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Posted on 10/04/2024 3:02:15 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The album topped the charts in the UK, France, and Australia and became their first platinum disc in the US.
On October 3, 1980, The Police delivered an album that Rolling Stone described as “near-perfect pop by a band that bends all the rules and sometimes makes musical mountains out of molehill-size ideas.” It was their third LP, Zenyatta Mondatta.
A No.1 album in the UK, France and Australia, it featured two more signature hits for Messrs Sting, Summers, and Copeland, “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” and “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da.” But alongside the nonsense lyrics of the latter, Sting was also contributing songs of social conscience such as “When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around,” “Driven To Tears,” and “Bombs Away.”
“It doesn’t have any of the heavy metal that I suppose was on the first two albums,” Copeland told Musicians Weekly around the release of Zenyatta Mondatta. “But there are plenty of groups providing that already. There’s not fuzzy guitar anywhere this time. ‘[When] The World Is Running Down,’ for example, started out as a heavy jazz number and then we Policeified it. We always do lots of overdubbing and employ the studio techniques to the fullest and there’s a lot of cosmetic surgery on the tapes.”
Zenyatta Mondatta had a red-letter day in America on February 27, 1981. As they continued their rise to the top as perhaps Britain’s biggest international rock attraction of the day, the RIAA awarded the trio their first platinum album disc. The long player was outdoing its predecessors Outlandos D’Amour and Reggatta de Blanc in the US and reaching its peak of popularity as the platinum certification arrived.
The February 28 Billboard chart showed Zenyatta climbing a place to what became its No.5 peak. It was in the 19th week of an epic 153-week run on the countdown. “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and “Behind My Camel” won for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
Platinum Police force
As American fans continued to catch up with the band’s catalog to that point, the Police’s first two albums would go on to their own, eventual, sales recognition. Outlandos D’Amour won platinum certification in the summer of 1984, more than five years after its chart debut. Outlandos D’Amour had to wait much longer, charting for the first time also in 1979 and turning platinum early in 2002.
Listen to the best of The Police on Apple Music and Spotify.
Much greater success was around the corner. The follow-up to Zenyatta Mondatta, 1981’s Ghost In The Machine, went triple platinum in 2001. Their final studio set, 1983’s Synchronicity, broke all their previous records with a 17-week run at No.1 in America. It reached quadruple platinum status in 1984 and went eight-times platinum in 2001.
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My favorite Police album was the next one from 1981, "Ghost In The Machine." That was The Police at their peak. Did not like "Synchronicity" at all even though it was their best selling (and last) album.
Perhaps slightly over produced, but solid from the start, until you get to Behind My Camel, and we know what is behind every camel.
I like their tunes when it ain’t reggae. Not a fan.
Agree on “Synchronicity” but it was the only Police concert I attended; would love to seen earlier ones.
The Police are about as reggae as Blondie is rap.
I don’t think any of their songs were truly reggae.
Very much a fan of Copeland’s drumming. Unlike a lot of rock drummers, including some highly-rated ones, Copeland tended not to turn his cymbals into a huge slurry mess. You can hear the brass with his drumming. But that’s just one part of what makes him a very good drummer, and I can listen to his drumming all day without fatigue.
I hate a lot of bands. The Police are in my top five most hated.
L
For what reasons?
Sting. I can’t stand his voice. It’s like fingernails on a chalkboard.
L
I liked their first two albums much more. I was a huge fan of the Police.
Maybe in my top 15 of (popular yet) dislikeable bands. Though Sting solo is even worse.
Though they are golden compared to what passes as pop music these days
There are some bands that I have a reflect reaction to. Hear one note, hit the button on the radio.
The Police
Springsteen
The Eagles
Fleetwood Mac (not the early stuff before those cocaine soaked sluts ruined the band)
Boston.
Billy Joel
Neal Young
There are others, but those guarantee an almost instantaneous reaction from me.
L
The internet isn’t big enough for Mr. Sumner’s ego.
It was big enough that he let someone else play guitar for The Police.
THE ONLY ZENYATTA I care about is the great RACE HORSE—SHE COULD BEAT THE BOYS.
The wife named her after this record.
The husband started a record label with Herb Alpert, and that was the record label the album was on.
One of the songs is inspired by a Bob Newhart comedy routine about driving lessons.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dLqfwLC3b_8&pp=ygUkdGhlIG90aGVyIHdheSBvZiBzdG9wcGluZyB0aGUgcG9saWNl
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