Considered to be one of the first New Wave groups to achieve mainstream success, The Police were fusing elements of rock, pop, punk, reggae and jazz, giving them a sound unlike anyone else on the radio at the time.
Preceding “Regatta’s” release in October of ’79 was the album’s first single, “Message In A Bottle” - the track became the band’s first U.K. #1. The second single, “Walking On The Moon,” followed in November, also hitting #1 in Britian.
Despite success in other territories, The Police were still working on cracking the lucrative American market. The Police had been on the road for virtually all of 1979, so were a well-oiled machine in a live setting. The ‘endless’ tour continued into 1980: a western-US swing in late January eventually landed in Los Angeles on February 6 for a Don Kirshner taping.
Despite flawless playing, the evidence of the wear n’ tear of an ongoing tour can be heard in Sting’s strained vocals on the show.
Following the Kirshner appearance, The Police did six weeks of shows in the Far East and Australia, before heading through Europe, returning to Britian in late April.
Tomorrow: The Police rock Don Kirshner – part 2
