The Police 1978 - 1983

by Lynn Goldsmith, Phil Sutcliffe (Introduction)

From the start of The Police in 1978 until their separation in 1983, photographer Goldsmith had unparalleled access to the band, capturing its meteoric and often turbulent rise to fame. This collection includes hundreds of photographs and coincides with the bands 30th anniversary.

Genres: Music, Biography, Photography, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Lynn Goldsmith is an American recording artist, a film director and a celebrity portrait photographer. Her work has appeared on the covers and inside almost any important publication in every country for the past 35 years. She has done over 100 album covers. In addition to her editorial work, Goldsmith has also focused on fine art photography with conceptual images.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"For us it was the blending of rock and reggae and punk, and using the spaces [provided] to find a fresh approach to playing as a three-piece, rather than just banging out heavy power chords all night long . . . although we do a bit of that, too!" -- guitarist Andy Summers, on page 90

Ah yes, the 'rock trio.' For nearly sixty years groups like The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, Rush, ZZ Top, Nirvana and Green Day - to name merely a half-dozen - have dotted the airwaves to pound a beat into a listener's brain. Wedged between the classic rock and alternative/grunge rock eras came the New Wave triad known as The Police, a British/American hybrid that enjoyed a relatively brief (1977-1984) time on the pop cultural radar but produced those enduring tunes like 'Roxanne,' 'Every Little Thing She Does is Magic' and 'Every Breath You Take.' Although the title misleadingly suggests a big career-spanning collection, The Police 1978-1983 seems to cull the majority of the photographs from the group's autumn 1979 'Outlandos d'Amour' tour in the eastern U.S. and their summer 1981 'Ghost in the Machine' recording sessions on the Caribbean isle of Monserrat. Still, it's a nice assemblage of pics interspersed with some reflective quotes from Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland. You don't have to turn on the red light, just enjoy paging through this book.

[Keen Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Police was a painful seven years. Everything you thought that would make you happy was given to you, and then it did not make you happy. It’s a horrible but also a wonderful lesson to learn where real happiness comes from. It’s not from success or money.”

So said an introspective and reflective sounding Sting. I remain a huge fan of The Police, not quite punk, not quite reggae, but still producing a commercially successful and audio pleasing sound that took them to the heady heights of Shea Stadium and the rest of the world etc.

We get a nice selection of shots in here, many of them sum of the era and look like self-parodies of rock star poses in 2024, but still the poignancy and power still comes through and although not quite authentic in the true sense of the word, we certainly get a realistic impression of the band and those notoriously combustible personalities within it. There's even a brief cameo from Andy Warhol.

It would have been nice if we got some more information on the photos, rather than just a stream of images with the occasional broad heading. I think this would have been improved by proper dates/years, specific location to allow a wider context?...But still this was an enjoyable read with some fun and decent shots.

[Chris Sudall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I was given it as a present for being best man in Australia (along with a initialled knife!)
It's a load of great photos of The Police with quotes sprinkled throughout. They were very photogenic and quotable so it makes an enjoyable flick through.
Yes, admittedly, I was/am a huge Police fan so if you aren't it's probably one star!

[Bu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely presentation. The photos really come to life and reach out from the pages. A great pictorial document on one of the greatest rock outfits ever, and on life inside a band in the 80s in general.

[Scoats · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometime in the 1980s, I got this for $1 on clearance. A 90% savings off the $9.95 list price.

Some interesting pictures. After having this book for 30+ years, I don't need it on my shelves anymore. To quote Sting, "free, free, set them free".

[Scoats · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometime in the 1980s, I got this for $1 on clearance. A 90% savings off the $9.95 list price.

Some interesting pictures. After having this book for 30+ years, I don't need it on my shelves anymore. To quote Sting, "free, free, set them free".

[Paul Farahvar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly biased as the Police were my favorite band of all time since I was 7 years old. My guess is anyone interested in this book is also a police fan and you will not be disappointed with this read. Great book.