THE CLASS OF '79 (Part 38)

Having become highly popular in the first half of 1979 with an album and singles originally released back in 1978, there was a huge amount of interest in the new material that was going to be released by The Police.

In September 1979 they unleashed a single which somehow straddled new wave and MOR rock and in doing so turned the band into a global product for mass consumption. In other words, this is the single that re-invented stadium rock just as those who had fought in the punk wars had thought they were going to win.

mp3 : The Police - Message In A Bottle
mp3 : The Police - Landlord

I'm not going to sit and here and say that this is a dreadful song. Far from it. Its got a great tune and a catchy chorus to kill for. And the drumming from Stewart Copeland, in particular the way he changes tempo all the way through it, is something to behold. Hell, even the bass playing of Sting is top-class stuff. As for Andy Summers on guitar.....well he's not a million miles away from playing the same notes as can be heard on Don't Fear The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult which has long been regarded by rockists as a classic. Indeed, just last week I was surprised to be in a room full of Glasgow hipsters of all ages and discovering that I was very much in a minority with my distaste for Reaper....

So this was a single which tailor-made for sounding brilliant on the radio. And heavy rotation on Radio 1 as well as across the ever growing independent local stations in the UK meant it was a certainty to hit the #1 spot within a very short space of time.

The Police had shown that emerging from the new wave/indie pack was no barrier to mainstream success, and the 80s saw a procession of bands try and follow their way of developing a loyal following through constant gigging and regular record releases which would grow year after year after year, and before you knew it, the world had been conquered. Step forward U2, Simple Minds, R.E.M and Depeche Mode. Close but no cigar to Echo & The Bunnymen, Talking Heads and The Cure.

I bought this single on green vinyl when it was released - just as I owned other earlier singles by the band on different coloured vinyl as part of the marketing ploy from A&M Records. After the success of Message In A Bottle there would be no need for such gimmickry.....

Happy Listening