The Police
Their next two albums, Zenyatta Mondatta (1980) and Ghost in the Machine (1981), led to further critical and commercial success, with two songs, "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", becoming UK number-one singles and Top 5 hits in other countries.While less keen, Sting acknowledged the commercial opportunities, so they formed the Police as a trio, with Corsican guitarist Henry Padovani recruited as the third member.A decade older than Sting and Copeland, Summers was a music industry veteran who had played with Eric Burdon and the Animals and Kevin Ayers among others.Shortly after these two gigs (and an aborted recording session with ex-Velvet Underground member John Cale as producer on 10 August), Summers delivered an ultimatum to the band and Padovani was dismissed.The Police's power trio line-up of Copeland, Sting, and Summers performed for the first time on 18 August 1977 at Rebecca's club in Birmingham in the West Midlands.In late 1977 and early 1978, Sting and Summers recorded and performed as part of an ensemble led by German experimental composer Eberhard Schoener; Copeland also joined for a time.[26] Copeland's older brother Miles was initially sceptical of the inclusion of Summers in the band, fearing it would undermine their punk credibility, and reluctantly agreed to provide £1,500 to finance the Police's first album.[32] In March 1980, the Police began their first world tour, including Mexico, India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Greece and Egypt.[38] In May 1980, A&M in the UK released Six Pack, a package containing the five A&M singles (not including "Fall Out") in their original sleeves plus a mono alternate take of the album track "The Bed's Too Big Without You" backed with a live version of "Truth Hits Everybody".[39] The album was recorded in a three-week period in the Netherlands for tax reasons and was completed the night before the band embarked on a new world tour.The single "Don't Box Me In (theme From Rumble Fish)", a collaboration between Copeland and singer-songwriter Stan Ridgway (of the band Wall of Voodoo) received significant airplay upon release of the film that year.Their increasingly strained partnership was further stretched by the pressures of worldwide publicity and fame, conflicting egos, and their financial success.[49] The Synchronicity Tour began in Chicago, Illinois in July 1983 at the original Comiskey Park, and on 18 August the band played in front of 70,000 in Shea Stadium, New York.Sting's look, dominated by his orange hair (a result of his role in Dune) and tattered clothing, both of which were emphasised in the music videos from the album, carried over into the set for the concert.[57] As the lead singer of U2 – who would soon be regarded as the biggest band in the world – Bono stated, "It was a very big moment, like passing a torch."[57] In July, the trio reunited in the studio to record a new album, but Copeland broke his collarbone in a fall from a horse and was unable to play the drums.[58] As a result of the tense and short-lived reunion in the studio, "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" was released in October 1986 as their final single and made it into the UK Top 25.The night before we went into the studio Stewart broke his collarbone falling off a horse and that meant we lost our last chance of recovering some rapport just by jamming together.Aware that all band members were present, the wedding guests pressured the trio into playing, and they performed "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle".In 1995 A&M released Live!, a double live album produced by Summers featuring two complete concerts—one recorded on 27 November 1979 at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston during the Reggatta de Blanc tour, and one recorded on 2 November 1983 at the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia, during the Synchronicity Tour (the latter was also documented in the VHS tape Synchronicity Concert in 1984).[63] In 2004, Copeland and Summers joined Incubus onstage at KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas concert in Los Angeles performing "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle".In 2004, Henry Padovani released an album with Copeland and Sting playing on one track, reuniting the original Police line-up for the first time since 1977.Billboard magazine later confirmed the news, quoting Summers' 2006 statement as to how the band could have continued post-Synchronicity: The more rational approach would have been, 'OK, Sting, go make a solo record, and let's get back together in two or three years.'[65][69] The band opened the 49th Annual Grammy Awards on 11 February 2007 in Los Angeles,[70] announcing, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are The Police, and we're back!"Stewart Copeland gave a scathing review of the show on his own website,[72] which the press interpreted as a feud occurring two gigs into the tour.[74] On 29 and 30 September 2007, Padovani joined the group on stage for the final encore of their two shows in Paris, playing the song "Next to You" as a four-piece band.Those sets with two DVDs also included a documentary shot by Copeland's son Jordan entitled Better Than Therapy as well as photographs of Buenos Aires taken by Andy Summers.In his retrospective assessment, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic argues that the notion of the Police as a punk rock band was true only "in the loosest sense of the term".[95] Q magazine named "Every Breath You Take" among the top 10 British Songs of the 1980s, and in a UK-wide poll by ITV in 2015 it was voted The Nation's Favourite 80s Number One."[99] While remembering his time with the Police fondly and still retaining love for his former bandmates, Copeland recalled in 2022 that working with Sting musically "was like a Prada suit made out of barbed wire" and that, rather than get involved in the creative infighting, Summers would enjoy "throwing bombs" to egg on the younger men.
Police (disambiguation)Stewart CopelandAndy SummersLondonNew wavereggae rockpost-punkpop rockAlbums and singlesIllegalAnimal LogicOysterheadGizmodromeCurved AirLast ExitStrontium 90Henry PadovanireggaeOutlandos d'AmourUK Albums ChartRoxanneCan't Stand Losing YouReggatta de BlancMessage in a BottleWalking on the MoonZenyatta MondattaGhost in the MachineDon't Stand So Close to MeEvery Little Thing She Does Is MagicBillboard 200SynchronicityEvery Breath You TakeSecond British InvasionRolling Stoneworld tourbest-selling bands of all timeGrammy AwardsBrit AwardsBest British GroupMTV Video Music AwardRock and Roll Hall of Fame500 Greatest Albums of All Timeprogressive rockNewcastle upon Tynejazz-rock fusionjam sessionNewportCherry VanillaWayne County & the Electric ChairsIllegal RecordsFall OutPathway StudiosIslingtonMick JaggerSoundsMike HowlettChris CutlerEric Burdon and the AnimalsKevin AyersMarquee ClubMusic MachineMont de MarsanVelvet UndergroundJohn Calepower trioBirminghamsymphonic rockBritish punkprogressivepub rockart rockEberhard SchoenerelectronicaWrigley's Spearmintchewing gumTony ScottLeatherheadNigel GrayA&M RecordsBBC Television CentreThe Old Grey Whistle TestTop of the PopsSo LonelyUK Singles ChartThe RathskellerThe ChanceFord EconolineRock Goes to CollegeHatfield Polytechnic CollegeGrammy AwardAnnie NightingaleSix PackThe Bed's Too Big Without YouBuenos AiresDe Do Do Do, De Da Da DaBehind My CamelGrammyHugh PadghamAIR StudiosMontserratLe StudioJean RousselInvisible SunSpirits in the Material Worldtax exilesRoundstone, County GalwayKinsaleUrgh! A Music WarBrit AwardsGhost in the Machine TourQuadropheniaThe Whorock operaEddie CochranChris PetitRadio OnRichard LoncraineBrimstone and TreacleSpread a Little HappinessBrimstone & Treacle soundtrackRobert FrippI Advance MaskedFrancis Ford CoppolaDon't Box Me InStan RidgwayWall of Voodoo