Frank Zappa said Vinnie Colaiuta was the best poly-rythmn percussionist he ever worked with. High praise indeed!

In return have some Vinnie playing my fav 5/4 pattern!

Have some Terry Bozzio.

You’re right that the term ‘eighth note triplet’ makes no notational sense! Vic Firth puts it better than I -

They are called eighth note triplets because they use the values of eighth notes. Normally, in 4/4 time, three eighths would have the value of one and a half counts. Now, because of the “false” notation, these three eighths have the value of a single count or a single quarter. It’s as if the number “3″ above the triplet tells you: “We all know that three eighths don’t equal a quarter, but let’s make believe that they do.”

In terms of Walking on the Moon, you’re right. Copeland employs the old polyrhythm usually 4 on 6 in various cool guises.

From memory most of the hi-hat licks on Walking on the Moon are polyrythmic trade-offs between the shuffle feel of the song, straight-ahead 4s, 3 over 4, and 5 over 4, and a few variations.

Copeland’s hi-hat is just insane, he’s been brought in as a session musician on so many occasions just to record cool hi-hat stuff.

Nice to find some other drummers around here.

Is this the one you’re referring to su? King of Suede

That must be it, Adam. Following Davey’s link up there I came across Thin Lizzy and the Sex Pistols doing christmas carols together on Kenny Everett, and the instant Beegee skit; what a classic. Never mind Phil Lynott and Sid Vicious, I miss Kenny.

I’d happily forgive a thousand musical sins for the hi-hat part on Walking on the Moon.

I’ll teach you if you like

Copeland really made that band for me; always pushing the beat or dragging it out.

Too true. Though a drummer myself, I can’t really consider him an influence as such - his style is just so alien to me. Fluid and staccato at the same time, dynamics akimbo, typical for me of the whole Police sound. Simple pop songs for the most part, with complex, surprising arrangements played perfectly. Granted they stayed on a well-rehearsed course most of the time, but when they let go things could get, as you say, very near chaos.

Mother from Synchronicity is a case in point. I heard a live version that could have been Syd-era Floyd crossed with The Clash. Seriously odd.

Yes, Ms Trudie wasn’t thinking about Ms Tomelty when she pursued Mr. Sting. Of course, that was a long time ago, and Mr. Sting and Ms Trudie seem like a perfect match. The things some women do.

When confronted by The Police, Blondie, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Gary Numan, Bram Tchjaikosky, Elvis Costello etc; the bin was labelled New Wave.

I agree with Darin above

” I think it’s great. The sex pistols come on stage, play like crap, abuse people, take your money and leave”.

The Pistols were not musicians - they were Performance Art.

Sting ‘became Sting’ via his Quadrophenia role.
His abandoned wife Frances Tomelty never gets the deserved ‘muse’ acknowledgement.

She pops up in Brit TV dramas occasionally.
Trudy StylES was her fellow actress in a Shakespeare play when the adultery took place.
Sir John Geilgud describes it as vicious in his autobiog, and he doesn’t mean Sid.

Is this the one you’re referring to su?

King of Suede

I can’t find a video.

I’d happily forgive a thousand musical sins for the hi-hat part on Walking on the Moon.

Copeland really made that band for me; always pushing the beat or dragging it out. The music was so much more interesting than it might have been. Was it weird al yankovic who did a satire where the drumming became completely nonsensical? Copeland always kept it to within a whisker of chaos.

Perhaps Duran were being nice to their poor tweeny fans.

$65 to see Miles Davis in ‘88. That’s some serious inflation.

I paid (I think) $40 to see INXS the same year — a more apt comparison to Duran Duran, methinks.

I seem to recall paying approximately $27 to see Duran Duran in 1983.

$65 to see Miles Davis in ‘88. That’s some serious inflation.

Thanks for that clarification, Katz.

Incidentally (for anyone interested), I watched another DVD on the weekend about music. It was called DiG and was about some nonsense fued between The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Recommended.

I don’t deny their musical talent. I just wish they’d used it for good. And I don’t blame them for doing what they did.

As Picasso said, “I can produce a better fake Picasso than anyone.”