The Police — Spirits In The Material World
Album: Ghost In The MachineAvg rating:
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Length: 2:52
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There is no political solution
To our troubled evolution
Have no faith in constitution
There is no bloody revolution
We are spirits in the material world
We are spirits in the material world
We are spirits in the material world
We are spirits in the material world
Our so-called leaders speak
With words they try to jail you
They subjugate the meek
But it's the rhetoric of failure
We are spirits in the material world
We are spirits in the material world
We are spirits in the material world
We are spirits in the material world
Where does the answer lie?
Living from day to day
If it's something we can't buy
There must be another way
We are spirits in the material world
To our troubled evolution
Have no faith in constitution
There is no bloody revolution
We are spirits in the material world
We are spirits in the material world
We are spirits in the material world
We are spirits in the material world
Our so-called leaders speak
With words they try to jail you
They subjugate the meek
But it's the rhetoric of failure
We are spirits in the material world
We are spirits in the material world
We are spirits in the material world
We are spirits in the material world
Where does the answer lie?
Living from day to day
If it's something we can't buy
There must be another way
We are spirits in the material world
Comments (239)add comment
1979 and a friend was helping me move into a flat. I'd just bought a second hand B&W TV and switched it on to test it out. There was The Police playing on a long-defunct TV program called "Rock Goes to College". We listened to Roxanne and when it finished we looked at each other and agreed they would never amount to anything.
We were idiots then.
We were idiots then.
photonstorm wrote:
Copeland said it was his best drumming as everything was on the upbeat
The Police have done some amazing tracks. Sadly, this really isn't one of them.
Copeland said it was his best drumming as everything was on the upbeat
Edweirdo wrote:
LOL! Too Funny!
I saw Police twice. The first time was in a sweaty dive in Bristol after Roxanne had been released but before their first album; they were one of the best live bands I'd ever seen. I later saw them at some grim aircraft hangar like Wembley Arena where they were tiny figures on a stage about six kilometres distant, and where I was surrounded by drunken hen parties singing along, out of tune and out of time.
LOL! Too Funny!
I saw Police twice. The first time was in a sweaty dive in Bristol after Roxanne had been released but before their first album; they were one of the best live bands I'd ever seen. I later saw them at some grim aircraft hangar like Wembley Arena where they were tiny figures on a stage about six kilometres distant, and where I was surrounded by drunken hen parties singing along, out of tune and out of time.
doktorkev wrote:
You lucky duck! I wish that I could have been there too!!
Was fortunate enough to see them on both Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity tours. They were an amazing live act.
You lucky duck! I wish that I could have been there too!!
Was fortunate enough to see them on both Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity tours. They were an amazing live act.
The Police have done some amazing tracks. Sadly, this really isn't one of them.
thewiseking wrote:
YOU probably haven't aged well also! ... And, your comment is pretentious!
this stuff hasn't aged well. what is it anyway? vaguely skaPop with pretensions
YOU probably haven't aged well also! ... And, your comment is pretentious!
timmus wrote:
Yes. But are Paul Newman and Robert Redford involved?
True story: You can use the lines on the freeway combined with this song to find if a car is doing 65 mph.
Pitch of Spirits In The Material World = 142 bpm = 0.4225 seconds
Standard stripe spacing in the US is 40 feet so 40 / 0.4225 = 94.6 feet per second = 64.5 mph
If you get pulled over it's probably a Sting operation.
Yes. But are Paul Newman and Robert Redford involved?
timmus wrote:
Boom-tss. I'm here all weekend, folks, be sure to tip you waitress well!
True story: You can use the lines on the freeway combined with this song to find if a car is doing 65 mph.
Pitch of Spirits In The Material World = 142 bpm = 0.4225 seconds
Standard stripe spacing in the US is 40 feet so 40 / 0.4225 = 94.6 feet per second = 64.5 mph
If you get pulled over it's probably a Sting operation.
Boom-tss. I'm here all weekend, folks, be sure to tip you waitress well!
True story: You can use the lines on the freeway combined with this song to find if a car is doing 65 mph.
Pitch of Spirits In The Material World = 142 bpm = 0.4225 seconds
Standard stripe spacing in the US is 40 feet so 40 / 0.4225 = 94.6 feet per second = 64.5 mph
If you get pulled over it's probably a Sting operation.
this stuff hasn't aged well. what is it anyway? vaguely skaPop with pretensions
More Police Pa’lease, less Talking Heads.
dwlangham wrote:
Good list. Add Styx and Foreigner.
oingo boingo
Good list. Add Styx and Foreigner.
oingo boingo
Ohmsen wrote:
Some things get unnerving relatively quickly. Especially, if they've been played far too often on your local radio station for far too long, even if that was decades ago. The 80's harbor a whole lot of that runaway beats & melodies...
I basically agree! But, this was one of the better severely overplayed tunes of the '80s. There were some really horrible tunes, overplayed back then!!
Some things get unnerving relatively quickly. Especially, if they've been played far too often on your local radio station for far too long, even if that was decades ago. The 80's harbor a whole lot of that runaway beats & melodies...
I basically agree! But, this was one of the better severely overplayed tunes of the '80s. There were some really horrible tunes, overplayed back then!!
Great tune!
eileenomurphy wrote:
Some things get unnerving relatively quickly. Especially, if they've been played far too often on your local radio station for far too long, even if that was decades ago. The 80's harbor a whole lot of that runaway beats & melodies...
They probably say the same about YOU,!
Some things get unnerving relatively quickly. Especially, if they've been played far too often on your local radio station for far too long, even if that was decades ago. The 80's harbor a whole lot of that runaway beats & melodies...
Noni163 wrote:
They probably say the same about YOU,!
Fuck the Police
They probably say the same about YOU,!
This album is from 1981, and the movie Predator came out in 1987, so it would make sense if the people who created symbols on Predator's gauntlet displays in the movie might have taken inspiration from this album's cover art 
the cover art was and is a milestone.
Fuck the Police
Fantastic lyrics
Pretty Good, not their best.
Superb less is more dub bass.
A Police song for this time we're experiencing: "Don't Stand So Close to Me"
Sasha2001 wrote:
Your post was too long to read but heh - I've got the exact same mixed tape that you like!
Your post was too long to read but heh - I've got the exact same mixed tape that you like!
BCarn wrote:
Nor is proper grammar apparently.
No need to be a jerk.
Nor is proper grammar apparently.
No need to be a jerk.
Sasha2001 wrote:
Comments like this get my salivary glands juiced! So what you're saying is, of all the bands to make it to the big time, The Police and AC/DC were the worst. For you to accept this you would have had to have been exposed to the tiniest of musical samplings.
Here's a list of "Big Time" (your words) musical acts that I think are WORSE then your choices. In no particular order:
Whitney Houston
Phil Collins solo
Later Genesis
Lionel Richie (but not the Commodores)
REO Speedwagon
Garth Brooks
Journey
New Kids On the Block
Bon Jovi
Huey Lewis & the News
Chicago (Chicago 17)
Def Leppard
And this list is based on the best selling albums of the 1980s only.
Here's my take on The Police:
Quite often bands hit it big because they land on a sound through their own evolution, a sound that finds them aligned with popular tastes at that particular moment in history. The Police are such a band. Experimental enough to satisfy purists but at the time less raw then punk. Appealing to both genders with the convergence of video and audio media. Sting became a bona fide sex symbol, and the Hugh Padgham produced, easy listening masterpiece, "Synchronicity," exploded onto television sets and AM/FM radios everywhere.
For those of us who saw them in a small club or cozy theater setting, the Police were as tight and high-energy an outfit as any power trio out there. Although lyrically clunky, owing to Sting's famed "gay wadness," they often transcended this high-minded posing with songs that felt original and fresh in 1980. With Sting's thinly veiled jazz leanings, Copeland's classical underpinnings, and Summers' weird tonal proclivity, the Police were unlike any other band of their era.
Besides the much publicized animosity between the mates, they're break-up always seemed like a forgone conclusion to me. The pop bloat that found it's way into songs like "Every breath you take" became like a platinum-selling cancer, threatening all future creativity. To me, the break-up was only further evidence that these guys were for real.
Man, someone likes to hear themselves. I'm pretty certain it says "Post Comment" not Post Manifesto!
Comments like this get my salivary glands juiced! So what you're saying is, of all the bands to make it to the big time, The Police and AC/DC were the worst. For you to accept this you would have had to have been exposed to the tiniest of musical samplings.
Here's a list of "Big Time" (your words) musical acts that I think are WORSE then your choices. In no particular order:
Whitney Houston
Phil Collins solo
Later Genesis
Lionel Richie (but not the Commodores)
REO Speedwagon
Garth Brooks
Journey
New Kids On the Block
Bon Jovi
Huey Lewis & the News
Chicago (Chicago 17)
Def Leppard
And this list is based on the best selling albums of the 1980s only.
Here's my take on The Police:
Quite often bands hit it big because they land on a sound through their own evolution, a sound that finds them aligned with popular tastes at that particular moment in history. The Police are such a band. Experimental enough to satisfy purists but at the time less raw then punk. Appealing to both genders with the convergence of video and audio media. Sting became a bona fide sex symbol, and the Hugh Padgham produced, easy listening masterpiece, "Synchronicity," exploded onto television sets and AM/FM radios everywhere.
For those of us who saw them in a small club or cozy theater setting, the Police were as tight and high-energy an outfit as any power trio out there. Although lyrically clunky, owing to Sting's famed "gay wadness," they often transcended this high-minded posing with songs that felt original and fresh in 1980. With Sting's thinly veiled jazz leanings, Copeland's classical underpinnings, and Summers' weird tonal proclivity, the Police were unlike any other band of their era.
Besides the much publicized animosity between the mates, they're break-up always seemed like a forgone conclusion to me. The pop bloat that found it's way into songs like "Every breath you take" became like a platinum-selling cancer, threatening all future creativity. To me, the break-up was only further evidence that these guys were for real.
Man, someone likes to hear themselves. I'm pretty certain it says "Post Comment" not Post Manifesto!
Patrick Bourgeois jouait cela avec le Docteur billows Band, en 1981.
Saw them headline the "Amnesty International" Conspiracy of Hope tour. They followed U2; we were all sitting there wondering who the fuck could follow Us!?!?
They came out and blew the stadium to bits!!!!
Went to see them twice, at both Police Picnic in the GTA (area around Toronto) in the early 1980's.
[a] a band where each album matured rather dramatically from the previous while each managing to be at least a bit challenging for a "mainstream" act.
[b] i saw them live as a threesome touring on Zenyatta; and it remains one of the high points in my concert-going life. Less was more; their use of space in their songs was tremendous.
[b] i saw them live as a threesome touring on Zenyatta; and it remains one of the high points in my concert-going life. Less was more; their use of space in their songs was tremendous.
Vakse wrote:
Nor is proper grammar apparently.
NOT my cup of tea....
Never was never been.
Nor is proper grammar apparently.
As I type this, this tune is 38 frickin years old.
To these ears it's aging relatively well.
To these ears it's aging relatively well.
NOT my cup of tea....
Never was never been.
This was a very clever album cover design.
I saw colitas speak. Think I may have spent to much time at the Hotel California.
chyk5 wrote:
Oddly I'd argue 'invisible sun' has held up, only the location has shifted
Some of their songs have not held up with time (invisible sun), but this is not one of them. Forgot how much i love Stewart Copeland's work.
Oddly I'd argue 'invisible sun' has held up, only the location has shifted
jp33442 wrote:
No, that would be a sin of omission.
If the police were taken off the play list that would be great
No, that would be a sin of omission.
Had this 7 inch as a child, loved it then, love it now still
Some of their songs have not held up with time (invisible sun), but this is not one of them. Forgot how much i love Stewart Copeland's work.
Yeah, who doesn't love The Police, rightfully so. But I just can't help giggling over that Tweet recently that went something like... The Police winning Best Reggae Album is peak Grammys.
Preceded by Burning Spear this time. ;)
With words they try to jail ya
It's the rhetoric of failure
(Very few rhymes for couplet. Doublet?)
With words they try to jail ya
It's the rhetoric of failure
(Very few rhymes for couplet. Doublet?)
kangoid wrote:
Big Bob Marley fan...
Marley followed by The Police...reggae then reggae-rock...very good, Bill!
Big Bob Marley fan...
dwlangham wrote:
one word Roxanne....
one word Roxanne....
If the police were taken off the play list that would be great
It reminds me of a particularly good time in my life, so there's that.
And that's some sweet drumming. I ignore Sting's overwrought "I'm a smart guy" lyrics.
And that's some sweet drumming. I ignore Sting's overwrought "I'm a smart guy" lyrics.
I found out when you are using the Player and want to PSD it won't work. Just not at all a Police fan. PSD Please! LOL
fedtho wrote:
Nothing against the band. They had some great tracks. The problem is they were FM darlings and, like REM, Elton John and others, a handful of their tracks got robo-played beyond death and put me off hearing those cuts or anything else they did. Including this one.
Sometimes I just don't want to listen to a song I've loved and heard a thousand times. And sometimes it's just the right time to listen to it again.
This time, it was the right time.
I'm a little surprised by all the hate. I have a hunch the Sting hate pollutes the perception of the band, but that's just my take.
SOME people DO make pretty convincing points on why The Police's music might deserve criticism.
I can't argue about that band being relevant, having aged well or badly: I'm 50, they are a glorious part of my life. ANY song by them is wired inside my brain and has brought me joy, relief etc. in one way or another.
This time, it was the right time.
I'm a little surprised by all the hate. I have a hunch the Sting hate pollutes the perception of the band, but that's just my take.
SOME people DO make pretty convincing points on why The Police's music might deserve criticism.
I can't argue about that band being relevant, having aged well or badly: I'm 50, they are a glorious part of my life. ANY song by them is wired inside my brain and has brought me joy, relief etc. in one way or another.
Nothing against the band. They had some great tracks. The problem is they were FM darlings and, like REM, Elton John and others, a handful of their tracks got robo-played beyond death and put me off hearing those cuts or anything else they did. Including this one.
Sometimes I just don't want to listen to a song I've loved and heard a thousand times. And sometimes it's just the right time to listen to it again.
This time, it was the right time.
I'm a little surprised by all the hate. I have a hunch the Sting hate pollutes the perception of the band, but that's just my take.
SOME people DO make pretty convincing points on why The Police's music might deserve criticism.
I can't argue about that band being relevant, having aged well or badly: I'm 50, they are a glorious part of my life. ANY song by them is wired inside my brain and has brought me joy, relief etc. in one way or another.
So thankful I was able to see them at the Grove in Oakville,Canada at The Police Picnic's in the 1980"s I'm lucky!
bam23 wrote:
Oddly, I hear the bass in a new way (better speakers) and end up impressed by this song that has been one of those background pieces for me for decades. It seems to have aged well for me. So you inform us, almost parenthetically, that you could not stand it when it was released and it has not aged well. If you started off disliking it, what sort of rotting detritus does it represent now? One must wonder...
Ha! Rotting detritus indeed. They peaked with Truth Hits Everybody, way before it became the reggae tinged Sting show
Oddly, I hear the bass in a new way (better speakers) and end up impressed by this song that has been one of those background pieces for me for decades. It seems to have aged well for me. So you inform us, almost parenthetically, that you could not stand it when it was released and it has not aged well. If you started off disliking it, what sort of rotting detritus does it represent now? One must wonder...
Ha! Rotting detritus indeed. They peaked with Truth Hits Everybody, way before it became the reggae tinged Sting show
Our so-called leaders speak
With words they try to jail you
They subjugate the meek
But it's the rhetoric of failure
A thousand hosanna amens to that.
With words they try to jail you
They subjugate the meek
But it's the rhetoric of failure
A thousand hosanna amens to that.
I'm no wise king but I think this song has aged really well. 8
At 36 years old, this is sounding way perkier than I am. Upping from 6-7.
thewiseking wrote:
Oddly, I hear the bass in a new way (better speakers) and end up impressed by this song that has been one of those background pieces for me for decades. It seems to have aged well for me. So you inform us, almost parenthetically, that you could not stand it when it was released and it has not aged well. If you started off disliking it, what sort of rotting detritus does it represent now? One must wonder...
This has not aged well.
Couldn't stand it then actually.
Couldn't stand it then actually.
Oddly, I hear the bass in a new way (better speakers) and end up impressed by this song that has been one of those background pieces for me for decades. It seems to have aged well for me. So you inform us, almost parenthetically, that you could not stand it when it was released and it has not aged well. If you started off disliking it, what sort of rotting detritus does it represent now? One must wonder...
This has not aged well.
Couldn't stand it then actually.
Couldn't stand it then actually.
Thank you Bill and Becky!
Excellent segue from Bob Marley's "Exodus" to this most excellent track... But Conjure One's "Endless Dream" doesn't continue the groove for me.
That snare!
Everybody in my domestic space craft loves this song...we shuffle in the shuttle.
Lazarus wrote:
Lazarus wrote:
Everybody in my alien space craft loves this song...
Still true today...
Police is one of the best for me, I never get tired of them, and specially this song.
Sasha2001 wrote:
Comments like this get my salivary glands juiced! So what you're saying is, of all the bands to make it to the big time, The Police and AC/DC were the worst. For you to accept this you would have had to have been exposed to the tiniest of musical samplings.
Here's a list of "Big Time" (your words) musical acts that I think are WORSE then your choices. In no particular order:
Whitney Houston
Phil Collins solo
Later Genesis
Lionel Richie (but not the Commodores)
REO Speedwagon
Garth Brooks
Journey
New Kids On the Block
Bon Jovi
Huey Lewis & the News
Chicago (Chicago 17)
Def Leppard
And this list is based on the best selling albums of the 1980s only.
Here's my take on The Police:
Quite often bands hit it big because they land on a sound through their own evolution, a sound that finds them aligned with popular tastes at that particular moment in history. The Police are such a band. Experimental enough to satisfy purists but at the time less raw then punk. Appealing to both genders with the convergence of video and audio media. Sting became a bona fide sex symbol, and the Hugh Padgham produced, easy listening masterpiece, "Synchronicity," exploded onto television sets and AM/FM radios everywhere.
For those of us who saw them in a small club or cozy theater setting, the Police were as tight and high-energy an outfit as any power trio out there. Although lyrically clunky, owing to Sting's famed "gay wadness," they often transcended this high-minded posing with songs that felt original and fresh in 1980. With Sting's thinly veiled jazz leanings, Copeland's classical underpinnings, and Summers' weird tonal proclivity, the Police were unlike any other band of their era.
Besides the much publicized animosity between the mates, they're break-up always seemed like a forgone conclusion to me. The pop bloat that found it's way into songs like "Every breath you take" became like a platinum-selling cancer, threatening all future creativity. To me, the break-up was only further evidence that these guys were for real.
One music critic I read (in Rolling Stone? can't remember) wrote before Synchronicity that the band's reggae roots and three-man setup were going to limit their commercial success. Synchronicity tossed aside that three-man sound in favor of everything including the kitchen sink. I wouldn't call it easy listening and it got raves from almost every music critic...
The video to "Synchronicity II", though: that was the pop bloat cancer you describe.
As Sting kept complaining, "Every Breath You Take" isn't a love song. It's gives voice to a stalker. It's meant to be menacing.
Comments like this get my salivary glands juiced! So what you're saying is, of all the bands to make it to the big time, The Police and AC/DC were the worst. For you to accept this you would have had to have been exposed to the tiniest of musical samplings.
Here's a list of "Big Time" (your words) musical acts that I think are WORSE then your choices. In no particular order:
Whitney Houston
Phil Collins solo
Later Genesis
Lionel Richie (but not the Commodores)
REO Speedwagon
Garth Brooks
Journey
New Kids On the Block
Bon Jovi
Huey Lewis & the News
Chicago (Chicago 17)
Def Leppard
And this list is based on the best selling albums of the 1980s only.
Here's my take on The Police:
Quite often bands hit it big because they land on a sound through their own evolution, a sound that finds them aligned with popular tastes at that particular moment in history. The Police are such a band. Experimental enough to satisfy purists but at the time less raw then punk. Appealing to both genders with the convergence of video and audio media. Sting became a bona fide sex symbol, and the Hugh Padgham produced, easy listening masterpiece, "Synchronicity," exploded onto television sets and AM/FM radios everywhere.
For those of us who saw them in a small club or cozy theater setting, the Police were as tight and high-energy an outfit as any power trio out there. Although lyrically clunky, owing to Sting's famed "gay wadness," they often transcended this high-minded posing with songs that felt original and fresh in 1980. With Sting's thinly veiled jazz leanings, Copeland's classical underpinnings, and Summers' weird tonal proclivity, the Police were unlike any other band of their era.
Besides the much publicized animosity between the mates, they're break-up always seemed like a forgone conclusion to me. The pop bloat that found it's way into songs like "Every breath you take" became like a platinum-selling cancer, threatening all future creativity. To me, the break-up was only further evidence that these guys were for real.
One music critic I read (in Rolling Stone? can't remember) wrote before Synchronicity that the band's reggae roots and three-man setup were going to limit their commercial success. Synchronicity tossed aside that three-man sound in favor of everything including the kitchen sink. I wouldn't call it easy listening and it got raves from almost every music critic...
The video to "Synchronicity II", though: that was the pop bloat cancer you describe.
As Sting kept complaining, "Every Breath You Take" isn't a love song. It's gives voice to a stalker. It's meant to be menacing.
Argh, I cannot find the PSD button on my stereo.....
Sting
!
Sting
! Reggae brought to the next level of evolution, if you believe in that sort of thing.
Everybody in my alien space craft loves this song...
unclehud wrote:
Nah...that was Ian Dury & The Blockheads.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkdgJ_-Gg3Q
AC/DC = Sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Pretty simple, I think. (pun)
Nah...that was Ian Dury & The Blockheads.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkdgJ_-Gg3Q
Our so-called leaders speak
With words they try to jail you
They subjugate the meek
But it's the rhetoric of failure
Still as relevant today as when written.
With words they try to jail you
They subjugate the meek
But it's the rhetoric of failure
Still as relevant today as when written.
Milk5Cents wrote:
....... sure is
best. snare. ever.
....... sure is
i don't remember this being so reverby!
best. snare. ever.
Everybody in my church loves this song...
Everyone (nearly) in my village likes this
with apologies to the 'EVERY'? one police
with apologies to the 'EVERY'? one police
I am not sure why but I still crank this one...
dwlangham wrote:
Good list. Add Styx and Foreigner.
Add Police.
Good list. Add Styx and Foreigner.
Add Police.
Sasha2001 wrote:
Comments like this get my salivary glands juiced! So what you're saying is, of all the bands to make it to the big time, The Police and AC/DC were the worst. For you to accept this you would have had to have been exposed to the tiniest of musical samplings.
Here's a list of "Big Time" (your words) musical acts that I think are WORSE then your choices. In no particular order:
Whitney Houston
Phil Collins solo
Later Genesis
Lionel Richie (but not the Commodores)
REO Speedwagon
Garth Brooks
Journey
New Kids On the Block
Bon Jovi
Huey Lewis & the News
Chicago (Chicago 17)
Def Leppard
And this list is based on the best selling albums of the 1980s only.
Good list. Add Styx and Foreigner.
Comments like this get my salivary glands juiced! So what you're saying is, of all the bands to make it to the big time, The Police and AC/DC were the worst. For you to accept this you would have had to have been exposed to the tiniest of musical samplings.
Here's a list of "Big Time" (your words) musical acts that I think are WORSE then your choices. In no particular order:
Whitney Houston
Phil Collins solo
Later Genesis
Lionel Richie (but not the Commodores)
REO Speedwagon
Garth Brooks
Journey
New Kids On the Block
Bon Jovi
Huey Lewis & the News
Chicago (Chicago 17)
Def Leppard
And this list is based on the best selling albums of the 1980s only.
Good list. Add Styx and Foreigner.
Back in 1981 this was pretty much the slickest thing out there.
Well.
Put.
MiracleDrug wrote:
Put.
MiracleDrug wrote:
timeless.
brilliant.
brilliant.
timeless.
brilliant.
brilliant.
I don't care how much these guys get overplayed anywhere. They are still amazing. I love all of their stuff, and GITM was a great, spiritual/political pop album. And they ROCKED at the New Orleans Arena in 2007 - ahhhhh, memories....sigh
Xeric wrote:
No! The Police? Repetitive? No!
(The Police are second to AC/DC as the worst band ever to make the big time. If you ask me. Which you didn't, of course. Nobody ever does. I can't understand why.)
Comments like this get my salivary glands juiced! So what you're saying is, of all the bands to make it to the big time, The Police and AC/DC were the worst. For you to accept this you would have had to have been exposed to the tiniest of musical samplings.
Here's a list of "Big Time" (your words) musical acts that I think are WORSE then your choices. In no particular order:
Whitney Houston
Phil Collins solo
Later Genesis
Lionel Richie (but not the Commodores)
REO Speedwagon
Garth Brooks
Journey
New Kids On the Block
Bon Jovi
Huey Lewis & the News
Chicago (Chicago 17)
Def Leppard
And this list is based on the best selling albums of the 1980s only.
Here's my take on The Police:
Quite often bands hit it big because they land on a sound through their own evolution, a sound that finds them aligned with popular tastes at that particular moment in history. The Police are such a band. Experimental enough to satisfy purists but at the time less raw then punk. Appealing to both genders with the convergence of video and audio media. Sting became a bona fide sex symbol, and the Hugh Padgham produced, easy listening masterpiece, "Synchronicity," exploded onto television sets and AM/FM radios everywhere.
For those of us who saw them in a small club or cozy theater setting, the Police were as tight and high-energy an outfit as any power trio out there. Although lyrically clunky, owing to Sting's famed "gay wadness," they often transcended this high-minded posing with songs that felt original and fresh in 1980. With Sting's thinly veiled jazz leanings, Copeland's classical underpinnings, and Summers' weird tonal proclivity, the Police were unlike any other band of their era.
Besides the much publicized animosity between the mates, they're break-up always seemed like a forgone conclusion to me. The pop bloat that found it's way into songs like "Every breath you take" became like a platinum-selling cancer, threatening all future creativity. To me, the break-up was only further evidence that these guys were for real.
No! The Police? Repetitive? No!
(The Police are second to AC/DC as the worst band ever to make the big time. If you ask me. Which you didn't, of course. Nobody ever does. I can't understand why.)
Comments like this get my salivary glands juiced! So what you're saying is, of all the bands to make it to the big time, The Police and AC/DC were the worst. For you to accept this you would have had to have been exposed to the tiniest of musical samplings.
Here's a list of "Big Time" (your words) musical acts that I think are WORSE then your choices. In no particular order:
Whitney Houston
Phil Collins solo
Later Genesis
Lionel Richie (but not the Commodores)
REO Speedwagon
Garth Brooks
Journey
New Kids On the Block
Bon Jovi
Huey Lewis & the News
Chicago (Chicago 17)
Def Leppard
And this list is based on the best selling albums of the 1980s only.
Here's my take on The Police:
Quite often bands hit it big because they land on a sound through their own evolution, a sound that finds them aligned with popular tastes at that particular moment in history. The Police are such a band. Experimental enough to satisfy purists but at the time less raw then punk. Appealing to both genders with the convergence of video and audio media. Sting became a bona fide sex symbol, and the Hugh Padgham produced, easy listening masterpiece, "Synchronicity," exploded onto television sets and AM/FM radios everywhere.
For those of us who saw them in a small club or cozy theater setting, the Police were as tight and high-energy an outfit as any power trio out there. Although lyrically clunky, owing to Sting's famed "gay wadness," they often transcended this high-minded posing with songs that felt original and fresh in 1980. With Sting's thinly veiled jazz leanings, Copeland's classical underpinnings, and Summers' weird tonal proclivity, the Police were unlike any other band of their era.
Besides the much publicized animosity between the mates, they're break-up always seemed like a forgone conclusion to me. The pop bloat that found it's way into songs like "Every breath you take" became like a platinum-selling cancer, threatening all future creativity. To me, the break-up was only further evidence that these guys were for real.
freddyfender wrote:
You're right, none of them can, though your beloved AC/DC did release the second-largest-selling album in history.
Yeah, totally. AC/DC, The Police and Guns and Roses cannot hold a candle to the musical genius that was/is the great imports from Sweden; the one, the only, often imitated, never duplicated.........ABBA.
You're right, none of them can, though your beloved AC/DC did release the second-largest-selling album in history.
Hate when they try to "jailya"... it's always such a "failya".
Music OK,,,,lyrics,,nah
Musically this is brilliant. Lyrically not bad. Love the bassline and trance of the keyboard with that off center pulsating bass drum and kick snare before the chorus. Wahhhhhh!
tom-kenna wrote:
AC/DC = Sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Pretty simple, I think. (pun)
AC/DC I will never understand the appeal. .....
AC/DC = Sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Pretty simple, I think. (pun)
paraclete wrote:
I had not heard this for a couple of years. Great to hear again, it still sounds fresh to me.
I love Sting, and much of the Police, but this one song got WAY too much airplay back in the day, and so I am a bit burned out on it.
I had not heard this for a couple of years. Great to hear again, it still sounds fresh to me.
2 -> 1
I love Sting, and much of the Police, but this one song got WAY too much airplay back in the day, and so I am a bit burned out on it.
Yep. I gave it an 8. 
The "Police" are the only band I turn OFF on the "WONDERFUL" RP.
I just don't like them, never have.
I just don't like them, never have.
Zigi wrote:
If Stewart Copeland is a pretty good drummer then Beethoven was a pretty reasonable composer.
A matter of taste, for: ignorance is infinite, knowledge is not.
And: bad taste is taste as well . . .
It comes down to taste right? What I know - facts - is they both had / have incredible musical skill.
FYI: I enjoy both. An as for Beethoven: thus performed properly.
Ouch, I guess that's taste as well.
Enjoy your music!
If Stewart Copeland is a pretty good drummer then Beethoven was a pretty reasonable composer.
A matter of taste, for: ignorance is infinite, knowledge is not.
And: bad taste is taste as well . . .
It comes down to taste right? What I know - facts - is they both had / have incredible musical skill.
FYI: I enjoy both. An as for Beethoven: thus performed properly.
Ouch, I guess that's taste as well.
Enjoy your music!
crockydile wrote:
The lyrics still ring true (to me). If we could separate organized religion from the picture, I think our world would be a better place if we all believed that we are spirits in the material world.
There is no political solution
To our troubled evolution
Have no faith in constitution
There is no bloody revolution
We are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Our so-called leaders speak
With words they try to jail you
The subjugate the meek
But it's the rhetoric of failure
We are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Where does the answer lie?
Living from day to day
If it's something we can't buy
There must be another way
We are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Amazed at the negative comments on this song. Maybe it's the metaphysical content in a pop song that has always blown me away.
The lyrics still ring true (to me). If we could separate organized religion from the picture, I think our world would be a better place if we all believed that we are spirits in the material world.
There is no political solution
To our troubled evolution
Have no faith in constitution
There is no bloody revolution
We are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Our so-called leaders speak
With words they try to jail you
The subjugate the meek
But it's the rhetoric of failure
We are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Where does the answer lie?
Living from day to day
If it's something we can't buy
There must be another way
We are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
Are spirits in the material world
to hear this song is always a nice dose of energy, thanks r&b
LastChance wrote:
If Stewart Copeland is a pretty good drummer then Beethoven was a pretty reasonable composer.
Stuart Copland is a pretty good drummer. . .
If Stewart Copeland is a pretty good drummer then Beethoven was a pretty reasonable composer.
Amazed at the negative comments on this song. Maybe it's the metaphysical content in a pop song that has always blown me away.
Love this album.
Stuart Copland is a pretty good drummer. . .
freddyfender wrote:
I gotta go with Rush and Kiss, hands down, no contest, but hey, that's just me.
Xeric wrote:
(The Police are second to AC/DC as the worst band ever to make the big time. If you ask me. Which you didn't, of course. Nobody ever does. I can't understand why.)
SweTex wrote:
Yeah, totally. AC/DC, The Police and Guns and Roses cannot hold a candle to the musical genius that was/is the great imports from Sweden; the one, the only, often imitated, never duplicated.........ABBA.
(The Police are second to AC/DC as the worst band ever to make the big time. If you ask me. Which you didn't, of course. Nobody ever does. I can't understand why.)
SweTex wrote:
Agreed...I'd add Gun's and Roses to the list, but no one ever asks me either. Probably for the same reason they dont ask you. Are we doing something wrong?
Yeah, totally. AC/DC, The Police and Guns and Roses cannot hold a candle to the musical genius that was/is the great imports from Sweden; the one, the only, often imitated, never duplicated.........ABBA.
I gotta go with Rush and Kiss, hands down, no contest, but hey, that's just me.
romeotuma wrote:
I have always loved the bass line in this song...
Me too. That and the off-beat drumming from Stuart Copeland gives this track a great feel. I remember seeing the Monseratt recording sessions on TV.
I have always loved the bass line in this song...
Me too. That and the off-beat drumming from Stuart Copeland gives this track a great feel. I remember seeing the Monseratt recording sessions on TV.
EssexTex wrote:
Give it a rest TEX
Again an ok song ruined by the presence of Sting
Give it a rest TEX
Again an ok song ruined by the presence of Sting
i feel bad that i am annoyed by continuous positive comments.
but i am.
sorry.
romeotuma wrote:
This song is soooo good for the ears...
but i am.
sorry.
romeotuma wrote:
This song is soooo good for the ears...
Xeric wrote:
(The Police are second to AC/DC as the worst band ever to make the big time. If you ask me. Which you didn't, of course. Nobody ever does. I can't understand why.)
SweTex wrote:
Agreed...I'd add Gun's and Roses to the list, but no one ever asks me either. Probably for the same reason they dont ask you. Are we doing something wrong?
(The Police are second to AC/DC as the worst band ever to make the big time. If you ask me. Which you didn't, of course. Nobody ever does. I can't understand why.)
SweTex wrote:
Agreed...I'd add Gun's and Roses to the list, but no one ever asks me either. Probably for the same reason they dont ask you. Are we doing something wrong?
Yeah, totally. AC/DC, The Police and Guns and Roses cannot hold a candle to the musical genius that was/is the great imports from Sweden; the one, the only, often imitated, never duplicated.........ABBA.
jagdriver wrote:
Another plug for Andy Summer's memoirs (click link ->) https://www.andysummers.com/onetrainlater.php, which I'm finding to be a very interesting read. It turns out he played in The Animals and Soft Machine, jammed with Jimi, and was on the London scene when Stewart and Gordon were still in short pants. There's even a bit about him turning on another uberfamous rock guitarist to the virtues of Gibson guitars. All of this, and Andy is pretty decent writer, too (i.e., not ghostwritten).
Oh, and don't forget RP's Amazon link!
! Very good book
Another plug for Andy Summer's memoirs (click link ->) https://www.andysummers.com/onetrainlater.php, which I'm finding to be a very interesting read. It turns out he played in The Animals and Soft Machine, jammed with Jimi, and was on the London scene when Stewart and Gordon were still in short pants. There's even a bit about him turning on another uberfamous rock guitarist to the virtues of Gibson guitars. All of this, and Andy is pretty decent writer, too (i.e., not ghostwritten).
Oh, and don't forget RP's Amazon link!
! Very good book
I am transfixed by that little splash cymbal ring...
musik_rose wrote:
Yeah, how dare they play the same sequence of notes multiple times! And hit the same drums more than twice. It's a disgrace.
omg its soooo repetitive!! 
Yeah, how dare they play the same sequence of notes multiple times! And hit the same drums more than twice. It's a disgrace.
Xeric wrote:
(The Police are second to AC/DC as the worst band ever to make the big time. If you ask me. Which you didn't, of course. Nobody ever does. I can't understand why.)
AC/DC I will never understand the appeal. (imoh) Police a bit overrated but, none the less, a very good band.
(The Police are second to AC/DC as the worst band ever to make the big time. If you ask me. Which you didn't, of course. Nobody ever does. I can't understand why.)
AC/DC I will never understand the appeal. (imoh) Police a bit overrated but, none the less, a very good band.
Xeric wrote:
(The Police are second to AC/DC as the worst band ever to make the big time. If you ask me. Which you didn't, of course. Nobody ever does. I can't understand why.)
Agreed...I'd add Gun's and Roses to the list, but no one ever asks me either. Probably for the same reason they dont ask you. Are we doing something wrong?
(The Police are second to AC/DC as the worst band ever to make the big time. If you ask me. Which you didn't, of course. Nobody ever does. I can't understand why.)
Agreed...I'd add Gun's and Roses to the list, but no one ever asks me either. Probably for the same reason they dont ask you. Are we doing something wrong?
Not 5 minutes ago, I just found out that an old friend has met Sting. 
We just got back in touch after many years....back in the day, we shared a love of The Police... 
We just got back in touch after many years....back in the day, we shared a love of The Police... Another plug for Andy Summer's memoirs (click link ->) https://www.andysummers.com/onetrainlater.php, which I'm finding to be a very interesting read. It turns out he played in The Animals and Soft Machine, jammed with Jimi, and was on the London scene when Stewart and Gordon were still in short pants. There's even a bit about him turning on another uberfamous rock guitarist to the virtues of Gibson guitars. All of this, and Andy is pretty decent writer, too (i.e., not ghostwritten).
Oh, and don't forget RP's Amazon link!
Oh, I can't help it. I still love this song, and the Police for that matter. They were one of the first bands I liked as a twelve or thirteen year old, and they helped forge a path to bigger and better music.
My sister and I saw them a couple of years ago in Louisville (Churchill Downs), and it was so much fun. We still remembered every word to every song, and sang along ever so obnoxiously.
My sister and I saw them a couple of years ago in Louisville (Churchill Downs), and it was so much fun. We still remembered every word to every song, and sang along ever so obnoxiously.
musik_rose wrote:
No! The Police? Repetitive? No!
(The Police are second to AC/DC as the worst band ever to make the big time. If you ask me. Which you didn't, of course. Nobody ever does. I can't understand why.)
omg its soooo repetitive!!
No! The Police? Repetitive? No!
(The Police are second to AC/DC as the worst band ever to make the big time. If you ask me. Which you didn't, of course. Nobody ever does. I can't understand why.)
omg its soooo repetitive!!
"Our so-called leaders speak ... "
How appropriate. Brother, can you spare $700 billion?
How appropriate. Brother, can you spare $700 billion?
Marley followed by The Police...reggae then reggae-rock...very good, Bill!
Only last Friday evening I was at one of The Police gigs. Great show, but d'ya know what was really great - bumping into a load of old pals from that era. With being away from old home town for a while, raising families, etc, the are some people you just don't manage to keep up with but the gig brought a place where we were all back there having a great time.
1979 and a friend was helping me move into a flat. I'd just bought a second hand B&W TV and switched it on to test it out. There was The Police playing on a long-defunct TV program called "Rock Goes to College". We listened to Roxanne and when it finished we looked at each other and agreed they would never amount to anything.
We were idiots then.
I remember when their 1st album was released. I liked it & thought it was REALLY GOOD! But, hooda thought. ...eh?