Police trivia question: how many Top 10 hits did they have?

[luddite lady]

MIAB peaked at 74 in the U.S.? That really surprises me. I remember it getting a lot of air play in Toronto. It was the song that made me fall in love with the band. My homework always came to a complete stand still when that song came on the radio. I don't think it hit #1 like in the U.K., but I bet it was in the top 10.
Hmmm...I'll try to dig up some info on the Canadian stats.

[animal]

[quote="DirtyMartini"][quote="plutonic"]You know, it's really too bad SPIRITS didn't make it on the reunion tour.[/quote]

Well, it did (forgive me, Stewart) kinda suck.[/quote]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cDrcCVm ... 9502580.16

[samburusunset]

They did play "Spirits" in the beginning of the tour. I was surprised to hear it in the set in Vancouver. Didn't realize it had gone that high in the charts. I never particularly considered it a "hit." I'm not sure when it was dropped.

[policerule]

[quote="samburusunset"]They did play "Spirits" in the beginning of the tour. I was surprised to hear it in the set in Vancouver. Didn't realize it had gone that high in the charts. I never particularly considered it a "hit." I'm not sure when it was dropped.[/quote]


Spirits was my favorite song before I heard all of the old stuff. I remember that video getting constant play.


I'm going to agree with DM and also say that the live version at the beginning of the tour did indeed suck. Dropping that song was a good thing.

[DirtyMartini]

[quote="animal"][quote="DirtyMartini"]
Well, it did (forgive me, Stewart) kinda suck.[/quote]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cDrcCVm ... 9502580.16[/quote]

Better than the two or three renditions that I saw (speed helps), but I still vote (forgive me, Stewart) suck. I remember that it was a real energy drain on the set list, and I personally don't think it's much of a song to begin with, but live it's especially thin: no climax, no levels, just the same chunky guitar thing and chorus of one (IMO hokey) sentence over and over and over. If it had somewhere to go, I think it could really be something, but as it is, it's like riding a carousel: first time 'round is Whee!, but by the fifth time round, it's Why?

[luddite lady]

After a bit of research, I found out that Message in a Bottle made it to #2 in Canada and held that spot for two weeks on the RPM charts. (Jan 19/80 and Jan 26/80). By the end of February though the song had slipped out of the top 20, overcome by such tunes as Coward of the County and Anne Murray's Day Dream Believer. No wonder I was often such a miserable teen-ager!
Because I'm obsessed and my taxes aren't due for two more weeks, I'm going to try to look into some Toronto specific charts. Musical tastes in this city didn't always follow national trends. I'm trying to look up the CHUM charts but having little success. I'm hoping for the help of a Canadian who's more techno-savvy than I. (Yup, that's all 37 million of ya.)

ETA: While we're on the topic, Spirits topped out at #13 in Feb. '82.
And I agree with DM. I think that the idea behind Spirits is worthy but the chorus is just sort of like "yeah, we get that point and ya wanna elaborate?" (That may well be a direct quote from a 17 year old LL in '82)

[DirtyMartini]

Thanks, llady.

Before anyone else does any further work, I should let you guys know that I boiled the info down to to "more than a dozen Top 20 hits." (Simplistic, but three sentences had to become one, and that was the result.)

Thank you again, everyone! I really appreciate the help.