I played in a Police cover band and spent years dissecting his: tone, effects, chords and playing style, He is a great influence & inspiration to me as a musician. Andy is a phenomenal guitar player.
I still feel badly The Police didn't find their way back to each other more permanently. I never cared about solo Sting for some reason. That was a special band.
To be fair they did try in 2007 to write new music during the reunion phase, according to John Mayer. Word is they couldn't get along well enough to make it happen. There is some evidence for that as Andy Summers wrote a bunch of songs that were meant for a new Police album that ended up on his Circa Zero record.
bloody sick of all these songs being overplayed. All three of them are dealing with Stingo's betrayal trauma upon them. Stewart and Andy were injured deeply emotionally and its a pity that Stings plain won't crash.
I don’t think many people realize that Andy Summers came up with the arpeggio for the most played song in radio history “Every Breath You Take”. Yes, Sting wrote the generic chord progression and incredible lyrics. And Sting is one of the greatest songwriters in history (I’m a daft fan) but Andy’s (and Stewart’s) contributions seem under appreciated. Outstanding documentary!!
I've long said that too, that he's one of the most talented guitarists and yet somehow under-rated. His book is great; he's one of the few UK brit guitarists of his generation that wasn't interested in ripping off standard blues. He's the much needed antidote to Clapton; rather than playing long blues leads, he re-fingered chords to make them full, gorgeous, layered and (before the internet) impossible to duplicate. No one knew how to play Police songs exactly like Andy! Thanks for this!
MATE! This doc is incredible. I have been a fan of The Police since 1980. Since then, they have been my favorite band of all time. I started playing bass because of Sting. And when I got my first electric guitar, there were two songs I wanted to learn how to play first. First is my favorite song of all time, Every Breath You Take and second, Messege in a Bottle. You discussed things here that I didn't even know. Thank you so much for putting this together and sharing it!
Oh man, you said it so well! Nobody seems to be influenced by Andy, but we all know he's a genius, especially on rhythm guitar and when we got older we all at some point look at his work. And dabble in it and then you really realise how, clever the man is. The chorus sound he got from that Telecaster, in the POLICE is uniquely identifiable as Andy.
Andy is two years younger than my Mom and I'm near my mid 60's.. No idea until recently that he was 9 or 10 years older than Sting and Stewart. Freaked me out that knew Clapton and Hendrix really well.
Excellent video about the legend and great job on playing those classic Police Songs, especially Every Breath You Take! That opening guitar riff always haunts and grows the back hairs in me He is definitely in my top 10 guitarists of all time, he’s the reason I still use a Telecaster and used to use a Roland Jazz Chorus
Thank you for all of this incredible content Ramon!, you truly have such a diverse and unique sound and style when you play!...I’ve learned so much from you and your channel over the years, and the time, care, and energy you put into each and every video you post is remarkable and greatly appreciated by so many!, God Bless You Ramon! Best regards my friend!
That "American Lady" was Robin Lane (Robin Lane & The Chartbusters) who introduced Andy to her friend after their divorce who Andy married. The Police were my first listening and later I found a couple RL&TC vinyl albums (Imitation Life & 5 Live) that I listened to a lot. I had no idea of the connection between the two until years later. RL&TC aren't everyone's cup of tea per sé but they were one of the first bands that had their video (When Things Go Wrong) played on MTV. The band was tight and sounded really good as a unit. I just found it really odd that during the 80s, with The Police at their height, I stumbled across two albums in the discount bins from a band I never heard of with a connection to Andy Summers, listening to both bands at the same time. I'd say both bands had an influence on my guitar playing. I still find myself playing "For You" (RL&TC) from time to time. Great video as usual. I always come here every few months to see what's new and it's almost always about someone I like and/or love. Stephen
Thanks for the history. I’ll have to get out my old synchronicity album and give it a listen. Don’t know why I looked past Andy. He is one of the masters.
Not many people know about the Clapton, Gibson Les Paul connection. That story alone was responsible for changing the sound of rock guitar. I'd like to know what inspired Andy to aquire his Les Paul in 1965. It wasn't a popular guitar at the time.
Message in a bottle, the guitar is awesome, and the lyrics made the hairs on the back of my neck as an eleven-year-old child stand up on end with a shiver running up and down my spine when I first heard it in the late seventies. The twist in the lyrics was that the person in the song was not the only person alone in the world, many more people were also very alone in this world✌...deep.
I love The Police. Andy Summers provided a beautiful array of sounds and his beautiful arrangement of chords is heard on 'Every Breath You Take', which remains as one of the most memorable one! Listen & see the 'Police around the World' video, it's such a lovely one!
Found this video searching for Zoot Money, who is in the first part of the book; 'One Train Later' by AndySummers. Love this book, so many stories... Cool that there is now a video telling this story about before the Kevin Coyne period and of course the Police. . Thumbs up :-)
Throughly enjoyed this Ramon as all your documentary videos are so wonderfully put together:) Be cool to see Mike Oldfield in the 80s guitar heros series as there's not enough in the guitar tuition world on his and great documentarys like this :-)
Thanks for your upload I enjoyed this, I've always said that he really is so underated as a guitarist, he is a true one off and a seriously great musician
Andy was the reason I picked up guitar to begin with, but there were *three* big names who drove those sounds, although one of them is only really being recognized now. They were Andy Summers, the Edge and Alex Lifeson. Those guys drove the effected, shimmering delayed sounds everyone else copied.
I am actually trying to recreate Andy's sound on my Line 6 Pod Go and this was extremely helpful thank you. I could find all the effects and amp models mentioned in this video in said Pod Go. Now for the actual tweaking! This is going to be fun.
Great Stuff ! Grew up in the 80's listening to the police and other bands at that time. Never got to see them live unfortunately.. Thanks for this !! 👍
Andy is such a true artist; injecting such art and musicality into pop hits. The Police were also a killer live band. Ramon; did you get your name from Paul Ramon? 😉. Great video!! Thank you!!
I think Andy thinks his Flanger was a chorus, or doesn’t really see the distinction. At least that’s the impression I’ve gotten from interviews. He did use the Flanger like a chorus
When I was a youngster during The Police era, I used to think, in my innocence, that their trade-mark guitar sounds came from Andy's guitar skills, and not electronic boxes of tricks. Just saying..
I would have wished there would have been more coverage of his solo work which is just astonishing. Knowing most of his body of work, the police was important no doubt, but there was so much more. He worked with legends of Jazz and Rock in his solo career. For me, from a musical point of view his body of work was even more important than with the police and showed his genius and artistry of music.
Cool video, however there are a couple of things that aren't quite correct: 1.) Andy's always been saying his Tele had already had all the modifications when he bought it; However, there's pre-Police footage on youtube where it still has the original 3-saddle bridge on it. 2.) It wasn't the humbucker but the bridge single-coil that eventually got replaced; Andy described in his bio 'One Train Later' how he and Sting had leaned their guitars against some kind of electrical device in their dressing room before a gig, which resulted in the bridge pick-up being dead when the time came for them to hit the stage.
Glad Andy Summers is getting some attention-no one better to do this than you mate. The Police were so sleek and modern sounding by the time of Regatta de Blanc they made all of the 70s bands sound old fashioned and stodgy. They created the sound of the 80s, crisp metronomic drumming and clever minimalist guitar parts using 9ths and Sus chords with stereo chorus and tap tempo delays. In fact Andy may have been the first guitarist to properly exploit the notion of a 'Stereo' signal that Holdsworth, Metheny and Landau took further. His Monk and Mingus tribute albums are well worth checking out.
One of the greatest guitarist ever is a bit like for stretch for Andy Summers. Underrated yes, greatest no shot. Sorry Goose I think this is a bit of a nostalgic pick for you
I played in a Police cover band and spent years dissecting his: tone, effects, chords and playing style, He is a great influence & inspiration to me as a musician. Andy is a phenomenal guitar player.
great! what amplifier and speaker did Andy Summer use to record Message in a Bottle in the studio?
Andy had an original sound and style, Stewart was equally unique, and Sting’s voice was unlike any other - Im glad they found each other!!!
Yeah Andy Summers is a great guitarist, the sound he had with The Police was like no other.
I agree!!! I love him!
Excellent!!! Andy was and is totally unique!!! The Police-stuff is all amazing and Andy's solo albums quite innovative 😊
Thanks !
I still feel badly The Police didn't find their way back to each other more permanently. I never cared about solo Sting for some reason. That was a special band.
I did like his first solo one 'The Dream Of The Blue Turtles', but otherwise the same here!
I love all of Sting's musical works.
All three were talented in their own right and instrument. It's hard to play second fiddle when you're the best.
To be fair they did try in 2007 to write new music during the reunion phase, according to John Mayer. Word is they couldn't get along well enough to make it happen. There is some evidence for that as Andy Summers wrote a bunch of songs that were meant for a new Police album that ended up on his Circa Zero record.
bloody sick of all these songs being overplayed. All three of them are dealing with Stingo's betrayal trauma upon them. Stewart and Andy were injured deeply emotionally and its a pity that Stings plain won't crash.
It's crazy to think Andy was 41 when Every Breath You Take and Synchronicity were world wide phenomena.
wow - thats crazy!
@@TheGuitarShow
Yeah it's mental
Andy and SRV got me through the '80s. I am still chasing his sound and style. Excellent documentary.
Thanks Glenn
SRV?
@@rossydv Stevie Ray Vaughn, ha!
Andy rocks, legendary player. Thank you for this homage.
Pleasure
Great vid. Andy Summers is one of the all time greats. His solo stuff after the Police is fantastic.
Couldn't agree more! Thanks Roger
I don’t think many people realize that Andy Summers came up with the arpeggio for the most played song in radio history “Every Breath You Take”.
Yes, Sting wrote the generic chord progression and incredible lyrics. And Sting is one of the greatest songwriters in history (I’m a daft fan) but Andy’s (and Stewart’s) contributions seem under appreciated.
Outstanding documentary!!
I've long said that too, that he's one of the most talented guitarists and yet somehow under-rated. His book is great; he's one of the few UK brit guitarists of his generation that wasn't interested in ripping off standard blues. He's the much needed antidote to Clapton; rather than playing long blues leads, he re-fingered chords to make them full, gorgeous, layered and (before the internet) impossible to duplicate. No one knew how to play Police songs exactly like Andy! Thanks for this!
Yes, I'd have to agree. Absolutely first rate guitar player.
🎸🙏
Truly one of the guitar greats, in the club alongside Rory Gallagher, Peter Green, Steve Hackett, Steve Howe and Robert Fripp. The man is class
MATE! This doc is incredible. I have been a fan of The Police since 1980. Since then, they have been my favorite band of all time. I started playing bass because of Sting. And when I got my first electric guitar, there were two songs I wanted to learn how to play first. First is my favorite song of all time, Every Breath You Take and second, Messege in a Bottle. You discussed things here that I didn't even know. Thank you so much for putting this together and sharing it!
Oh man, you said it so well! Nobody seems to be influenced by Andy, but we all know he's a genius, especially on rhythm guitar and when we got older we all at some point look at his work. And dabble in it and then you really realise how, clever the man is. The chorus sound he got from that Telecaster, in the POLICE is uniquely identifiable as Andy.
Andy was a huge inspiration for me when I was starting to play guitar in the 70s, loved is style@
Andy is 3 years older than Clapton... despite the fact that he is an "80s" guitarist... never give up on your dreams.
so true
Andy will ALWAYS be my hero!
Long life to you my friend!
Thanks
Thanks for this. I had no idea Andy Summers had such an impressive history.
Pleasure
Thanks for another great video, Ramon. I'm quite a big Andy Summers fan - I'll take him over any 100 notes per second shredder any day!
Great comment - thanks!
Andy is two years younger than my Mom and I'm near my mid 60's.. No idea until recently that he was 9 or 10 years older than Sting and Stewart. Freaked me out that knew Clapton and Hendrix really well.
I always loved Andy's inventiveness and musicality, thanks.
Me too. Pleasure!
Great video! The Police is one of my all time fave bands! Andy being one of my favorite guitarists of all time! Thanks for this great video!
Pleasure - Andy is such a legend!
@@TheGuitarShow Agreed!!! 😀
THANKS, THE GUITAR SHOW!
Pleasure bro
Great vid - thanks for doing it. I love Andy Summers' playing and sounds.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks
Excellent video about the legend and great job on playing those classic Police Songs, especially Every Breath You Take! That opening guitar riff always haunts and grows the back hairs in me
He is definitely in my top 10 guitarists of all time, he’s the reason I still use a Telecaster and used to use a Roland Jazz Chorus
Thanks and I agree those Roland amps are so good
This is really fantastic! Thank you for the video. I love Andy. Hard to believe he just turned 80. What a great guitarist and artist.
Nice job on this documentary! Thanks!
Ok, so you have a superb songwriter/ bass player & drummer, but being a 3 piece, that still left a massive space that Andy more than filled. A master.
Hey Ramon! Thank you for all the great info here on Andy’s number one guitar and all of his fx. I’m a big fan as well! This was extremely informative
Pleasure Lucas!
Thank you for all of this incredible content Ramon!, you truly have such a diverse and unique sound and style when you play!...I’ve learned so much from you and your channel over the years, and the time, care, and energy you put into each and every video you post is remarkable and greatly appreciated by so many!, God Bless You Ramon! Best regards my friend!
Thanks so much for a wonderful comment Paul
That "American Lady" was Robin Lane (Robin Lane & The Chartbusters) who introduced Andy to her friend after their divorce who Andy married. The Police were my first listening and later I found a couple RL&TC vinyl albums (Imitation Life & 5 Live) that I listened to a lot. I had no idea of the connection between the two until years later. RL&TC aren't everyone's cup of tea per sé but they were one of the first bands that had their video (When Things Go Wrong) played on MTV. The band was tight and sounded really good as a unit. I just found it really odd that during the 80s, with The Police at their height, I stumbled across two albums in the discount bins from a band I never heard of with a connection to Andy Summers, listening to both bands at the same time. I'd say both bands had an influence on my guitar playing. I still find myself playing "For You" (RL&TC) from time to time.
Great video as usual. I always come here every few months to see what's new and it's almost always about someone I like and/or love.
Stephen
Thanks for the info Stephen
Thanks for the history. I’ll have to get out my old synchronicity album and give it a listen. Don’t know why I looked past Andy. He is one of the masters.
Pleasure Lance 🎸🙏
@@TheGuitarShow
Now I need to get out my Telecaster!!
Great video! Thank you very much!
my pleasure
Agree. A lot of guys were influenced by his sound. Never made the Def Lepard connection before.
Very nice & documented. Can you believe he will be 78 at the end of the month ?? Forever young... ;-)
Yes he is older than Keith Richards!
Absolute precision Your description !
Andy The King !
Thank you
Thank you! Brilliant insight into a too-much-overlooked guitarist.
Not many people know about the Clapton, Gibson Les Paul connection. That story alone was responsible for changing the sound of rock guitar. I'd like to know what inspired Andy to aquire his Les Paul in 1965. It wasn't a popular guitar at the time.
Message in a bottle, the guitar is awesome, and the lyrics made the hairs on the back of my neck as an eleven-year-old child stand up on end with a shiver running up and down my spine when I first heard it in the late seventies. The twist in the lyrics was that the person in the song was not the only person alone in the world, many more people were also very alone in this world✌...deep.
great comment - thanks!
The primary inspiration for my learning to play many years ago
Still can't quite believe Andy is 80!
He has more hair now than I did at 21.
I love The Police. Andy Summers provided a beautiful array of sounds and his beautiful arrangement of chords is heard on 'Every Breath You Take', which remains as one of the most memorable one! Listen & see the 'Police around the World' video, it's such a lovely one!
Found this video searching for Zoot Money, who is in the first part
of the book; 'One Train Later' by AndySummers. Love this book,
so many stories...
Cool that there is now a video telling this story about before the
Kevin Coyne period and of course the Police.
.
Thumbs up :-)
Thanks for this!
Great video, Ramon. Andy definitely seems to have lived an interesting life!
Thanks Henry 🙏🎸
Throughly enjoyed this Ramon as all your documentary videos are so wonderfully put together:) Be cool to see Mike Oldfield in the 80s guitar heros series as there's not enough in the guitar tuition world on his and great documentarys like this :-)
That's an excellent idea... Let me look into it
@@TheGuitarShow Many thanks and best wishes
Andy is indeed a guitar hero and a rock God. What's always been so special about Andy for me is that nobody sounds like him. Nobody.
Another very interesting video Ramon 👍
Thanks Derek 🙏🎸
Thanks for your upload I enjoyed this, I've always said that he really is so underated as a guitarist, he is a true one off and a seriously great musician
Brilliant Guitarist you do history guitar on Andy Summers
Anyone watching this who hasn't read One Train Later should do so straight away.
Agreed
Andy was the reason I picked up guitar to begin with, but there were *three* big names who drove those sounds, although one of them is only really being recognized now. They were Andy Summers, the Edge and Alex Lifeson. Those guys drove the effected, shimmering delayed sounds everyone else copied.
Thanks for this great comment!
Thanks Ramon! Andy is one of my favorites. It's really his fault I own so many time based pedals!
So cool 🙏🎸
Bang on Ramon,Happy festivus \m/
Thanks Clive happy Christmas 🙏🤶🎸
Happy 80th birthday tomorrow Andy! Can’t believe it.
I am actually trying to recreate Andy's sound on my Line 6 Pod Go and this was extremely helpful thank you. I could find all the effects and amp models mentioned in this video in said Pod Go.
Now for the actual tweaking! This is going to be fun.
My favorite guitar player of all time!!!
Enjoyed that, thanks Ramon.......👍
Pleasure 🎸🙏
Great Stuff ! Grew up in the 80's listening to the police and other bands at that time. Never got to see them live unfortunately.. Thanks for this !! 👍
The same as you Davey! Thanks
Criminally underrated player
Guitar heroes of the 80s? You mean of all time! ❤️
Exactly!
Thank you ❤
Excellent documentary. Thanks for posting.
Would you do one on Johnny Marr? Thanks
Great documentary as usual!
Thank you brother
@@TheGuitarShowWell deserved.. If didn't really like your work, I wouldn't have referred you to you know who ..
@@TheGuitarShow I am also a huge A Summers fan.. The reason I got my self a tele style guitar and a Roland Jazz chorus amp is due to him..
I never heard soft machine with him but the new animals was dantalions chariot ..and his sig sound started with them
Great job Ramon ;-)
Thank you! Cheers!
I've always thought Andy was heavily influenced by John Martyn. His book, One Train Later, is probably the most interesting rock bio I have read.
Still my guitar hero.
Minee too
What an Fing great video I so pleased that you found AS he is the most pronounced awesome guitarist dot forget the animals
Awesome!
Thanks bro
Great Guitarist the Police were a Great band .
Agreed Will 🙏
he inspired me to play guitar!
Musical genius
Well said
At 2:44, I am wondering if that guy second from the left is Rod Stewart.
Andy is such a true artist; injecting such art and musicality into pop hits. The Police were also a killer live band.
Ramon; did you get your name from Paul Ramon? 😉. Great video!! Thank you!!
Thanks.. Ah as in Paul McCartney?
@@TheGuitarShow yes! And did you know that’s how punk band The Ramones got their name too; in homage to Sir Paul’s nickname...😉
Thanks for the history lesson. Always thought Andy is brilliant. Wonder how classical guitar changed the way he played?
one of the greatest guitarists of all time, in any genre
I think Andy thinks his Flanger was a chorus, or doesn’t really see the distinction. At least that’s the impression I’ve gotten from interviews. He did use the Flanger like a chorus
great comment - thanks
fantastic guitar player, love his stuff with the police
Hey Ramon- any more on this series? He would be great for an FX history documentary as well!
Andy is the man and have met him many many times over the years. Seen him play live many times with his solo jazz shows.
When I was a youngster during The Police era, I used to think, in my innocence, that their trade-mark guitar sounds came from Andy's guitar skills, and not electronic boxes of tricks.
Just saying..
I agree!
Will we be expecting a Johnny Marr episode in the future?
yes hes coming very soon
@@TheGuitarShow right on man
Very Interesting
Thanks 🙏🎸
Besides the single repeat echo, does anyone know how Andy set his delays that are being referred to around 13.59? Specifically the multi-tapped ones
Great post 👍I love Andy and he seems like a cool nice man .? But what do I know 😩😩👍
Pleasure Judd 🎸🙏
First album I ever had was Synchronicity
Good man
Super
Thanks
What amp and cabinet andy summer records studio "massage in a bottle"? Marshall 4x12 celestion?
Id guess at this point it was a 100watt marshall + 4x12 cab
I would have wished there would have been more coverage of his solo work which is just astonishing. Knowing most of his body of work, the police was important no doubt, but there was so much more. He worked with legends of Jazz and Rock in his solo career. For me, from a musical point of view his body of work was even more important than with the police and showed his genius and artistry of music.
Great. Thanks. Can someone help me and give me the name of the reggae song played at 30th second ? Many thanks in advance
I always gave the Police a swerve 'cos of Sting which is a shame as Andy was fantastic. Great video Ramon 👍
Thanks James
I think Stewart Copeland decided to do the same with the Police because of Sting as well
Thanks dude! Very informative vid. Perfect music porn 🖤 Love the Andy!
Can you please do a video on John McGeoch of Siouxsie & The Banshees and Magazine he's very important to post punk
Cool video, however there are a couple of things that aren't quite correct: 1.) Andy's always been saying his Tele had already had all the modifications when he bought it; However, there's pre-Police footage on youtube where it still has the original 3-saddle bridge on it. 2.) It wasn't the humbucker but the bridge single-coil that eventually got replaced; Andy described in his bio 'One Train Later' how he and Sting had leaned their guitars against some kind of electrical device in their dressing room before a gig, which resulted in the bridge pick-up being dead when the time came for them to hit the stage.
Thanks for this
@@TheGuitarShow - No worries 😀
Glad Andy Summers is getting some attention-no one better to do this than you mate. The Police were so sleek and modern sounding by the time of Regatta de Blanc they made all of the 70s bands sound old fashioned and stodgy. They created the sound of the 80s, crisp metronomic drumming and clever minimalist guitar parts using 9ths and Sus chords with stereo chorus and tap tempo delays. In fact Andy may have been the first guitarist to properly exploit the notion of a 'Stereo' signal that Holdsworth, Metheny and Landau took further. His Monk and Mingus tribute albums are well worth checking out.
Many thanks indeed - Im honoured!
Meravigliosi
Thanks
that kid must be proud to sell his guitar to andy!
One of the greatest guitarist ever is a bit like for stretch for Andy Summers. Underrated yes, greatest no shot. Sorry Goose I think this is a bit of a nostalgic pick for you
You maybe right!
What about the roland jazz chorus in the last picture?
Yes thats also called a JC-120 - great amps!