(OT) Stewart Copeland & Those who stay...
I was just watching "Can't Stand Losing You: Surviving the Police" and did a Michigan spit-take. The documentary shares some of Andy Summers photos and this one made me stop and say "wait, whut?" I had to rewind and take a screen cap. Maybe others have seen it but I never have.
Google tells me Eric Klasson was on the Michigan wrestling team around the time when The Police played Crisler Arena on April 7, 1982.
November 7th, 2022 at 5:46 PM ^
Just think had they not written "Don't Stand So Close to Me" in 1980 they would have probably written "Don't stand so close to M" and used this as the album cover:
November 7th, 2022 at 5:46 PM ^
The original title was Can’t Stand Losing to OSU.
November 7th, 2022 at 6:29 PM ^
Other alternate title tracks about the rivalry
“Giving you the finger”
”Every Loss You Take” a song of obsession
”So Homely” about OSU cheerleaders
“Every Little Time You Win Its Tragic”
“Kings of Pain” about our O and D lines
November 7th, 2022 at 5:50 PM ^
I can’t stand losing to OSU.
November 7th, 2022 at 5:58 PM ^
I was at that concert, one of the best ever. Joan Jett opened for them. Then for an encore, they called up a person from the front row, Sting introduced him...it was Bob segar, the Police then played like 3 of his songs while Bob sang. It was really cool.
November 7th, 2022 at 6:12 PM ^
I saw them at Cobo in 1981 with The Go-Go's as opening act.
Not sure why I didn't go to the Crisler show. I was a Senior in HS, in Ann Arbor, and a huge Police fan. How or why did I miss that?
November 7th, 2022 at 6:20 PM ^
Would love to have seen the Go-Go’s. Such catchy songs, and such a crush on Jane Wiedlin.
November 7th, 2022 at 6:41 PM ^
Maybe it was over Spring Break?
November 7th, 2022 at 6:07 PM ^
Tied for Rush as greatest power trio of all time. Rush has the edge musically, but Sting’s vocals even it up. Sting is a musical genius compositionally-speaking. They have three lead instruments, four of you count vocals, and they made it work. That said, that is also why they dissolved.
November 7th, 2022 at 6:48 PM ^
I’m a latecomer Rush fan. I knew of their songs like “Tom Sawyer” and “Spirit of Radio” in high school, but only recently did I realize their talent. Especially Neil Peart. Un-fucking-believable drummer.
November 7th, 2022 at 7:14 PM ^
Stewart Copeland is not a great as the late Neil Pert of Rush but ranks high on my list of rock drummers. He sounded simplistic but had a lot of complex rhythm patterns. There was a lot of reggae and rasta influence in Copeland's style.
No doubt, two great trio rocks bands of all time and they overlapped in the era.
November 7th, 2022 at 7:48 PM ^
Yeah, I like both drummers but they are very different. I'll take Neil pounding the toms and Stewart tickling the cymbals!
November 7th, 2022 at 9:03 PM ^
Copeland also had a pretty successful second career as a film and TV composer.
His best known work in this field is probably the score for Wall Street (1987).
November 7th, 2022 at 9:47 PM ^
I won't argue with someone if they want to say each band at their peak is tied for the greatest power trio of all time. But I think we definitely have to give the nod to RUSH at the end of the day just due to longevity. They are 4th on the list of most consecutive gold albums all time (behind The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Aerosmith). 4th!!!!11!!1. That's unbelievable for a band that almost never had the benefit of having positive press from the music media.
Furthermore, maybe another reason to give RUSH the nod is that they also had 3 lead instruments (at least, considering Geddy Lee also playing keys), and never dissolved. Made great music for 40 years.
November 8th, 2022 at 12:07 AM ^
Rush and The Police are two of my favorite bands, and contain two of my favorite drummers.
How many bands could, at each position, match Rush's at talent with their instruments? Led Zeppelin? The Who? Yes?
November 8th, 2022 at 7:50 AM ^
Cream
November 7th, 2022 at 7:33 PM ^
Outstanding contribution, OP. Thanks.
Somewhere on the WWW you can find a piece on their first-ever show in Michigan at some tiny place in Detroit that no longer exists.
November 7th, 2022 at 10:59 PM ^
They played Bookie’s on W. McNichols a few times.
Bookie’s was originally a gay bar. Back in the day those were the only establishments that would book punk or ska acts. I remember being there once (82?) as a roady and window shopping the leather emporium next store. It took me a minute to realize what the plastic forearm and fist mounted on a handle was for. Definitely not a fern bar.
November 7th, 2022 at 9:22 PM ^
Very nice find. I never saw The Police in concert and have no valid excuse for it.
November 9th, 2022 at 5:43 PM ^
I saw Sting and Peter Gabriel at the Palace back in 2016 when they were touring together. Now THAT was a great show. They alternated songs and sang a few of each other’s songs. Sting sang with the backup singers whenever Peter Gabriel would do a song. It was super cool.
November 9th, 2022 at 6:19 PM ^
Stewart Copeland also composed the theme music for the original TV version of "The Equalizer".
I was at the WCBN studio when they were interviewed prior to their first concert in Ann Arbor.