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The Police

May 15, 2014 by strictlyrock Leave a Comment

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After his band Curved Air broke up in 1976, American drummer Stewart Copeland was itching to start a new band. In January of 1977 he started rehearsing with singer and bassist Gordon Sumner, who would later be known as “Sting”, and guitarist Henri Padovani. Copeland’s brother Miles became the group’s manager and after the trio recorded their first single “Fall Out/Nothing Achieving” in February of 1977, released it on IRS Records. IRS or Illegal Records Syndicate was an independent record label Stewart and Miles had formed. Their first single was a success selling close to 70,000 copies in the United Kingdom, so “The Police” as they were now known, started touring.

Shortly after starting their tour guitarist Andy Summers joined the band. He had played in a handful of different groups including “Eric Burden and The Animals.” He eventually replaced Padovani and took over the guitar duties exclusively. In October 1978 the band played at the very famous CBGB’s in New York City, making their American debut. The next moth they released their first album entitled “Outlandos d’Amour,” which loosely translated to “Commandos of Love,” quite the intriguing title. The album included the now very famous song “Roxanne” which was about a prostitute, reportedly inspired by a visit that Sting had taken to the red-light district in Paris. The track hit #32 on the US charts, and soon after they were signed to A&M records. The band started touring the United States in true grassroots fashion, driving themselves from gig to gig carting around their own equipment.

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In October 1979 the band released their second record “Reggatta de Blanc.” The album was nothing less than a huge success. It stayed on top of the British charts for 4 weeks and included the hits “Message in a Bottle” and “Walking on the Moon.” The album’s title track “Reggatta de Blanc,” went on to win a Grammy award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. In March of 1980 The Police embarked on a world tour. They traveled to many different countries, some of which were not frequented by major western musicians. They performed in Egypt and India increasing their fan base with every stop. In the fall of 1980 the album “Zenyatta Mondatta” was released. It was also a major triumph and included the songs “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da,” and “Don’t Stand So Close to Me.” Once again the band raked in the Grammy awards, winning for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for the track “Behind my Camel,” and Best Rock Vocal Performance By A Duo or Group for the song “Don’t Stand So Close to Me.” Unfortunately their success also contributed to problems between the band’s members.

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Sting started an acting career and made his silver screen debut in the film version of The Who’s rock opera “Quadrophenia.” Although Copeland and Sting’s relationship started to go south, the trio forged ahead and released their fourth album “Ghost in the Machine” in 1981. The band’s hit making abilities were again proven with songs like “ Invisible Sun,” “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic,” and “Spirits in the Material World.” However the next year, in 1982, they decided to take a short break. Sting continued pursuing his acting career and in 1983 they reemerged and released “Synchronicity.” The album included the songs “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” “Synchronicity II,” “King of Pain,” and “Every Breathe You Take.” The record eventually became #1 in England and debuted at #1 in the United States, where it would hold it’s position for an impressive 17 weeks. Once again they were awarded Grammies. “Every Breathe You Take” beat out Michael Jackson’s super hit “Billie Jean” for Song Of The Year. It also won for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group, and “Synchronicity II” received the award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo or Group. After the tour that supported the album ended in March 1984, the band went their separate ways only to reunite briefly for performances for the Amnesty International “A Conspiracy of Hope Tour.”

On March 10th, 2003 The Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Four years later the group opened the televised 49th Annual Grammy Awards, where they performed what is probably their most famous hit “Roxanne,” as well as others. The band then performed around the world on their “Reunion Tour.” In Dublin, Ireland they played for more than 81,000 screaming fans that were still eager to here their now classic repertoire. They played all around the world and were joined in Paris by original member Henry Padovani. All the members are currently alive and well, and although they are not performing at the moment, will hopefully grant fan’s wishes and return to the stage.

 

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100 Greatest Rock & Roll Bands

  1. The Beatles
  2. The Rolling Stones
  3. Led Zeppelin
  4. Jimi Hendrix
  5. Elvis Presley
  6. The Who
  7. U2
  8. Pink Floyd
  9. The Doors
  10. The Police
  11. Elton John
  12. Metallica
  13. AC/DC
  14. Van Halen
  15. Nirvana
  16. Guns N' Roses
  17. Santana
  18. The Allman Brothers Band
  19. Bon Jovi
  20. David Bowie
  21. Grateful Dead
  22. Rush
  23. Yes
  24. Black Sabbath
  25. Bob Dylan
  26. James Brown
  27. The Beach Boys
  28. Eric Clapton
  29. Fleetwood Mac
  30. The Eagles
  31. Bob Marley
  32. Van Morrison
  33. Bruce Springsteen
  34. The Clash
  35. Queen
  36. Janis Joplin
  37. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  38. R.E.M.
  39. The Kinks
  40. Steely Dan
  41. Steve Miller Band
  42. Jethro Tull
  43. Tool
  44. The Scorpions
  45. Coldplay
  46. Stone Temple Pilots
  47. Rod Stewart
  48. Marilyn Manson
  49. Creedence Clearwater Revival
  50. KISS
  51. The Pretenders
  52. Green Day
  53. Aerosmith
  54. Tina Turner
  55. Pearl Jam
  56. Ted Nugent
  57. Pantera
  58. Motörhead
  59. Judas Priest
  60. ZZ Top
  61. Megadeth
  62. Motley Crue
  63. Alice Cooper
  64. Def Leppard
  65. Iron Maiden
  66. Billy Idol
  67. Journey
  68. Anthrax
  69. Rage Against the Machine
  70. Blue Oyster Cult
  71. Alice in Chains
  72. Genesis
  73. Red Hot Chili Peppers
  74. Chuck Berry
  75. Buddy Holly
  76. Little Richard
  77. Elvis Costello
  78. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  79. Sex Pistols
  80. Cream
  81. Frank Zappa
  82. Talking Heads
  83. Stevie Ray Vaughan
  84. Billy Joel
  85. The Band
  86. Ramones
  87. Lynyrd Skynyrd
  88. Jerry Lee Lewis
  89. Doobie Brothers
  90. Foo Fighters
  91. The Cure
  92. Soundgarden
  93. Iggy Pop
  94. Peter Gabriel
  95. The Byrds
  96. Traffic
  97. Deep Purple
  98. Blondie
  99. Velvet Underground
  100. Heart

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