Surely one of the most exciting moments of next Sunday’s 49th Annual Grammy Awards will be when The Police perform live together for one of the first times since breaking up in 1985. As Rolling Stone’s Rock and Roll Daily blog notes, this year marks the band’s 30-year anniversary - “what is that, pearls?” inquires RS - and word on the street is that the British pop/rock/reggae trio will be gracing us with a world tour. To celebrate, wipe the dust off your old Police records and start partying like it’s 1979.

Hailed as “one of the finest debuts to come out of the ’70s punk/new wave movement” by All Music Guide, The Police’s 1978 release Outlandos d’Amour features classics like “Roxanne” and “Can’t Stand Losing You” (snag mp3s of both tracks over at Instrumental Analysis). “I hope they can bring this kind of energy to the tour,” says Jason at OxyMoron: Hipster Dork of what’s arguably the band’s most frenetic effort.

The band’s breakthrough album, 1979’s Reggatta De Blanc is most renowned for hits like “Message in a Bottle” and “Walking on the Moon” (both also available at Instrumental Analysis). The record’s 1980 follow-up Zenyatta Mondatta created the “the repeated goofy album title” effect that Cup of Joe Powell refers to in a recent post, but also offered up gems like “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” and “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” (and yes, you can hear each classic right now courtesy of Instrumental Analysis).

Cup of Joe Powell regards Ghost in the Machine as a stronger effort than the previous two releases, pointing out that the 1981 record “brought out more of their unique talents. The styles were more eclectic, though still had it’s pop music appeal. The lyrics were political, thoughtful and the album title itself was taken from the essay by Arthur Koestler. The music was as intense as ever, and now the lyrics were matching that strength.” Tracks like “Spirits in the Material World” may be of the more political and intense variety, but my favorite Ghost in the Machine number - and most beloved tune of all time - is the simply beautiful love song “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.” (I probably first fell under its spell while crushing on Stewart Copeland in the video a very long time ago, but today the gorgeous melody and bittersweet lyrics still steal my heart.)

Like Ghost in the Machine, The Police’s final studio record Synchronicity is listed among Rolling Stone’s 500 best albums of all time, according to Cup of Joe Powell. For Jason at OxyMoron: Hipster Dork, one of the standout tracks is “King of Pain”: “The great thing about this song is the way the tension builds from the sparse intro up to the big hit of the first hook - it just opens up into that beautiful circular chorus,” he muses.

To score some of The Police’s finest without grabbing each individual album, scoop up a copy of the John and Rose-recommended Very Best of Sting and the Police. “I absolutely looooove Sting and the Police,” the duo share. “This album consists of songs from four decades 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and present and is just wonderful.”

See more of my The Police reunion list at ThisNext.