Say something interesting about sting/police

Oh, wait, that's not interesting.

Also: at the reunion gig they did at the Amnesty International concert in '89 or so, Stewart had a really great haircut.

Best line from Police Behind the Music: Stewart saying "In my mind, the Police will always be my band. And Sting? He's my singer. No, actually- -he's my BASS PLAYER."

The pic of Stewart in Curved Air (in the Uncut article) is quite charming. He looks so mischevious. (And, woo, look at 'em go out on a limb and slap _Synchronicity_ with a 2.5 star rating. Whoa doctor!)

Also, Popshots is OTM about that LLV song.

I seem to recall more than one ILMer has defended "Dream Of The Blue Turtles" before in these parts. Care to elaborate, whoever it was?

i wd rather die that be caught owning one of their "albums", of course – indeed i'm not sure what FORMAT i'd find acceptable, 7"s possibly

He invited me ro a party one night. I wasn't going to go, but people were stomping and yelling "OH YEAH!" and "ALRIGHT!" and sounding like they were having the time of their lives. So I went upstairs expecting some out-of-control celebration and there was no-one there but the band, and they were all gathered around the TV watching a video of a Sting concert, screaming in ecstasy at Sting's every movement. It was creepier than a GG Allin concert.

He'd photoshopped his own face over his father's face in a wedding picture of his parents...

I have nothing else to say. I don't know if I'll even be able to speak for the rest of the day.

The second was discovering that the opening chords to "Message In A Bottle" was actually Boston's "Peace Of Mind" slowed down.

*scratches head, checks AMG*

Anyone who plays on an Asia reunion record from 2001 is immediately suspect.

Please post comments on my girlfriends blog:
http://www.publictelevisionrocks.org/share-your-stories/stories
I think this could be important.

fun fact: the police are hugely popular and widely respected in brazil. probably, i think, because they were quite complex rhythmically, and brazil is all about complex rhythms*. and as brazil makes great music (yes, the entire country! really!) ergo, if everyone there thinks the police are great, there must be something to it. obviously.

*and also, sting doesn't make a lot of personal visits there

An uncle of mine who passed away about five years ago was absolutely convinced that the Police were French, which prompted many a vein-popping argument `round the Thanksgiving table. He would not be convinced otherwise. It was maddening. No, I didn't kill him.

^^^ any particular reason why he thought that? It seems weird, like thinking the Stones are from Louisiana. Actually come to think of it, the Police are a bit French looking. Maybe it's the haircuts. Or Summers ' insistence on wearing jackets with the sleeves rolled up which gives off a certain mid-80's Lyon chic thing. Copeland in particular seems to have a permanent Gallic shrug on. And maybe Sting's pretentiousness is more acceptable if he's thought of as a sort of French art student.

The vague patois Sting affects in "Message In Bottle" sounds a bit like a French person speaking English, if I dwell on it.

It was primarily due to Sting's afore-mentioned bullshit accent, and the titles of their first two albums.

And they did sing that song in French on Ghost in the Machine.

That doesn't make them French, though.

they're the kind of band who would be considered cool in france in the late 70s and 80s.*

*ie when france was at a low ebb, music hotness-wise

Stewart Copeland's hi-hat on 'Walking on the Moon' is obviously, if unusually, multitracked. He would occasionally amuse himself by seeking out pub bands playing Police covers, and watching the drummers tie themselves in knots trying to recreate parts that only octopuses could play.

Also, The Police's 'world tours' actually did venture beyond western Europe and the US. At the height of their fame they played gigs in places like India, Thailand and Egypt.

French students pissing around...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltUiKvNsgJ0

Who is the little one, a pet perhaps? Will she deserve my special attentions??

He would occasionally amuse himself by seeking out pub bands playing Police covers, and watching the drummers tie themselves in knots trying to recreate parts that only octopuses could play.

smug

Then Play Long takes an alphabetical look at Sting's ...Nothing Like The Sun: http://nobilliards.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/sting-nothing-like-sun.html

one wonders whether Sting is looking at the lonely dancing ladies of Chile or the world destroying itself and resisting the temptation to add the line “That’s my soul up there."

I think right now a lot of people are just saying "Fuck the police".

I once lived downstairs from this ponytailed wannabe graphic designer guy. He was a real mama's boy - we was in his late twenties and his mom was always coming to pick up his laundry and shit. He had this framed picture up that he made a big deal of showing everyone who came to his house. He'd photoshopped his own face over his father's face in a wedding picture of his parents and clearly had no clue that this was a Freudian nightmare scenario. He sang for a band that looked as if it had been assembled by the Canadian government for an anti-smoking ad campaign. Clean cut kids from diverse backgrounds playing modestly funky Hootie-pop wearing cargo pants and Risky Business Ray-Bans.
He invited me ro a party one night. I wasn't going to go, but people were stomping and yelling "OH YEAH!" and "ALRIGHT!" and sounding like they were having the time of their lives. So I went upstairs expecting some out-of-control celebration and there was no-one there but the band, and they were all gathered around the TV watching a video of a Sting concert, screaming in ecstasy at Sting's every movement. It was creepier than a GG Allin concert.

― fritz, Monday, 18 March 2002 01:00 (12 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This is the single most disturbing thing i've ever read

It should be made into a short film.

Every day another miracle!

On the evidence of a photo I saw in the Telegraph, Sting isn’t actually very good at all at yoga - despite all those private lessons.

I suspect it’s a bit like Elvis’s karate skills.

think I've watched this 20 times straight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGi7bwu8SHM

yep, that's a classic!

This reminds me: you know how music documentaries typically leave you feeling either better about the artist, neutral / the same about the artist, or worse about the artist? I always liked The Police, but man, the documentary really bummed me out. All three of them, for various reasons, seem like people you really wouldn't want to know.

Remember this exchange from that interview with Revolver?

Copeland: Andy, since we're here, I'm going to back you up on this. You should stand up right now and say, 'I Andy want all the Puff Daddy money. Because that's not Sting's song he's using, that's my guitar riff.' Okay over to you Andy, Go for it...

Summers: (meekly) Ok, I want all of the Puff Daddy Money.

Copeland: There you go, you feel better now don't you?

Sting: Okay Andy here's all the money. [pours some change on the table] Unfortunately, I've spent the rest of it.

Summers: I'll tell you what, Stewart, I'll take your share, I know Stings' not going to let me have his.

Copeland: So Sting's making out like a bankrobber here, while Andy and I have gone unrewarded and unloved for our efforts and contributions.

Sting: Life... is... f***ing... tough. Here I am in Tuscany.

Copeland: And don't we know it! You're in Tuscany in your palace with wine being poured down your throat and grapes being peeled for you. Sting can you buy me a castle in Italy too? With the proceeds from the longest running hit single in the history of radio? Just a little chateau somewhere?

Sting: We don't have f***ing chateaus in Italy, They're called palazzos. I'll lend you a room. (laughs)

I guess Andy really did carry a grudge over that.

Andy is 80. Probably a bit late to start hinting.

The Shend finds him a great imaginary foil. Continual point of humour on his FB feed.

He appears to be a lousy dancer if Quadrophenia is anything to go by. For a bassist does he have a sense of rhythm?

John Constantine came out of wanting to depict someone that looked like him in a couple of panels.

Sting: Life... is... f***ing... tough. Here I am in Tuscany.

looooool

I’d be interested to know how Summers could possibly have a claim after all this time has passed.

He should talk to Matthew Fisher of Procol Harum:

In 2006, the High Court found Fisher to be joint-author and co-owner of Procol Harum's song "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by virtue of his contribution to the song in the form of his organ solo, despite waiting nearly 40 years since its release to make a claim. Fisher won the case on 20 December 2006 but was awarded 40% of the composers' share of the music copyright, rather than the 50% he was seeking and was not granted royalties prior to 2005.

Huh, wild… well there you go. Maybe he can get a piece of those sweet ongoing royalties.

Does anyone find it wild that the Police are all in their 70s or 80s? Boo hiss time

Well, they did do a song called "Born in the 50's," so they have been preparing you for this realization.

I'm in tears at that video

think I've watched this 20 times straight

Well, they did do a song called "Born in the 50's," so they have been preparing you for this realization.

Except Andy Summers was born in the (early) 40s!

Stink must have known he would be filmed during the performance. I guess the stink was too strong to deny

dunno if I want to admit this but "They Dance Alone" is really pretty and nearly brings me to tears in light of current world events. I guess it's easy to mock him for this stuff but sometimes he does hit it out of the park

"Fragile" on that album works too.

love “be still my beating heart”

still love 'lazarus heart' which sounds like a cross between wayne shorter and paul simon

yeah I posted about it upthread, its probably my favorite Sting deep cut. pretty crazy lyrics too.

I'd always considered Blue Turtles the only worthwhile Sting solo album but I'm rethinking that now. the second half is pretty rough though. I give "We'll Be Together" a pass knowing that Sting didn't want to write it but "Rock Steady" is one of the worst songs I've ever heard in my life. and the last 3 songs are all really dull. manages to wring all the life out of "Little Wing" somehow. I guess "Straight To My Heart" is pretty fun?

"They Dance Alone" made me cry alone in the car recently!!!!

"Rock Steady" is one of the worst songs I've ever heard in my life too!!!

what was the last great song that sting wrote?

Why Should I Cry for You

I guess it's easy to mock him for this stuff but sometimes he does hit it out of the park

otm

If I Ever Lose My Faith in You is a pretty undeniable pop song I think. but yeah idk if he's ever hit the emotional depth of Why Should I Cry For You since

The Soul Cages has several bangers. I'm impressed he got a single as resigned as "All This Time" into the top five.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI8khooPyJk

undeniable

where he mastered those Simon-influenced talk-singing cadences.

Xpost

I think both Nothing like the Sun and Soul Cages were both inspired by the death of his parents, the Soul Cages especially. that line on "All This Time" which goes "if I had my way/I'd take a boat to the river/and I'd bury the old man/I'd bury him at sea" always gets me.

NB: "Fragile" is one of Neil Tennant's favorite songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI8khooPyJk

undeniable

― kurt schwitterz, Wednesday, February 7, 2024 5:11 PM (two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

genuinely one of the most insane music videos ever made, even today it still feels like an SNL sketch

the song itself may be good, I've heard a few people say it's a really great divorce song

One of my friends brought Dream of the Blue Turtles to spin one night a couple of years ago. Another of my friends said, "You broke up the Police for this? Fuck you" LOL

My intro to Toby Keith! He covered it (with Sting).

Blue Turtles is good but the live album was really something. believe it or not it was my first exposure to hip-hop.

I managed to see that tour when it came to Red Rocks, it was really good, but still.

Rock Steady" is one of the worst songs I've ever heard in my life too!!!

that was written under duress though. also "Rock Steady" attempts to be a cute Bible song and those are just never ever good

what was the last great song that sting wrote?

― blazin' squab (NickB), Wednesday, February 7, 2024 6:02 PM

Why Should I Cry for You

― Virginia Wolfman (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, February 7, 2024 6:05 PM

Why should I cry for you?
Why would you want me to?
What would it mean to say,
I loved you in my fashion?

^^ he sings it quite well too

What's wrong with "We'll Be Together"? I liked it at the time, and heard it in Barnes & Noble this past weekend and still liked it.

"We'll Be Together" sounds cheap: one of the more crasser let-me-assemble-a-hit things. He didn't have a clue how to arrange the backup singers or how to use the Casio organ preset.

"Hauling on frozen ropes"

That's the line that gets me. The metaphor has to be that you wish to do something that is possible, but difficult.

A much more nuanced metaphor than trying to do something impossible, or trying to do something that us easy.

Why should I try?

The card metaphor is overdone, but I've always liked "Shape of My Heart."

i thought i liked that one too, but i just went back to it - and though it's still got a certain prettiness to it, it also embodies the dreariness of tone and tempo that made his albums such a bore

Hip-hop artists looooooved that track

Very late to the topic but imo the last great sting song was “a thousand years”