AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Police

Artist:The Police
Song:Message In A Bottle
Album:Every Breath You Take: The Classics





The Police were one of the biggest groups of the New Wave era in the early 80s. The 1979 single Message In A Bottle was their first number one hit in England and set the stage for their success in the early 80s. I think it was their breakthrough hit. The group began with drummer Stewart Copeland. As the son of a CIA officer, he lived all over the world but grew up mostly in Egypt and Lebanon. He went to college in England and the US and moved back to England in 1974 and joined the progressive rock group Curved Air. He decided to form a band in 1977 with Gordon "Sting" Sumner and guitarist Henry Padovani. Sumner got the Sting nickname when he showed up to a gig wearing a sweater that made him look like a bee. The Police released the single Fall Out in 1977 and went out on tour as a support act. Meanwhile, Mike Howlett of Gong formed a band with Sting and former Eric Burdon and The Animals guitarist Andy Summers. When the drummer Howlett wanted was unavailable, Sting brought in Copeland. The group was called Strontium 90. They recorded some demos and played one show in France. But the group split with Howlett and The Police started working as a quartet in London. Padovani left and the trio we all know was born. Copeland's older brother Miles Copeland III heard the song Roxanne, became their manager and got them a record deal with A & M Records in 1978. Of course he would go on to form IRS Records. Their debut album Outlandos d'Amour did well but their second album Regatta de Blanc did even better. And when it became a big success, it boosted sales of the first album. Message In A Bottle was their first #1 hit in England and it did well everywhere else too. Of course The Police would soon become much bigger including their only US number one hit Every Breath You Take in 1983. But Message In A Bottle laid the foundation for that success and you can get all their hits on this comp. The Police took a hiatus in 1984 and then split up for good in 1986. Sting was already having solo success and he was bickering with Copeland anyway. The Police did a reunion tour in 2007. Here's the video for Message In A Bottle by The Police.

THE POLICE-MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE by pierrot77