From what I've heard of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, they are no where near as close as the same league as Andy Summers. Andy is a Jazz guitarist who happened to get involved with a rock group. He transformed a punk rock group into a completely original, extremely sophisticated rock group which to this day not many bands can compare to. Guitarists in the same league as Andy Summers might be Allan Holdsworth, Eric Johnson, Robert Fripp, Larry Coryell, John McLaughlin, Al Dimeola, and Kevin Eubanks.
To interoperate what you're saying below as comparing the two guitarists as the "Brains" of the band, I'm not that familiar with the chilli peppers stuff after the Blood Sugar Sex Magic cd and it is not fair to say Andy was the brains in the Police. The Police were 3 professors in a world of students. None the less, this is a nice subject to discuss. Message: 1 Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2005 17:45:26 -0800 (PST) From: Mike Greenberg <kappa02@yahoo.com> Subject: [Police] Andy Summers question To: police@mailman.xmission.com Message-ID: <20050120014526.54022.qmail@web12302.mail.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Quick question to all those guitar players in the audience. Is Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante in the same league as Andy Summers? Frusciante is the brains behind most songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, perhaps the only current rock group that is anywhere close to as good as the Police were. It would be interesting if Sting and John Frusciante ever shared studio time. Thanks for the insight.