The Police reunite on the Grammys last night

[Guy Berger]

let's call the Police a prog band in very clever, very sucessful disguise-- they're real peers then are like-era Genesis and goddamn Peter Gabriel, inexplicably a favorite around here except i understand ya'll not being exposed to the much much much much MUCH wider world of contemporaneous music.

I've heard the "prog" label attached to the Police and will admit that I don't hear it at all, though I agree that their world-music-inflected new wave pop-rock does share something with Peter Gabriel's music of the same period. And maybe with the Cars, minus the Cars' hard rock edge.

Guy

[Late]

When I was 14, I loved The Police. I revisited my favorites about a year ago (their first two albums), and sadly just couldn't get with them. Strangely or not, the same wasn't true for another band I loved at that age: U2. Their first two albums still sound good to me.

I actually like Branford Marsalis — — — when he makes fun of Sting.

Though it's not The Police, I think one Sting tune that's absolutely aged the worst is: "Russians." Egad.

[Teasing the Korean]

I have a fair amount of late 70s/early 80 punk/new wave from my ill-spent youth. I stopped listening to this stuff entirely around 1984 or so.

Beginning a couple of years ago, I started pulling out some titles and doing random needle drops, just to see how the stuff would hit me all these years later. I thought that the Police records had aged worse than most of the others.

I hung on to nearly all of these records with the exception of the Police records. These ended up in a thrift store, because none of the second hand vinyl shops wanted them (and they were in pristine condition).

[BFrank]

I had no idea that Summers was almost 10 years older than the other two.

He was in the psychedelic incarnation of The Animals (San Francisco Nights, Monterey, etc.).

There's no mention of him in the liner notes of "Winds of Change", which includes "SF Nights". He may have been on some other records.

Anyway, I was mega-impressed with Copeland on the Grammys the other night. He was on fire. Almost makes me want to see them on tour.

And as Rooster mentioned, Sting is much more interesting when being challenged rather than on cruise control as he's been for the last 15 years or so. Not unlike Clapton and the Cream reunion. That was some of Eric's most inspired work in MANY years.

[Kalo]

Anybody else here think that "The Police" has to be just about the worst name for a rock band ever?

[Rosco]

Anybody else here think that "The Police" has to be just about the worst name for a rock band ever?

The Beatles?

[Stereojack]

I had no idea that Summers was almost 10 years older than the other two.

He was in the psychedelic incarnation of The Animals (San Francisco Nights, Monterey, etc.).

There's no mention of him in the liner notes of "Winds of Change", which includes "SF Nights". He may have been on some other records.

He was only on the last Animals album, "Love Is" (1968), not on any of the hits.

[Rooster_Ties]

For the moment anyway, here's a link to most of the press conference 'show' they did on Monday.

http://www.xmission.com/~pashdown/Police_Whisky_20070212.asf

The first little bit of the first song is cut off. The video runs about 40 minutes or so.

PS: Here's a report I cobbed from another board...

24 hours later they did a press conference and a few songs at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles:

1. Message in a Bottle

2. Voices Inside My Head / When the World is Running Down You Make The Best Of What's Still Around

3. - Questions and Answers from the Press -

4. I Can't Stand Losing You

5. Roxanne

Two important things said in the press conference:

a - On stage we'll see only Sting, Copeland and Summers

b - Only Police songs, NO solo songs

Nice photo from the Press Conference:

[.:.impossible]

I feel like I read that Oysterhead is going to be touring again. Chug a can of pork soda and go see Stew in that band. Les Claypool fires up in a way that Gordon does not. They also play for less $$$.

I had no idea that Summers was almost 10 years older than the other two.

Anyway, I was mega-impressed with Copeland on the Grammys the other night. He was on fire. Almost makes me want to see them on tour.

[Jim Alfredson]

I think Rooster has a man-crush on The Police.

[Quincy]

I think Rooster has a man-crush on The Police.

Somebody Photoshop Andrew Hill on stage with them. He'll melt.

[Rooster_Ties]

[Quincy]

Oh yeah, say Rooster, do you have that Ghost In The Machine show where Woody Shaw plays with them?

Sorry, just kidding.

[Noj]

I love the Police' few instrumental songs like "Behind My Camel" and "The Other Way Of Stopping." Instrumentals are something which many rock bands don't attempt, but when they do they're often my favorite moments on the album.

Such as:

Led Zeppelin "Bron-Yr-Aur"

Jimi Hendrix Experience "Third Stone From The Sun"

Many instrumental segments of Pink Floyd albums

Red Hot Chili Peppers "Pretty Little Ditty"

[Kalo]

Anybody else here think that "The Police" has to be just about the worst name for a rock band ever?

The Beatles?

"The Beatles" is just kind of a lame pun. But "The Police" is the polar opposite of what rock is supposedly all about. I mean, if they'd called themselves "The Hall Monitors," or "The Crossing Guards," then that would have been kind of funny. But "The Police"?

[Chuck Nessa]

Anybody else here think that "The Police" has to be just about the worst name for a rock band ever?

The Beatles?

"The Beatles" is just kind of a lame pun. But "The Police" is the polar opposite of what rock is supposedly all about. I mean, if they'd called themselves "The Hall Monitors," or "The Crossing Guards," then that would have been kind of funny. But "The Police"?

So......it's the obvious name for a band looking for "teen" support. Marketing 101.

Examine the target, examine yourself.

[Rooster_Ties]

Well, this morning I got my tickets for the July 2nd St. Louis concert. My wife and I are pretty stoked!!

$100 to join the fan-club (which comes out to an 'up-charge' of $25 per ticket, for four tickets), and then I got $90 tickets that were damn near as good (within a few rows) of many of the $200 tickets. So all told, it cost about $125 per ticket, everything included -- for four tickets.

The concert isn't in Kansas City, but we can stay with my Dad near St. Louis, and can even take the Metro (light rail) to the concert from a station less than a mile from where my Dad lives. NO hotel costs, and just gas money (in a Prius) to St. Louis and back.

Yeah, the tickets cost a bundle -- but the total cost for the whole trip (tickets included) won't be any more than if we'd gone out of town somewhere other than St. Louis, and had to stay in even a modest hotel for even just two nights.

Two of the tickets are for my dear friend who recently had a pretty major stroke (and he's only in his mid-30's) -- I had another thread about it elsewhere on this board back in early January.

He and I have been going to concerts together for almost 10 years (we used to work together in my last job). I'm not 100% sure that he'll be well enough to go on the trip and to the concert, but the doctors are saying he'll probably have a full (90%) recovery, in the long run. And the chances of him being well enough for the trip and concert by July are looking pretty good!!! At least a HELL of a lot better than a couple months ago, THAT'S for damn sure.

Oh, the tickets we got were in the Plaza section #104 (the red #104 in the diagram below), row G. I think that's only 7 rows off the floor, and the seats just happen to be on an aisle too.

Edit: And I see now that the aisle is between us and the stage (the gap between #104 and #103), so we won't be looking out over a sea of heads as we look towards the stage!! Even better, if my buddy sits on the aisle, he can probably actually SIT and see the stage!!! (even if the rows in front of him are standing up). Couldn't be better!!!

Edited March 8, 2007 by Rooster_Ties

[Shrdlu]

I've not heard a stack of The Police's recordings, but I dig Sting and Copeland.

Don't forget Gil Evans and Sting recorded together. I saw a video with one long performance, a Hendrix piece I think (been awhile, tho I still have the tape someplace). Gil looked happy with the proceedings.

Copeland is a genius. Those "Equalizer" scores are awesome, and really groove. I even found a rare CD of some of them in a used CD store, in Huntsville, Alabama, of all places. Wish I could get all the sound bites from the TV show.

[BruceH]

Anybody else here think that "The Police" has to be just about the worst name for a rock band ever?

The Beatles?

"The Beatles" is just kind of a lame pun. But "The Police" is the polar opposite of what rock is supposedly all about. I mean, if they'd called themselves "The Hall Monitors," or "The Crossing Guards," then that would have been kind of funny. But "The Police"?

I always thought they were going for a "so bad it's good" type of thing with the name. But it's still bad.