The Police

Gordon 'Sting' Sumner, Stewart Copeland and guitarist Henry Padovani recorded their first Police single, Fall Out, in 1977. 

Released in May on manager Miles Copeland's Illegal label, the single sold over 2,000 copies and made it into the British independent charts. Later that year the band were joined by seasoned guitarist Andy Summers, with Padovani leaving two months later.

In 1978 the band dyed their hair blond for an appearance in a TV advertisement for chewing gum. They gained new punk credibility and the blond hair stayed while Summers and Copeland set about building workman-like songs, with Sting and his white-man's wail then giving the songs a raspy pop edge.

Astonishingly, their A&M Records debut Roxanne failed to chart when first released, but this now-classic tale of a prostitute was a later success on the back of Can't Stand Losing You. Their heavily reggae-influenced albums Outlandos D'Amour and Regatta De Blanc dominated the UK charts for most of 1979 and contained such chart-toppers as Message In A Bottle and Walking On The Moon. Literally translated as "white reggae", Regatta de Blanc, the Police's second album, was a note-perfect, mainstream-ready distillation of New Wave, punk, pop and reggae.

Their third album Zenyatta Mondatta spent its first five weeks at Number 1 in the UK charts and the band scored their first US hit with the easily-digestible cod-reggae song Don't Stand So Close To Me, a teasing tale of an illicit teacher-pupil relationship - and this from the pen of ex-teacher Sting!  This was closely followed by the lyrically rich yet simply titled De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da. 

The following year, having now effectively conquered the world, they released Ghost In The Machine, which contained Sting's most profound lyrics to date and was enriched by Hugh Padgham's fuller production. The major hit singles from this album were the thought-provoking Spirits In The Material World, Invisible Sun (a brooding atmospheric comment on Northern Ireland), and the joyous Caribbean carnival sound of Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, which provided their fourth UK Number 1.

Following yet another multi-million seller, the band relaxed in 1982 to concentrate on solo projects. Copeland resurrected his Klark Kent alter ego and wrote the music for the movie Rumblefish. Summers had a book of photographs published to coincide with an exhibition of his camera work, and also recorded an album with Robert Fripp. Sting appeared in the film adaptation of Dennis Potter's Brimstone And Treacle and had the UK gutter press speculate on his sexual preferences. The Police reconvened in 1983 and released the carefully crafted Synchronicity almost as if they knew this would be their last album (the relationship between Sting and Stewart Copeland erupted in violence during the recording of the album and Sting would often erase Copeland's work!).

The package was stunning, a superb album containing numerous potential hit singles, and a series of expertly made accompanying videos. The obsessive Every Breath You Take - arguably their greatest song - stayed at Number 1 in the UK for four weeks, and for twice as many weeks in the USA, while the album stayed at the top for an astonishing 17 weeks. The collection varies from gentle songs such as Tea In The Sahara and Wrapped Around Your Finger, to the mercurial energy of Synchronicity II.

The trio played their final live shows in June 1986, sharing top billing with U2 on Amnesty International's 25th anniversary tour. A month later they reconvened to record an updated version of Don't Stand So Close To Me for the compilation album Every Breath You Take: The Singles.

Several greatest hits packages and a live album have periodically rekindled interest in the band, but the only reunion to date has been in March 2003 when the three members played a mini-set to celebrate their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. To finish on such a high and to retire as undefeated champions must leave each member with a good feeling. 

In retrospect, it is better to have produced five excellent albums than a massive catalogue of indifferent collections. They never outstayed their welcome, and thus will always be fondly remembered.