For me, cool chops and groove just can't fill the void created by banality, self-importance, and dissolution of frat boy bands anymore. Not to mention the CIA connection. Please.
And, if I may suggest, "the talented and the privileged."
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.
Police misheard lyric gold…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zq2HPUI41o&pp=ygUWUG9saWNlIG1pc2hlYXJkIGx5cmljcw%3D%3D
Copeland totally changed drumming in the 80s, even Neil Peart was heavily influenced by Copeland.
Sting is very strong on bass, Copeland essentially is a nuclear punk clock on drums, Andy finally gets some respect.
Anyone who was put off by Sting’s vox or ever doubted the Police’s musicianship and/or brutal punk-like attitude needs to hear this audio.
Absolutely bitchin’.
Bump
For me, cool chops and groove just can't fill the void created by banality, self-importance, and dissolution of frat boy bands anymore. Not to mention the CIA connection. Please.
And, if I may suggest, "the talented and the privileged."
Neil Young is hit and miss with me. Cowgirl in the Sand is still a classic in my view. Early countrified Eagles were good, and Peter Green’s era of Mac were superb.
Otherwise I’m changing the dial right there with you, especially if its Douche Speedqueen.
How do you feel about Culture Club, Captain and Teneille, and Cyndi Lauper?
it’s not the musicianship. They rocked it. It’s the songs I mostly don’t care for. Prince was a helluva musician too. But he was nails on a chalkboard to me.
Rick Beato has a good interview with Stewart Copeland on YouTube. I was a little disappointed to learn that he and Sting would argue but they never got into fist fights, contrary to the rumors.
Sting is in the “harmlessly annoying” as opposed to say Springsteen who is in the “ruptured septic tank” tier of my disgustometer.
I watched an early 80s concert they did at the Rockpalast on youtube. Parts of it were like a jazz fusion jam session.
“Don’t Stand So Close To Me”. Just when you thought they couldn’t get any creepier with stalking (”Every Breath You Take”) the Police sing of inappropriate crushes and statutory rape.
But I still think of it when I see those “six feet apart” stickers still on store floors everywhere.
The Police remain hugely popular. I never bought one of their albums, but I enjoyed some songs on the radio.
They have over 5 billion streams on Spotify alone, and over 30 million monthly subscribers. They have over 3 million daily streams just on Spotify.
Sting and Stewart Copeland buried the master tape in the garden outside the studio so it wouldn’t go on the album. But it did win them a Grammy for best instrumental.
Saw them on their 2nd album tour. Riviera theater in Chicago (early 80s?)
I used to put Zenyatta Mendota on the turn table, pick up my Fender bass and play along. I learned a lot from that album even though I had been playing for 12 or so years by that time.
He also said he’d kill the Quisach Haderach and give his girl “special attentions” afterward. We saw how that worked out for him.
“Sting. I can’t stand his voice. It’s like fingernails on a chalkboard.”
Stevie Nicks sings through her nose... yuck.
Nobody cares anymore. Even if you are a grandparent, this is your grandparents’ music.
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