What if The Police didn't have Sting?Stewart Copeland's Klark Kent (Music Monday)
Stewart Copeland's Criminally Slept-On Solo Gem
Look, we all know Sting was the preening, posturing genius writer behind The Police's biggest pop moments. But let's pump the brakes on deifying Sting as The Police's sole creative mastermind for a second.
Because long before Andy and Stew helped Gordon realize his grandiose ambitions, there was the untamed frenzy of Stewart Copeland leading the charge on their scrappier early work. The man was an absolute dynamo behind the kit, whipping up ingenious polyrhythmic fusillades of punk, reggae, and world music that gave The Police's upstart singles like "Roxanne" and "Can't Stand Losing You" their coiled, feral energy.
Sting's lofty lyricism and melodic sophistication may have pushed them into the arenas, but it was Copeland's anarchic spirit and technical virtuosity that made The Police dangerous in those vital formative years. His singular playing style sounded like nothing else in rock - harmonic contraptions of syncopated grooves and deconstructed rhythmic suites that hit you like a cold splash of water.
Which makes his oft-overlooked 1980 solo outing Klark Kent such a holy grail for Police fans and music nuts alike.
With no room for much non-Sting material on the Police albums, Stewart donned an alter-ego as Klark. Never quite admitting it until the 21st century, but not quite hiding it either.
What might The Police have sounded like if Sting hadn’t been Generational Talent? In Klark Kent, I think we get the answer.
Here's Copeland unfurling his wildest percussive ideas and songwriting whims outside Sting's theatrical shadow. From the spastic lead single "Don't Care" to the more expansive prog-reggae palette-clearers like "Guerilla" and "Away From Home," Klark Kent plays like the free-jazz freak-out complement to The Police's tightly-wound early art-punk.
What makes it so thrilling is hearing Copeland stretch out into uncharted stylistic territory without compromising his fundamental eccentricities. His vocals are a squirmy, Lou Reed-ian growl ripped straight from CBGB's gutter.
Even at its gnarliest and most abrasive, there's an unmistakable melodic logic and punk-derived concision anchoring each tune. Copeland's intricate arrangements are deliriously arranged, but his pop instincts keep them from blowing too far off the rails. Tracks like the infectious "Too Kool to Kalypso" and serpentine "My Old School" course with genuine songcraft and infectious grooves between the jolting detours. “Rich in a Ditch” is a nice proto-version of The Police’s “Bombs Away.”
Klark Kent is that elusive of an artifact capturing a visionary musician testing his avant-garde limits before superstardom's reins were tightened. An absolute must-listen for anyone who digs the weirder psych/prog/punk fringes The Police occasionally dabbled in before graduating to stadiums.
Sure, Sting will always get top marquee billing as The Police's esteemed frontman and resident rock Shaman. But anyone who reduces their brilliance to just his windswept poetics is missing the point. Copeland's unsung genius deserves its props too - and on Klark Kent, his muse is unleashed with dizzying results. Not quite as accessible as prime Police, but for the diehards, it shines a light on the fearless percussionist who provided their white-hot rhythmic engine room.