The Police
- For other uses, please see The Police (disambiguation)
| The Police | |
|---|---|
| |
| Background information | |
| Origin: | London, England |
| Years active: | 1977 - 1984 Reunions: 1986, 2003, 2007 - 2008 |
| Label(s): | Illegal Records, A&M Records, Polydor |
| Associated acts: | Last Exit, Curved Air, Strontium 90, Animal Logic, Oysterhead, Gizmo |
| Website: | http://www.thepolice.com |
| Members | |
| Stewart Copeland Sting Andy Summers | |
| Former members | |
| Henry Padovani | |
Contents
Band history
Early years (1976–78)
- It's 1976,
- and this thing called punk rock
- has just raised its ugly head in London.
- Sting, Henry Padovani, and I
- have formed a group called: The Police.
- - Stewart Copeland, Strange Things Happen
The Police were the brainchild of drummer Stewart Copeland, who by the end of 1976 saw that the progressive rock scene of excess in music and budget, as typified by his current group Curved Air, was dying. Copeland believed that the future lay in the growing punk scene and determined that he should form such a group himself, even having a name for it (The Police) before having recruited any other members.
On 1976-12-05, Curved Air performed one of their last concerts at Newcastle Polytechnic and Copeland was then taken by friend Phil Sutcliffe] to see one of Phil's favored bands, Last Exit, perform at St. Mary's College. Copeland didn't care for the music, but was impressed by their bass player Sting--mostly for his skills with his instrument, although it was a bonus that he could sing as well. After the performance, Copeland met Sting for the first time and invited him to come to London to join his group.
Copeland met guitarist Henry Padovani near the same time at the Roxy Club in London and also invited him into his forming band. At first Padovani and Copeland jammed some with Stewart's brother Ian and Curved Air's singer/Stewart's girlfriend Sonja Kristina. In January of 1977, Sting did come to London and began rehearsing with Stewart and Henry at Stewart's squat at 26 Green Street, Mayfair. Their first photo-session as a band would take place on 1977-01-22 and on 1977-02-12 they recorded their first single, "Fall Out"/"Nothing Achieving".
In March and April of that year, Copeland, Padovani and Sting toured as a support act for Cherry Vanilla as well as Wayne County & The Electric Chairs. Stewart's brother Miles arranged getting them on the Cherry Vanilla tour as she had only come to England to tour with her guitarist and needed a bass player and drummer--hence Stewart and Sting could perform double-duty. In May, ex-Gong musician Mike Howlett invited Sting and former Eric Burdon And The Animals guitarist Andy Summers to form Strontium 90 with him, as a project band for a Gong reunion. The drummer Howlett had in mind for this band, Chris Cutler, was unavailable to play, so Sting brought along Stewart. Strontium 90 recorded several demo tracks at Virtual Earth Studio, and then performed at a Gong reunion concert in Paris on 1977-05-28. The foursome also performed at a London club as "The Elevators" in July 1977, but found it difficult to work as a band with two bass players.
The Police were not finding great success as most of their audiences were not buying into their "punk" act. Indeed, the only member of the band seen as truly punk was Padovani, with his more-limited guitar skills, which Sting felt was hampering their abilities to play better material. Summers was a much more experienced guitarist and wanted in The Police, and Sting wanted him there as well. Copeland was not convinced this would do their shaky punk credibility and good, but briefly they tried performing as a 4-piece band with two guitarists. Soon after an aborted recording session with producer John Cale on 1977-08-10, Sting told Padovani that it had been agreed upon by the others that he should leave the band. The remaining lineup of Copeland, Sting, and Summers would endure for the rest of Police history.
Sting felt freed at this point to continue writing newer, more complex material for the band to perform and try to put together for an album. Still desperate for money, Sting was taking modeling gigs in print and for television commercials to help pay the bills. The bleached-blond hair that would become a trademark of the band was a lucky accident, originating in February 1978. They were asked to do a commercial for Wrigley's Spearmint chewing gum on the condition that they dye their hair blond. Whether the commercial ever aired or not is unclear; an actual copy of it has never surfaced to date.
Recording contract (1978–1980)
For the Police, their first album, Outlandos d'Amour was a hardship, working on a small budget, with no manager or record deal. Stewart Copeland's older brother Miles Copeland III heard "Roxanne" for the first time and immediately got them a record deal with A&M Records.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Originally released in 1978, the single was re-released in 1979, and it was then that the Police gained widespread recognition in the United Kingdom, as well as scoring a minor hit with the song in several other countries, notably Australia. Their success led to a gig at the famous New York club CBGB and a grueling United States tour in which the band drove themselves and all their equipment around the country in a Ford Econoline van. In October 1979, the group released their second album Reggatta de Blanc, which was a major seller throughout Europe. The album topped the British charts for four weeks and spawned the UK number-one singles "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon".<ref name="allmusic">Template:Cite web</ref> The instrumental title track won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
In March 1980, the Police did their first world tour; the band played such areas as Mexico City, Mexico; Bombay, India; and Egypt, which seldom hosted foreign performers.<ref name="allmusic"/> In May, A&M in Great Britain released "Six Pack (The Police)" an expensive package containing the five previous A&M singles (not including "Fall Out") in their original sleeves plus a mono alternate take of the popular album track (from Reggatta De Blanc) "The Bed's Too Big Without You" backed with a live version of the Outlandos d'Amour track "Truth Hits Everybody." It reached #17 in the U.K. singles chart, although chart regulations introduced later in the decade would have classed it as an album. Pressured by their record company for a new record and a prompt return to touring, the Police released their third album, Zenyatta Mondatta, in the autumn of 1980. The album gave the group their third U.K. #1 hit, "Don't Stand So Close to Me", and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", which charted in the United States. In subsequent interviews, Sting said he regretted the rushed recording for the album. However, many critics would later cite it as one of their strongest efforts. The instrumental "Behind My Camel," written by Andy Summers, won the band a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. The song "Don't Stand So Close to Me" won the Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance For Duo Or Group.
Band members
- Stewart Copeland - drums, percussion (1977 - 2008)
- Sting - bass, vocals (1977 - 2008)
- Andy Summers - guitar (1977 - 2008)
- Henry Padovani - guitar (1977)
Discography
- Main article: Discography (The Police)
Studio albums
- Outlandos d'Amour (1978)
- Reggatta de Blanc - (1979)
- Zenyatta Mondatta - (1980)
- Ghost In The Machine - (1981)
- Synchronicity - (1983)
Awards & Honors
| Year | Winner | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Reggatta de Blanc" | Grammy Award |
| 1982 | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Don't Stand So Close To Me" | Grammy Award |
| 1982 | Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Behind My Camel" | Grammy Award |
| 1982 | Best British Group | BRIT Award |
| 1983 | Song of the Year for "Every Breath You Take" (awarded to Sting) | Grammy Award |
| 1984 | Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Every Breath You Take" | Grammy Award |
| 1984 | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for Synchronicity | Grammy Award |
| 1985 | Outstanding Contribution To Music | BRIT Award |
| 2003 | Induction into Hall of Fame | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame |
Quotations and Trivia
This section needs more information.
See also
- Discography (The Police)
- Fandom (The Police)
- Filmography (The Police)
- Stewart Copeland
- Henry Padovani
- Sting
- Andy Summers
External links
- The Police at the Fan History
References
- Copeland, Stewart. Strange Things Happen. HarperStudio, 2009.
- John, Miles Tobler. The Police: A Visual Documentary by Miles. Cherry Lane Music, 1981.
- Padovani, Henry. Secret Police Man. Pen Press, 2010.
- "The Police." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 24 Apr. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Police>
