When The Police were falling apart in 1983, The Beatles saved the day
The Police were on the verge of splitting apart in 1983 while recording their fifth album, Synchronicity, despite the record going on to become their biggest commercial success. According to guitarist Andy Summers, tensions were driven largely by Sting's growing desire to leave and pursue a solo career, which fuelled friction with drummer Stewart Copeland as Sting pushed for greater creative control, leaving the band's working atmosphere close to breaking point.
With the studio dynamic reduced to what Summers called a "screaming bitch fight", he sought help from Sir George Martin, The Beatles' producer, who happened to be staying near AIR Studios in Montserrat. Martin offered brief reassurance, telling Summers things would be fine, which was apparently enough to shift the band's mood; Summers returned to the sessions with a more conciliatory attitude, and the band completed the album, which went on to sell over nine million copies in the US and top both the UK and US charts.
- The Police nearly split during 1983's Synchronicity recording sessions
- Sting's solo ambitions fuelled clashes with Stewart Copeland
- Beatles producer George Martin's advice calmed tensions and saved the album
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Tensions inside The Police were nothing new by the early 1980s, but the making of their fifth album, Synchronicity, brought them to a head. The band was made up of Sting on vocals and bass, Andy Summers on guitar, and Stewart Copeland on drums, a trio that had become one of the biggest acts in the world. By this point Sting was increasingly keen to strike out on his own as a solo artist, and his push for greater control over the music put him at odds with Copeland, leaving the recording sessions strained.
Sir George Martin is best known as the producer who worked closely with The Beatles throughout the 1960s, helping shape many of their most famous records. He was not involved in producing Synchronicity, but happened to be nearby at the same studio complex in Montserrat while The Police were recording there.
This background matters because it explains how a chance encounter with a figure from an earlier era of music history came to play a small part in one of the best-selling bands of the 1980s finishing an album that became their commercial peak, even as the group itself was privately close to falling apart.