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The Return of the Police - Sting, Summers and Copeland are Back! by Bill Knell
The Police reunited for an appearance on the 2007 Grammy Awards Show. Anyone familiar with Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland knew that a Grammy Awards Show would never be reason enough for the original band members to come together and suddenly decide to perform on television. It was obvious that this was some kind of reintroduction to the band. That suspicion was confirmed a day later when a press conference was held in Los Angeles to announce that tickets would soon be available for an upcoming tour. A group known for surprising the media, their fans and sometimes even themselves, had done so handily. It was that way since the beginning.
The original band was formed by Stewart Copeland as a trio that became a foursome sometime in the spring of 1977. By early summer, Strontium 90 appeared on the scene as a reinvented version of the same group. After having undergone some personnel shifts and adjustments, the band members were Sting, Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers and Henry Padovani. As Strontium 90, the band recorded a few demo tracks, played gigs in London and Paris and worked on perfecting their sound.
Strontium 90 was a great name for a band, but it just wasn't them. The foursome which played a complicated mix of Ska, Reggae, Rock and Alternative Music started calling themselves The Police sometime in late June or early July of 1977. Unconfirmed and often repeated rumors and stories give us several versions of how the name came to be. The most common comes from Stewart Copeland and the most popular involves Sting.
Copeland says that his idea for a trio punk band called The Police started with himself and Henry Padovani. He says that the idea for the name was inspired by nightly confrontations between Punk Rockers, those in that lifestyle and the British Police. But if that's true, why was the band called Strontium 90 instead of The Police from the beginning? A more exotic version of the name origination goes back to stories written about the band right around the time of their first album release in the USA and lives on as a legend.
The legend says that while playing a gig in London, Sting had a confrontation with a club manager. It seems that Strontium 90 was supposed to follow another band that was, in the alleged words of the S man, "dreadful." Sting was annoyed because the band was not only terrible, but kept playing and refused to leave the stage despite loud audience disapproval. Even after people started throwing things at the band, they stuck it out trying to finish their set. Not wanting to face a completely hostile crowd armed with bottles and folding chairs, Sting voiced his concerns to the club manager with his fellow band members standing nearby and encouraged the man to get the other group off the stage as soon as possible.
The manager supposedly had some sort of connection to the clueless band and angrily replied, "And who are you lads? The bloody music police?" A few minutes later Sting, Copeland, Summers and Padovani took the stage. The vengeful manager allegedly blurted out this introduction over the sound system: "Right. Here are some lads who think themselves musical royals. The ___ (distorted by a microphone problem, the manager was trying to say Music) Police. According to the rest of the story, the name stuck and the band members liked it. True or untrue, it's a cool story.
Looking to get their sound on vinyl, The Police tried laying down some studio tracks in late July of 1977 with the help of music producer John Cale, a Welsh musician and one of the founding members of The Velvet Underground. The recording sessions went nowhere and revealed that Henry Padovani lacked the guitar skills needed to keep up with the others. As a result, Padovani left the band in early August. By the fall of 1977, The Police became the threesome of Sting, Summers and Copeland that we know so well. The trio with a unique sound bigger than the band was tailor made for the small clubs and venues of England's Punk and new wave music scene. As a result, they became popular with British Fans.
After giving the recording studio another try, The Police had better luck. Despite an extremely low budget and barely enough time to record a few quality tracks, let alone an entire album, they managed to get their sound on vinyl in a way that pleased everyone. Roxanne was released as a single in early 1978. Can't Stand Losing You, So Lonely and their first album, Outlandos d'Amour, followed later that year. Through a deal brokered by Stewart Copeland's brother, Miles, A&M Records signed The Police to a recording contract and released Outlandos d'Amour in the USA.
In 1979, the band toured the USA to support their newly released singles and the first album. Almost immediately, they stood out from the crowd and the press loved them. They were educated, intelligent, well spoken, polite and always seemed sober. Most New Music bands were so outrageous that the mainstream press shied away from direct quotes and played down their drug and alcohol use. When it came to The Police, just the opposite was true. Reporters had to try and make them look wild and rebellious. A good example was how reporters portrayed the band during that first USA tour. The press loved to describe them as three guys from England with bleached blond hair playing rocked up Jamaican Rebel Music driving around the USA in a cannibalized, overdue rental van filled with stolen instruments.
The blond hair was actually the result of a commercial they did to earn some quick money. Afterward, they decided to stay with the look. The trio did drive around from gig to gig in a leased Ford Cargo Van that had seen better days and was long past the original return date. The van contained 'borrowed' instruments and equipment. Actually, according to statements made by the band members during that time, they rented the instruments in New York City for a club date and forgot to return them until their tour was finished. It's said the band made good on the extra charges for the van and instruments.
Like The Beatles, The Police paid their dues and perfected their music the hard way. They played small venues and one night stands. They closed ranks and forced out a less talented band member. They stayed in cheap motels, wrote and practiced during the day; played sets late into the night and used whatever time remained to get to their next gig. Unlike the Beatles who took six long and hard years to get noticed, The Police were suddenly thrust into worldwide stardom in less than a year and a half.
They woke up one morning in a drive up motel and received news that Rolling Stone Magazine photographers wanted to do a shoot with them that afternoon. It happened just that fast. However, if Sting, Summers and Copeland thought that fame would cut them a break, they were wrong. The accommodations got better, the performance venues were bigger and the recording sessions were longer and more high tech, but the pace never slowed for a moment.
Their second album, Regatta De Blanc, was released in the fall of 1979. Walking on the Moon and Message in a Bottle received a huge amount of airplay and helped fill most of their shows to overflowing. In November of 1979, I was lucky enough to squeeze into My Father's Place on Long Island to watch an amazing performance by The Police. The event was simulcast on WLIR, Long Island's New Music Radio Station at that time. A friend later provided me with an audiocassette of the performance. I wore that cassette out.
In those days concert audiences tended to yell, clap, just sit and listen entranced with the music, fight or throw stuff at the bands and leave. The Police event was different. People had fun and felt a part of the show. They yelled out questions and the band members answered them between songs. People threw stuff up at the stage to be autographed, they were and then thrown back. The Police absolutely filled our ears and brains to capacity with their performance. It was audience participation and musical talent at its best.
Most people that I spoke to after the concert were asking each other where they could get a recording of the simulcast. The songs on their first album really came to life when the guys performed them live. Some of the tracks from the first album like So Lonely and Hole In My Life were performed with new arrangements that made the songs more upbeat and fast paced. Walking on the Moon and Bed's Too Big Without You from the second album had lots of musical and vocal improvisations added and the changes were a treat to the ears. That concert was an experience I'll never forget.
Sting was the obvious leader of the Band at the live show, but not in a dictatorial sense. Anyone there could see this was a team effort. It was hard to believe how comfortable these guys were on and off stage. While Police albums were disappearing from store shelves all over the Country, the band seemed like regular guys who lived across town, threw their instruments in the back of a van and headed over to My Father's Place to play their gig. They were friendly, unpretentious and seemed to really enjoy interacting with the crowd.
Although few in America understood their sound of Ska mixed with Reggae and Rock, enough people liked it to cause The Police to burst out into the mainstream. And they did it without all the bells and whistles other groups were using in those days. While lots of bands were wasting huge sums of money on elaborate stage shows and gimmicks, Sting, Summers and Copeland just got up and played. Their amazing music and dynamic live performances were more than enough to keep people buying records and coming to concerts over and over again. Well educated and penny wise, they watched where the money was going and avoided being ripped off while other bands had their financial bones picked clean by shady managers, accountants and handlers.
The third album by The Police, Zenyatta Mondatta, was released in October of 1980. The record hit number one in the UK and number five in the USA against tough competition which included AC/DC, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, John Lennon, Queen and Bruce Springsteen to name a few. Songs like Driven To Tears and Don't Stand So Close To Me could be heard playing constantly on the radio. Despite all that radio play, people didn't tire of their sound and always seemed to want more.
Success had arrived for the guys in the biggest way possible, but there was a price to be paid. The new decade brought a new level of pressure on the band. Sting has said they were earning 'buckets of money' during the early 1980s, but the band was falling apart because of arguments and disagreements about the musical and business decisions being made.
Sting's newly acquired Star Power as the band front man, an actor and solo musician in his own right gave him a constant edge over Steward Copeland. Copeland was his most vocal critic in the band and the two actually got into fistfights on several occasions. It probably didn't help that managers, concert promoters, publicity agents and record companies all knew there would be no Police or paycheck without Sting and likely took his side on many issues. That must have driven Copeland nuts. Despite the infighting, the band members were still able to agree enough at that time to get down to business and move the band forward.
In 1981, just one year after their third album was released, their fourth album hit the stores. Ghost in the Machine flew to a ranking of number one in the UK and number two in the USA. Spirits In The Material World, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic and Invisible Sun captured the imagination of fans and were placed in constant rotation on radio stations from coast to coast in the USA. These songs proved that the band could make occasional changes in their sound without evolving away from their fan base as others had.
In 1983, the band released Synchronicity, their fifth and final album to date. It reached number one in the UK and number one in the USA. The album won the group several Grammy Awards and lots of critical acclaim. Songs like Every Breath You Take, King of Pain and Wrapped Around Your Finger became instant favorites that crossed over musical formats and received a huge amount of airplay. Synchronicity II became a favorite song of rock and new music disc jockeys. Today, that album is considered a classic and much beloved by most fans and music critics.
During the 1983-1984 Synchronicity Tour, members of The Police were obviously feeling the toll that touring, arguing over everything and constantly being together took on them individually and collectively. This might have been evidenced by the presence of back up and guest musicians on stage. On top of that, Sting, Summers and Copeland all seemed to be making future plans at that time that didn't include the others.
Without an official announcement and with little fanfare, The Police went their separate ways when the Synchronicity Tour finally ended in the spring of 1984. Because of all the albums sold, concerts performed, airplay received and media attention during that last tour, most fans probably felt the band members were just taking a well-deserved break.
The Police reunited for three concerts that benefited Amnesty International in 1986. Unlike the Beatles, there must have been enough esprit de corps there to occasionally get back together for the right reasons. In 1992 the band members reluctantly performed two songs at Sting's wedding reception after being pressured to do so by the "A" List of guests. That led nowhere. I guess there hadn't yet been enough time to allow the contaminated water to drain out and flow under the bridge.
In March of 2003, The Police played several songs together during a ceremony for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The event was broadcast on television. Unlike the charity concerts or spur of the moment wedding gig, the 2003 performance of the reunited band members gave fans reason to hope for more. It didn't seem strained and even Sting said he was surprised at how easy it was for the guys to perform together again. That gig proved that the band members could play together and still have a good time. That gave fans a reason to hope for more, but in the end it was all up to one band member.
Sting hit it as big without The Police as he did with them. Anyone paying attention to radio, broadcast television or cable during the 1990's could not escape him. The Soul Cages, Ten Summoner's Tales, Bring On The Night and other albums brought the S man lots of attention, accolades and money. Few performers create the kind of musical presence that Sting does and that sells well. It seemed that Sting traded one pressure cooker for another, but now he was in the driver's seat. There were no coequal band mates to give him any hassles. That may have been good and bad. Without anyone to apply the brakes except himself, S man could do whatever he wanted and as much as he wanted. However, on top of his paid gigs, everyone was after Sting to do charity events and say a few words on behalf of this cause or that. It must have been completely exhausting.
I think the defining moment of his fame as a solo performer during the 1980s and 1990s came at one of his concerts. I happened to see a video filmed for some project about the S-man. After finishing the concert, Sting came back stage. It appeared that he had turned in a long performance and already done one or two encores. He looked thin, almost frail, couldn't catch his breath, was bathed in sweat, had tight fitting clothes on and all but collapsed against a backstage wall. He was wearing at least four or five Cause Ribbons on his lapel and yet couldn't get anyone to bring him a bottle of cold water. Sting had become a tool used by the entertainment industry as much as a Craftsman of it. Perhaps that is what brought him back to the band that started it all.
Most people probably thing that Summers and Copeland were just sitting around waiting for the call from the S-man. Nothing could be further from the truth. Getting past the reality that both may have felt that ship had sailed along time ago, they have had lively and prosperous careers. Beyond his eighteen solo albums, Andy Summers started his career in 1965 and played with Eric Burden and The Animals, Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, Dantalion's Chariot and had many other successful collaborations and projects. Stewart Copeland is considered one of the world's finest drummers and began his career in 1974. Beyond his work with bands like Curved Air, Animal Logic, Oyster Head and Klark Kent, Copeland has had an amazing number of collaborations and proven to be a prolific and very successful soundtrack composer. But just like Sting, it was The Police that probably brought them the kind of attention that lead to bigger and better things.
A press conference held at the famous Whiskey A-Go-Go in Los Angeles the morning after the Grammy Awards told the tale. The Police were back and ready to go on tour. The press event atmosphere was electric and featured Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland playing a set for reporters, invited guests and some lucky fans. The event was recorded and is available to premium members of The Police Fan Club online.
Reporters that were present seemed as surprised and shocked as fans. Most were in awe of what they were seeing, wondered if the reunion would last past the press event and seemed more interested in enjoying the spontaneous show than asking questions. Those that did ask questions kept it unusually light. While it could be that they were just burnt out from the Grammy's, it was more likely that they weren't use to dealing with a musically in your face band like The Police. Even Ozzy and his occasional reunions with Black Sabbath couldn't create the kind of atmosphere The Police could.
During a break in their set for questions, Sting shared his revelation about waking up one morning and deciding The Police should go on tour again. When asked what he did to get the others on board, the S man said that he promptly called Copeland and Summers. He obviously did so with glee surprising the daylights out of the other two band members. Copeland said the timing had always been up to Sting and seemed to enjoy shooting some verbal barbs his way. As in the old days, Sting ignored those, concentrated on the music and gave polite and anything but contrite answers to any questions that came his way. This was the S man at his best and quite a different personality from the solo artist stumping for rain forests and wearing Cause Ribbons.
Since no one else stepped up to the plate, a Reporter from Fox News finally asked the one question all the others had avoided and that every fan wondered about. Would there be a new album? That brought a chuckle from the band members who seemed barely able to believe they were sharing a stage again and going out on tour, let alone thinking about new music. Whether it was some big secret or they are just approaching this whole reunion thing as merely a one-time tour celebrating of thirty years of The Police, only time will tell.
Although the new album question is left unanswered at this writing and the future of the band past the tour remains unannounced, there is another question that I think fans would be interested in having answered. If arguments over the music and artistic differences broke them apart so many years ago, what really brought them back together? What made Sting suddenly decide the time was right. What made them all willing to face the same old arguments and pressures all over again? I'm guessing it was Synchronicity. Welcome back guys!
Visit my website for more about the Reunion Tour, News and Updates.
About the Author
Author: Bill Knell
Author's Email: billknell@cox.net (http://www.mailto:billknell@cox.net)
Author's Website: http://www.ArizonaRocksLive.com
Terms To Use Article: Permission is granted to use this article for free online or in print: http://www.ArizonaRocksLive.com
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