The Police

[GuitarGeek]

File under: Better late than never

It only took me 24 years, but I finally got Message In A Box, the boxset of the (supposed) complete recordings of The Police (Wikipedia goes into detail about what's missing from the set). Like most rock music fans my age, I have some familiarity with most of their singles, and a smattering of album tracks, thanks to MTV playing them like they were the Beatles or something in the early 80's. I had Zenyatta Mondata as a teenager and I have that ridiculous star/badge shaped picture disc single they put out of Don't Stand So Close To Me b/w De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da. Also, I remember borrowing Reggatta De Blanc from the library somewhere in there, because I remember Stewart's "The other ones are complete bullshit" intro on Any Other Day.

But this is my first time really hearing most of their catalog. I didn't even realize that instrumental they played in the middle of the live arrangement of Can't Stand Losing You had a title (apparently, I only listened to side two of Reggatta De Blanc when I borrowed it from the library)!

Really enjoying listening to this set. I never really thought about it, but The Police were only together for for about 5 or 6 years, really. The original lineup recorded their first single in February 77 (having only formed a month or two prior) and Synchronicity came out in June 83 (so says Wikipedia). It's amazing how much music they got done in that period of time.

Anyone ever heard the Strontium 90 recording? I've alwyas been curious to hear that, but wasn't smart enough to pick it up when it was released back in the mid 90's, and I imagine it's probably out of print now.

[Jerjo]

They were a steady diet for me back in the day but I must have had a fifteen year stretch of not listening to them, mostly because I was without a turntable and the early 80s faded from my view. Then I got a 2 CD compilation that made me remember how damn good and righteous they were.

[TheH]

The Strontium 90 stuff (The Police plus Gong bass Player Mike Howlett) is all over YT



My fave recording involving (most of) The Police

[Rufus]

Wish the intended re-recorded album would see the light of day!!!

[Vic2012]

I have the first three albums. Zanyatta is my favorite. To me, Behind My Camel is their Kashmir.

[Sputnik]

I had all their stuff on CD, but let it all go. On occasion I regret that decision. They have a lot of great songs. But there isn't an album that I really liked all the way through. I've considered a comp, but their CDs are so cheap, I could get them back and make my own, because surely some deeper cuts that I like won't be on the commercially available comps.

Anyway, good band. In retrospect, one of the very best from the 80s and their stuff still holds up today.

Bill

[Vic2012]

They were the only band from that new wave era I really liked. Never got into U2 or any of those other British groups.

[Fracktured]

When Roxanne came out I absolutely hated it and so did most of my friends. I refused to listen to them until I heard some more of their music. By the time Ghost in the Machine came out I was hooked. There was always some skippable songs but a lot of great stuff also. Hard to believe this band weren’t together long. I’ve got all of the original albums. I should make a comp cd.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Scott Bails]

I have the first three albums. Zanyatta is my favorite. To me, Behind My Camel is their Kashmir.

That's my fave, too. An interesting observation, Vic. I never thought of it like that, but I get exactly what you're saying.

[rcarlberg]

My first exposure to The Police was "Roxanne," sung acapella by Sting in the "Secret Policeman's Ball" movie. I was mesmerized. The studio version(s) don't have the same hypnotic power.

I bought a box set (called simply "The Police") a few years ago and I must say, their lyrics are some of the most literate ever put to rock music. Not all of their music matches the high level, but overall I think they were a "thinking man's pop group." Some of Stewart Copeland's solo stuff is pretty interesting too.

Can't say the same for Sting or Summers.

[Scott Bails]

My first exposure to The Police was "Roxanne," sung acapella by Sting in the "Secret Policeman's Ball" movie. I was mesmerized. The studio version(s) don't have the same hypnotic power.

Not to be argumentative or pedantic, but IIRC, it wasn't a capella but it was just Sting with an electric guitar with a clean tone. Unless I'm remembering a different performance. But I was equally moved by it. He has also done "Message in a Bottle" the same way, and it was just as cool.

[rcarlberg]

You're undoubtedly right. It was a LONG time ago.

[Trane]

Saw the Police at The Edge in Toronto in 78, prior to Roxanne being a major hit...

Won radio station tickets, but there was a problem, since I was underaged (15)... but since there were only 13 people inside, they let me in, made sure they didn't serve me booze or beer and I had to get out as soon as the concert was over

Anyways, I always loved Outlandos, but didn't really like Regatta as much... and TBH, I hated Zenyatta

[SteveSly]

It took me a while with The Police. I did not get an album until their last one “Synchronicity” which I liked. When they did the re-union tour a while back a friend of mine convinced me to go and I ended up going back and getting all of their albums on CD. Lots of good stuff to be found there and the show was great.

[3RDegree_Robert]

Fantastic band and it was a really compressed time period in which they operated. Just want to add here that the '07 tour was really, really good as is the live album/Blu-ray from Buenos Aires. Their live show is more sparse than their albums but it's really interesting to hear a band of only 3 people fill in all that space with unlike Rush does with all the sounds they fly in via pedals triggering stuff-which is fine-I love Rush. Great musicianship, great songwriting-and especially after the early more reggae stuff-great originality. Also, the more "produced" albums later on have aged pretty well.

[GuitarGeek]

Not to be argumentative or pedantic, but IIRC, it wasn't a capella but it was just Sting with an electric guitar with a clean tone. Unless I'm remembering a different performance. But I was equally moved by it. He has also done "Message in a Bottle" the same way, and it was just as cool.

No, your memory is correct. I was going to make the same comment myself. I have that Secret Policeman's Other Ball album, with those two tracks, plus Clapton and Beck playing Further On Up The Road together (preceded by the intro to Cause We've Ended As Lovers), Bob Geldof and Johnny Fingers doing I Don't Like Mondays, etc. It's a good record. Apart from a few clips here and there, I've never seen the film that they put out from the first two Secret Policeman's Ball concerts (apparently there's several differnet versions floating about).

The thing that's really amazing is they walked away at just the right time. Or maybe they went on the hiatus, with the intention of possibly reconvening at some point in the not too distant future, after another round of solo projects (or in Sting's case, B-movie acting), and the solo stuff became more important than going back to the band.

I forget which band member it was I saw say in a MTV documentary int he late 80's or early 90's that the reason the band broke was because Sting and Stewart were on the verge of killing each other. The comment was made in a such fashion that you might have thought it was a joke, but then they cut to a clip, apparently from an interview session with all three of them, where, as I recall, Stewart throws a glass of whatever he was drinking in Sting's face, and Sting lunges toward Stewart, who takes off running. And it did not look like "for entertainment purposes" or kidding around or anything like that. I mean, seriously, have you ever seen any of Sting's movies? He's not that good of an actor. He genuinely looked like he wanted to wring Stewart's neck. And apparently, the two of them actually did engage in fisticuffs from time to time. And I think Andy has suggested that he and Stewart almost got into it on a few occasions too.

Maybe it was a less a matter of "I want to make solo records" and more about not wanting to go back to a situation that was regularly, and literally, on the edge of the violence.

Wish the intended re-recorded album would see the light of day!!!

Do we know exactly how much they got done? For ages, I always had the impression Don't Stand So Close To Me was the only thing they did, but I was eventually made aware of the fact that's apparently some compilation that came out like a decade later that had De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da on it.

So apparently they finished two songs, but I had the impression they spent most of the time arguing, in particular, Stewart and Sting spent a lot of time arguing about whether they should be working with the Synclavier (which Sting favored) or the Fairlight (which Stewart wanted to use). This is mentioned in the liner notes of the boxset, and Andy quotes the same story on a recent (like int he last year or two) documentary I saw on cable TV awhile back. And it's also been said that Stewart broke his collarbone while horseback riding, just before the recording sessions convened, so he couldn't even play (that's apparently why the Synclavier vs. Fairlight argument ensued, because they had to use one or the other to do the drum machine programming).

I read an interview with Andy at the time of the reunion tour (which I unfortunately had to miss, due to financial issues) where he made it sound like they had been jamming during rehearsals and soundchecks, as if to suggest there might be a possibility of another album, but that never materialized either.

[rcarlberg]

I forget which band member it was I saw say in a MTV documentary int he late 80's or early 90's that the reason the band broke was because Sting and Stewart were on the verge of killing each other.

[GuitarGeek]

Like I was saying, Stewart made a crack about "whupping Sting's ass", Sting threw a drink at Stewart, and Stewart lunged after Sting. You kinda had to wonder what was going through Martha Quinn's mind as this whole thing was unfolding in front of her.

[Casey]

Thank goodness my immature moments weren't captured on film and shown in pertpetuity on youtube.

[Jerjo]

Here's the somewhat infamous and definitely hilarious interview with the trio from 2000. Sadly, the site censors the language which makes it read like something from the Hoffman forum.

http://www.sting.com/news/article/4251

[rcarlberg]

You kinda had to wonder what was going through Martha Quinn's mind as this whole thing was unfolding in front of her.

Well, earlier in the interview (and in other interviews posted elsewhere) all three members admit that this tension has always existed in the band, that they squabble all the time. Behind all the bickering there seemed to be some genuine mutual respect. They were three young, ambitious dudes who made a lot of money together.

[Big Ears]

They were the only band from that new wave era I really liked. Never got into U2 or any of those other British groups.

U2 are not British.

[ytserush]

Always loved The Police.

[miamiscot]

Great band. They (along with Talking Heads and XTC) got me through the 80's.

[Library Jon]

If you guys are really enjoying The Police's albums lately, I just thought that I would mention that Sting released a new album last Spring called "57th and 9th." It is his first real rock & roll album in decades. I have been listening to it a lot. Highly recommended!


Library Jon