When the World is Running Down, You Make the POLL of What's Still Around – ILM Artist Poll #116 – THE POLICE - (Voting extended to Friday, Dec 2, 2022)

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my biggest surprise listening back through everything was maybe “walking on the moon” which always bored me when I was young and foolish but wow… Stewart just absolutely kills it. up there with “in the air tonight” for lead drums.

poster of sparks (rogermexico.), Monday, 28 November 2022 23:23 (two years ago) link

they really got a lot of mileage out of reggae verse/rock chorus

poster of sparks (rogermexico.), Monday, 28 November 2022 23:23 (two years ago) link

I respect EBYT's many achievements and I voted for it (unlike some of the other big hits), but it's never been a personal fave.

And otm about the drums — the cymbals! — on "Walking on the Moon."

copeland is the best cymbalist in rock music

comedy khadafi (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 29 November 2022 00:28 (two years ago) link

the fill that opens “every little thing she does is magic” is my personal fav moment among many

comedy khadafi (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 29 November 2022 00:28 (two years ago) link

"On Any Other Day" would be in my top 10 were it not for the homophobic lyric

"It's All Right for You" is still a banger imo


Is it homophobic? The whole song seems to be a riff on suburban life. But I’m certainly willing to be convinced otherwise.

FWIW, I’ve been listening for the past few days to just random tracks on Spotify. It’s amazing how solid and fresh albums 2-4 are and how little I care to listen more than the spare track on albums 1 & 5. Most of those songs are just totally played out for me in a way even the biggest hits off the others aren’t.

Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 29 November 2022 00:40 (two years ago) link

the fill that opens “every little thing she does is magic” is my personal fav moment among many

― comedy khadafi (voodoo chili)

and the one before the EEEYOHHHH part.

Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 29 November 2022 00:43 (two years ago) link

Love the coda to that song as well

o shit the sheriff (NickB), Tuesday, 29 November 2022 00:49 (two years ago) link

A lot of Police songs, I often have trouble figuring out the drum parts. There is a lot of overdubbing, a lot of effects, stuff like that that clutter up the performance. Depending on the song really. But Copeland is so creative in how he puts it all together that it really doesn't matter if he has two arms or four or six.

Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 29 November 2022 00:56 (two years ago) link

copeland is the best cymbalist in rock music

Hell yeah. I voted for Peter Gabriel's "Red Rain" in category three - apparently they hired Copeland just to play the hi-hat. Like they spent the money and flew him out just for that, and it opens both the song and the whole album.

birdistheword, Tuesday, 29 November 2022 00:58 (two years ago) link

(his hi-hat that is, it opens the track all by its lonesome)

birdistheword, Tuesday, 29 November 2022 00:58 (two years ago) link

I recall reading once that one of the pitches Lanois made is that after a couple albums of no or few cymbals, what if Gabriel did an album that was *all* high-end bright, with an *emphasis* on cymbals. Manu Katche did a pretty good job capturing Copeland's splashy expressiveness, but with more discipline. Copeland if I recall correctly plays hi-hat on Red Rain and most of the drums on Big Time, but that's it.

Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 29 November 2022 01:02 (two years ago) link

I also voted for the “Red Rain” hi-hat. His Sonic signature. Also otm about the Every Little Thing intro.

I’m not gonna tip my hand or nothin but let’s just say that def left an impression on my ballot. just a preposterous talent, tho you can see why every now and then the songwriter might not want to compete…

poster of sparks (rogermexico.), Tuesday, 29 November 2022 01:41 (two years ago) link

I knew about Red Rain, as it was a huge influence

But must have forgotten - or that he was on Big Time! It's funky but it's played pretty straight. Frankly uncharacteristic - perhaps I just mentally blocked out the liner notes because it seems close to what Manu would have played.

Godley and Creamsicle (Ye Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 29 November 2022 01:57 (two years ago) link

Sorry about work Bee but glad I can submit a late ballot.

Psychocandy Apple Grey (Pyschocandles), Tuesday, 29 November 2022 03:04 (two years ago) link

xpost It's honestly really hard to tell, because a lot of the tracks on So are a combination of Manu, Stewart, Jerry Marotta and drum machines/programming. Just an incredible production all around.

Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 29 November 2022 03:34 (two years ago) link

btw, am I the only one that always thought Jay-Z's "Can I Get a ..." sampled "Walking in Your Footsteps"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH8Ps8jeTrU

Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 29 November 2022 14:15 (two years ago) link

listening to Reggatta de Blanc tonight, it would appear Mr. Copeland is very nice at the hi-hats

frogbs, Wednesday, 30 November 2022 04:08 (two years ago) link

god if I tried to play the Bring on the Night riff my head would probably explode

frogbs, Wednesday, 30 November 2022 04:16 (two years ago) link

Using traditional grip, too.

Godley and Creamsicle (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 30 November 2022 11:28 (two years ago) link

hey is Reggatta de Blanc a play on “white reggae”? I had always wondered how the spelling mistake made it to production, it’s been staring me in the face the whole time.

assert (matttkkkk), Wednesday, 30 November 2022 12:27 (two years ago) link

yes it is

o shit the sheriff (NickB), Wednesday, 30 November 2022 12:33 (two years ago) link

I have owned that record nearly 40 years and never twigged

assert (matttkkkk), Wednesday, 30 November 2022 12:47 (two years ago) link

I know that now, but at the time I thought it was something to do with a sailboat race

Godley and Creamsicle (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 30 November 2022 12:49 (two years ago) link

Before the “white reggae” thing clicked I used to think it was some kind of commentary on “white race.”

a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 30 November 2022 13:55 (two years ago) link

My earliest memory of the Police as a 6 or 7-year-old is that stark, glowering black and white image of them in their short blond hair and THE POLICE in big letters. A neighbour had a giant black sheet or towel of it hanging off his balcony. They looked like scary Nazis.

dinnerboat, Wednesday, 30 November 2022 14:12 (two years ago) link

hey is Reggatta de Blanc a play on “white reggae”?

I'm gonna continue to think of it as not, I have always liked those first three album titles as conveying the feel of some made-up Esperanto-like language. I sort of wish they'd kept up with it and called the next album Fantomo Machinisto or something

Guayaquil (eephus!), Wednesday, 30 November 2022 15:42 (two years ago) link

My brother's review of the record for his college newspaper also said that the conventional title was evidence of a drop-off in quality.

Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 30 November 2022 18:46 (two years ago) link

lol. Trend of two.

Godley and Creamsicle (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 30 November 2022 20:19 (two years ago) link

30 years ago i asked a french-speaking friend what 'zenyatta mondatta' meant. without hesitation he responded 'high and mighty'

i think of this every single time i hear any song from the record

mookieproof, Wednesday, 30 November 2022 21:40 (two years ago) link

Very loosely translated, indeed

immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 30 November 2022 21:55 (two years ago) link

I thought it was zenyatta = zenith, mondatta = world? in like a combo of 3 different languages

Reggatta is such an obnoxious title since it's the only instance I can find of that extra "g" being in there. probably not a big deal in pre-internet times but still annoying when you gotta spell it in say, the iTunes search

frogbs, Wednesday, 30 November 2022 22:01 (two years ago) link

I think it's just kind of made up.

immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 30 November 2022 22:05 (two years ago) link

I have to say I never knew that g was doubled

Guayaquil (eephus!), Wednesday, 30 November 2022 22:05 (two years ago) link

Outlandos d'Amour is the truly genius one IMO

Guayaquil (eephus!), Wednesday, 30 November 2022 22:06 (two years ago) link

"It means everything," he yelled back. "It's the same explanation that applies to the last two. It doesn’t have a specific meaning like ‘Police Brutality’ or ‘Police Arrest’, or anything predictable like that. Being vague it says a lot more. You can interpret it in a lot of different ways. It’s not an attempt to be mysterious, just syllables that sound good together, like the sound of a melody that has no words at all has a meaning."

https://web.archive.org/web/20030215094654/http://www.infinitedensity.net/music/copeland/Stingchronicity%20Interview%20Archive,%20Stewart%20Copeland%20interview,%20Musician's%20Only,%20Oct%201980.htm

immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 30 November 2022 22:06 (two years ago) link

I have had a very intense week at work, there was no way I could have run this thing this week. It's after hours now and thinking about what ahead a bit. Confirmation emails are next then...I'm stuck on images and can't figure out what I want this poll to look like. So instead, I'm going to throw it out there. Does anyone want to help out with images? If so email this box and we will talk. I'm terrible at these type of things anyways, so any help would be amazing!

Bee OK, Thursday, 1 December 2022 03:26 (two years ago) link

Getting amped for this poll

Bee OK, Thursday, 1 December 2022 03:27 (two years ago) link

Email confirmations have been sent, if you did not get a reply please resend your ballot.

Bee OK, Friday, 2 December 2022 00:50 (two years ago) link

Sent!

Hideous Lump, Friday, 2 December 2022 05:53 (two years ago) link

was just going through a pile of disco records and wow, there's a strong resemblance between this bohannon-produced caroline crawford tune and 'demolition man':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5FtxthqjnE

o shit the sheriff (NickB), Friday, 2 December 2022 13:07 (two years ago) link

whoa youre not wrong ha (and i dig it)

i'm right back on my shit (Hunt3r), Friday, 2 December 2022 15:36 (two years ago) link

Voted! Although I just realised I missed one of their best songs.

kitchen person, Friday, 2 December 2022 15:38 (two years ago) link

c'mon kp tell

i'm right back on my shit (Hunt3r), Friday, 2 December 2022 15:41 (two years ago) link

I forgot to vote for Driven To Tears which should have been top ten.

kitchen person, Friday, 2 December 2022 15:46 (two years ago) link

i will re-listen thx!

i'm right back on my shit (Hunt3r), Friday, 2 December 2022 15:50 (two years ago) link

Hello kitchen person, you may modify your ballot until you get the confirmation email which should be by tomorrow.

Bee OK, Friday, 2 December 2022 17:20 (two years ago) link

Only a few more hours to go...

Bee OK, Saturday, 3 December 2022 02:28 (one year ago) link


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