- Synchronicity (Remastered 2003) · 1983
- The Very Best of Sting & The Police · 1979
- Outlandos d'Amour (Remastered) · 1978
- Zenyatta Mondatta (Remastered) · 1980
- Reggatta De Blanc (Remastered 2003) · 1979
- Outlandos d'Amour (Remastered) · 1978
- Ghost in the Machine (Remastered) · 1981
- Outlandos d'Amour (Remastered) · 1978
- Synchronicity (Remastered 2003) · 1983
- Synchronicity (Remastered 2003) · 1983
- Zenyatta Mondatta (Remastered) · 1980
- Synchronicity (Remastered 2003) · 1983
- Ghost in the Machine (Remastered) · 1981
Essential Albums
- Released in 1983, The Police’s fifth and final album, Synchronicity, would be the band’s most successful in terms of record sales, chart positions, awards and accolades. The record and its ensuing success catapulted the trio of Sting, drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers into the highly refined stratosphere of the superstar. Synchronicity would top the US charts for more than four months, and its first single, “Every Breath You Take”, would beat out Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” for Song of the Year at the Grammys. Barely two months after the album’s release, The Police would play Shea Stadium. No wonder the BBC described the group as “the biggest band in the world”. WIth Synchronicity, The Police also discarded most of the reggae influences that were hallmarks of the band’s earlier records—and since it was the 1980s, the group enthusiastically joined the synthesiser brigade. But there’s also a fair amount of what was then called “world music” influence on the record, as heard on singles like “King of Pain” or “Wrapped Around Your Finger”. And Synchronicity is more stripped down than its predecessors, in a way that both serves the songs, and highlights the band’s strengths as a trio. Still, the record almost didn’t get finished: As principal songwriter, Sting believed his opinion on the direction of the songs were more important than those of his bandmates. And given that he and Copeland were already at odds—producer Hugh Padgham once bluntly declared that “Sting and Stewart hated each other”—the idea that Sting would instruct a drummer known for complex, intricate fills to simplify his parts didn’t bode well for the band’s future. And, in fact, The Police would disband before the decade was finished.
- Sting describes recording this album as “where it all clicked” for The Police, and the chemistry between them is consistently beguiling–particularly on the two killer hits. “Message In a Bottle“ is full of exhilarating gear changes as Andy Summers’s guitar sparkles and charges around Sting and Stewart Copeland’s dubby groove, while “Walking On the Moon” funnels a relaxed skank into a moorish hook. Even on the scratchy, agitated “Deathwish”, they play with the inventive confidence of a band completely in sync.
Artist Playlists
- The band that New Wave kids and classic rock fans can see eye to eye on.
- From a punky reggae party to world domination.
- Sly storytelling wrapped in sleek, punchy New Wave.
- Rock-reggae fusions and killer rhythm sections.
Live Albums
- 2008
- 2003
Compilations
- 2007
- 1992
More To Hear
- Songs from 'Synchronicity' as the album turns 40.
- Sting’s birthday and 40th Anniversary of 'Ghost in the Machine.'
- Strombo plays hits from The Police, and hear from the icon himself.
- Sabi celebrates legendary singer-songwriter Sting.
- Jenn celebrates rock icon Sting.
- A Halloween celebration featuring Mobb Deep, Van Halen & more.
- Why The Police's Synchronicity is the soundtrack to his life.
About The Police
The Police covered an impressive amount of sonic ground during their initial seven-year run as a band. In the process, the trio—former teacher Gordon “Sting” Sumner, onetime Curved Air drummer Stewart Copeland and veteran guitarist Andy Summers—proved that commercial rock music could be both ambitious and accessible. After forming in London, The Police debuted in 1978 with Outlandos d’Amour, a punk- and reggae-influenced LP with a melodic pop core that yielded the New Wave classic “Roxanne”. The band used that album and its signifiers—Sting’s keening yelp and live-wire basslines, Copeland’s intricate backbeats and Summers’ slashing riffs—as a jumping-off point for experimentation; on subsequent LPs, the group explored laidback dub (“Walking On the Moon”), lively jazz-rock (“Driven to Tears”) and moody, greyscale synth-rock (“Invisible Sun”). These panoramic creative visions coalesced on 1983’s multiplatinum smash Synchronicity, a sophisticated rock album with tasteful synth flourishes and the obsession-focused No. 1 hit “Every Breath You Take”. (That song would be sampled by Puff Daddy on his 1997 hit with Faith Evans and 112, “I’ll Be Missing You”, giving The Police hip-hop cred.) After going on a break in 1984, The Police resurfaced in 1986 for several Amnesty International benefit concerts and then reunited for a proper large-scale reunion tour in 2007 and 2008 before splitting up once again. The band’s genre-blending rock approach lives on today via bands such as Vampire Weekend—and Sting himself still switches up Police songs live during his solo gigs.
- ORIGIN
- London, England
- FORMED
- 1977
- GENRE
- Rock