Online prognosticator Rick Beato recently opined that in 2100, acts like the Beatles, Nirvana, Queen, and, yes, the Police will still be in heavy rotation when it comes to celebrating the rock era. Beato makes a solid, data-supported case. But as a college professor who teaches popular music, I have observed that today’s students seem just as besotted, if not more so, with Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin.
So will the Police, those purveyors of white reggae with just five studio albums to their name, really ply their way into the next century? The new deluxe box set for "Synchronicity," the band’s megaselling 1983 LP, certainly makes a strong case of its own. Back in the day, the Grammy-winning album was propelled by a quartet of hit singles in “Every Breath You Take,” “King of Pain,” “Wrapped Around Your Finger” and “Synchronicity II.” If you were in earshot of a radio at the time, “Every Breath You Take” was embedded in your daily soundtrack.
