Live! (The Police album)
Live! | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
The Omni (Atlanta, Georgia) | ||||
Genre | New wave | |||
Length | 144:07 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Producer | Andy Summers | |||
The Police chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[2] |
Rolling Stone | [3] |
Live! is a live album by The Police, released in 1995 on compact disc and cassette tape. It is the band's first live album and one of only two covering their initial period of activity before 1986, the other being Around The World (2022). A live album from the reunion tour, Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires, was released in 2008.
Contents
According to
Live! contributed to refresh the popularity of The Police about a decade after their break-up. It also had the merit of showcasing the band's live activity, and their propensity for rearranging and extending known songs such as "Roxanne" and "Walking on the Moon". An edited version of "Can't Stand Losing You" from the Boston performance was released as a single and reached number 27 in the UK charts, while the album itself reached number 25.[5]
Reception
Live! was generally well received. David Sinclair in Q magazine noted how the album added an important dimension to the band's recorded legacy by offering a reminder of why The Police were one of the great performing acts of their day.[6] Paul Colbert from Encore Magazine wrote: "It may have taken 10 years for a live album to materialise, but these two CDs were worth the wait, capturing two essential periods, two indispensable sets of material".[6] Andrew Abrahams emphasised the difference between the two performances, observing how the one in Boston "captures a hungry rock band on its ascent" while the one in Atlanta "is more predictable, revealing a super-group that has settled into fame and commercial acceptability".[6] In a November 1993 interview with Q magazine, Sting seemed to agree on this point: "I remember those small gigs so much better than the stadium shows. I can remember pretty well every night of the first tour: which gigs had tricky stairs to negotiate with the gear; what was said in the dressing room; which encores we did. But a stadium just looks like a stadium".[6]
Track listing
All songs written by Sting, except where noted.
Disc one (1979 – Orpheum WBCN/Live in Boston)
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Next to You" | 2:57 | |
2. | "So Lonely" | 7:32 | |
3. | "Truth Hits Everybody" | 2:34 | |
4. | "Walking on the Moon" | 4:59 | |
5. | "Hole in My Life" | 4:08 | |
6. | "Fall Out" | Stewart Copeland | 2:46 |
7. | "Bring On the Night" | 5:16 | |
8. | "Message in a Bottle" | 4:27 | |
9. | "The Bed's Too Big Without You" | 8:53 | |
10. | "Peanuts" | Sting, Copeland | 3:07 |
11. | "Roxanne" | 4:42 | |
12. | "Can't Stand Losing You"/"Reggatta de Blanc" | Sting/Sting, Copeland, Andy Summers | 7:54 |
13. | "Landlord" | Sting, Copeland | 2:27 |
14. | "Born in the 50s" | 4:18 | |
15. | "Be My Girl – Sally" | Sting, Summers | 4:51 |
Disc two (1983 – Synchronicity Concert/Live in Atlanta)
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Synchronicity I" | 2:52 | |
2. | "Synchronicity II" | 4:44 | |
3. | "Walking in Your Footsteps" | 4:54 | |
4. | "Message in a Bottle" | 4:35 | |
5. | "O My God" | 3:36 | |
6. | "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" | 4:32 | |
7. | "Wrapped Around Your Finger" | 5:21 | |
8. | "Tea in the Sahara" | 4:52 | |
9. | "Spirits in the Material World" | 2:57 | |
10. | "King of Pain" | 5:53 | |
11. | "Don't Stand So Close to Me" | 3:36 | |
12. | "Every Breath You Take" | 4:37 | |
13. | "Roxanne" | 6:10 | |
14. | "Can't Stand Losing You"/"Reggatta de Blanc" | Sting/Sting, Copeland, Summers | 6:48 |
15. | "So Lonely" | 7:26 |
For Record Store Day, 12 June 2021, discs one and two were released separately as Live! Vol. 1 Boston 1979 and Live! Vol. 2 Atlanta 1983 on double LP blue and red colored vinyl, respectively.[7]
Personnel
- The Police
- Andy Summers – guitar, Taurus pedals, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Be My Girl – Sally", keyboards
- Sting – bass, lead vocals, synthesizers, oboe
- Stewart Copeland – drums, percussion, xylophone, backing vocals
- Additional personnel (disc two only)
- Michelle Cobb – backing vocals
- Dolette McDonald – backing vocals
- Tessa Niles – backing vocals
Production
- Producer: Andy Summers
- Executive producers: The Police and Miles Copeland III
- Engineers: Wolfgang Amadeus and Eddie King
- Assistant engineer: Jun Murakawa
- Photography: Lynn Goldsmith and Jill Furmanovsky
- Art direction and design: Norman Moore
Charts
Chart (1995) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[8] | 100 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[9] | 41 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[10] | 25 |
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[11] | 57 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] | 17 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] | 43 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[14] | 36 |
Scottish Albums (OCC)[15] | 39 |
UK Albums (OCC)[16] | 25 |
US Billboard 200[17] | 86 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[18] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[19] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- AllMusic. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ "Live!".
- ^ "The Police Live".
- ^ Andy Summers, One Train Later, Piatkus, London, 2007
- ^ The Police in the UK Charts Archived 26 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Official Charts.
- ^ a b c d "The Police Live!". The Police.
- ^ "Record Store Day Drop 2021: 'Live!' Coming on Vinyl". The Police.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 221.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – The Police – Live!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – The Police – Live!" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 9019". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Police – Live!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- ^ "Charts.nz – The Police – Live!". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- ^ "The Police Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "American album certifications – The Police – Live". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 11 February 2022.