This Weekend I’ll Mostly Be Listening to… The Police July 28, 2012
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I was in my mid thirties before I learned to drive. For lots of reasons and none. So by the time I did take the wheel my wife was the main driver in the house. Should we be going anywhere it was always me in the passenger seat and her driving. With driving came control of the Radio, Tape Player and later CD Player. Then along came the children and suddenly I was sat in the passenger seat listening to ‘Nelly The Elephant’ and other aural torture. As time went on it was children’s audio books, which weren’t too bad but tended to start to irritate the 50th time you heard the same story….
…..So imagine my joy when I sat into the car, turned it on only to hear The Police coming out of the CD player.
Turns out there has been some musical osmosis going on and that my valiant efforts at persuading the children to listen to decent music had made some impact. Not alone had the Police been on my sons ipod , but other stuff such as Kate Rusby, Sigur Ros, The Replacements were there too.
As for The Police, well they wouldn’t be my favourite band ever but they were good and had some great songs. ‘So Lonely’ , “Roxanne’ and ‘Every Breath You Take’ to me are their standout tunes. There was too a certain charm too for “Dont Stand so close to me” , especially being in school at the time it was released.
As I say not my favourite band but one I’m delighted my young lad is listening to rather than some of the stuff I hear the odd time I’m forced to change channel on the radio 
Good choice. A much more interesting band than they get credit for being, partly perhaps because Sting was once as ubiquitous as Bono and almost as adept at rubbing people up the wrong way.
A brilliant song.
A surprisingly good sound. Some interesting guitar work too. Always liked this.
Sting in brief appearance from a truly great, and largely forgotten, film which I think many people on CLR especially the devotees of this particular thread would enjoy very much, Chris Petit’s Radio On.
Nice one! All three of The Police were ace musicians, and Sting had a great voice.
I’m a bit surprised nobody mentioned their great reggae songs “The Bed’s Too Big Without You” and “Walking On The Moon” (IMO their best single).
I didn’t really follow Andy Summers’ career but he did some amazing stuff with Robert Fripp.
By the way IEL there’s an inquiry taking place into you and the placing of pins into the cruciate ligament of a voodoo doll wearing a red jersey.
Should mention Stewart Copeland who did a brilliant soundtrack to Rumblefish the film, and popped up here and there subsequently – and for SF fans he did the music for the first Babylon 5 incarnation. It was great.
Also +1 to EC’s comments IELB. Great to get a look at the Police.
I was actually thinking of putting up something from Rumblefish. So here it is.
Vocals by Stan Ridgeway of the wonderful Wall of Voodoo. Much under-rated movie Rumblefish.
Funnily enough I wanted to do a post on the later incarnation of WOV but never got around to it. I liked both version of the band.
Great song.
Great band (The Police). Consistent output. Saw them live at Leixslip Castle where U2 supported them. I980.
http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/i-remember-that-summer-in-dublin-and-it-was-bloody-awful-2262598.html
My daughter saw them in Croke Park when they reformed. Glad some of my taste being passed on. Amazed that it was five years ago. Seems like last year!
They are said to have constantly rowed. Sting might have turned people off them in recent years, though he might have copped on.
Normally I would consider myself tough on Sting, tough on the causes of Sting.
But to be fair to him, he cancelled his big gig in Astana last year in solidarity with striking Kazakh oil and gas workers. He also put out a statement denouncing the government’s violence against strikers. So, I might not be a fan of his music, but I’ll take him over Bono every day of the week.
“Normally I would consider myself tough on Sting, tough on the causes of Sting.”
Excellent
Fair dues though as you say re his stance on the strikers. And +1 re Bono.
Mark thanks for the inside dope on Sting re the striking workers. Like many I had him consigned to my reactionary, pompous windbag cupboard where Bono and Geldof are stored away. I will not wince if I hear a Police song from now on. Went to his post Police jazz era concert in the Stadium in the 80Ts which was very enjoyable. The band featured Branford Marsalis on bass and very funky it was.