From their several influences, the Police grew into a great band, but, the band had a rough start. In 1977, the Police began their first tour of Europe, which left them without money and a record label. Stewart Copeland had to ask his brother Miles to fund their band. Miles not only gave them money to finance their band, but he sold their song "Roxanne" to A & M records. Following their signing with a new record label, their song was released on April 1978 and it received great reviews. Although, the song got little airplay after its release, because mass media didn't feel that a song discussing prostitutes should be heard by Britain. Sting was intrigued by rock mixed with reggae, and wrote several other songs with a texture similar to "Roxanne", but they were also failures. Miles Copeland gave his brother Stewart's band another opportunity, by taking them on a U.S. tour. The Police were given a low budget for the tour, but they preformed 23 shows in 27 days, and received $200 per a night. The Police went back to the UK, and released a new album called Outlandos D'Amour, on November 1978. This album again received little recognition from mass media, so the created another album entitled Regatta De Blanc. The album included a song called, "Regatta De Blanc", which featured their common reggae-rock and Sting's incredible vocals in several choruses. In October 1979, Regatta De Blanc hit number one on the UK charts and number 25 in America.
The high point of the Police's career occurred after their success with the album Regatta De Blanc. The Police were now able to release songs from the first album, such as "Roxanne", because of their mass media success. Miles Copeland decided to do something no band had ever done, which was to tour the Eastern Hemisphere and stray from the U.S. market. The Police started their 37-city, and 19-country world tour, which began in Germany and traveled to such places as New York, Hong Kong, India, Egypt, and several more locations. Although, some of the venues they played were hostile, they generated a large following from the media. When they returned home after the tour, they had to start working on a third album for their large following of fans. The third album entitled Zenyatta featured a lightweight reggae influence and stronger instrumental songs, which was not common in their past albums. The Police embarked on another tour, referred to as the Zenyatta tour, but the band couldn't continue and cancelled several gigs. The Police needed a rest, because of their strenuous tour schedules and the amount of time they spent in the studio. In June 1982, the Police entered the studio to create their fourth album, entitled the Ghost In The Machine. After the album, the Police decided to take a year off to work on their personal interests. They came back with their fifth album, Synchronicity, which was the most successful album of the bands existence. It became clear that Sting created most of the album, because Copeland didn't receive any drum effort. The Synchronicity tour was popular, and on August 18, they played at Shea Stadium, New York in front of 70,000 people. Before the show, the band was sitting in the hotel room, and they realized it doesn't get any bigger than playing at Shea Stadium. With every band member financially secure, they knew that their personalities were going to get in the way. Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland's diverse personalities began pulling the band apart. In 1986, the Police came to an end, because Sting, their best songwriter, wanted to pursue an solo career. The Police didn't play together again until 2003, during their induction into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Then, in 2007-2008, the Police reunited for a reunion tour of the world.
The Police has received a huge amount of recognition over the years. The band received an award in 1982, for the best British Band. Then, at the Grammy Awards in 1983, the Police received the Song of the Year award for "Every Breath You Take", which was awarded to songwriter, Sting. The band has also influenced several bands, which include U2, Simple Minds, Men at Work, and Dispatch, to name a few. The Police will be remembered and heard for years to come, by the future generations interested in the worlds musical history. ("The Police: A History Of The Band Known For "Roxanne")
Work Cited
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