Sting [Stories]

At the general background of decline and fall of the rock music in the late 1970’s, when a lot of acknowledged leaders dropped out of a race or fizzled into oblivion, and the new ones were only emerging, the new Police trio was a pleasant surprise for music fans.

The band was founded by the drummer Stewart Copeland, the ex-member of Curved Air, the band that had already seen their better days. In early 1977 he met bass player Gordon Sumner, and the rest is the supergroup’s history. Its third member was the guitarist Henri Padovani. The Police recorded their first title with this line-up, Fall Out, and several other successful compositions.

Punk rock was the trendiest thing in rock of the late Ô70s, and The Police’s first songs bear the clear influence of the Sex Pistols and their ilk. At the crest of the punk wave The Police managed to step over the gap between obscurity and fame quite easily. One has to agree that a direct competition with the likes of Pink Floyd, Genesis, or Led Zeppelin could have been harder to win. In any case, from the very beginning The Police’s music featured the elements of other styles, including reggae.

Several months later Padovani was replaced by Andy Summers who had played with the New Animals before and cooperated with Mike Oldfield himself. The band at that time was produced by Stewart’s brother Miles.

In 1978 The Police released their first LP “Outlandos D’Amour” with several tracks (“Roxanne”, “So Lonely”, “Can’t Stand Losing You”) reaching chart tops. Their next album, “Reggatta De Blanc”, was a somewhat stronger work, when Sting finally got rid of the no longer necessary punk veneer. The songs like “Walking On The Moon” and “Message In A Bottle” clearly projected the band’s enhanced potential and its ability to press senescent leaders of rock music from their pedestals.

After the 1980 release of their next work intriguingly titled “Zenyatta Mondatta” that included the hits like “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” and “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da”, The Police became the third band in the “Melody Maker” readers’ poll, right after Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Their fourth album, “Ghost In The Machine”, was released in 1981, and the next one, “Synchronicity”, in 1983. The band’s musical palette became richer, and the sound was more exquisite. Nothing could predict their imminent demise.

In 1984 The Police toured Europe twice. The press reported new recording sessions, but the announcements were to remain rumors. The band members went to their solo projects. Although two years later The Police reunited to play the Amnesty International gig in Atlanta, Georgia, performing five songs (the show also featured Peter Gabriel and U2). After that, Sting, Summers and Copeland’s ways parted for good.