Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps (Tempo: A Rowman & Littlefield Music Series on Rock, Pop, and Culture)

During the 1980s, when pop icons like Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, and U2 reigned supreme, many regarded The Police as the biggest band in the world. Yet after only five albums—and at the peak of their popularity—The Police disbanded and Sting began a solo career that made him a global pop star. Today, artists from Puff Daddy to Gwen Stefani credit The Police and Sting as major influences on their own work, reflecting that The Police were not only a popular, polished rock act, but a powerfully influential one as well. In Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps , Aaron J. West explores the cultural and musical impact of Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers, and Sting. West details the distinctive hybrid character of The Police’s musical output, which would also characterize Sting’s post-Police career. Sting’s long-lived solo career embodies the power of the artful appropriation of musical styles, while capitalizing on the modern realities of pop music consumption. The Police—and Sting in particular—were pioneers in music video, modern label marketing, global activism, and the internationalization of pop music. Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps will interest more than just fans. By placing the band within its various musical, cultural, commercial, and historic contexts, Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps will appeal to anyone interested in global popular music culture. During the 1980s, when pop icons like Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, and U2 reigned supreme, many regarded The Police as the biggest band in the world. Yet after only five albums-and at the peak of their popularity-The Police disbanded and Sting embarked on a solo career that made him a global pop star. Today, artists from Puff Daddy to Gwen Stefani credit The Police and Sting as major influences on their own work, reflecting that The Police were not only a popular, polished rock act, but a powerfully influential one as well. In Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps, Aaron J. West explores the cultural and musical impact of Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers, and Sting. West details the distinctive hybrid character of The Police's musical output, which would also characterize Sting's post-Police career. Sting's long-lived solo career embodies the power of the artful appropriation of musical styles, while capitalizing on the modern realities of pop music consumption. The Police-and Sting in particular-were pioneers in music video, modern label marketing, global activism, and the internationalization of pop music. Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps will interest more than just fans. By placing the band within its various musical, cultural, commercial, and historic contexts, Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps will appeal to anyone interested in global popular music culture. Book jacket “An excellent look at how the Police accomplished success . . . West is especially good at examining how the band used the nascent MTV to define themselves.” ― Publishers Weekly During the 1980s, The Police were one of the biggest bands in the world. Yet after only five albums—and at the peak of their popularity—they disbanded, and Sting began a solo career that made him a global pop star. Today, artists from Puff Daddy to Gwen Stefani credit The Police and Sting as major influences on their own work. In this book, Aaron J. West explores the cultural and musical impact of Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers, and Sting. West details the distinctive hybrid character of The Police’s musical output, which would also characterize Sting’s post-Police career. Sting’s long-lived solo career embodies the power of the artful appropriation of musical styles, while capitalizing on the modern realities of pop music consumption. The Police—and Sting in particular—were pioneers in music video, modern label marketing, global activism, and the internationalization of pop music. Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps is a feast for fans—and by placing the band within its various musical, cultural, commercial, and historic contexts, it’s also fascinating reading for anyone interested in global popular music culture. In Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps, Aaron J. West explores the cultural and musical impact of Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers, and Sting. West details the distinctive hybrid character of The Police’s musical output, which would also characterize Sting’s post-Police development as a musician. Sting’s long-lived solo career embodies the power of the artful appropriation of musical styles, while capitalizing on the modern realities of pop music consumption. The Police, and Sting in particular, were pioneers in music video, modern label marketing, global activism, and the internationalization of pop music in their embrace of punk, reggae, and world music. In this critical study, Aaron West, a music critic and professional musician, explores the cultural and musical impact of Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers, and Sting--the band known as The Police. West details the distinctive hybrid character of The Police's musical output, and he shows how the band were pioneers in music video, modern label marketing, global activism, and the internationalization of pop music.--From publisher description Content: The Police and the progressive rock, punk, and reggae styles -- The Police and the style mosaic -- Sting and the album Mosaic -- Selling The Police and Sting to the world -- Sting in the age of global activism -- The Police and the rock trio -- The music after The Police.