Police Retrospective

As they head out this summer for their first (and priciest) tour in over 20 years, the Police remind us to reflect back on both their brief, tumultuous career as a group and their individual achievements in the interim.

Forming in London in the late 1970s, the band’s unique sound initially mixed reggae, punk and poppish new wave, with three virtuosos attempting to play the part of a punkish boy band. With a huge marketing machine behind them, the Police splashed with “Roxanne” in 1977 and didn’t look back until their dissolution in the wake of their mega-successful tour in support of their final, multi-platinum studio disc Synchronicity.

Rather than the turmoil the band eventually fell into, it’s their unique, compelling and increasingly intricate sound that people remember the Police for, a musical legacy that, along with a raft of successful post-1984 solo efforts, earns the three Police-men their place as the Daily Vault’s June 2007 Artist of the Month.

American drummer Stewart Copeland met British schoolteacher Gordon Sumner in the mid-1970s after moving to London and joining prog-rock band Curved Air. The two met at a jazz club and formed a band, eventually releasing an early single, “Fall Out” on indie label IRS. Miles Copeland, Stewart’s brother, was the band’s manager, with Henri Padovani on guitar.

After a chance meeting between scene veteran Andy Summers and Copeland on the London Underground, Padovani was out, Summers was in, and Sumner became forevermore known as Sting, based on a jacket he frequently wore. After slugging it out on the London club circuit for a few months the Police were signed by A&M and released Outlandos d’Amour, which was eventually pulled up the charts on the strength of late-blooming hit single “Roxanne.” Subsequent hits included “Message In A Bottle,” which established the band as stars on both sides of the pond, “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” which explored darker lyrical themes, and the more poppy, synth-driven “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.”

However, it was the Synchronicity album that propelled the band to blockbuster success, spawning the huge hit “Every Breath You Take” and smaller hits “Wrapped Around Your Finger” and “King Of Pain.” The band, however, splintered after the ensuing world tour, and Sting’s immediate solo success with The Dream Of The Blue Turtles helped kill any short-term chances for a reunion.

Beginning on Thursday, June 7, the Vault will look at the Police’s five studio albums, a handful of live discs and compilations, as well as and many of the individual members’ post-Police solo efforts. Most of these reviews will appear on the Daily Vault for the first time.

Founded in January 1997, the Daily Vault has featured over 4,800 reviews of over 2,300 artists covering almost the entire musical spectrum, written by a volunteer review staff from around the world. Previous Artist Of The Month retrospectives have spotlighted the work of artists from Tori Amos to Frank Zappa, including the Beatles, Garth Brooks, Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Pearl Jam and many others. Themed retrospectives have included punk, hip-hop, female singer-songwriters and classic jazz.