How good is this band?

(compared to their contemporaries)

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fairly under rated in my opinion, strong power trio, cool sounds for the time

I like how their jamaican swag sets them apart from all the 80s new wave bands that you can't even tell apart

Pretty good. Great musicians no question. Hard to say who their contemporaries were, or if that even matters. They're kind of in between.
You could just listen to them and form your own opinion or something.

well above Blondie
a bit above The Cars
slightly above U2
moderately below New Order

Copeland alone makes them worth checking out unless you're sketch on the whole genre.

their first three albums are great, never been a fan of GitM (it does have a few amazing tracks though), Synchronicity is a perfect swan song

Man. These are some of my favorite bands in a bad mix.

The Police = The Cars = Blondie > New Order >>> U2

U2 is good, but really only for Boy, October, and War. I feel like I should rank their albums all together, because Candy-O by: The Cars might be the best album between all of them, even though The Police and Blondie had 5 solid albums each and the Cars only had 2.

I already like them, I wanna see what Sup Forums thinks
that was exactly the type of response I was looking for
I love everything with a dominant off-beat, therefore I really dig the genre
I believe that's the case with most bands

Blondie never clicked with me, U2's first two albums are the only good ones because Bono hadn't fallen in love with his own voice yet, and the Cars are too derivative to me, so I'd go with something like this
>The Police > New Order >> Blondie >>> U2 >>>>> The Cars

Listen to pic related, The Cars - Candy-O, and both of their s/t's and get back to me.

New Order's singles usually were better than their albums. I love many of their songs, but no one album sticks out as being great. Maybe Movement, but not as much as anything by the Police or even U2.

Every Police album is good, but...

Outlandous = Zenyatta > Reggatta > Ghost > Synchronicity

The greatest example of a dysfunctional relationship working out because one kept the other in check.

Best of their time.

explain

U2 didn't stop being good, they just completely abandoned the post-punk pretense after War. JT was great. Not top albums of all time great, but great. Then they became a total meme band, deconstructed this, then embraced it, with Bono becoming The Fly for realsies.

U2 deserves all the hate they get, and you too! im such a joker

Really great for a new wave band, all five of their albums are least decent to amazing in quality. It's a shame they're not talked about more. Pic related it probably their weakest album though

Copeland and Sting were basically polar opposites and well known for getting into fights constantly.

Good singles band. Couldn't stand listening to a whole album of theirs, though. Enjoy their more upbeat songs like So Lonely, Synchronicity II, Canary in a Coalmine, and of course Roxanne. Absolutely loathe the song Walking on the Moon.

They were the best of their contemporaries and the best band of the eighties to boot. Although as far as ranking I'd say The Police>Talking Heads=The Cars=Squeeze>Elvis Costello=The Pretenders=Rockpile=XTC>Tears for Fears =Devo=Duran Duran=New Order=Culture Club

Apologies if I left off your favorite New Wave band.

Zenyatta is their best album followed closely by Regatta and Synchronicity, and the other two aren't much worse. They never had a perfect album, though Zenyatta and Synchronicity come close, but I think all five are essential listening.

All three of them are incredible musicians. A shame they're not discussed more. A small discography, but fun and high quality.

War, The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby are all good.

>the police>talking heads
what in the absolute fuck user

TRUTH HITS EVERYBAZINGA!
TRUTH HITS EVERYONE!

What are their best songs?

Mother

>Outlandos
Next to You, Peanuts, Hole in my Life, Truth Hits Everybody
>Regatta
Regatta de Blanc, Bring on the Night, The Bed's Too Big Without You
>Zenyatta:
Driven to Tears, When the World is Running Down, Canary in a Coalmine, Bombs Away, Man in a Suitcase,
>Ghost
Demolition Man, Re-Humanise Yourself, Omegaman,
>Synchronicity
O My God, Miss Gradenko, Synchronicity II (masterpiece), Tea in the Sahara.

>SINGLES POWER RANKINGS
Don't Stand so Close to Me
King of Pain
Invisible Sun
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
So Lonely
Walking on the Moon
Message in a Bottle
Every Breath you Take
Roxanne
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
Can't Stand Losing You
Wrapped Around your Finger
Spirits in the Material World

B-SIDES WORTH LISTENING TO:
Low Life
A Sermon
Landlord
Someone to Talk To
Nothing Achieving

When The World Is Running Down You Make The Best of What's Still Around

youtu.be/gRTyjWDPAG8

>Omegaman

Good song. Well played.

switch walking on the moon with king of pain

The Police were one of the most, if not the most, musically skilled New Wave groups. Copeland is one of rock's all-time GOAT drummers, and Sting and Summers are both greats are their respective instruments. Combine that with Sting's songwriting and singing, and you have a successful group.

Sadly, they didn't push the boundaries as far as they could have. Talking Heads had a more complete artistic vision, while it seemed that The Police were in it for the fun of music.

Not terribly innovative, but incredibly talented and fun to listen to. Their music has had staying power. Listen to any classic rock station, and I can guarantee you that Roxanne or Every Little Thing She Does is Magic will play within two hours.

TL;DR: TH were more innovate and forward-thinking, but The Police were better at their instruments, plus Sting is a better vocalist than Bryne by a country mile. Good band.

Some user told me to listen to them and God almighty are they good, sure I think putting every album on the Rolling Stones' top 500 is a huge stretch though Zenyatta Mondatta is up there as indisputably one of the best new wave releases out there. Thanks to whoever told me about that.

Walking on the moon is great tho

Outlandos, Ghost in the Machine, and Synchronicity are some of the finest albums in New Wave. Their other two albums are alright too I guess, overall all talented musicians.

Someone To Talk To should have been on Synchronicity instead of Mother, it's a better song and fits in with the overall sound

>Devo = Duran Duran = New Order = Culture Club
imagine having this opinion

the rhythm, melody and production on Walking on the Moon are great, it's the lyrics that are beyond retarded. "I hope my leg don't break/Walking on the moon"? jesus christ.

The Police are among the higher end of their contemparies, but I don't know
if they're the best.

>They never had a perfect album
that's the thing, I love 'em but for example: Synchronicity. I had the tape in my walkman rotation for a good year or so, but does anyone seriously like "Mother"? Andy atonally screaming about "is that my mother on the phone"? yeah, I get it, it's about a guy who's nuts 'cause of his mom and obligations to answer the phone and blah blah blah, but for real Andy, you need to shut up. And back then, you had to wait for the tape to wind when you FF and keep checking it and hope you don't overshoot Miss Gradenko. fuck that shit.

I made my own Police album off of random tracks friends had on their hard drives. It's just for shuffle play in my playlists anyway.

Average. They never made a coherent album.

Cool cover tho

Where did you want them to go? I don't really think it is a good idea for a band like the police to experiment too much, they already had such a good recipe

Yeah the drums/highhat work is fucking amazing on that one. Kinda captures the suspense of taking leaps on the moon.

Easily the best band of the 80's

Andy summers is an incredible guitarist

unintentional partridge

you're right though

nothing compared to pic related

OK apologies, It was late, I was tired, and I had to bump the thread quickly. Police threads never last long here. Devo>U2=Blondie=New Order>Duran Duran=Culture Club. I really like Are We Not Men? and like the Cars they were good for a few songs per album after the debut.
I think The Police were innovative. Sure, The Clash added reggae first but the Police added jazz and a few prog influences. They don't really sound like anybody else. Also, The Police, with the exception of Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, was always just the three of them. The Heads had an ensemble of about ten people for Remain in Light. They also never had Eno as their producer.(Imagine an Eno produced Police album) Sure the Heads were more innovative, but the Internet severely underestimates the Police's innovations.
Would You Believe Zenyatta is the only one of their albums not on Rolling Stone's top 500? Also, I think I'm the one who told you about it. I'm happy you gave them a chance, user. Anyways, I think Zenyatta should be a top 100 RYM album.

it's frustrating how some regular shitposting gets 200 replies and police threads barely last for 30 minutes

Many of the new wave/poppier post-punk bands can't get long lasting threads even though they're fantastic. Japan can maybe pull it off thanks to David Sylvian, but that's about it.

I think The Police are in an odd spot overall. They're high tier, but never God tier. Still fantastic, though, but they never made something that made fans of other genres go "whoa, that's a landmark in music". That said - they definitely have a great thing where they have their own, unique sound, which is bloody hard to get.

I enjoy Mother, not the best song on the track but it's a fun enough track and is a much needed transition between Oh My God and Gradenko

or maybe there are way too many hip hop fans in here

pretty good. aside from sting, who just so happened to be a fluke who was good at singing, playin bass, and fronting a band, the other guys were both highly trained musicians that were hand picked by a studio to be a hit band. andy was in bands and on records since the 60s. big deal bands too, like soft machine and even the later version of the animals. and stu was a highly trained musician whose dad was a fucking CIA agent. oh yea, and one of the tightest drummers of the late 70s and 80s.

as far as new wave bands, they were a lot tighter, groovier, more complex etc
but imo the best new wave bands were the ones that popularized the synths/elec drums and using image/video in new exciting ways. the police were very late to this game, and only started putting synths on their records after everyone else started doing it.

bands like this are what define new wave for me
youtube.com/watch?v=0UKtZwWLMp8
youtube.com/watch?v=9NSOSO3Fv3k&list=PL7Gh3loVuPwb-AcG7nE8QavwmmzZ0n0r1&index=1
youtube.com/watch?v=w43uSMJntgw

CIA agent? I'll look that shit up right now

well thats what ive heard. fact is the kid grew up around various us bases in cairo, beirut etc

that kinda shit only happens when your dads a spook

Yeah he was stationed in Lebanon and that's why his rhythms are middle eastern influenced

tears for fears is the fucking bomb ya mongoloid

Yep, his dad was a founding member of the CIA. He and the rest of the Copeland family went to H.W. Bush's inauguration. They were forced to get out of Beirut after their cover was blown. Though Stew has said it was a nasty shock to find out what his dad did for a living.

That too, I reckon.

>Though Stew has said it was a nasty shock to find out what his dad did for a living

i bet. can you imagine if you went, as a little kid "daddy whats ur job" and he says nothing until 20 some odd years until one day he tells you, "son, ive been working as a spy for the american government to completely subvert the countries that weve been living in, your home, and push them towards everlasting terrorism so that the us, israeli, and saudi interest groups in the area can have free reign to inflict terror on all the kids that you grew up with. oh and that Bush guy we go see all the time is one of the main puppetmasters of the entire free world and me and him decided to kill jfk for being a fucking faggot, now shut the fuck up and go play your drums you stupid fuck"

goddamn i never really looked into this rumor too much. i had no idea his dad was THIS spook. i can even see stus face in him. this guy was evil as FUCK and has no fucking remorse. he even wrote a book on it.

youtube.com/watch?v=JRa11vtonWw

I don't think he liked living in the middle east

still. im sure he knew people there. to think that your dad and his sickfuck friends are the reason that the entire area is, and will be, suffering for the next several decades, maybe even centuries. damn.

In my experience there's a lot of overlap between hip hop and post-punk fans. It's mostly prog/classic rock fans and hip hop fans that don't seem to have much in common.

and jazz cucks who don't have anything in common with anybody

backpackers dig into prog a bit
doom and madlib both sample prog heavily

I'm a jazzfag, I reckon most are only jazzfags but I'm a post-hardcore/prog/new wave/post-punk dude as well.

I am a jazzfag too, but as opposing to all this stuff you listed I am a classical/hc punk/chillwave dude as well

Huge fan of hip hop, punk, jazz and prog. Literally deep in every genre. Just an example.

Just a heads up for Police fans:

Sting's son Joe Sumner's band Fiction Plane are also pretty good.

youtu.be/0ZZPhYGqu4U

is he the singer? interesting timbre

Well, in their day they were the biggest band in the world for a few years.
It seems from comments that this might have been before Sup Forums's time.
Unfortunately Sup Forums has a bit of a blind spot for rhythm so can't into the Police's many innovations which generally started at the drum stool.

Yes

IIRC, Mother was put in just to fuck with Sting's 'perfect album'

I'm amused by the whole Freudian bent of it.

Theres a "Classic Albums" on Synchronicity, worth watching for the music, also for Stew's ongoing sniping at "Sting-O".