10 Hard Rock Songs By Non-Hard Rock Artists

Since their inception, the Police were always a band willing to push the boundaries of what was the typical rock music of the day. Over the band's 5 albums, their style had radically changed from synth rock to pop music to incorporating reggae and calypso influences. However, in the beginning, The Police introduced themselves with a blistering display of punk rock.

"Next to You" is the band at their raw beginnings, as Andy Summers's guitars plod along with a stable guitar fury above Stewart Copeland's maniacal drum fills. Sting is certainly no slouch when it came to the more unwieldy vocal passages, as he howls the melody with the same type of charisma you would find from a singer like John Lydon. Even when the playing gets less chaotic in the choruses, the song never feels like it loses any intensity, as Copeland's drums keep the listener firmly rooted to the ground at every turn.

Putting the song over the top is the solo breakdown, where Summers's slide guitar flourishes are followed by an impressive push-and-pull guitar lick in conjunction with the drums. From their earliest offerings, The Police understood the importance of throwing caution to the wind when it came to writing infectious rock hits.