Continuing our spotlight on The Police this week, when thinking about the band in their prime, which album best captured them at the height of their powers? In fairness, that’s a tough (not to mention highly subjective) question, but your answer probably depends a lot on whether you prefer their punky, more rhythmic early material or their more polished new-wave period that characterized their last two albums (which effectively served as bridges to Sting’s subsequent solo career). And, as great a frontman as Sting was/is, in this writer’s opinion, what made The Police such a great band was the sizzling chemistry between him and Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, which was best captured on their first three albums (with 1980’s Zenyatta Mondatta arguably being the pinnacle). And that aforementioned “sizzling chemistry” is on full display throughout this fantastic performance on Rockpalast, which effectively serves as Exhibit A for the case that 1980 represented The Police in their prime. Dig it:
