote about the band "The Police" trying to get attention by criticizing Rush during their early days...

 

 

"Police drummer Stewart Copeland is on HDNET this week hosting “Classic Rock Week” and and showing many documentaries on Allman Brothers Band, Bob Dylan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Elton John and tonight it's Rush: The Rise of Kings 1968-1981. Tonight Copeland shares when they threw the first stone at Rush but Rush wasn't biting.

 

Copeland says, "They're Canadian, They are the best guys on the planet. I don't know if being Canadian has anything to do with it, but Rush are one of the best hangs in show business. Back when my band, the Police, was a struggling punk rock [band], just trying to make noise and cause attention and throwing bombs wherever we could. Rush? That's some place where we threw bombs."

 

Rush seemed to take it all in stride however, Copeland contiues, "And years later, it turns out Rush -- [the] guys in the band -- Neil Peart, is so Canadian that he didn't even mind, And we became really great friends in spite of the fact that we used to criticize his band when we were just trying to get attention. I think he's old and wise and Canadian enough to understand all that. They couldn't be nicer if they were New Zealanders, also a nation that only produces good people."

 

 

Link to original article: http://ultimateclass...lice-rush-feud/

 

John Beaudin reporting the above for YouTube channel "Rock History Music":

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL!!! What is funny is how influenced Rush were by The Police on Moving Pictures (Vital Signs), Signals and Grace Under Pressure. It was like a love letter to the Police IMO. Alex went all in on that stratocaster wall of "Chorus pedals" sound of Andy Summers, and Neil and Geddy were dishing out awesome grooves in a Sting/Copeland vain/vibe on songs like Digital Man and The Enemy Within.

 

I always loved that era of the band.

Edited by Todem
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I definitely appreciate Signals and Grace Under Pressure more now than I did back then - some great writing enhanced by sonic landscapes galore!!

 

Moving Pictures deserves all the accolades that have been heaped on it, and of course got thoroughly revisited on the Time Machine tour, much to my extreme delight. Call me bananas, but for some reason I take particular delight whenever I see the video of Neil performing for "Drum Week" on Letterman, and Dave hyping the 30th Anniversary edition of what he referred to as "their seminal album Moving Pictures" - that's some very flattering historical context, and deservedly so: a credence-bestowing moment that nicely capped off that period that started with the Colbert appearance, followed by "Beyond the Lighted Stage"... and then Neil putting on a one man clinic on Letterman!

 

Anyway, inspired by the article in question, I re-watched the "Rush: The Rise of Kings" doc and by the third time they mentioned The Police and their influence on Rush, not to mention the reference to Stewart Copeland specifically and his influence on Neil, I imagine Copeland was feeling like a bit of a horse's ass about the jibes they lobbed back then at the expense of our boys!! Oh well, everyone's made nice now, I guess!!!

Edited by alieninvasion76
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a new YouTube link, this time with Copeland himself talking about the same stuff with RockCellarMagazine.com.

 

The Police's Stewart Copeland talks about Rush momentarily at the 1:36 mark of the video, and more at length about Rush at the 18:55 mark...

 

Edited by alieninvasion76
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's really kind of funny. Rush was kind of an easy target for bands like The Police trying to be edgy and raw and what not, but I wonder if Rush was even relevant enough where anyone was listening to what The Police were saying about them? This was in the late 1970's when Rush was still a popular cult band so I doubt anyone really cared. I remember when Johnny Rotten was just mocking Pink Floyd around when The Wall was #1. THAT definitely got some attention for The Sex Pistols.

 

Cool story...what's Sting's take on Rush?

Edited by LeaveMyThingAlone
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a new YouTube link, this time with Copeland himself talking about the same stuff with RockCellarMagazine.com.

 

The Police's Stewart Copeland talks about Rush momentarily at the 1:36 mark of the video, and more at length about Rush at the 18:55 mark...

 

this was great! Really liked watching it :ebert:

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a new YouTube link, this time with Copeland himself talking about the same stuff with RockCellarMagazine.com.

 

The Police's Stewart Copeland talks about Rush momentarily at the 1:36 mark of the video, and more at length about Rush at the 18:55 mark...

 

 

Good stuff especially at the 18:55 mark. :yes:

 

Thanks for the heads up on those two points :cheers:

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw Copeland and Peart as similar well before I knew they were friends.

 

Copeland is an excellent drummer in his own right, and a recognized master with his use of cymbals. It's funny, though, that as a good friend of Neil's that he nevertheless says Neil's name wrong, like everyone does.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw Copeland and Peart as similar well before I knew they were friends.

 

Copeland is an excellent drummer in his own right, and a recognized master with his use of cymbals. It's funny, though, that as a good friend of Neil's that he nevertheless says Neil's name wrong, like everyone does.

Cool avatar dude!!
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw Copeland and Peart as similar well before I knew they were friends.

 

Copeland is an excellent drummer in his own right, and a recognized master with his use of cymbals. It's funny, though, that as a good friend of Neil's that he nevertheless says Neil's name wrong, like everyone does.

Cool avatar dude!!

Which of the Serenity crew is most likely to surprise everyone with their jazz drumming skills?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw Copeland and Peart as similar well before I knew they were friends.

 

Copeland is an excellent drummer in his own right, and a recognized master with his use of cymbals. It's funny, though, that as a good friend of Neil's that he nevertheless says Neil's name wrong, like everyone does.

Cool avatar dude!!

Which of the Serenity crew is most likely to surprise everyone with their jazz drumming skills?

River wouldn't be a surprise, she definitely had the skill. I'd be surprised if Cobb has the interest, and I'm sure Simon has nothing beyond technical skill. Maybe Zoe would surprise, drumming seems impractical. I vote Simon.
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw Copeland and Peart as similar well before I knew they were friends.

 

Copeland is an excellent drummer in his own right, and a recognized master with his use of cymbals. It's funny, though, that as a good friend of Neil's that he nevertheless says Neil's name wrong, like everyone does.

Cool avatar dude!!

great minds?
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw Copeland and Peart as similar well before I knew they were friends.

 

Copeland is an excellent drummer in his own right, and a recognized master with his use of cymbals. It's funny, though, that as a good friend of Neil's that he nevertheless says Neil's name wrong, like everyone does.

Cool avatar dude!!

Which of the Serenity crew is most likely to surprise everyone with their jazz drumming skills?

Mark Sheppard's character. I'm ashamed that I'm blanking on his character's name. But he wasn't in the crew. He was featured in Modern Drummer a couple months ago. From the crew, Book would be the jazz guy. Edited by Pound of Obscure
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw Copeland and Peart as similar well before I knew they were friends.

 

Copeland is an excellent drummer in his own right, and a recognized master with his use of cymbals. It's funny, though, that as a good friend of Neil's that he nevertheless says Neil's name wrong, like everyone does.

Cool avatar dude!!

Which of the Serenity crew is most likely to surprise everyone with their jazz drumming skills?

Mark Sheppard's character. I'm ashamed that I'm blanking on his character's name. But he wasn't in the crew. He was featured in Modern Drummer a couple months ago. From the crew, Book would be the jazz guy.

Book wouldn't surprise at all. Good call. Inara probably already knows how. Kaylee would enjoy listening the most, and I bet she'd have the most fun playing. But I still think River would be the best.

 

Btw, you were talking about Badger. I love Badger, but I bet Badger sucks. I had no idea Sheppard was a drummer in real life. Apparently a rather accomplished one. That's cool.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

re Serenity crew drummer:

 

I have a soft spot for Kaylee the mechanic, such that even if she couldn't keep a beat I'd just blame everyone else!

 

 

re Police influence and The Edge (rant alert :facepalm: "I can't hold 'er, Captain! She's breaking up!!" :scared:):

 

Rush's intermittent dabbling in reggae was bound to draw the comparisons; Lerxst's sudden flirtation with the Fender "Telecaster" and increasing use of the Chorus effect cemented them. But technology led to many an 80's mix quickly evolving into a big wash of electronica, and the technical challenge of keeping the guitar from getting lost in all of this led to:

 

 

1. The creation of the "Superstrat", ie. the generic term applied to any Fender "Stratocaster" style guitar with the more powerful and edgier Humbucker pickup (ie. double coil) in the bridge position where a single coil pickup would typically be used.

(N.B. The "Stratocaster" traditionally sports 3 single coil pickups, the other common configuration being 2 Humbuckers, such as on the Gibson "Les Paul").

 

2. The preponderance of the Chorus effect and, even more so, the Digital Delay which was used, sometimes as a gimmick, but mostly to simultaneously thicken and lift the guitar out of the mix.

(N.B. This was the original benefit of the Chorus effect, but when there are 2 or 3 synths in the mix, all with their own onboard Chorus turned on, the benefit to the guitar can be somewhat dissipated).

 

U2's guitarist The Edge, mentioned in the previous post, is probably most associated with the Delay effect as he almost never turned off his Korg SDD-3000. But The Police guitarist Andy Summers' Chorus/Delay thickened Telecaster dates back to their 1979 album "Regatta de Blanc" (think "Walking on the Moon") and, henceforth, as Punk crossfaded into New Wave and holdouts like The Clash faded away and Joy Division morphed into New Order, the guitar became a different sonic animal in the 80's.

 

Ah yes, the 80's! The era of...

 

...the reverse-gated, off-beat snare drum...

...Simmons and Roland 808 electronic drums (yes, that is indeed where 808 State got their name)...

...layer upon layer of synths...

...electronically enhanced bass (think ZZ Top's "Eliminator")...

...chronic overuse of the Yamaha DX-7 electric piano patch (think Chicago's prolonged "schmaltz" phase)...*

...and the aforementioned chorus and delay ridden guitars!!

 

This, of course, exacerbated the "Rock 'n' Roll is dead" debate that began during the disco era. But this is only meaningful if you truly think Rock is indeed dead, a viewpoint which, to my mind, presumes a very narrow definition of the term "Rock 'n' Roll".

 

If you grew up with Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry, you probably equate Hard Rock to Metal and therefore consider AC/DC unfit to carry on the mantle of Rock. Conversely, while Metal "purists" may struggle to agree in the face of the genre's splitting into sub-genres, one thing they generally agree on is that it's Metal... NOT Rock 'n' Roll!!!

 

So who kept the drive alive until Nirvana rescued us all with the release of "Nevermind" in 1991? If we look back at the bands of the classic 70's Rock persuasion, and where they were at by the 80's, we see that they either...

 

A. Packed it in by the 80's

B. Went dormant and resurfaced in the late 80's or 90's

C. Plodded through without being sucked into the 80's electronic vortex, sometimes successfully, sometimes anonymously

D. Embraced the electronic vortex and thrived (or not) in their new found direction

 

Well, the answer to "who kept the drive alive?" of course lies in "C" and "D". For Rush fans, whether you liked their electronic period or not (which puts them in the "D" category), we can take pride in the fact that they were still quite successful during this period, their newly acquired fans carrying them until the release of "Counterparts" marked their return to a purer brand of Rock, and put them back in the good graces of their old fans. Van Halen finally caved in, and on, "1984"! The band Yes was successful in embracing the new technology as well, though they weren't as prolific as Rush during this period. (While still in the "D" category, mention must be made of Wishbone Ash who outdid themselves with the electronica for a couple of albums but more importantly, while not experiencing nearly the success of Rush in the 80's, nevertheless followed up the 9 studio albums they released in the 70's with 6 in the 80's... after which they released another 10 thru the 90's and 2000's).

 

As for the "C" list - the stalwarts who resisted the lure of the synthesizer - we have the 70's holdovers who entered and exited the 80's with their Rock 'n Roll soul intact, ie. Tom Petty, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, etc. These acts, of course, had the advantage of having massive followings that were so firmly entrenched by this time that they could count on their faithful to come see them play their oldies, regardless of how good or bad their most recent recording!

 

As for those whose careers were born right there in the 80's, notable are the ones who avoided the synth trap. While there's any number of acts I could cite, I think the following list illustrates a no-nonsense, Rock 'n' Roll sensibility, embodied in four distinctly different flavours: The Stray Cats, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Guns N' Roses.

 

 

And then, of course, came Nirvana... and all the imitators/derivations it spawned, thus ensuring that the concept of your neighbour's teenage kids' garage band sonically assaulting unsuspecting civilians and pets was alive and well!

 

Speaking of which... let's not forget that, all through this period, Metal, and all its eventual offshoots, was exploding... and continues to thrive! But, as far as the "music intelligentsia" are concerned, Metal isn’t even in the conversation. Often they're not even willing to cite Classic Rock reunion tours and latent releases as proof of the vitality of the genre. And while they might have a point based on that criteria alone, particularly given the "lame" factor often associated with such endeavours, the overarching point here is that their theory of Rock’s evolution is fairly linear, ie. Rock begat Punk, then New Wave, followed by Indie, Alternative, "Madchester", and eventually Grunge and LoFi... and whatever Nickelback is (sorry, couldn't resist).

 

It’s the old story: the same journalistic snobbery that Rush endured for so long now precludes today's Prog, Metal, Progressive Metal, etc. from the ongoing "Is Rock 'n' Roll dead?" debate! Big surprise!!

 

So now, most likely having overthought all of this, I'll leave you with...

 

Litmus test 1:

I'm going to pass on arguing the Rock 'n' Roll merits of all these idioms and sub-idioms based on the oft trotted out "detectibility of their Blues roots" indicator. Instead, I'll stick with the argument that their very lineage is proof enough on that score.

 

Litmus test 2:

And just in case you think I forgot him, there's always the Neil Young test, ie. "Is Neil still kickin'? Yes? Then, so is Rock 'n' Roll!" Now, full disclosure: I didn't really come to appreciate Neil Young until much later, despite being a baby boomer! But, having now righted that wrong, I would gladly give Rock a clean bill of health based on this second litmus test; not just out of some flakey sentiment... it's flakey sentiment AND a morbid fear of being labelled an unpatriotic Canadian!!!

 

Cheers!

 

 

* The Yamaha DX-7 electric piano patch (think more metallic sounding Fender Rhodes) was used and abused ad nauseam from its inception, and no one abused it more than iconic Canadian (sadly) Producer/Composer David Foster (who I hold personally responsible for turning this here Hoser's beloved band Chicago into the schmaltz machine they became in the 80's).

 

The perfect audio sample of this infamous patch is linked here in Jazz Fusion outfit Tribal Tech's tune "The Big Wave", the opening cut from their album "Illicit". The DX-7 sound in question is used as a joke intro - quite possibly aimed directly at Foster - before the tune gets serious at the 20 second mark...

 

Edited by alieninvasion76
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...