The MARK’S VINTAGE VINYL page features something from Mark’s collection of recordings from over the years. Most of it is on vinyl – hence the name – though there will be a few entries from his CDs (remember those?).
Zenyatta Mondatta, by The Police
- Third studio album released by The Police in 1980.
- For as iconic as The Police were in the early 80s, you’d think that they were more prolific. But in fact, they only released 5 studio albums, and no new music after 1983. While Zenyatta Mondatta was not as big as their later albums Ghost In The Machine and Synchronicity, it was their first to go multi-platinum. They won 2 Grammy awards with the album – Best Rock Performance by a Group for Don’t Stand So Close To Me, and Best Rock Instrumental Performance for Behind My Camel.
- Behind My Camel was one of the few songs by the band that was not written by Sting. In fact, Sting hated it so much, he refused to play on the recording, so writer and band-mate Andy Summers performed the bass line that normally Sting would have played, as well as the guitar.
- The album title is gibberish. The Police wanted to name it something that would roll off your tongue, and they invented Zenyatta Mondatta.
- I don’t recall if I bought they album soon after its release, or years later. For sure, I bought it used – most of my vinyl records were purchased at Plastic Fantastic (in Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania, my local record store from college), or at The Wax Museum on Lake Street in Minneapolis, or The Record and Tape Exchange on Route 1 near University of Maryland (home for the summers during my college days). Ahh, those were the days – used albums for $3 a pop, guaranteed not to skip!
- Read more about The Police in my post from September 27, 2017.
- Speaking of gibberish – here’s the video to the song De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da. The song reached #10 on the Hot 100, and was a top 10 song in 10 countries.