Odd questions about Stewart Recordings

[olivier]

Yep, there's so much to re-discover in The Police music, even after 20 years and more !!!
I'm particulary interested in the Minimoog and Taurus sounds, especially in "Reggatta De Blanc". I have to listen to it right now and make a review !
The very famous Taurus sound can be heard in the beginning of "Don't Stand" --> E flat and G !

[cpriddims]

[quote="Dietmar"]

I love that the POLICE's songs sound - in a way - perfect to my ears. But then when I revisit them there's always a lot to discover. Slight mistakes which make the recording even more interesting, because it's NOT perfect.

Andy missing a beat on Roxanne. Strange clicking noises at the start of Don't Stand. The rim shot on Shadows.

One thing which was a mystery to me was the place of the first snare beat on King Of Pain. It took me years to understand that it's kind of logical where it is. But still very strange. If I try to play the beat as on the record I only manage it about 1 of 4 times...[/quote]

I know what you mean on "King." You have to really count on that one. It's on the "and" of count four.

Here's another one that took me forever to get right...

The tom fill at the beginning of "Spirits." It's a pickup, which at first sounds like the last low tom note before the music starts is on a downbeat but it's not. //4/4 time: Rest-Rest-triplet-eighth-eighth-eighth// so the fill ends on the "and" of four, no downbeat on one, hi-hat starts on the "and" of one. whew...

[Demolition man?]

Quote by Dietmar:

«One thing which was a mystery to me was the place of the first snare beat on King Of Pain. It took me years to understand that it's kind of logical where it is. But still very strange. If I try to play the beat as on the record I only manage it about 1 of 4 times...»

Excuse me for my delay...

«Copeland, furthermore, invents another of his rhythmic games:
hitting the snare on the second movement upbeat in the 2/4 measure – preceding the first measure of the strophe with all the instruments involved – he provokes an upsetting contretemps.»

From “THE STYLISTIC EVOLUTION IN A ROCK GROUP:
THE CASE OF THE POLICE (1977-1983)”, degree thesis by Marco Leopizzi

Good Police!
Marco

[georgygirl]

WOW you all know so well in music.

I am just a listener, and I don't notice the mistakes you all said.

For me The Police music is like an addiction.

At last I am hearing -Hole in My life.

I love this song. Cool drums, according exactly with the other instruments and voices.

[Howstupidmrbates]

Another one...in the beginning of Walking On The Moon you can apparently hear Sting shuffling papers - presumably the lyrics. And on On Any Other Day it took me years to figure out what is being sung in a high speed voice as the song trails out ...."happy birthday to you."

[olivier]

Seems to be children voices singing "Happy Birthday"....

[Divemistress of the Dark]

OK, OK, I'll cop to having read "Broken Music" (and liking it more than I expected to). I was surprised to learn Sting's laugh in the beginning of 'Roxanne' is due to his posterior having unexpectedly found the keyboard. Always pictured it resulting from some posh European model in the background whispering bons-mots...

You have to wonder what the Police would have sounded like had some recent technology been available in-studio. I've always argued their production values are some of what made these records so great, and I wonder if today's sophisticated software might have tempted the guys to overproduce more than they should have.

I really like the organic sound all five records have (though the shift to higher-tech is quite apparent between 'Outlandos' and 'Regatta'). Sort of like the Beatles; you're amazed, listening to those records now, how timeless they sound. And all their earlier work was recorded on a four-track (up through the 'White Album' era, though they did use two four-tracks for 'Sgt. Pepper'.)

I'm just not sure, as with so many things, that 'more modern' = 'better'. Although, reading Stewart's accounts in YO about crafting a movie soundtrack, you've got to figure it's still possible to get a warm tone out of a series of instrumentation even if you cheat somewhat and use synthesized sounds.

One of my longer-range projects is listening to more of Stewart's soundtrack work to compare & contrast with Police records, and some of his other work. You can definitely hear a certain sensibility that's common to a lot of it. (And can you believe I don't even have the Klark Kent record yet? I heard it 20 years ago, but couldn't re-order it on vinyl till the temperatures lessened and it wouldn't bake in my mailbox...Might be a while longer. It was 28C here yesterday. Sigh.)

[cpriddims]

Yeah I read Broken Music. Once you get passed the long winded story about his self-induced natural drug trip in some jungle somewhere and into how he was really into music at a young age, concerts and how he finally met up with Stewart (just happened to stop to use the pay phone on his street unknowingly) it's pretty good reading.

I am ready to go and buy Andy's book now!