When the Police first hit with "Roxanne," they were welcomed and hated by opposite camps for the same reason: making new wave accessible to Top 40 audiences. Their use of reggae elements provoked a similarly split reaction; did they co-opt and dilute the form, or were they introducing it to new listeners who might then become interested in real Jamaican riddim? (p. 42)

What everyone missed in the ensuing turmoil—and what the third Police album, Zenyatta Mondatta, continues to illustrate—is that this is a band of three extremely inventive, smooth and technically gifted musicians whose individual abilities add up to a seamless, symbiotic whole. New wave or reggae they're not, nor do they claim to be, but the Police's unique brand of pop definitely raises the level of AM (and even FM) radio several notches.

Bassist Sting is still writing catchy, reggae-inflected tunes. "Don't Stand So Close to...