I'll answer this in a couple of days, I spose.
― Todd Burns, Saturday, 2 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Brian MacDonald, Saturday, 2 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― ddd, Saturday, 2 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― dleone, Saturday, 2 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
What is up with "Be My Girl- Sally?"
Why is there a minute long spoken word piece put directly in the middle of the song?
On the first album now. And this song does suck.
― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
That has to be one of the most wretched songs ever written. It literally manages to be bad in almost every possible way! Even the bass line is crap.
― Phil, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Probably 50% humor, 50% how-the-hell-are-we-going-to-fill-this-album-out. Hey, they played it live, so...
I have the box set, by the way. Disc 1 and 2 are great, disc 3 starts to tail off but has its moments, and most of disc 4 is pretty patchy -- it really sounds bloated by comparison with the best stuff from the first two discs. Personal favorites are probably "Next to You", So Lonely", "Walking on the Moon", and "Spirits in the Material World"; low points are the aforementioned "Born in the 50's", "Walking in Your Footsteps", and "Tea in the Sahara".
I also like the first disc of the 2-CD live set; it's a bit cornball at times, but captures the energy of their early live sets. The second disc, a later concert, again sounds ponderous by comparison. I picked this set up, together with the box, from Columbia House for something like $25 for all six discs. Not bad!
Wuz funny to a 15-year old Tad. Was years before I'd heard Roxy's "In Every Home a Heartache" and Zappa's "Miss Pinky." There's probably an interesting sociology/pop-culture thesis in those Seventies songs about blow-up sex dolls.
― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― chaki, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Tracer Hand, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
SEARCH: "Driven to Tears," "Can't Stand Losing," "Darkness," "Burn for You," "Does Everyone Stare?", "No Time This Time," "Dead End Job," "Spirits in the Material World."
DESTROY: "Mother," "Born in the Fifties, "Behind My Camel," "Tea in the Sahara."
― Alex in NYC, Sunday, 3 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
My Unfadeable Police Mix:Voices Inside My HeadBring on the NightSpirits In the Material WorldDriven to TearsWhen the World is Running DownShadows in the RainDarknessDeathwish
and come to think of it, unless I'm feeling really nostalgic I won't rock Outlandous or Synchronicity. even typing the titles feels tedius.
― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 04:25 (nineteen years ago) link
― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 05:16 (nineteen years ago) link
― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 05:26 (nineteen years ago) link
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 05:41 (nineteen years ago) link
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 05:42 (nineteen years ago) link
― Silky Sensor (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 06:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― Silky Sensor (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 06:21 (nineteen years ago) link
― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 06:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― Stormy Davis (diamond), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 06:26 (nineteen years ago) link
― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 07:46 (nineteen years ago) link
Search: Lots of stuff people have already mentioned, also *Omega Man* (a pop '21st Century Schizoid Man'?), Bring On The Night, Secret Journey, Hungry For You (check out the 'Love Supreme' bassline), Deathwish (reggae raga rock!), Truth Hits Everybody, Fall Out (their Stooges song I guess), Miss Gradenko (Talking Heads meets Robert Fripp?) and most of all **Mother**, which I have only recently come to LOVE.
― NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 09:51 (nineteen years ago) link
― Vinnie (vprabhu), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 16:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 18:22 (nineteen years ago) link
Most of the album tracks are worth hearing/having. With the exception of some of "Synchronicity".
Hidden gems : "Peanuts" (rather obviously about Mick Jagger), "On Any Other Day", "Behind My Camel", "Too Much Information".
― Scott McFarland (Scott McFarland), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 18:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― Silky Sensor (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 18:53 (nineteen years ago) link
Spirits In The Material World and Invisible Sun are classic too.
― Johnny Badlees (crispssssss), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 20:41 (nineteen years ago) link
― Je4nne ƒury (Jeanne Fury), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 20:43 (nineteen years ago) link
No, we're mad at Sting because the Police used to be so "BAD-ASS", considering how fucking indisputably CRAP he is now.
Don't tell me how, why, when and what I'm mad at, godfuckingdammitalltohell!
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 20:45 (nineteen years ago) link
― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Thursday, 24 March 2005 00:52 (nineteen years ago) link
― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 24 March 2005 00:54 (nineteen years ago) link
― Billy Pilgrim (Billy Pilgrim), Thursday, 13 October 2005 21:54 (eighteen years ago) link
― blunt (blunt), Thursday, 13 October 2005 23:13 (eighteen years ago) link
― Doctor Casino, Friday, 14 October 2005 01:06 (eighteen years ago) link
― Dominique (dleone), Friday, 14 October 2005 01:41 (eighteen years ago) link
For all that, the Police were classic!
Great Stewart Copeland interview here, wherein he admits that much of his awesome ride bell playing was overdubbed. Haha!
― retort pouch (retort pouch), Friday, 14 October 2005 02:01 (eighteen years ago) link
― retort pouch (retort pouch), Friday, 14 October 2005 02:21 (eighteen years ago) link
― buboclot, Friday, 14 October 2005 11:09 (eighteen years ago) link
That ain't nothin' new. Copeland was never afraid to use studio technology to build drum tracks. "Every Breath You Take" was half live, half programmed - the kick & snare were Linn Drum, with Copeland overdubbing the high-hat & cymbals seperately.
― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Friday, 14 October 2005 16:16 (eighteen years ago) link
― Bimble The Nimble, Jumped Over A Thimble! (Bimble...), Saturday, 15 October 2005 02:42 (eighteen years ago) link
auto mash-up !
― blunt (blunt), Saturday, 15 October 2005 02:57 (eighteen years ago) link
― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Saturday, 15 October 2005 03:16 (eighteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 15 October 2005 03:19 (eighteen years ago) link
― billstevejim (billstevejim), Saturday, 15 October 2005 04:07 (eighteen years ago) link
I thought that song was great when I was about 11, even though I had no idea what he was going on about. By the time I was old enough to realize how silly it was my fondness for it was firmly entrenched. Totally stupid, but not a bad hook. As fake as fake-punk got.
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Saturday, 15 October 2005 05:07 (eighteen years ago) link
― geoff (gcannon), Saturday, 15 October 2005 05:17 (eighteen years ago) link
Because it's a hopelessly pretentious sack of tepid, runny DUNG wherein Sting grabs an unsuspecting Paul Bowles novel by the sensitive bits, pours syrup all over it and then proceeds to bugger it inconsiderably, whilst coming up with some of the worst couplets of his already pock-marked career. It's AWFUL!
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 15 October 2005 05:51 (eighteen years ago) link
I was suprised to learn of all ANdy's adventures with Jim Belushi of all people - I read his autobiography One Train Later - also suprising he survived the drugs
― | (Latham Green), Wednesday, 20 December 2023 17:11 (three months ago) link
I just saw this, and for a brief moment, I thought "shit, Zach Braff has aged badly." Then I realized it was Andy and thought "oh...well for 80 he looks great!"
(I'm not a Zach Braff fan nor do I follow his social media accounts, so just mistaking a face for him was unexpected.)
― birdistheword, Thursday, 21 December 2023 19:40 (three months ago) link
Braff HAS aged badly
― | (Latham Green), Thursday, 21 December 2023 19:49 (three months ago) link
LOL
― birdistheword, Thursday, 21 December 2023 19:54 (three months ago) link
Guitar player friend of mine watched and was annoyed that Andy's displayed "Walking on the Moon" chord is actually not the one he shapes live.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 21 December 2023 22:19 (three months ago) link
Beato gets the hat trick with Stewart, who as expected is very entertaining/obnoxious/full of stories:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIJkRhd1CTY
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 27 February 2024 23:01 (one month ago) link
He may be my favorite musician who I also loathe. I mean, he is a good drummer and I have read his memoir but there are times I wish he would shut the fuck up, sorry, the end.
― alpaca lips now (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 28 February 2024 00:07 (one month ago) link
Huge Police fan and not so much of Sting's solo career, it wasn't until the reunion that I saw what Copeland was like (especially within the group), and I became much more forgiving of Sting's decision to leave.
― birdistheword, Wednesday, 28 February 2024 00:58 (one month ago) link
coincidentally I'm listening to the Klark Kent 2xLP that recently came out, which unlike the old CD actually does have everything, including two tracks that I think hadn't been released yet. I had no idea "Don't Care" becoming a small hit was what led to A&M going all-in on The Police.
despite his insistence that he doesn't know how to write pop songs I actually like this stuff a lot, it's fun in a way The Police almost never were. in the interview he mentions how Sting's songs came nearly fully formed and I wonder if he's talking mostly about the last two albums because this stuff has the same sound as the first 3 Police LPs. it's too bad none of his other band projects ever really took off.
― frogbs, Wednesday, 28 February 2024 03:06 (one month ago) link
also I don't mind his personality but yeah it would be exhausting to spend too much time around him. even an hourlong interview feels like a lot. but he's still a great interview subject, seems willing to answer anything and reveal a lot of inside baseball stuff, also very forthcoming about the stuff he is and isn't good at
― frogbs, Wednesday, 28 February 2024 03:09 (one month ago) link
It's entertaining in small doses. When I saw or read those first couple of interviews, it was great, like they were having fun, but after a while it sunk in that he might be like that all the time, including the half-joking antagonizing that would probably grate after awhile.
― birdistheword, Wednesday, 28 February 2024 03:30 (one month ago) link
It is kind of incredible, if he's remembering correctly/telling the truth, that so many of those Police songs are early if not first takes (on his part). I know it's kind of common practice for the drummer to finish first and then just kind of fuck off, but Copeland's parts are so cool and iconic, not least "...Magic," which is insane, if that is indeed the first and only take. Then again, Copeland has always conceded that some of his parts aren't necessarily playable as we hear it, since they were tooled around with in editing, or subject to overdubs and whatnot. Like in this interview how he says that some of the accents in "Wrapped Around Your Finger" were moved around.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 28 February 2024 03:36 (one month ago) link
Btw, something interesting that popped up in that interview was Stew saying he basically had to cheerlead Sting that first year to make Sting the Stingiest Sting he could be. Reminded me of the "Van Halen Rising" book, where DLR apparently had to work overtime during the lean years to foster EVH's ego, keep up his spirits.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 28 February 2024 03:45 (one month ago) link
I had no idea "Don't Care" becoming a small hit was what led to A&M going all-in on The Police
Well, Miles C. being well-connected may have played a role there too.
― alpaca lips now (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 28 February 2024 13:23 (one month ago) link
https://i.imgur.com/cifTebs.pngThis was the one I had as a young lad, going for $2 on discogs, peak mid 80s graphic design
― calstars, Saturday, 2 March 2024 20:51 (one month ago) link
It's kind of astonishing that Sting's desire to re-record the hits took precedence over Stewart being injured and unable to drum, so they went with programmed drums for the reworked tracks. Hardly surprising it nosedived after two boring trainwrecks.
― assert (matttkkkk), Saturday, 2 March 2024 22:37 (one month ago) link
Every bone you break
Every tart you bake
― alpaca lips now (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 2 March 2024 23:07 (one month ago) link
Non-U.S. Greatest Hits does a much better job of collecting their singles than The Singles and it's all the better for it. (I think the only A-sides missing are "Bring on the Night," "Secret Journey," and their indie-label debut "Fall Out," but none of them were really hits. I think only "Secret Journey" charted anywhere, and even then it was #46 in the U.S. only.)
― birdistheword, Sunday, 3 March 2024 01:01 (one month ago) link
pay attention to the computer in the background of Copeland in that interview
― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Monday, 4 March 2024 21:11 (one month ago) link
http://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did%3Aplc%3A2enrykw6uzlomjrm6x6q3sr2/bafkreiehlxlfsalgtfwbzta437wz557w2qwefjfpns4pg3hb5qqvvty7sm@jpeg
― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Monday, 4 March 2024 21:13 (one month ago) link
Why the fuck would these 3 men want to conceive 16 offspring between them
― beamish13, Monday, 4 March 2024 21:14 (one month ago) link
― calstars, Monday, 4 March 2024 21:52 (one month ago) link
I posted a screenshot in the next post
― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Monday, 4 March 2024 22:21 (one month ago) link
Still not getting it
― calstars, Monday, 4 March 2024 22:30 (one month ago) link
it’s Sting with his lute in a yoga pose or some such
― assert (matttkkkk), Monday, 4 March 2024 22:32 (one month ago) link
lol
― calstars, Monday, 4 March 2024 22:42 (one month ago) link
LMAO I looked it up and it was apparently a Vanity Fair shoot. So I guess Copeland decided to use it as one of his screen backgrounds as a joke?
― birdistheword, Monday, 4 March 2024 23:14 (one month ago) link
A prelude to some tantric sex no doubt.
― man in suit and red tie raising his fist (Tom D.), Monday, 4 March 2024 23:15 (one month ago) link
(xp)
he has the strongest unfunny dad persistence, but also can be pretty fucking lol, horrible as it is
― the kwisatz sasquatch (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 5 March 2024 00:10 (one month ago) link
lol obsessed much, stu? hilarious
― Reeves Gabrels' Funko Pop (majorairbro), Tuesday, 5 March 2024 00:37 (one month ago) link
I thought we were all well versed in this photo of shirtless sting playing the lute and Trudi doing some yoga pose in the background, alas, I was mistaken. It is the greatest portrait of all time.
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BNg8kFcCUAAdsBP%3Fformat%3Djpg%26name%3Dsmall
― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Tuesday, 5 March 2024 01:09 (one month ago) link
― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Tuesday, 5 March 2024 01:10 (one month ago) link
well fuck
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BNg8kFcCUAAdsBP.jpg
― visiting, Tuesday, 5 March 2024 01:17 (one month ago) link
it's time for the 20th anniv of my "if i had no lute" joke
― the kwisatz sasquatch (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 5 March 2024 03:25 (one month ago) link
that's a classic, perhaps only rivaled by the photo of a-rod kissing his own reflection
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 5 March 2024 03:29 (one month ago) link
okay Stew making that his background is indeed very funny
― frogbs, Tuesday, 5 March 2024 03:30 (one month ago) link
Chances that he arranged that with the camera crew on purpose ? 75%?
― calstars, Tuesday, 5 March 2024 03:46 (one month ago) link
You don't have to put on the red lute
― alpaca lips now (Ye Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 5 March 2024 03:55 (one month ago) link
got that Klark Kent compilation on again, you know what he's annoying but damn he writes really catchy songs. or maybe he just drums in a way that makes everything sound catchy. I mean "Too Kool to Kalypso" says it all - obnoxious vocals, obnoxious lyrics, obnoxious kazoo, but he's a force of nature on the kit and the song will be stuck in your head forever. also love that half this shit was clearly written for Sting
― frogbs, Saturday, 16 March 2024 03:47 (one month ago) link
like c'mon he was wrong to reject this. imagine how good this would've been on Reggatta.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIMitPazAgQ
― frogbs, Saturday, 16 March 2024 03:53 (one month ago) link
If that picture of Sting with the Lute was Dimebag Darrell, it would be him with some crazy Dean lightning bolt guitar at a strip club with an exotic dancer on a riser next to a stripper pole in that pose.
― The Artist formerly known as Earlnash, Saturday, 16 March 2024 14:45 (one month ago) link
like c'mon he was wrong to reject this. imagine how good this would've been on Reggatta.📹
― calstars, Saturday, 16 March 2024 18:59 (one month ago) link
he can rewrite all the lyrics if he wants, the song itself such pure power pop
― frogbs, Sunday, 17 March 2024 16:21 (one month ago) link
Exactly. Police don't do power pop.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 17 March 2024 16:53 (one month ago) link
On the first two albums they sorta did. Which I think is when these songs were written
― frogbs, Sunday, 17 March 2024 16:56 (one month ago) link
Hmm, I still don't hear the power pop. Maybe "Born in the 50's", and if you squint sideways something like "Next to You" miiiiight fit, but you'd have to be pretty generous with what you consider power pop.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 17 March 2024 18:07 (one month ago) link
fuck, i’m like “fall out” is who-style powerpop, and i assumed it was on outlandos, but no. i actually only knew it from an off-the-air recording i made from wlir in 82 of police playing live from like 79. last listened to in the 80s? that memorable? senility?
― ... 2024-- there's one clear winner! (Hunt3r), Sunday, 17 March 2024 22:26 (one month ago) link
Last three tracks on Reggatta are power poppish
― frogbs, Sunday, 17 March 2024 22:28 (one month ago) link