Bring On the POLL - ILM Artist Poll #116 - THE POLICE - (Results Thread)

lol for a second I thought you meant the Brötzmann/Sharrock/Laswell.Jackson supergroup

I voted for those last 2, thanks for using the BOtN version of Consider, absolutely the best. Had no idea of Black Seam's pedigree (and I still laugh at the "deadliness" of carbon-14 even if it ties into the carbon of coal).

its the perfect Sting lyric

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPz93eqtAeA

Stewart Copeland on writing and recording the Rumble Fish soundtrack. He wrote and performed everything but some strings and horns.

I was the other vote.

Dang, forgot that thing of Stewart's from Earth Girls Are Easy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmKjw9UGi78

lol for a second I thought you meant the Brötzmann/Sharrock/Laswell.Jackson supergroup

the extent of my police solo opinions are that sting's "i'm so happy i can't stop crying" has such a great & bizarre video, and copeland's spyro the dragon soundtracks are so strangely unmusical - maybe a peak of late 90s digital muzak? that's not to say that i like them, just that they push so far in that direction that i have to begrudgingly respect it, they feel like they were composed specifically to be unmemorable

Yeah, his soundtrack work sometimes reminds me of Zappa getting his first Synclavier and finally being able to realize everything in his head all by himself, and it turns out it sucks.

the Spyro soundtrack is great - I guess if you were born in a certain era you maybe have an affinity for that ugly digital sound. my first thought when playing Spyro was that the music was great - had no idea who did it until later, but when I first heard the Rumblefish OST I do remember thinking "hmmm sounds a bit like the Spyro music"

agreed re: the "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" video. was he making fun of Garth Brooks or are they just kindred spirits?

something about the sing-songy verses in ‘we work the black seam’ bugs me but i’m not sure why

isn't there a Toby Keith duet version xpost

One of my favorite Blue Turtles songs – and it dates from Sting’s Last Exit era:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy0PRsQqbVU
― Naive Teen Idol, Monday, December 5, 2022 9:37 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

amusing how he actually kept some of the lyrics. I kinda like the wild psychedelic jamming in place of the chorus. did any of his other songs originate in Last Exit?

Maybe "I Burn for You"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhNb3XK8Y0g

I have covered "Love is the Seventh Wave" on bouzouki - very much reconfigured to a vaguely celtic folk feel - but I'm not proud of it. Darkest depths of pandemic solo loneliness. My mandolin version of "Why Should I Cry for You," however, is almost acceptable.

I'm up and ready to go.

Sting - Why Should I Cry for You (HD) Live in berlin

15. Why Should I Cry for You? - Sting
90 Points, 2 Votes, 1 Number One

Love it. He rarely sounded this bitter.

Sting - Children's Crusade (from the movie Bring On The Night)

14. Children's Crusade - Sting
92 Points, 2 Votes

Away From Home - Klark Kent (Stewart Copeland) (Promo) (RM)

13. Away From Home - Klark Kent
96 Points, 2 Votes, 1 Number One

Fun video but never heard this song before. It got a number one vote and the other vote was second place.

Why Should I Cry For You? is great, sounds like it could've been one of those 80s Peter Gabriel hits. minus the electric piano of course

Dire Straits / Sting - Money For Nothing (Live Aid 1985)

12. Money for Nothing - Dire Straits w/Sting
109 Points, 3 Votes

That is a great live performance at Live Aid.

Sting - Englishman In New York (Live from the DVD at Italy)

11. Englishman In New York - Sting
112 Points, 3 Votes

boy, did VH-1 love this one

Top 10

Sting - If I Ever Lose My Faith In You (Live in studio)

10. If I Ever Lose My Faith In You - Sting
126 Points, 3 Votes, 1 Number One

boy, did my AT40 station love this one.

There was that overlap era in the early '90s when all these boomer pop stars were still pop stars, before they were put out to pasture.

before they were put out to pasture fields of barley

Peter Gabriel - Red Rain

9. Red Rain - Peter Gabriel w/Stewart Copeland on hi-hat
132 Points, 3 Votes, 2 Number Ones

ch-ch-chick ch-ch-chick

That is a great live performance at Live Aid.

It is. It also makes you realize how much Sting really drives a lot of that song -- not just with the "I want my MTV" stuff but his harmonies throughout the verses and chorus. And while I didn't vote for it, it's def. one of the biggest celebrity cameos that comes to mind.

I remember putting on So fresh out the plastic wrap, hadn't heard anything off it except "Sledgehammer," and those hihats immediately made me go to the liner notes to verify the obvious culprit.

I one day need to do a deep dive into Peter Gabriel as I know I'm missing out. I only know the hits.

Sting - We'll Be Together - Live In Verona 1988

8. We'll Be Together - Sting
149 Points, 4 Votes

UGH

I hate the squeaky keyboard preset, his panderer's approach to songwriting and singing, the way the song stinks of I NEED A TOP TEN.

lmao come on

Sting - Love Is The Seventh Wave

19. Love Is the Seventh Wave - Sting
78 Points, 2 Votes

Never noticed this before, but when I watched the video the entry was linked to, it actually has a different version of the song.

At 1:35, there's a whole section that does not appear in the album version (the only version I was familiar with). Looked into it and found out there's a single mix that's different than the album version - I couldn't find it on YouTube but it's possible that's what's used in the video. I don't think it's an improvement though - much prefer the album version.

(Also, very amused when Sting flashes that look at the camera when he sings "every breath you take.")

ok to be fair I thought the whole origin of this song was just that? Nothing Like the Sun didn't have anything commercial on it and the label asked for a single. Sting himself said he didn't really like it.

xxxp I thought he wrote that to order for a Japanese beer company?

There was that overlap era in the early '90s when all these boomer pop stars were still pop stars, before they were put out to pasture.

Any votes for "All for One, All for Love"? #1 on the charts the week Kurt Cobain died!

(so not so much "I NEED A TOP TEN" as "THE BEER COMPANY GAVE ME A SHITLOAD OF MONEY!")

I'm not selling out, I'm buying in.

Per Wikipedia:

Sting wrote the song for a beer commercial for Kirin Brewery Company. He said that they asked him for the word "together" to be included in the song. He wrote the song in a few minutes and said both the Japanese and the producers both liked the song, despite the short amount of time it took to come up with the song. The original recording included Eric Clapton on guitar, while other takes feature Bryan Loren instead.

ok to be fair I thought the whole origin of this song was just that? Nothing Like the Sun didn't have anything commercial on it and the label asked for a single. Sting himself said he didn't really like it.

Other thoughts ...

I'll have to check that video for "Love Is the Seventh Wave." I would have expected the jokey world music stuff to have aged really badly ("Every cake you bake ...") but it's actually not bad. The bgd vocals and Marsalis's sax interludes are all pretty solid.

"Why Should I Cry For You" was pretty turgid IIRC, like a lot of Soul Cages.

"Children's Crusade" was on my ballot, I think. It holds up and feels like one of Sting's more sincere and successful political statements.

"Englishman in New York" always seemed like Sting's version of twee to me, with all of the bouncy pizzicato strings. Not entirely unpleasant but kind of annoying.

I was a huge fan of "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You" at the time, tho I remember a percussionist in college who was obsessed with Vinnie Colaiuta told me he thought that Ten Summoners Tales was disappointing because despite great playing and memorable tunes Sting had stopped writing incredible bridges and middle-8s. Re-listening last night, I was struck by how in this one, instead of a middle-8 proper, he does a little key change on the chorus and builds the shit out of it before another transposition up that returns the song to its proper key and allows him to end with a bang. It's super powerful still.

Yeah, I like "Love Is the Seventh Wave." Nothing earth-shaking, but it's frothy and pleasant and sounds like it could've been a track on a new Police album.

^^ yeah I know what you're talking about. Sting was so good at writing big powerful choruses like that. I also like the one in "Seven Days" though the lyrics are so snotty and dumb that it practically ruins the tune.

"They Dance Alone" was a good 'un.

This poll got me to listen to Synchronicity for the first time since 1984 and I'm still traumatized by "Mother", which I'd completely buried.

I'm trying to recall which version of "Roxanne" has a mastering error in the first 5 seconds. The tape starts just slightly slower than it should and increases a half-tone (or maybe more) throughout Andy's first 8 strums. This is immediately before the thing where Sting sits on the piano and laughs, which is all that's coming up for me when I search for any evidence of this error. It's a cool sounding error and I just wanna hear it again lol.

It's possible this is on the original Message In A Box CD box set -- this is not the version on any streaming service.

maybe you could download it from Soulseek? I find things like that fascinating for some reason too. one I remember is that on the Police Live CDs, the first track ("Next To You") starts off very quiet until suddenly cranking up to normal volume about a minute in. so if you adjusted the volume up you have to suddenly adjust it back down again. it's pretty annoying and I'm surprised such an error made it to the CD of a high profile band like that.

I'd have to check, but IIRC the best place to get "Roxanne" mastered correctly is the old Every Breath You Take: The Singles CD (at least in the U.S. - I'm guessing pressings overseas have the same mastering).

I can't remember if it's an issue on the original CD's, but on the '90s remasters (which were originally done for Message in a Box), they all have that tape drag in the beginning. It was corrected again in the '00s, but if you want the full dynamic range without the extra compression, get that old Every Breath You Take: The Singles CD.

Whoops, misread that post. Yeah, look for that box set or any remaster from the '90s including Every Breath You Take: The Classics, they will have the tape drag.

in case any of y'all haven't heard it, I highly recommend that first live Sting album, Bring on the Night. IMO it's a must-have because 1) nearly everything is drastically rearranged (minus some of the Blue Turtles stuff), 2) the setlist has no real hits at all on it (so it's not just stuff you're burned out on) and 3) that jazz band he had was really sick. I mean god, that jam session on the first track is crazy. and Kenny Kirkland raps on it! you won't hear that on another Sting album that's for sure.

also wanna point out the line in Low Life that goes "you pay for love/but the hate comes free" is really funny to me for some reason

The thought of Sting nodding along while doing bass face with these superior players horrifies me.

he does let them style all over his catalogue though, it's really neat

Fortunately (or not?) he's largely playing guitar on the live album.

yea just listen to Demolition Man, I don't think Sting can play that fast

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

That is, of course, future Stone Darryl Jones on bass. When you're that good, "hard" for you is keeping it simple for Sting and the Stones.

Yeah Josh OTM. Darryl is a muthflippin GOD and he effortlessly plays stuff that der stinglemeister could never even aspire to play.

(And I say this as an ardent admirer of the Stingster! There are many reasons to hate on him, and his punchable face, but the dude has mos def put together a couple of fucking killer bands.

He's also a really good bassist! Just not, you know, Darryl Jones good.

Agree 100%. Like, there is a reason you call Darryl Jones. Or Nathan East. And there is a reason you call Sting.

(Now I am imagining if Nathan East had played on a Sting record, and how awesome that might be. Jones has an extremely wide vocabulary and a supple style; East is a groovemeister with a funkier edge. Sting's thing is songcraft.)

Nathan East co-wrote "Easy Lover!"

Another good one from the period: Guy Pratt.

Off-topic for this thread, but... I really wish I had seen the Clapton/Collins/Phillinganes/East lineup back when that was a thing.

Like, seriously, that may be as close as rock music will ever get to assembling an ideal all-star quartet, with one of the world's best practitioners in each slot.

Lord Alfred, are you secretly a Momentary Lapse of Reason stan? Pratt was an MVP for that era.

I agree with the live album love, I think it's the best thing in his solo catalog. The logic of that band really comes through live — they're good on the album, but they don't get to jam. The rearrangements and medleys are all good, it was a great way for him to take the Police material out post-Police — not trying to replicate the Police, but hanging onto the songs.

Like, seriously, that may be as close as rock music will ever get to assembling an ideal all-star quartet, with one of the world's best practitioners in each slot.

Ironically Clapton was the weak link of that era!

Guy Pratt doesn't play on "Lapse," but he did the tour. Soto, you should read Guy Pratt's book, a lot of fun.

Your point is well taken, Mr. in Chicago.

He does play on Delicate Sound of Thunder, which in my head is basically Momentary Lapse of Reason live.

note that they scan the same:

Delicate Sound of Thunder

Momentary Lapse of Reason

I sense a pattern

Only bummer about it is it ends with “Tea in the Sahara” which I think is just not a great tune to play live, much less as the final track, much much less with a band like THAT

Otherwise so much of it works for me - I know it’s corny but that key change between One World and Seventh Wave is so cool

This poll was great, one year ago seems like a different world to me now.

Come across my Ghost in the Machine LP today as it was misplaced.

Great poll. Agreed that it feels a lot longer ago. I have a very clear memory of the specific long subway ride during this rollout when I got hooked on Demolition Man for the first time.