The Police had a winning formula right off the bat , great drummer , great lead guitarist and the perfect frontman, good looking , singer , bassist and brilliant songwriter . They were never going to fail . The Police were amazing .❤
@@flexiblestrategist9922 Admit to The Police being amazing? Not sure what you're trying to say here since the OP never said anything about the drummer being the best ever. It's not a fucking competition and no one but you brought it up.
Andy was the quiet man of the group but for me was their secret weapon. Incredible imagination for guitar sound scaping. The solo note choices were deliberate because he's a huge Jazz fan. Rick Beato chose another solo which showed his free Jazz anti soloing style. Put some respect on Andy's name. Cheers.
I had never payed much attention to the Police but I was in the hospital with a broken jaw and my dad bought me a Sony Walkman and he picked up the cassette of Ghost In the Machine to help me relax while I was all wired together. I must have listened to that album a hundred times that week. I have been a Police fan ever since.
Almost literally criminal how underrated Andy is as a guitarist. His rhythms, his melodies, don't initially appear difficult, but that was his genius, making highly sophisticated music easily accessible to the masses...look, you don't have to be Petrucci to be intricate and skilled, you know?
he is the most played guitarist on the internet. And Police still got the record for most attendances during their career. but yeah, who´d have thought...
He’s not underrated at all. They were literally the biggest band in the world at one point.. composed of 3 of the best musicians to play together and still one of the most played bands on Spotify now
@@fixedgear37 Sting, sure...The Police...yeah, still huge...even Stewart and his drumming...but Andy Summers has never been put in a category reflective of his immense talent and contributions...he is still, very much, a guitar player's player...
So glad you featured Andy Summers, Michael. Amazing and vastly underrated guitarist. And he knew exactly what he was doing. He trained early as a jazz guitarist, trained for several years in classical guitar, played in some of the most innovative rock bands, played punk, and so on and so forth. If a solo of his sounds dissonant or disjointed or coarse or whatever, it’s very much by design. He absolutely loved to paint musically in so many ways.
In an interview once, I saw someone ask Stewart Copeland if Sting made the Police unique. He said there are players who are better and players who are worse, but NOBODY else played guitar like Andy Summers.
This has always been my favorite Police song, their live version of this song is amazing. My uncle loved the Police (rip uncle Jim). He used to say they’re the best punk trio of all time.
Great reaction. Andy plays it differently live constantly. The recording is similar but not the same. Such a great band, always been my favourite. Cheers
that's an amazing guitar solo, the balls of Andy Summers going for that diminished sound in a rock context... it doesn't happens quite often, and that includes prog and psychedelic bands
The solo on “So Lonely” has always been one of my favorites because of all of the unexpected notes Andy plays. Listen to the live in Boston 1979 version of the song. The solo is phenomenal. Thanks for your analysis.
When they got back together in 07 I begged my parents to take me one of the best shows I've ever seen they were so tight and you knew every song by heart.
That solo is so, so, clever. Of course it’s intentional. They’re playing off each other so well - listen to the bass, Sting doesn’t go from D to A, he goes to F#maj which is WHY all those dissonant licks work. I’m in awe. This is so sick.
What? He DOES go from D to A. He’s playing single notes, so how can he be playing “F#major”? In any case, he’s unambiguously and unmistakably playing an A at the point Summers plays the run in question, and there’s no A in an F# major chord.
@@fromchomleystreet Sting plays an A# which is the 3rd of F#7 (secondary dominant of Bm). And Andy plays a G diminished run which creates a F#7b9 sound. Standard jazz practice.
@@pietervermeulen67 Yes, A# is the third degree of the key of F# Major, and yes, with that diminished lick, Summers would seem to be implying something not unlike an F#7b9 (although, that sort of implies the presence of both an F# AND a G, along with the dissonance that would come with that combination, and as there’s actually no F# in the G/E/C#/A# diminished seventh chord Summers is seemingly outlining, it’s really functioning as a F#7 with what I think is best described as a “suspended root”, even though the term isn’t a standard part of orthodox music theory nomenclature, as far as I’m aware. The root is entirely missing, and specifically replaced by a note a semi-tone higher that wants to resolve down to the tonic) But the point is, whatever you call the chord Summers is arguably implying, he’s improvising, and as a result, Sting didn’t get the memo. Sting continues to play the same bass line he’s played all along. At no point is he actually playing an A# during the solo, other than as a chromatic passing note as he moves from the the A to the B. If you think you hear an A# there, rather than the A he’s actually playing, that’s just your brain “fixing” it for him, because it thinks it SHOULD be an A# due of what Summers is doing.
Andy Summers has done some amazing jazz guitar work, I think jazz has always inspired his fearlessness to try different things and almost stray in a different direction during solos, but the three always seemed somehow on the same page come back perfectly in step.
awesome analysis. Haven't heard the Police in a while. We were such big fans in junior high and of course up to what we felt was the culmination in Synchronicity in 1983, my sophomore year in HS. Saw them at Comiskey Park, home of the Chicago White Sox 7/23/83. Blown away. They were the headliners in what I think was called "A Day in the Park"; Joan Jett, Simple Minds, Flock of Seagulls, The Fixx, and Ministry opened up. Due to various influences, I remember only Joan's set, the Fixx and was back down to take in the Police show. I miss those days.
That diminished lick near the beginning of Andy's solo is very much like what Garcia plays in his solo in "Help on the Way". The world is surely a better place due to this observation.
The Police, in their beginning, were booked to play my highschool but were cancelled due to the fact that Stewart Copeland had been expelled from the school (ASL) for selling hash in the commons. Would've been killer.
I had to do a double take when the lights started blinking, I thought I was just blinking at weird times. Glad you finally covered The Police, totally an under-appreciated band + a personal favourite (my favourite track of theirs would be "When the World is Running Down").
I can't say I liked everything The Police did, but they had some incredible chemistry as a band. This was ALWAYS my favorite tune of theirs. Michael, you will appreciate this: I first heard this song while I was at GIT! I was huddled in one of the video kiosks late at night (I was living only a few blocks away at the time), and watching the concert video that the Police made of their tour through East Asia. On this song, they made a clever music video showing footage of them in various urban environments, on the subway, etc. (years before MTV) I loved this song immediately, and rewound it. I always knew the chords were relatively simple, but I didn't catch the modulation on the solo, thanks! Knowing Andy Summers, his background in Jazz and his fairly methodical and innovative approach to guitar, I think he probably worked out that diminished lick ahead of time, in rehearsal. th-cam.com/video/MX6MvV8cbh8/w-d-xo.html
Yep. Now the University of Hertfordshire. I was there in the late 80s and while, it wasn't a particularly large, renowned or esteemed college, the Student Union sure knew how to book a band.
Dunno if this provides any insight but I believe Andy's background is in Jazz. I appreciate how you just joined in the jam at the end there, because sometimes that's just the right thing to do.
Long time Police fan since Outlandos d’amour, 78? Great take on you for this classic! Kinda kick in the testicles back then, raw, hardcore sound! So new, weird but fresh punch in the face from Stewart… Ah, the good ol’ days from 78 to 84… ya had to be there!
As a fan of this band since three years ago and after having listened (and still listen) to a lot of their live performances, I can say Andy uses that diminished lick in the So Lonely solo very often. Apart from that I can say I also dig deep in his own stuff and his overall soloing (specially in rock music) does always sound as crazy and as occurrent as this one. Great video!
If you're a Stewart Copeland fan, then you really need to checkout his new live album called "Gizmodrome Live!" which has: Stewart Copeland on drums/vocals Adrian Belew on guitar/vocals Mark King on bass/vocals Vittorio Cosma on keyboards/vocals This is one of my favorite albums released in 2021. Check it out...you won't be disappointed.
That tip you gave at 5:00 is so helpful! For some reason I always bend and try to find the right notes whenever I hear those "train whistle" swells like you were doing. Listening to that last note is the key to finding it in about 2 shots. Simple and effective! Thanks!.. Also Stewart Copeland is a monster of a musician.
This is my favorite Police song. I never heard it during its first run. It wasn't until Guitar Hero that I learned of it and grew to appreciate it enough that I've perused their entire catalogue. It's still my favorite.
you breezed right past the most intricately dense and melodically beautiful guitar work of the whole song in this performance starting at @13:14 through @13:30, somehow the rain in your house caught your attention more. The huge chord @13:23 being the most haunting and beautiful. Maybe it's just me, but those gorgeous voicings are what make Andy really Andy.
At least once a year I go on a kick of listening to “So Lonely” and admiring to the point of nearly worshiping the performances The Police have done of this song and then I despair of trying to play along. I don’t know if I ever will be able to do this song justice but your video is great and you got a new subscriber before I finished the video!
Great gig. It was the first time they played a unrecorded song message in a bottle live in public after he just wrote it and the crowd went nuts. So lonely solo has gone through some live switch ups which you can hear with every year after this performance
I had just watched Stanger Things and then seeing the power flickering freaked me out! I felt like I was descending into the upside down during the solo. 😆
It's funny watching this from so early in their career. A college venue in Manchester. Stewart is still playing a 5-piece, and has yet to add the Octobans or splash cymbals.
I am no guitar player but sounds like Andy is doing a slide towards the head stock and it sounds kinda like a car passing by fast and loud. I really love this song and they sound explosive in this live show. 💖
I love The Police, but I never really figured out if Andy Summers was doing all the things he did on purpose or not. I know he's played with The Animals, Soft Machine and Robert Fripp, done some jazz and so on, but still... The original So Lonely solo is even more baffling than this one though, so there's gotta be something behind these things, right?
The recording sound quality of this is NUTZ! And, btw, go check out Andy Summer's instructional videos; I get lost within minutes, but it's insightful insofar as seeing/hearing his WIDE range on display.
Outside of his amazing quirky playing, Andy Summers did some really cool pedal dancing (or maybe a tech offstage?) to add impact to each section of the song…delays, wet/dry, OD with some modulation…made everting sound SO big! ✌🏻🎶🎸
Couple of things. Andy Summers was already 36 here and had been a 'professional' (getting paid) musician for more than 20 years. Also, he studied music and whilst he played pop/rock music for a living, he played jazz/fusion along the way and knows exactly what notes he is playing when soloing and how they relate to the chords and his very developed voicings, arpeggiation and 'filigree'. Sting is very clever and here, already 28. He knew exactly what he had musically in Stuart and then Andy as he was chosen to replace the original, very ordinary, guitarist. That's what's so great about guitar on pop/rock songs. we recognise the soloing here and think it's great - but think of what Brian May might have done as a solo, much more lyrical and deliberately singable or Slash who would shoehorn blues licks in and probably still sound great. It's only four chords and a key change, Guitar, Bass/Voice and Drums, and yet... Great work, as usual, Michael.
Stewart Copeland will always be one of the best! His feel is so natural , Stings bass playing is equally as grooving. Andy is such a well versed player. Definitely underrated. I’d love to be able to play an eight as good as him!
It's definitely intentional with Andy, he likes a little (or a lot!) of dissonance. His solo albums are out there. His autobiography is very interesting. He did a lot of session work before The Police, he knows how to play what he wants. And Stewart, man! His playing makes the hair on my arms stand up!
Michael you should seriously check out some Billy Talent live performances. Ian D'sa is a criminally under rated guitar player. Hes mentioned that his playing is very inspired by Andy Summers as well!
Funny :) You suggest Andy Summers play the diminished arpeggio by accident, maybe, and your power went out! The guitar gods say Do Not Doubt Andy Summers knowing what notes he is playing :)
Andy Summers was in more jazz oriented bands before Police and I think used the power trio format to try more interesting stuff when playing live, he is a very accomplished guitarist!
What an amazing version you've chosen. Ive always said this was his best solo he ever played on this song...so much better than the studio. Good to hear it broken down by a teacher...
I remember the passion of this, so I just come back. ps. Know the challenge of the every day vs realising the magical (every second is really). It def is hard. The simple life is best/cut crap out.
oh yeah - those three note diminished arpeggios are good to get under the fingers - two shapes over four strings - and there they are again 3 frets away. spice notes - diminished chords - Bowie's Golden Years for example - gotta have that diminished chord
That part of Andy Summers you're talking about , I think in my opinion he rolls the volume down . Plays it and turns it back up after the bend . Just a thought.
Man. From the get-go, this band did not give a FUKK. Before the world knew who they were, and with none of the goodwill and patience that audiences will give to more established bands, they took this perfect pop song they’d written and just TORE IT UP, all in the spirit of fun and exploration. Instead of keeping things tight and precise for all the potential scouts in the audience, they’re loose as HELL- Sting doesn’t even try to sing the verse melodies as written, Andy is slipping in as many new frills and elaborations as he can, and then Stewart largely sticks to the script, which really gives the other two a solid platform on which to mess around with the composition. They trust their muse and aren’t concerned with anything except the joy of inspiration and invention. Beautiful.
The diminished licks happen over the V chord both times...a diminished chord is just the V with a b9. If he’s starting on G he’s thinking b7, b9, 3. It’s not an accident at all. He resolves it to the Bm chord. He’s thinking chord to chord not thinking about G as the 4th of D. It’s not atonal at all, in fact it describes the changes the way any jazz player might. If this is supposed to be educational you should probably know the relationship between a V chord and a diminished chord/phrase.
One way you could look at that diminished lick is: For any V7 chord, the 3, 5, b7 form a diminished triad, so A7 is the same as Cdim/A. Sounds wild and dissonant--something rock players don't often emphasize in a V chord--but you get two notes that are only a half-step away from resolving to tones in the I chord (or the vi they use here.) Stack another minor third on that diminished triad, you get Cdim7/A or A7b9 and now three of the four notes from the diminished 7 resolve to notes in the I or vi.
It's something you can hear a lot in e.g. old Django Reinhardt recordings. Andy mentioned buying a Django style guitar in a not so old interview and here is a recording of him playing Django's Nuages in 1997: th-cam.com/video/5HxCT6Y_C_s/w-d-xo.html
the Andy Summers' solo Beato was remiss in leaving out of his top weirdest guitar solos was "Driven to tears", not this, way weirder. holy cow, genius.
Check out his playing on the Police song Someone To Talk To. Love his playing and singing on this. Check out the Police double live album. Andy plays a killer solo on the song Peanuts. One of my favorite solos of his. I highly recommend his solo stuff from the 80’s and early 90’s. I was just listening to his album Charming Snakes today and I was forgot how good this album is. Sting is on it along with Herbie Hancock. Also, Andy does purposely play like that. I think it’s because he didn’t want to sound like all the other guys that were around him in the 60’s (Clapton, Page..). He definitely has his own unique sound. Love it! I will say this isn’t one of his greatest performances, but still cool.
Oh I know. That's the strangest song on the album, but that being said, no one can do what Andy does on the guitar. Wish I could go back in time and listen to Zenyatta for the first time, once again.
@@lync269 My car's cassette player had no rewind. The print on 'Synchronicity' was worn off because I would have to flip the cassette over at the end of each side. I was fascinated with the lyrics primarily, the asynchronous beat and the guitar playing put it all together. I don't want to take anything away from Andy and I have matured enough to know Sting loved the spotlight. The Police just could not have been The Police without Stewart Copeland. They're all very talented but, my gosh!, SC's talent just blows my mind.
A band's true/real talent comes out when doing live performance. If they have talent. I judge bands by live performances. The Police are LEGENDARY in my book.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 87 วันนี้!! คู่เอก "ก้องชัย vs โชคปรีชา"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YN6e7HVnekw/mqdefault.jpg)
The Police had a winning formula right off the bat , great drummer , great lead guitarist and the perfect frontman, good looking , singer , bassist and brilliant songwriter . They were never going to fail . The Police were amazing .❤
Well put; but the hard rock and progressive rock fans (especially Rush fans) will never admit to it. It's always Neil Peart best ever. Blah blah blah.
To their credit, they toured their a&&es off to get to the top. They completely earned it.
@@flexiblestrategist9922 Admit to The Police being amazing? Not sure what you're trying to say here since the OP never said anything about the drummer being the best ever. It's not a fucking competition and no one but you brought it up.
Can we also say how on point Sting's voice is? Good lord.
Sting has one of the greatest voices ive ever heard!
Unique!!!!
Andy was the quiet man of the group but for me was their secret weapon. Incredible imagination for guitar sound scaping. The solo note choices were deliberate because he's a huge Jazz fan. Rick Beato chose another solo which showed his free Jazz anti soloing style.
Put some respect on Andy's name. Cheers.
I had never payed much attention to the Police but I was in the hospital with a broken jaw and my dad bought me a Sony Walkman and he picked up the cassette of Ghost In the Machine to help me relax while I was all wired together. I must have listened to that album a hundred times that week. I have been a Police fan ever since.
Almost literally criminal how underrated Andy is as a guitarist. His rhythms, his melodies, don't initially appear difficult, but that was his genius, making highly sophisticated music easily accessible to the masses...look, you don't have to be Petrucci to be intricate and skilled, you know?
he is the most played guitarist on the internet. And Police still got the record for most attendances during their career. but yeah, who´d have thought...
@@gammaraygem Most played guitarist on the internet? What are you referencing?
He’s not underrated at all. They were literally the biggest band in the world at one point.. composed of 3 of the best musicians to play together and still one of the most played bands on Spotify now
Mr Summers himself.😅 He has enough modesty though. I like him. And he is probly right, or very close. @@johnjohn37371
@@fixedgear37 Sting, sure...The Police...yeah, still huge...even Stewart and his drumming...but Andy Summers has never been put in a category reflective of his immense talent and contributions...he is still, very much, a guitar player's player...
So glad you featured Andy Summers, Michael. Amazing and vastly underrated guitarist. And he knew exactly what he was doing. He trained early as a jazz guitarist, trained for several years in classical guitar, played in some of the most innovative rock bands, played punk, and so on and so forth. If a solo of his sounds dissonant or disjointed or coarse or whatever, it’s very much by design. He absolutely loved to paint musically in so many ways.
In an interview once, I saw someone ask Stewart Copeland if Sting made the Police unique. He said there are players who are better and players who are worse, but NOBODY else played guitar like Andy Summers.
One of the best bands ever. What they could do with 3-4 chords was truly brilliant!! It's complex simplicity at its best!!
This has always been my favorite Police song, their live version of this song is amazing. My uncle loved the Police (rip uncle Jim). He used to say they’re the best punk trio of all time.
Great reaction. Andy plays it differently live constantly. The recording is similar but not the same. Such a great band, always been my favourite. Cheers
Invisible Sun will always be my favorite Andy Summers riff. Super simple but so ominous and eerie.
Love it!
Yep Sting wrote that
@@punns643 mmm... good info
I have an 8 track of Zenyatta Mondatta That Andy signed for me in a shadow Box on my wall. Glad he got some coverage here.
Just discovered this song a couple months ago🤦🏻♂️. Quickly became my favorite police song. Thank you!
that's an amazing guitar solo, the balls of Andy Summers going for that diminished sound in a rock context... it doesn't happens quite often, and that includes prog and psychedelic bands
Absolutely breathtaking performance and insights. Powerhouse of talent in those three.
The title of this video should have been “Andy Summer’s Solo Is So Dissonant It Effects the Power Grid”
That's punk for ya. ;)
The solo on “So Lonely” has always been one of my favorites because of all of the unexpected notes Andy plays. Listen to the live in Boston 1979 version of the song. The solo is phenomenal. Thanks for your analysis.
His best version is this one in my opinion
When they got back together in 07 I begged my parents to take me one of the best shows I've ever seen they were so tight and you knew every song by heart.
That solo is so, so, clever. Of course it’s intentional. They’re playing off each other so well - listen to the bass, Sting doesn’t go from D to A, he goes to F#maj which is WHY all those dissonant licks work.
I’m in awe. This is so sick.
Yeah, one of my old bands used to cover this one and we never nailed that down because it's so subtle and damned crafty.
What? He DOES go from D to A. He’s playing single notes, so how can he be playing “F#major”? In any case, he’s unambiguously and unmistakably playing an A at the point Summers plays the run in question, and there’s no A in an F# major chord.
@@fromchomleystreet Sting plays an A# which is the 3rd of F#7 (secondary dominant of Bm). And Andy plays a G diminished run which creates a F#7b9 sound. Standard jazz practice.
@@pietervermeulen67 Yes, A# is the third degree of the key of F# Major, and yes, with that diminished lick, Summers would seem to be implying something not unlike an F#7b9 (although, that sort of implies the presence of both an F# AND a G, along with the dissonance that would come with that combination, and as there’s actually no F# in the G/E/C#/A# diminished seventh chord Summers is seemingly outlining, it’s really functioning as a F#7 with what I think is best described as a “suspended root”, even though the term isn’t a standard part of orthodox music theory nomenclature, as far as I’m aware. The root is entirely missing, and specifically replaced by a note a semi-tone higher that wants to resolve down to the tonic)
But the point is, whatever you call the chord Summers is arguably implying, he’s improvising, and as a result, Sting didn’t get the memo. Sting continues to play the same bass line he’s played all along. At no point is he actually playing an A# during the solo, other than as a chromatic passing note as he moves from the the A to the B. If you think you hear an A# there, rather than the A he’s actually playing, that’s just your brain “fixing” it for him, because it thinks it SHOULD be an A# due of what Summers is doing.
My favorite police song, and one of my fave songs ever. Makes it my favorite video of yours. Thank you
Me too
Andy Summers has done some amazing jazz guitar work, I think jazz has always inspired his fearlessness to try different things and almost stray in a different direction during solos, but the three always seemed somehow on the same page come back perfectly in step.
One of my fav performances ever, Andy is a beast! Great stuff as ever MP!
Great trio! Amazing blend of new wave, punk, reggae etc.
awesome analysis. Haven't heard the Police in a while. We were such big fans in junior high and of course up to what we felt was the culmination in Synchronicity in 1983, my sophomore year in HS. Saw them at Comiskey Park, home of the Chicago White Sox 7/23/83. Blown away. They were the headliners in what I think was called "A Day in the Park"; Joan Jett, Simple Minds, Flock of Seagulls, The Fixx, and Ministry opened up. Due to various influences, I remember only Joan's set, the Fixx and was back down to take in the Police show. I miss those days.
That diminished lick near the beginning of Andy's solo is very much like what Garcia plays in his solo in "Help on the Way". The world is surely a better place due to this observation.
The Police, in their beginning, were booked to play my highschool but were cancelled due to the fact that Stewart Copeland had been expelled from the school (ASL) for selling hash in the commons. Would've been killer.
I had to do a double take when the lights started blinking, I thought I was just blinking at weird times. Glad you finally covered The Police, totally an under-appreciated band + a personal favourite (my favourite track of theirs would be "When the World is Running Down").
I can't say I liked everything The Police did, but they had some incredible chemistry as a band. This was ALWAYS my favorite tune of theirs. Michael, you will appreciate this: I first heard this song while I was at GIT! I was huddled in one of the video kiosks late at night (I was living only a few blocks away at the time), and watching the concert video that the Police made of their tour through East Asia. On this song, they made a clever music video showing footage of them in various urban environments, on the subway, etc. (years before MTV) I loved this song immediately, and rewound it. I always knew the chords were relatively simple, but I didn't catch the modulation on the solo, thanks! Knowing Andy Summers, his background in Jazz and his fairly methodical and innovative approach to guitar, I think he probably worked out that diminished lick ahead of time, in rehearsal. th-cam.com/video/MX6MvV8cbh8/w-d-xo.html
Stewart actually isn't a reggae drummer. What you hear that makes us think of Reggae are the rythms he grew up hearing in the middle east.
Towards the end of the song I think Sting was saying "Hatfield Polytechnic", the venue of the gig.
Yep. Now the University of Hertfordshire. I was there in the late 80s and while, it wasn't a particularly
large, renowned or esteemed college, the Student Union sure knew how to book a band.
Copeland is so good that the guitar reaction video is 99% Michael talking about the drumming!
Dunno if this provides any insight but I believe Andy's background is in Jazz. I appreciate how you just joined in the jam at the end there, because sometimes that's just the right thing to do.
That's how you work an audience with dynamics. A master class.
Long time Police fan since Outlandos d’amour, 78? Great take on you for this classic! Kinda kick in the testicles back then, raw, hardcore sound! So new, weird but fresh punch in the face from Stewart… Ah, the good ol’ days from 78 to 84… ya had to be there!
Yes.. the Police were really that good ✌🏻
Nice! I forgot how much I like the Police. Great summer vibes :)
As a fan of this band since three years ago and after having listened (and still listen) to a lot of their live performances, I can say Andy uses that diminished lick in the So Lonely solo very often. Apart from that I can say I also dig deep in his own stuff and his overall soloing (specially in rock music) does always sound as crazy and as occurrent as this one. Great video!
I agree about Andy is underrated...Man, Check out So Loney (Beat Club, 1979) Amazing guitar solo on that version and all around awesome drums and bass
If you're a Stewart Copeland fan, then you really need to checkout his new live album called "Gizmodrome Live!" which has:
Stewart Copeland on drums/vocals
Adrian Belew on guitar/vocals
Mark King on bass/vocals
Vittorio Cosma on keyboards/vocals
This is one of my favorite albums released in 2021. Check it out...you won't be disappointed.
That tip you gave at 5:00 is so helpful! For some reason I always bend and try to find the right notes whenever I hear those "train whistle" swells like you were doing. Listening to that last note is the key to finding it in about 2 shots. Simple and effective! Thanks!.. Also Stewart Copeland is a monster of a musician.
This is my favorite Police song. I never heard it during its first run. It wasn't until Guitar Hero that I learned of it and grew to appreciate it enough that I've perused their entire catalogue. It's still my favorite.
you breezed right past the most intricately dense and melodically beautiful guitar work of the whole song in this performance starting at @13:14 through @13:30, somehow the rain in your house caught your attention more. The huge chord @13:23 being the most haunting and beautiful. Maybe it's just me, but those gorgeous voicings are what make Andy really Andy.
As a non-guitar playing Police fan, thanks for giving me another route to appreciating their music!
At least once a year I go on a kick of listening to “So Lonely” and admiring to the point of nearly worshiping the performances The Police have done of this song and then I despair of trying to play along. I don’t know if I ever will be able to do this song justice but your video is great and you got a new subscriber before I finished the video!
The Police were incredible beasts playing live. This reaction video helps to explain some of the reasons why.
Great gig. It was the first time they played a unrecorded song message in a bottle live in public after he just wrote it and the crowd went nuts. So lonely solo has gone through some live switch ups which you can hear with every year after this performance
I had just watched Stanger Things and then seeing the power flickering freaked me out! I felt like I was descending into the upside down during the solo. 😆
I’m so glad you are doing the police today. I would love to see message in a bottle.
It's funny watching this from so early in their career. A college venue in Manchester. Stewart is still playing a 5-piece, and has yet to add the Octobans or splash cymbals.
Summers put a lot of diminished triads in that solo. Those immediately made it a unique piece of music for such a conventional chord progression
I am no guitar player but sounds like Andy is doing a slide towards the head stock and it sounds kinda like a car passing by fast and loud. I really love this song and they sound explosive in this live show. 💖
I love The Police, but I never really figured out if Andy Summers was doing all the things he did on purpose or not. I know he's played with The Animals, Soft Machine and Robert Fripp, done some jazz and so on, but still... The original So Lonely solo is even more baffling than this one though, so there's gotta be something behind these things, right?
The recording sound quality of this is NUTZ! And, btw, go check out Andy Summer's instructional videos; I get lost within minutes, but it's insightful insofar as seeing/hearing his WIDE range on display.
I had a cassette of that gig and THAT. Is why I went to Hatfield Polytechnic…. No kidding … for the gigs!
Outside of his amazing quirky playing, Andy Summers did some really cool pedal dancing (or maybe a tech offstage?) to add impact to each section of the song…delays, wet/dry, OD with some modulation…made everting sound SO big! ✌🏻🎶🎸
Good shit Michael, nice breakdown. Not a massive Sting fan, but he’s a MASTERFUL musician…can play anything
He's one of greatest song writer's of all time
I am so lonely, but this video made me forget my loneliness for seventeen minutes, and fifty-four seconds! The Police Rock!!!
It gives off that sense of someone stumbling and tripping to the finish line, but never falling that makes it catchy
Brillant analysis and play. Thank you so much
Couple of things. Andy Summers was already 36 here and had been a 'professional' (getting paid) musician for more than 20 years. Also, he studied music and whilst he played pop/rock music for a living, he played jazz/fusion along the way and knows exactly what notes he is playing when soloing and how they relate to the chords and his very developed voicings, arpeggiation and 'filigree'. Sting is very clever and here, already 28. He knew exactly what he had musically in Stuart and then Andy as he was chosen to replace the original, very ordinary, guitarist.
That's what's so great about guitar on pop/rock songs. we recognise the soloing here and think it's great - but think of what Brian May might have done as a solo, much more lyrical and deliberately singable or Slash who would shoehorn blues licks in and probably still sound great. It's only four chords and a key change, Guitar, Bass/Voice and Drums, and yet...
Great work, as usual, Michael.
Stewart Copeland will always be one of the best! His feel is so natural , Stings bass playing is equally as grooving. Andy is such a well versed player. Definitely underrated. I’d love to be able to play an eight as good as him!
3:20
So one could say evey single thing he does is magic.
(Badum-tish)
... I'll see myself out.
best reaction ever about this live show
It's definitely intentional with Andy, he likes a little (or a lot!) of dissonance. His solo albums are out there. His autobiography is very interesting. He did a lot of session work before The Police, he knows how to play what he wants. And Stewart, man! His playing makes the hair on my arms stand up!
Dude, that’s a GREAT looking guitar. That is all.
One of the most underrated guitarists, ever
Michael you should seriously check out some Billy Talent live performances. Ian D'sa is a criminally under rated guitar player. Hes mentioned that his playing is very inspired by Andy Summers as well!
Agreed, I learned some Billy Talent song and the guitar parts are insanely cool and clean
Funny :) You suggest Andy Summers play the diminished arpeggio by accident, maybe, and your power went out! The guitar gods say Do Not Doubt Andy Summers knowing what notes he is playing :)
Spot on! 🤣
Andy Summers was in more jazz oriented bands before Police and I think used the power trio format to try more interesting stuff when playing live, he is a very accomplished guitarist!
What an amazing version you've chosen. Ive always said this was his best solo he ever played on this song...so much better than the studio. Good to hear it broken down by a teacher...
Love your work... this is awesome.
At 13:24 he's saying "Hatfield Polytechnic" it's the name of the college like venue they're playing.
You just mentioning it aloud that the stacked diminished is all minor 3rds apart just opened the fret board in my mind!! Thanks !!
I remember the passion of this, so I just come back. ps. Know the challenge of the every day vs realising the magical (every second is really). It def is hard. The simple life is best/cut crap out.
oh yeah - those three note diminished arpeggios are good to get under the fingers - two shapes over four strings - and there they are again 3 frets away. spice notes - diminished chords - Bowie's Golden Years for example - gotta have that diminished chord
What an awesome performance
That part of Andy Summers you're talking about , I think in my opinion he rolls the volume down . Plays it and turns it back up after the bend . Just a thought.
Holy smokes! Fancy duds, man!
Your power didn't go out due to the storm, it was Mr. Summers drawing it in for that badass solo.
When Sting turned around like wth was that lol he was over joyed
Totally agree about Copeland. I think he was the best musician in the Police, which is really saying something.
oysterhead yes great but also i believe there was a certain guitarist involved :) Also what a classic cut. Keep stacking wins!
The police , showed the world the potential of what a punk band could be when the members could actually play their instruments
Bournemouth produced two of the finest rock guitarists.
Gotta check out Sting's interview with Rick Beato! 😎✌
The solo on the studio recording is just as crazy but with more fast, frenetic flourishes.
Looking good Mike. Thanks for the vid
Now u know why so lonely is my favorite song..
Man. From the get-go, this band did not give a FUKK. Before the world knew who they were, and with none of the goodwill and patience that audiences will give to more established bands, they took this perfect pop song they’d written and just TORE IT UP, all in the spirit of fun and exploration. Instead of keeping things tight and precise for all the potential scouts in the audience, they’re loose as HELL- Sting doesn’t even try to sing the verse melodies as written, Andy is slipping in as many new frills and elaborations as he can, and then Stewart largely sticks to the script, which really gives the other two a solid platform on which to mess around with the composition. They trust their muse and aren’t concerned with anything except the joy of inspiration and invention. Beautiful.
The ageing pickguard looks amazing with the red
The Police, Rush, Genesis, Nirvana, Green Day, Dirty Loops, so many more. Trios are not to be discounted-some are legendary.
Violent Femmes
@@TheWingus one of the best bands i have seen live ...
The diminished licks happen over the V chord both times...a diminished chord is just the V with a b9. If he’s starting on G he’s thinking b7, b9, 3. It’s not an accident at all. He resolves it to the Bm chord. He’s thinking chord to chord not thinking about G as the 4th of D. It’s not atonal at all, in fact it describes the changes the way any jazz player might. If this is supposed to be educational you should probably know the relationship between a V chord and a diminished chord/phrase.
One way you could look at that diminished lick is: For any V7 chord, the 3, 5, b7 form a diminished triad, so A7 is the same as Cdim/A. Sounds wild and dissonant--something rock players don't often emphasize in a V chord--but you get two notes that are only a half-step away from resolving to tones in the I chord (or the vi they use here.) Stack another minor third on that diminished triad, you get Cdim7/A or A7b9 and now three of the four notes from the diminished 7 resolve to notes in the I or vi.
It's something you can hear a lot in e.g. old Django Reinhardt recordings. Andy mentioned buying a Django style guitar in a not so old interview and here is a recording of him playing Django's Nuages in 1997: th-cam.com/video/5HxCT6Y_C_s/w-d-xo.html
the Andy Summers' solo Beato was remiss in leaving out of his top weirdest guitar solos was "Driven to tears", not this, way weirder. holy cow, genius.
Check out his playing on the Police song Someone To Talk To. Love his playing and singing on this. Check out the Police double live album. Andy plays a killer solo on the song Peanuts. One of my favorite solos of his. I highly recommend his solo stuff from the 80’s and early 90’s. I was just listening to his album Charming Snakes today and I was forgot how good this album is. Sting is on it along with Herbie Hancock. Also, Andy does purposely play like that. I think it’s because he didn’t want to sound like all the other guys that were around him in the 60’s (Clapton, Page..). He definitely has his own unique sound. Love it! I will say this isn’t one of his greatest performances, but still cool.
I recommend Andy Summers book
Great ears
After reviewing Andy's guitar playing for "So Lonely", could we check out the lyrics he wrote for "My Girl, Sally"? lol
Oh I know. That's the strangest song on the album, but that being said, no one can do what Andy does on the guitar. Wish I could go back in time and listen to Zenyatta for the first time, once again.
@@lync269 My car's cassette player had no rewind. The print on 'Synchronicity' was worn off because I would have to flip the cassette over at the end of each side. I was fascinated with the lyrics primarily, the asynchronous beat and the guitar playing put it all together. I don't want to take anything away from Andy and I have matured enough to know Sting loved the spotlight. The Police just could not have been The Police without Stewart Copeland. They're all very talented but, my gosh!, SC's talent just blows my mind.
Andy is a big Jazz men, every thing , every note is design.
A band's true/real talent comes out when doing live performance. If they have talent. I judge bands by live performances. The Police are LEGENDARY in my book.