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| Andy Summers (guitar), Stewart Copeland (Drums), Sting/Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner (Bass and Vocals) |
One of the few bands that I super, like, dig, man, that are not centered around distorted guitar is little-known band called The Police Officers. The vocalist for the The Police Officers is named after a lobster appendage, calling himself "Claw"...............................
Ha! Just kidding, dummy! Everyone knows who The Police are and everyone is familiar with that bees ass-weapon Sting! It is true, however, that they are one of the few bands I love that do not have distorted guitar as the centerpiece of their sound. The Police are all about the bass and drums with guitar being the delicious topping.
Mi Madre (hi Mom!) and Padre (hi Dad!) had the Synchronicity LP and I remember listening to that album a lot as a little dude. That laid the foundation for years later, when the world had moved on to compact disc, I got the "Every Breath You Take - The Classics" (released in 1995) CD from the BMG music club.
That brings us to today, where I now have my own LP/Vinyl collection. In that collection I own four of the five Police LPs (still missing the debut, but that's by choice), including that original Synchronicity album that my parents had. It was still in their basement after 40ish years ;)
What's the point, Nick? I'm getting there, Nick, settle your nippies.
I realized that today, I skip over most of the well-known songs when I listen to these albums and wanted to share my favorites by The Police that were NOT on their greatest hits albums. I love when I read an article on 'deep tracks' from an artist I am kind-of into. Sometimes it reveals that they are not the band I thought they were based on their radio hits. I'm not sure that is the case here, but..... let's discuss!
Song: Masoko Tanga
Album: Outlandos d'Amour
Year: 1978
Song: Bed's Too Big Without You
Album: Regatta de Blanc
Year: 1979
The Police's second album, Regatta de Blanc, used to be my least favorite. I liked Message In A Bottle and Walking On The Moon but thought the rest of the album was boring. I have totally changed my mind on that today, as demonstrated by the fact that it has the most songs in this article. Bed's To Big Without You is like floating down the lazy river. It goes at a steady pace and is very relaxing, but if you listen closely there is a ton of cool stuff going on. Listen to this song four times, the first time listen to Stewart's drumming, the second, Andy's guitar, the third, Sting's bass, and the last time listen to the vocals and how all the instruments form a single wave. I mean, nobody has time to listen to a song four times, but.... it gets my point across. 😊😊
Song: Contact
Album: Regatta de Blanc
Year: 1979
I did not have Contact on this list, initially. But I listened to it while preparing for this post and decided I had to add it. That slide-y bass line is so catchy! "I've got a lump in my throat about the note you wrote..... I'd come on over, but I haven't got a rain coat." "I've got contacts in my book and in my eyes..... my good connection on the telephone never lies." Yes, the lyrics are strange and yes, they are great.
Song: No Time This Time
Album: Regatta de Blanc
Year: 1979
Apparently I am a fan of the last song of an album. No Time This Time is the final track on Regatta de Blanc. The pace on this song is nuts. I'm telling you, these guys can play. You will be singing the chorus at random times I promise you.
Song(s): Driven To Tears / When The World Is Running Down You Make The Best Of What's Still Around
Album: Zenyatta Mondatta
Year: 1980
So, this is cheating a little. These are two separate songs, but I almost ALWAYS listen to them together. It's just like Heartbreaker/Livin Lovin Maid by Zeppelin or Waitin for the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago by ZZ Top. One flows into the next and it doesn't feel right to stop (I must not be the only one who thinks this as the YouTube clip above has just those two songs back to back, so someone else thinks they should go together too!). When I discovered these songs I was a little blown away that they were not big hits. They are so well written and catchy. In fact, this is probably still my favorite overall album by The Police. "When the world is running down, you make the best of what's still around." Those words remind me that all we ever really have, or interact with, are the people and places in our immediate vicinity. Our neighbors, our coworkers, our family. The point is, the world is ALWAYs running down... every generation says "things have never been THIS bad, though", I hear it all the damn time. Really? Tell that to folks who crossed an ocean in the 1600s to escape rabid Christians kidnapping and torturing people. Tell that to WW1 vets enduring trench warfare. Tell that to Jewish folks who watched soldiers literally tear their infants apart by the limbs and then were shipped off to be worked to death or gassed in mass executions. Tell that to all the kids forced to go to Vietnam. Tell that to everyone who grew up in post WWII Cold War, doing nuclear drills having to hide under their desks. Cuban missile crisis, anyone? My point is..... there has been and will always be some looming disaster/pending doom on the horizon, but it's not any better or any worse than it's ever been. Make the best of what is right in front of you. Here, hold my sparkling water while I climb down off my soapbox. 😒😘
Song: Shadows In The Rain
Album: Zenyatta Mondatta
Year: 1980
The bass drum on this song is so FAT! Daddy likey! I love all the sounds in this song. The bass tone, the phaser effect on Sting's vocals, the lyrics... "woke up in my clothes again this morning.... don't know exactly where I am.... I should heed my doctor's warning... he does the best with me he can". All the little drum fills.... chef's kiss.
Song: Too Much Information
Album: Ghost In The Machine
Year: 1981
Ghost In The Machine was the album I am still least familiar with. It has the big hit Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, which is probably my least favorite Police song. Too damn poppy! I know, I know.. grumpy old man. It also has Spirits In The Material World, which has become one of my favorite Police songs, but it was on the greatest hits album, so we can't talk about it. I'M A STICKLER FOR THE RULES! Too Much Information is probably more meaningful today than when it was written in 1981. Pretty sure no one was walking around with all the world's combined knowledge in their pocket in the 80's. I love the rhythmic delivery of Sting's vocals on this one. When he says the line "I've seen the whole wide world six times over, Sea of Japan to the Cliffs of Dover" super-fast.... it's an ear worm and I like it.
Song: Miss Gradenko
Album: Synchronicity
Year: 1983
My only complaint about Miss Gradenko is that it is only 2 minutes long. I absolutely love this song. It somewhat reminds me of Mosako Tengo in that the lyrics don't make a ton of sense, although they ARE English this time. Every so often if someone talks about something or somewhere being safe I can't help but say "are you safe Miss Gradenko, Miss Gradenko are you safe?". Whomever is with me at the time typically looks at me like... WTF are you talking about? Sigh.... if only more people were my level of weird.
Song: Murder By Numbers
Album: Synchronicity
Year: 1983
Hey look, another 'last song'! This one was the LAST last song for The Police. There are three things I love about this song.
1. Catchy melody
2. Stewart's drum work. Listen to that hi-hat work! Seriously... LISTEN TO IT
3. The lyrics are... um.... dark? If they had a Grammy for "Most Catchy Melody On A Song About Murdering People".... well, you get the point.
The Police are one of those bands where something magical happens when three super-talented musicians come together and the result is greater than the sum of its parts. I have tried to get into Sting's solo stuff and even tracked down some of Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland's other projects and I just don't dig it. When I listen to it I think, this is ok... but it makes me want to listen to The Police.... so... I do! ;0)
✌️❤️🤘
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