The Police - what's the best album?

Regatta>Ghost>Zenyatta>Outlandos>Synchronicity

Even when I was a teenager and they were my favorite band, I loved them more for sound and texture than songs or lyrics. That's what's most unusual about them as a pop band, I think -- they made great singles out of sound and texture. And hooks, obviously, but even the hooks are as much a product of ambiance as melody. Like on "Don't Stand So Close to Me," that little nagging guitar figure that just repeats and repeats. Or the spacey, dubby middle 8 on "Message in a Bottle."

(OK that's not even a middle 8, it's the just the trailing bars of the chorus -- I exaggerated it in my head, because it creates so much space in the middle of this wired, hyper song.)

Deathwish?

That's what's most unusual about them as a pop band, I think -- they made great singles out of sound and texture. And hooks, obviously, but even the hooks are as much a product of ambiance as melody.

This is otm, there are a few of their best songs (including some of the big singles) where the chorus is the least interesting part of the song because of this.

That's probably why I don't mind the '86 rerecording of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" – I dig those washes of guitar – despite how the track sounded dated even then (it's closer to "Don't Stand So Close to Me '84").

voted zenyatta, i hated these dudes for so long (though a friend of mine in hs who was a huge sting fan meant i was very familiar w/ their catalogue) i think some weird way getting into the dinosaur acts that clearly looked to them as a means of coming to terms w/ new wave (rush, yes) is what gave me the means of coming to terms w/ the police. plus, as soto noted, the chops. love those interview quotes above. really love that dry vibe they mined, sounds so spartan on classic rock radio.

Deathwish?

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Well, no complaints there. Switch Ghost In The Machine and Zenyatta Mondatta around and you'd pretty much have the order that I'd rank them in.

Damn, I should give those last couple records another try.

For OutdoorFish

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cavbeMsk5Y8

Why thank you

I'm not surprised by how close this was but it's a little weird that Outlandos got so few votes, I thought that was the one that the hardnosers loved the most

I'm confused by popularity of Synchronicity. It's not bad, just not that good.

I came up with a list regardless.

one of the few bands whose chops force me to reconsider the songs

Alfred otm here. also kinda surprised that Sync did so well in this poll.

"Voices" is so dope you listed it twice!

I heard voices iirc