Police’s Synchronicty Album Turns 30
It was June 1, 1983, when the album that broke up the Police came out. The fact that the band was able to hold it together during the sessions was a major miracle as Radio.com reports via Anti-Music:
As producer Hugh Padgham told Sound On Sound, “By the time of Synchronicity, they were sick of each other — Sting and Stewart hated each other, and although Andy didn’t show as much venom, he could be quite grumpy — and there were both verbal and physical fights in the studio.”
In fact, Copeland recorded his drums in the studio dining room, watching his bandmates via a video monitor. Sting recorded in the studio’s control room, with only Copeland actually recording in the actual recording studio.
Part of the problem was that, while Sting was writing most of the material, Copeland was a highly acclaimed drummer who felt he wasn’t getting to put his stamp on the music. In particular, the drums on “Every Breath You Take” seemed to be a bone of contention. Each drum or percussion element on the track was recorded separately, as opposed to Copeland sitting at his drum kit and simply playing normally. (Throughout the song’s music video, Copeland looks both angry and frustrated as he plays.)
