A nostalgic trip for some; a discovery for others.

A professional drummer since the age of 17, Jimmy Copley has been playing drums in Magnum since 2005. He’s also known for his work with Tony Iommi and Glenn Hughes as well as Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Paul Rodgers and M3 with ex-Whitesnake players Micky Moody and Neil Murray. This is a varied set of songs but purely for lovers of rock and roll, American blues and basically any music fan with broad tastes and an open mind. 

So just who exactly are Copley’s friends? Well, there’s quite a few: Jeff Beck, Bernie Marsden, Micky Moody, Neil Murray, Pino Palladino and Mark Stanway, amongst other lesser familiar names. There’s some original material here alongside well-known tracks like ‘Strange Brew’ and ‘All Shook Up.’ The musicianship on this CD is really quite brilliant with some stunning solos and bass lines; and Copley’s drumming is impeccable.

The standout tracks are the ones featuring the brilliant Jeff Beck: his solo on ‘J Blues’ is great and his guitar wizardry on ‘Everyday I Have The Blues’ and the aforementioned ‘All Shook Up’ is equally strong. Copley’s production is excellent and of course he plays drums on all 15 tracks. The instrumentals ‘East West Mardi Gras’ and ‘Quick Lucky And Plucky’ are great fun. Copley’s solo drum piece, the instrumental ‘The Toucan,’ is pretty nifty too. Paul Jackson’s sturdy bass line through the instrumental ‘Skank It’ is another example of fine musicianship. So you can get a sense that this album is slightly self-indulgent with a group of enormously talented players churning out some great tunes with what sounds like only minor effort. At the end of the day, ‘Slap My Hand’ is a passionately performed piece of work. A nostalgic trip for some; a discovery for others. Visit www.jimmycopley.com. 

Neil Daniels