The Police

Episode 64 covers a short wrap-up retrospective discussion we had on The Police after listening to their full discography. Did they deserve to be considered not only one of the biggest bands of the 80s, but ever?! With such a short discography compared to other legendary acts of the time, would you consider The Police more of a "singles" band or an "album" band? Were The Police unique enough to stand out amongst the other new wave, post-punk, "ska" influenced bands of the era? All points discussed in this episode.

Episode 63 covers The Police's fifth and final studio album, 1983's "Synchronicity." The band's most successful release, the album includes the hit singles "Every Breath You Take", "King of Pain", "Wrapped Around Your Finger", and "Synchronicity II". The album's title and much of the material for the songs were inspired by Arthur Koestler's The Roots of Coincidence. At the 1984 Grammy Awards the album was nominated for a total of five awards, including Album of the Year, and won three. At the time of its release and following its tour, the Police's popularity was at such a high that they were arguably, according to BBC and The Guardian, the "biggest band in the world". Mark, Kevin, Alex, and Chris take you on a historical journey surrounding the album as well as share our favorites and not-so favorites from the record. We go on a deep dive track-by-track listen of this album as well as share personal stories of discovering The Police's "Synchronicity." Tune in next week for Episode 64 covering a special wrap-up conclusion discussion on our journey with The Police.

Episode 62 covers The Police's fourth studio album, 1981's "Ghost in the Machine." The album was released on 2 October 1981 by A&M Records. The songs were recorded between January and September 1981 during sessions that took place at AIR Studios in Montserrat and Le Studio in Quebec, assisted by record producer Hugh Padgham. Ghost in the Machine topped the UK Albums Chart and peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200. The album produced the highly successful singles "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", "Invisible Sun", and "Spirits in the Material World", with a fourth single, "Secret Journey", also being released in the US. Ghost in the Machine was listed at number 322 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Mark, Kevin, Alex, and Chris take you on a historical journey surrounding the album as well as share our favorites and not-so favorites from the record. We go on a deep dive track-by-track listen of this album as well as share personal stories of discovering The Police's "Zenyattà Mondatta." Tune in next week for Episode 63 covering the fifth and final Police studio album "Synchronicity."

DISCLAIMER: We are aware of Alex's audio issues/doubling effect on this episode (and the last episode) and fixed it as best as possible. These were technical issues captured on his source file and were unrepairable after the live recording. Apologies for any annoyance but this has been rectified on the upcoming "Ghost in the Machine" episode. We tried out a new recording software for this episode and "Regatta" but due to the ongoing issues, we have gone back to the previous software (if it's not broken, don't fix it I suppose!). Episode 61 covers the third Police studio album, 1980's "Zenyattà Mondatta." It was co-produced by the band and Nigel Gray. Zenyatta Mondatta was released to commercial success, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart and producing the hit singles "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da". The album won the band two Grammy Awards: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Behind My Camel". Mark, Kevin, Alex, and Chris take you on a historical journey surrounding the album as well as share our favorites and not-so favorites from the record. We go on a deep dive track-by-track listen of this album as well as share personal stories of discovering The Police's "Zenyattà Mondatta." Tune in next week for Episode 62 covering the forth Police studio album "Ghost in the Machine."

APOLOGIES FOR ANY TECHNICAL ISSUES (We tried a new recording software for this episode.) Episode 60 covers the second Police studio album, 1979's "Reggatta de Blanc." It was the band's first release to top the UK Albums Chart and features their first two UK number-one singles: "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon". The music features the Police's distinctive appropriation of reggae and frontman Sting's Caribbean vocal inflections. The album's title loosely translates in French to "White Reggae".[1] It was the band's second album to bear a Franglais title, after their 1978 debut album Outlandos d'Amour. Reggatta de Blanc proved more popular and successful than its predecessor. The title track earned the band their first Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. In 2003, Reggatta de Blanc was ranked at number 369 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Mark, Kevin, Alex, and Chris take you on a historical journey surrounding the album as well as share our favorites and not-so favorites from the record. We go on a deep dive track-by-track listen of this rock album as well as share personal stories of discovering The Police's "Reggatta de Blanc."

Starting our fifth full-band discography analysis with The Police, Episode 59 covers the 1978 debut album Outlandos d'Amour. Although Outlandos d'Amour received mixed reviews upon its release, it has since been regarded as one of the strongest debut albums. Rolling Stone ranked it as the 38th best debut album of all time and the 428th greatest album of all time. Mark, Kevin, Alex, and Chris take you on a historical journey surrounding the album as well as share our favorites and not-so favorites from the record. We go on a deep dive track-by-track listen of this rock album as well as share personal stories of discovering The Police's Outlandos d'Amour. Tune in next week for Episode 60 covering the second Police studio album Reggatta de Blanc.