The Police

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Police was an English rock band, formed in London in 1977 by the American drummer Stewart Copeland. He wanted to take part in the new punk scene and brought in the singer and bassist Sting, whom he had seen in Newcastle in a jazz-rock band. After a brief period with the Corsican guitarist Henry Padovani, Andy Summers joined the band, an experienced guitarist who had played with Eric Burdon and the Animals, among others. From August 1977 The Police remained a trio. The bleached hair, later a trademark, came from a chewing-gum commercial.

Music and breakthrough

The debut album Outlandos d'Amour (1978) contained Roxanne and Can't Stand Losing You. Reggatta de Blanc (1979) was the first of four consecutive albums to reach number 1 in Britain, with Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon. Zenyattà Mondatta (1980), recorded in three weeks in the Netherlands, followed, with Don't Stand So Close to Me, and then Ghost in the Machine (1981). The last album, Synchronicity (1983), topped the charts in Britain and America, among other countries, and Every Breath You Take became their only American number 1. At the height of their fame, in 1984, the band stopped. A reunion tour followed in 2007.

Influence

The Police used the outward trappings of punk, but the three musicians came from jazz and progressive rock and played in a much more refined way. They combined the energy of punk with the rhythms of reggae: a spacious guitar sound, Sting's springy bass and Copeland's nervous, precise drumming. In this way The Police became one of the first new wave bands with a large audience.

Listening

• 
  Every Breath You Take · The Police, 1983
  Apple Music ↗

Discography

Studio albums

• 1978Outlandos d’Amour
• 1979Reggatta de Blanc
• 1980Zenyattà Mondatta
• 1981Ghost in the Machine
• 1983Synchronicity

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

• Mixtape 7: The 1980s^NL Reader

Mentioned in other articles

• New wave GenreThe movement runs from guitar bands such as The Cure, The Police and The Smiths to synth bands such as Tubeway Army and Depeche Mode.

See also

• Outlandos d’Amour