Walking on the Moon: The Untold Story of the Police and the Rise of New Wave Rock

This was a fast and fun read. As other reviewers have said, it's unflattering of the Police. It's also worth mentioning that it's focused on the personal, marketing and management side of the band rather than the music. It's interesting that so many of the songs that are described as being written in an atmosphere of in-fighting and tension turned out so well musically. The book describes how the creation of the band's later songs were usually strongly overseen by Sting, yet on many of them (eg. Synchronicity II) I remember as a youngster being impressed by the playing of the others just as much.

This is one of the best music biogs I've read in ages. It's hilarious at times but also incredibly perceptive about the role The Police played in the emerging 80s music scene. Yes, it's brutally honest - possibly to a fault - about the characters of the individual band members but what rock star isn't vain and self-important. And who didn't giggle when Sting started talking about his tantric sex sessions with Trudie! For me, growing up in 80s I remember The Police as one of the biggest bands around. I had a tape with some of their songs including 'Message in a Bottle', which was probably my favourite. I wouldn't call myself a super-fan but I was kind of curious about the band and wondered what more could be said about them. This book doesn't only put The Police's massive success into context but also shows how it was almost inevitable. In a way, they were just in the right place at the right time and had the right people working for them - namely, their manager Miles Copeland who seems to be the most fascinating character of all in this story. But Chris Campion doesn't present any of this as just a legend or myth. Instead, chapter by chapter, he shows how they achieved that success and fought to hold onto it. The book also gives a great overview of 80s music scene, from the end of punk and disco era to New Wave and beyond. And what a bizarre period it was! Any one remember Skafish!! Despite the wide range of topics it covers, I found this book very informative and entertaining. Highly recommended!!