Zenyatta Mondatta: 1980/81

Police shed punk image...

In 1977 with England's punk rock movement in full swing, the three members of the Police joined the crowd by dying their hair blond and plugging in their electric guitars.

However, the Police didn't become peroxide-blonds as a symbol of protest. Instead, they did it to play the part of a punk group in a chewing gum commercial.

Nevertheless, when the Police's initial single in 1978 (a screamer entitled Fall Out) became a big hit on the English punk rock circuit, the trio consisting of guitarist Andy Summers, drummer Stewart Copeland and bas- sist-lead singer Sting (Gordon Sumner) immediately were stamped with a punk rock tag.

However, three years later it's obvious that the Police have outgrown that tag. The fact that they were able to fill McFarlin. Auditorium's 3,000 seats Wednesday night is indicative that the Police have become a multi-talented band appealing to more than simply the punk or new wave audience.

The band has become a staple on the pop-rock charts with its reggae-flavoured sound. And there was plenty of that reggae beat in Wednesday's 16-tune, 75-minute show, so much so that the group's music became repetitious at times.

However, when the three musicians click together, they come up with irresistible winners like 'Roxanne', 'Message In A Bottle', 'Don't Stand So Close To Me', 'Walking On The Moon' and 'De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da'. The latter is the Police's fast-rising single which should become the group's biggest American hit to date.

The band opened with 'Don't Stand So Close To Me', which was No. 1 in England a few weeks ago, and worked its way through a set that included six tunes off its current 'Zenyatta Mondatta' LP, five more off last year's 'Regatta De Blanc' and older tunes like 'Fall Out' and 'Can't Stand Losing You'.

It was a crisp performance and much improved over their 1979 outing at the Palladium.

Although the three group members used no additional sidemen in concert, they still managed to come up with a thick sound with a seemingly orchestral feeling to it.

As for the group's ever-expanding popularity in pop music circles (which has alienated some of the Police's original punk following), Sting noted, "In many ways, it's an albatross around our necks. But, heck, Keith Richards likes us. Frank Zappa likes us. And I think it's nice that Paul McCartney likes us. I'm greatly honoured. It's just another degree of hipness depending on where you're standing.

(c) Forth Worth Star Telegram by Roger Kaye