The Police

At the very end of 1976, the burgeoning British punk scene saw the birth of the Police, the result of a meeting between drummer Stewart Copeland, who had been with the progressive rock band Curved Air, and a young French guitarist, Henry Padovani, who had just arrived in London. Although they lacked a bassist, Stewart Copeland already had his sights set on Gordon Matthew Sumner, aka Sting, whom he had spotted at a concert by his band Last Exit a short while earlier. As soon as the trio were formed, he went into the studio to record his first two songs, "Fall Out" and "Nothing Achieving", which were a great success locally and enabled the Police to tour as a support act for American singer Cherry Vanilla, whom he then accompanied on her own set. Little by little, the Police made a name for themselves, and didn't hesitate to conquer new territories to avoid remaining confined to the UK. Andy Summers arrived in the band's wake and offered his experience to the trio... on condition that the band remains a trio and that he took Henry Padovani's place. A consensus was reached, but it only lasted the duration of two concerts. In the end, Henry Padovani stepped aside and Andy Summers anchored his chorus-and flanger-laden guitar to the band for posterity. Five albums followed: Outlandos d'Amour in 1978, Reggatta de Blanc in 1979, Zenyattà Mondatta in 1980, Ghost in the Machine in 1981 and Synchronicity in 1983. The hits they scored over the years remain timeless pop-rock staples, from "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" and "Roxanne" to "Every Breath You Take", "So Lonely" and "Walking on the Moon". But the band also explored many other musical styles during their short career: new wave, post-punk and reggae. In addition to the numerous compilations that have graced the Police's discography over the years, the trio reunited briefly in 1986 and again in 2007-2008 to celebrate their timeless work with a major world tour.

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