New Wave Outpost Forum

The Police with thier early cool witted, white reggae, intellectual guitar pop tunes or the emotional pull on your heart strings do gooders U2.


Remember up until 1983 U2 use to open up from time to time for the Police. Both bands were amazing, hard to choose. I guess most will chose U2 but serious musicians will probibly choose The Police since the were instramentally more tallented. Don't get me wrong the Edge is great, but when sting is in a band in which he is the least instramentally tallented musician (that was too much for his ego one of the many reasons the band no longer exist and has never reform)Andy Summer and Stewart Copeland were the most talented Gutar and Drummers durring that period in any genre of rock. The younger people on this board will most likely pick U2 since the band is more fresh in thier mind. While the older may side with the Police, if your old enough remember late 1979 through 1981 out side of Blondie, the Police were the big face of New Wave(that may be a more consistant mach up, Bondie vs three bottle blonds). But then again people will vote for U2 because Sting is a Egotistical Jerk.

What about the contrast here you have U2 a loving family of four mates closer than brothers. Then there is the Police who seemed like they loathed each other or at least Sting and fought bitterly with each other and this was real personal hostility in the band. Not like the pretentious lets pose to make a fight to get some press Oasis of the 90's.


Love both bands but I haven't bought any material from U2 nor Sting in the 90'or 00'.

I'm going with The Police
plus Miles Copeland (Stewart's older brother had IRS records)


out,
jr

Can't we like them both????

Ok, have to vote for U2 as being the bigger of the 2, only for their longevity and more recent popularity. They're still going strong, have the use of the internet (which the police never had) and make up for such a big chunk of Ireland's GNP (at one time - is this still true??). Songwriting vs songwriting I think it's pretty even.
Drummer to drummer, police obviously win. The guitarist battle is a curious one. Both singers had quite a good range at one time (have to say that age will prevail).
Final Answer:
Gotta love 'em both.
[:D]


OOOOpps, almost forgot. Sting had the DUNE thing. This could change everything.......naaah!

Early Police were absolutely groundbreaking IMHO. They took new wave, alterno, or whatever you want to call it, to the mainstream. U2 took an already present alterno sound and went huge with it, albeit with some great songwriting. But their pre-hit video footage looks very deriative of the Clash and other similar late 70s bands. I take the Police on innovation. If I base it just on longevity, am I to take Wayne Newton?!

Can't choose between the early days of either band. They had 2 totally different sounds imo. Both were excellent back in the day...unusual and groundbreaking is right. Every time I type one band name in over the other, I erase it. I can't choose. Uh oh...my brain is beginning to overload...errr...uhhhh...mghsksklsofllggl...
kerblooie !

p.s. Nowadays, however, I prefer to listen to those old Police CDs. The musicality is mindblowing !!!

Well, at the time, I know I personally liked U2 better. I kind of appreicated their stridency and desire to "really say something."

I guess I appreciate the police a little more in hindsight now than I did then, so I'm calling it even.

Lets give quiet life props! This is like naming your favorite band of all time. There are too many. Well between the two in their early stages, I will say the early police. Ghosts in the machine was great. But I hate to choose one over the other because I love them both. U2 has made some songs that just blew me away. How about Joshua tree? Unreal album. Forget it, I won't choose! I refuse! I have a headache!

Too big faves but U2 have stuck together and have more songs now (obviously) so I'll give it to U2...but I'll be dazed and feel like a turncoat for doing it! (lol)

I'll take the Police over U2 any day. I just like more of their songs better.

I gotta go with the Police on this one. Yeah, Sting is a ponce now, but in the day, they were a great band. Musical, intelligent, and distinctive.

I enjoyed the odd U2 track early on, but Bono just plain ol' rubs me the wrong way. Plus the Edge is a pretty lame guitar player. If you're gonna call yourself "the Edge" you'd better be good, lol. I saw them live twice and still couldn't see what all the fuss is about.

I'm wierd, though.

[quote]Plus the Edge is a pretty lame guitar player. If you're gonna call yourself "the Edge" you'd better be good, lol. I saw them live twice and still couldn't see what all the fuss is about. [/quote]

Sorry but I have to tottaly disagree while not have the live advantage as you I only saw them once at Henery J Kieser Center in Oakland in November of 84'. I think the Edge was very very good.

I came to this conclusion that the Edge may have gotten some of his tricks from Andy Summers. This was about Jan of 85 just a few months after the release of Unforgettable Fire. Listen to the 4th of July instramental piece. You hear that slap back deley... that is a trick you hear all the time from the Police especially in live shows. also those fret ringing harmonics like in "reggatta de blanc" the instramental in the middle of the "Can't stand Losing you" inprov. well those tipe of fret ring harmonics are sprinkled through out the first three U2 LPs. It's like the Edge(with his 70's Black Strat or Gibson Explorer) and Andy Summers(with his super hot rodded 60's sunburst Tele or this ash 70's strat) were kicking back stage kicking down a pint and doing guitar trix for fun before they go on stage.

(by the way I still have this poster for the 1982 Gaitshead music fest...(Lords of the New Church, Gang of Four, The English Beat, U2, The Police)

just a thought,
jr

yeah, it's tough with these VS thingys. It's SO subjective, really. But, you've kinda proved my point, that the Edge is HARDLY an inventive guitar player. He nicks his moves from Summers, ostensibly, and relies FAR too heavily on that stupid delay pedal of his.

Summer's guitar work on Synchronicity alone is totally groundbreaking. Edge has just been riding his delayed "plinka plinkas" for yeeeeeeeears.

Isn't there a famous story about Eno just about losing his mind and ditching the track because the Edge just couldn't play the intro to "where the streets have no name?"

I remember hearing one.

While we're at it, I don't usually go for those fancy "clinician" drum acrobatics, yet I find Stewart Copeland's drumming mesmerising. Larry, on the other hand, attractive as he may be, is just a hot lump of flesh keeping a beat.

From now on, I think I'll let christsmasher speak for me, she says what I'm thinking but says it much better.[:D]

[quote]Summer's guitar work on Synchronicity alone is totally groundbreaking. Edge has just been riding his delayed "plinka plinkas" for yeeeeeeeears.
[/quote]

Actually, the truth is it is Summers who lives on thee didital delay/analog echo box. He's actually the king of Deluxe Memory-Man/Space Echo/Boss Digital Delay DD5. One of Andy Summers signiture moves is the Fat choorusing that you hear in songs like "Driven to Tears", "When the World is Running Down", "Reggatta De Blanc", "How Stupid Mr. Bates" and "Messege in a Bottle" is he would park the delay box right after the chourus box and open up the delay ever so slightly to fatten up the chourusing.


Notice how we are not talking about how inovativeness of Stings bass playing since all it is a punkyer reggae speeded up version of lets say...a Paul McCartney...Yea like Sting is going to be in discussions on his invoating bass playing on the same level as a Mick Karn...Yea like thats really going to happen. Discussion about the Police with out mentioning Sting, very cool.

re: Battling Delay Units

Again, totally subjective and I may be totally full of shit, but to me, it's not just the tone, it's what you do with it.

I'll admit it, I'm a Police fan, not a U2 fan, so I'm totally biased. Not to mention a totally stubborn Taurus, lol.

I like both bands a great deal, but never really saw them converge musically IMO. For me, their sounds were quite different and both exceptional, musically and lyrically.