Everyone Stares

[theryugobuddy]

I just saw this documentary about the Police and their rise to fame all filmed by their drummer Stewart Copeland. Its one of the best and most interesting rock movies I've seen.

I was and am a big Police fan, and this is so much more than a "Behind the Music". Copeland narrates in a laconic tone over all the footage taken on his Super 8 from very early in their career and stops awhile before their break-up. There's no new news about them, just more of a feel about what it was like on their way up. Its cool to see Sting carrying his own Samsonite and instruments--

Andy Summers had me laughing out loud with his quips, Sting seems grouchy and self-involved, and Copeland self-deprecates throughout all the fun they had. Alot of interesting footage of scenery out Copeland's hotel rooms in time lapse backed by Police jams really gives a feeling of the isolation of the road, and the roadies, crew, and handlers all add alot of comedy and atmosphere to the proceedings.

Alot of the music is remixed and sounds great. and once you get past the graininess of the film quality, you realize how special this footage is--you could never get this story in crystal clear film --Copeland's narration is also a tad wooden, but that adds to the "regular guy" aspect of the film--this is so far from a Hoillwood production that it makes it a triumph.

If you want a movie about a bare-chested Sting singing the biggest Police songs, this ain't it -- if anything, this movie shows how important the other two were to the group, and not just musically--

[damonrpayne]

I had read that Sting was always a bit proud of himself and that that was the main reason for the band's breakup. I don't have liner notes to check for authoring credit but in some live shows he always called the songs "his" and the other members didn't care for that.

"Fields of Gold" is one of my favorite demo songs when people come to listen to my stereo.