Welcome back to a new edition of Musical Disclosure. Today we're talking about one of the most successful bands produced by the British new wave scene: The Police.
The group was formed in London in 1977, when American drummer Stewart Copeland, while on tour with the progressive band Curved Air, met singer and bassist Gordon Sumner, a.k.a. Sting, former member of the jazz rock fusion band Last Exit, who had recently moved to the city. After playing together at a jam session, Copeland invited Sting to form a band and join the London punk scene. Following the arrival of guitarist Henry Padovani, The Police were born, and they began playing in clubs and pubs as support bands for established punk groups. However, their lineup soon underwent a significant change: Sting and Copeland came into contact with guitarist Andy Summers, a veteran of the music industry, who proposed becoming a trio by replacing Padovani. Initially hesitant, the two accepted, creating the band's definitive lineup until its dissolution. The Police emerged on the new wave scene with a mature rock style drawing from punk, reggae, jazz, and progressive music. For this, they were often criticised by other punk bands, who considered them less credible due to their lack of the genre's rawness. The three musicians also differed in appearance, distinguished by their bleached blonde hair (actually dyed for a shampoo advertising campaign). Released in 1978, "Outlandos d'Amour" was the band's debut album, reaching sixth place in the British charts thanks to the famous tracks "Roxanne" and "Can't Stand Losing You". However, true recognition from audiences and critics came with their second album, "Reggatta de Blanc". Published in October 1979, the record topped the British charts and produced four singles: "Message in a Bottle", "Walking on the Moon", "Bring on the Night", and "The Bed's Too Big Without You". The album's title loosely translates from French as "white reggae" and defines the band's "reggae-rock" style, inspired by Jamaican musical rhythms and sounds, particularly evident in tracks like "Bring On The Night".
The album opens with "Message in a Bottle", one of the group's most famous pieces, characterized by Copeland's masterful drum off-beats and Summers' guitar phrasing, over which Sting, imagining himself shipwrecked on an island in the middle of the sea, sends his S.O.S to the world. Copeland's distinctive touch is one of the constants found throughout The Police's entire discography, combined with Summers' extreme care for arrangements and Sting's precise and urgent bass playing. Another highlight of the album is the title track "Reggatta de Blanc", created from the extended instrumental part of "Can't Stand Losing You", which the band performed during their concerts. The track's sonic invention earned them a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1981. Among other examples of perfect rhythmic and melodic interlocking are the hypnotic "Walking on the Moon" and the energetic "Contact".
To begin this journey into The Police's music, we suggest listening to "Message in a Bottle", inviting you to pay attention to the incredible interplay between bass and drums, in what is effectively one of the band's most identifying tracks. Enjoy your listening!
