I naravno, Police
Sting (AKA Gordon Sumner, born 1951 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England): lead vocals, bass, primary songwriter
Andy Summers (born 1942, in Lancashire, England): guitar
Stewart Copeland (born 1952, in Alexandria, Egypt): drums
Early Years: While he was still Gordon Sumner, Sting founded the Police with American drummer Stewart Copeland. The band’s initial incarnation featured a guitarist more in line with the group’s simpler, punkish early sound. Looking to diversify, Sting and Copeland soon tagged accomplished guitarist Andy Summers to take over that spot, and the band that would nearly take over the world was thus launched. The band’s debut album, 1978’s Outlandos d’Amour, soon followed, as the band continued to tour vigorously.
Stardom: Over the course of two more albums, the Police entered the decade on a new wave of popularity, not only in the band’s home base of England but also increasingly in the States. When MTV came along in 1981, the Police were quick to utilize the new medium, releasing memorable clips for “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” and other hits that maximized the band’s blonde good looks, particularly spotlighting charismatic frontman Sting.
From Masterpiece to Dissolution: By 1983 the Police were one of the most important and popular rock bands on the planet. That year, the band enjoyed its biggest and most enduring hit with one of rock’s finest, most sophisticated singles ever released, in “Every Breath You Take.” But following the Synchronicity tour, internal tensions boiled over and, combined with growing individual ambitions, tore the trio apart. Despite a few brief mini-reunions, the Police have not played together for an extended period since.
Legacy: The Police packed in much energetic and jagged but always layered music over their eight-year existence and the quality of the band’s atmospheric catalogue has always attracted a strong critical and popular following. Even today, the group stands as one of rock’s most influential, helping future bands realize ever greater potential for eclecticism and experimentation in mainstream rock. In essence, three of rock’s finest musicians formed one of its best bands, even if that process ultimately destroyed them at their peak.
