Rock History: The Police "Message in a Bottle" 1st time live
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- čas přidán 15. 08. 2006
- First-ever live performance of "Message in a Bottle" by the Police. Song had not yet been released. Filmed for a Brit TV show called "Rock Goes to College" filmed at Hatfield Polytechnic College.
- Hudba
the kind of song you could hear all day and not get tired of it
Nice to see Andy Summers struggle with the riff, too.
+Mister Brennan That'll be him showing off his jazz chops...
Yeah--but in fairness, he's playing with stewart pushing the tempo like a bullet train behind him. Usually, I take Stewart's side on all things musical, but I think he pushed this song too fast.
Sting actually wrote it
Struggle with the riff just like the Whiskey A Go Go gig in 2007 where they played unreleased and Andy barley remembered the songs!
@@TheGalwayFarmer did he?
It's amazing how much more passion he put into it when they were touring in a van.
love the line "im not alone in being alone"!
Well, I think it would be a good thing for newer guitarists to see and hear this to show that everyone struggles at some point.
The key ingredient is Stewart's knee-high athletic socks with the double stripe, a true classic !
Until now, I've only heard the mono-version.
And man, it's awesome.
I love this version.
Sting still singing with a Geordie accent
"I wrote my noat" brilliant :D
This is so so real and so live and these young guys are just doing it. Love it - never seen this before and you don't get this today in 2021. Thanks nitch72
Man, that fretless maple P-Bass is absolutely gorgeous ! I love this concert !
His voice is absolutely awesome. It has aged but still produces perfection.
incredible. the greatest band in the world introducing one of the greatest songs ever written. I'm glad someone captured this on tape!
As well as becoming the group's first UK Number 1 single in September 1979, Message In A Bottle also topped the Irish Singles Chart.
Smurtarse
I actually like the way Sting did the verse in this performance better than the recorded version. He gives it more energy.
Wow, a classic in the making... lucky people who got to see the premiere of this song...
1:44 Sting slips up and shows us all his Geordie roots... like
This is my favorite Police song. Stewart Copeland never received the recognition he deserved for his drumming abilities. His work here is exceptional. An outstanding percussionist.
"Stewart Copeland never received the recognition he deserved for his drumming abilities." -- Uhh... Dude is one of the most beloved drummers of all time.
Love the punk rock ending!!!
Amazing how similar it sounds to the studio track. The crowd could have been a bit more excited hearing one of the few dozen most well-known popsongs in the world, but what did they know... :-)
I just saw the entire performance of "Rock Goes To College - The Police live at Hatfield Polytechnic on Comcast On Demand through VH1 Classic. What a performance!
After playing this riff on guitar myself many times, it still makes me smile to hear andy summers slaughtering it live and making a LOT of mistakes. :)
Ha ha you’re right but he got it down eventually
Sending out an S.O.S.
I heard this entire concert on the radio back in the early 80's, and this was my favorite song. This showed their raw talent. This was back when they were first getting notoriety, even before Don't Stand So Close to Me. I taped it but lost it. Up until recently I didn't know that there was film footage to this concert. Then I saw the concert on VH1 last year. Awesome! The Police's sound has mellowed over the years, especially Sting's solo stuff, but I love all that they do! Thanks for this clip!
Thanks for posting this. Reminds me why they were one of the greatest bands of the day.
legendary song to me... my favorite rock song of all time! too bad the solo wasnt added yet :O
I wish bands would take risks.
And I wish they'd play without autotune and all the post-production.
Oh, .... never happen.
Talk about watching history. Incredibly rare to get to see a first ever performance of an all-time classic song. Especially from when the band was so green, and relatively unknown. Fantastic video. A+++
He has no idea how many times he'll be singing this song in the decades to come!
Every riff in this song is genius.
Lol easy tiger
Reading about all this Rush vs. Police discussion here. Don't really get it. It's like comparing apples with oranges. The only similarity between the two bands is that they are trio - nothing else. Personally I prefer Rush, but respect Police as well.
ShejtanVrbaski I never got that expression. I know it's 4 years later but why can't fruit be compared?
I love how it speeds up like 10 bpm's after Stew comes in.... lol..... Sting and Andy were always yelling at him for it...
I fukkin love you Sting, Stewart and Andy.....
Best band ever...
Holy crap, this is just an amazing version of one of my favorite Police songs. There is so much raw power and intensity here. Just breathtaking.
Did he say "wankers" at 2.37
no
MrNig1 I always thought it was "marcus" haha
+Ozkurl "I like this"
The Police are better than Rush in terms of rhythm & creativity. These three guys play spontaneously, and mind you, they are usually melodious, unlike Rush. Stewart's drumming is always interesting, unlike Neil Peart. If you let a new listener decide on the drumming, two things are clear: Neil Peart plays wonderful high speed rolls and Stewart Copeland has an unique off-beat style, which is creative. They are two different bands, with different people, so, you can't compare them.
The Police are better than Rush at being a pop band, their music is way more radio friendly. As far as rhythm goes? Come on dude, listen to anything from 2112 to Signals. If the Police could write one of those songs, and play it well live (another aspect Rush has over the Police, at least in the early days, The Police got a lot better once they added 5 extra musicians on stage). If you're fully prepared to say that there aren't melodies in Rush, i seriously question your musical ear. Peart's drum parts are a melody in themselves, not including Lee's bass parts (which are always better than Gordon Sumner's), the synth parts, if you can't detect melody there you need to do some ear training my friend. And as for Peart v. Copeland? They're both fantastic. I love them both. And you can argue one is better than the other. But to say Peart is not interesting? Please listen to Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves, and Hemispheres, because you clearly haven't.
All that said I fucking love the Police.
Love both these bands. Totally different though. Rush looked to recreate their music live as close to the album ver. (In most cases) as possible whereas the police went more with a stripped down approach live. Both bands had lots of energy and creativity. Rush is definitely more progressive in terms of time Sig. stuff. Both drummers are in credible in their own way. Must say I prefer Copeland though. He seems to drum with emotion whereas Neil's parts are sometimes so complex that it requires a level of concentration, hence you never see him totally caught up in emotion while playing.
I AGREE
***** 'Xanadu' cheesy? 'Red Barchetta' cheesy?....Lol.
May be I haven't heard what you have but I heard a lot of their stuff, and I sadly, don't quite like their lengthy music as I find it boring unlike Pink Floyd.
stings riffs are timeless!
and an amazing worout!
On bass?
Cool to see Sting playing his 50's designed precision bass that became Sting custom serie these days. Thats the piece he's using during live show since he started his solo career. He used various types of basses during the time with the Police but this is the one that survived the decades!
What a band it was! So intense, so much energy on stage. Hope they tour the world again. The Police's the best!
It was filmed in 1978 for the BBC tv in the uk. The program was called ROCK GOES TO COLLEGE.
More than 30 years and his voice is still fucking amazing.
Great to see this, Being a fan from 1977. His first single called fall out before so lonely came out. In that time i eat and drink the police. Great time.
Still a fan.
I remember watching this on American TV way back in the day. If they haven't already, they should re-release this whole concert on DVD! Great quality
Great to see the crowd groove to a song they never heard before.
There were 3 shows at the Diplomat. The first thousand tickets for the first show sold so fast that 2 more dates were added on 28-09 and 29-09. The final show was broadcast live on WPIX.
Rush, The Police and Triumph. Why do these three man bands rock so much? Saw them last night at Hershey. Awesome I cant believe they played so many songs. Go you wont be disspointed. Cant wait to see Rush again this year...
Saw them in STL last night too...Weren't they just amazing ? !!! Stewart is such an underrated drummer.
This song is my absolute fave - it's also known to be Sting's..
And then a fantastic live song was born !
The Police ♥
This is the best Police song ever! Perhaps one of the greatest songs as well!
Fuckin' great! I've owned this show on bootleg vinyl since high school (I'm 43 now) and never knew video existed. Thanks so much for posting.
Sting looks like he's about 17 years old here. So young. Great upload, thanks for sharing!
the neg response shows the "old" generation doesn't realize "badass" is a compliment. As a 43 year old Police fan I give you 100 thumbs up for carrying on the love of this shit to the next gen.
This video made my 15 year old son get a lump in his throat - it speaks to loneliness, not just a specific time and place like many of today's pop/rock songs
Nitch72 thanks for saving this clip and putting it on you tube! Great band. I saw the Police when in Leeds at the Queens Hall.
this playlist is great! i miss this
Incredible!! How I wish I could have been in that audience!
My favourite band for years!
FANTASTIC DEBUT!!!!! STEWART COPELAND IS SUCH AN INCREDIBLE DRUMMER MY GOD THIS MAY BE HIS BEST PERFORMANCE ON THIS SONG!!!! He is an extraordinary influence on my drumming....the amazing thing is he doesn't need to solo to blow so many other drummers away. The Police IMO are one of the bands ever...certainly one of the best combinations of musicians ever.
Back in '78 I really believed the history of popmusic was over, done with, completed, (sadly) period. Then came The Police: raw, true, energetic, real, hungry, totally NEW. Well, I'm really glad, the legend is back (and envy You people experiencing them LIVE recently!;-)
Incredible! The Police are the greatest band ever. Incredible talent.
Love this band!!! Thanks for the music and memories.
Claudio
cool! I saw Sting a long time ago i.e., high school days. Brings back some nice memories. Thanks for the upload.
What a great tune. Been really listening to em a lot since I got their greatest hits.
i think the speed of this song is just right , perfect for the first time of playing anyway!
it absoloutley brilliant.
It was a Live Concert at Polytechnics , Hatfield, England. This concert was filmed by the BBC for the program "Rock Goes To College" .
oh, memories of Tiffanys in Edinburgh. Under age and lovin' it at the time!!!
Now this is what youtube is all about. Thank You.
nitch72, thank you, from all versions on CZcams yours is the most emotional the way Sting sings... good job !!!
I have heard many detractors of Stings bass playing, and to them I would say that he is always there to support the song, and that should garner him the respect of any real musician!
He is there to tell a story, and the bass is not the subject!
He is damn good, and I've always been inspired by the effort that he places into his playing!
He's not trying to be Jaco.
HOw many of the detractors out there, have sold as many records, or drawn as many people out to their concerts?
Love this!
Hatfield Poly? I have this audio on a vinyl bootleg. Though it was broadcast several times on US radio. The fanatics proabably have this on audio!
What an awesome live band....have I said that already?
one of my all time fave bands!
This was filmed at my uni! University of Hertfordshire (formerly Hatfield Polytechnic) looks like Hutton Hall.
Awesome.
this is awesome!!! Tx for posting!!
30 years of great music...
Sting is a self-absorbed Jag, but the band/whole group in it's heyday was truly amazing.
I love when people say they suck live after looking at a video of the band when they first started. I saw them in miami, even now, they're live performance is outstanding. xD
I saw them on tour back in 08 in pitsburgh! Me the guitarist and the bass player from my band got signed biographys, I got one from Andy, n he got one from sting. Gooood Show! Awesome!
This piece first time played live is really fresh and natural. I would like to be in this place at this time.
First concert ever for me. 1983. Fresno, CA. Ratcliffe Stadium. The day before the first day of eight grade. I had a concert shirt. IT was the coolest.
I have the complete concert in an AVI file and it's incredible. This is the version used on the boxed set, "Message in a Box". Definitive version!
...love of two is one...lol. Brilliant version, thanks for uploading this gem man, awesome rating!!
One of my favorite songs of all time. I own the bootleg on which Message In A Bottle was performed for the first time.
Thanks for posting this nitch!!!! :) great music
It still gives me a kick! Thanks for the song!
Sting sang with a heavy British accent back then. Love this song!
They rocked Minneapolis last night, great song.
this "CLassic" was a "Phenomenon" at this concert.
Just saw them at Dodger stadium and they totally rocked the house!
Well be happy you experienced that, i would be... I love the 70s music, but was born too late to enjoy it live (1983)
rock history
birth of my fav song ;)
and the 1st song i learned to play on guitar
In my top ten favorite rock songs.
wow this was history in the making wish i could have been there
I missed the show out here in Denver and will regret it for years to come I think. Enjoy the show....For some it's a once in a lifetime event..I hope it isn't but I think this will be it for their touring.
what a performance, live rock at its very best!!!
This song is great, also it's meaning, some times we are alone in our islands... Andy Summers is great, and Sting has exactly the same voice... Really good video...
HOLY COW! Best live video ever!
Great Band And Great Song. This Vidieo Only Proves That Legends Never Die.
@lewisl1link "Sting" used to be a school teacher before his musical career took off. He used to wear a brown and yellow hoop striped jumper and looked like a bumblebee, and the students nicknamed him "Sting" and it has stuck with him. His real name is Gordon Sumner.
Then there was live at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley and a bit more muddy, live at the Diplomat Hotel in September of '79 "we heard this song's just reached #1 in England"
Amazing - never saw this before, thanks OP. Closer to the album v. than other live performances I've seen - hadn't recorded it or toured on the song yet so they're still in love with it, like a new wife.
What band could possibly cover this good of a song, what singer could think they could sing WAY better than this guy, and what country could such a presumptuous band hail from ? Maybe we'll never know.
great video! historic moment indeed. this is by far my favourite police song ever!!
I remember seeing this on TV BBC2 about 7.30pm something like a Tuesday in 78 or 79 I was playing football outside & rushed in to watch.
I also remember singing in the playground at school "we're the barmy Wigan Army" ha ha.
What are the students singing at Sting we're the barmy ? army