Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780810884908)

During the 1980s, when pop icons like Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, and U2 reigned supreme, many regarded The Police as the biggest band in the world. Yet after only five albums--and at the peak of their popularity--The Police disbanded and Sting began a solo career that made him a global pop star. Today, artists from Puff Daddy to Gwen Stefani credit The Police and Sting as major influences on their own work, reflecting that The Police were not only a popular, polished rock act, but a powerfully influential one as well.

In Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps, Aaron J. West explores the cultural and musical impact of Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers, and Sting. West details the distinctive hybrid character of The Police's musical output, which would also characterize Sting's post-Police career. Sting's long-lived solo career embodies the power of the artful appropriation of musical styles, while capitalizing on the modern realities of pop music consumption. The Police--and Sting in particular--were pioneers in music video, modern label marketing, global activism, and the internationalization of pop music.

Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps will interest more than just fans. By placing the band within its various musical, cultural, commercial, and historic contexts, Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps will appeal to anyone interested in global popular music culture.

Author: Aaron J. West
ISBN-10: 0810884909
ISBN-13: 9780810884908
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Language: English
Published: 10/01/2015
Pages: 204
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 9.20h x 5.90w x 0.70d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 08/10/2015