Airborne is the sixth and final studio album of Curved Air’s original run — a more accessible, pop-inflected record best remembered today for its drummer, a young Stewart Copeland, who would form The Police the following year. Released in 1976, it caught a much-changed band gracefully bowing out, with violinist Darryl Way back in the fold and one last progressive epic in ‘Moonshine.’

The short version

Airborne (1976) is the sixth and final studio album by Curved Air, released on BTM Records. By this point the band was built around singer Sonja Kristina and returning violinist Darryl Way, joined by guitarist Mick Jacques, bassist Tony Reeves and drummer Stewart Copeland — soon to find fame with The Police. A more accessible, blues- and pop-tinged album than their early work, it’s highlighted by the eleven-minute ‘Moonshine’ and the single ‘Desiree,’ and marked the end of Curved Air’s 1970s story.

The final incarnation

By the mid-1970s, Curved Air had been through several line-ups. After the classic band briefly reunited in 1974, keyboardist Francis Monkman and drummer Florian Pilkington-Miksa departed once more, leaving Sonja Kristina and violinist Darryl Way to assemble a new group. In came guitarist Mick Jacques, bassist Tony Reeves and, on drums, the young American Stewart Copeland — brother of the band’s manager Miles Copeland. After 1975’s Midnight Wire, this line-up recorded Airborne at Trident Studios, produced by the band with Dennis MacKay. It would prove to be the group’s swan song — and, as it turned out, a crucial stepping stone for Copeland.

The sound

Airborne finds Curved Air a long way from the classical-rock fusion of their debut. The songs are shorter, catchier and more direct, leaning toward accessible pop-rock with a bluesy edge, and Sonja Kristina’s vocals are more restrained than in the band’s heyday. Darryl Way’s violin, though sometimes pushed into the background, still adds distinctive colour, and the band play with polish and energy throughout. It’s a less adventurous record than their early albums — the progressive ambition largely reserved for one long track — but a tuneful and likeable one, with strong contributions from all five members and a clutch of guest brass and keyboard players.

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The songs

The album opens with ‘Desiree,’ a catchy, mid-tempo number co-written by Stewart Copeland that became the album’s single, and moves through the punchy ‘Kids to Blame’ — a rare stab at social comment, later covered by The Police in a stripped-down punk arrangement — and the melancholy ballad ‘Broken Lady.’ Darryl Way’s contributions include the driving ‘Juno’ and the album’s progressive centrepiece, the eleven-minute ‘Moonshine,’ a showcase for his electric violin and the record’s clearest link to the band’s prog roots. ‘Touch of Tequila,’ ‘Heaven (Never Seemed So Far Away)’ and the closing ‘Dazed’ round out a varied set.

Reception and legacy

Airborne was not a commercial success, and after a final non-album single Curved Air disbanded at the end of 1976. Reviews were mixed — some praised the band’s consistency, others found the album proficient but short on the innovation of their early work. Its lasting significance lies elsewhere: it was here that Stewart Copeland first emerged as a songwriter, and within months he had formed The Police with Sting, going on to global fame. Way and Kristina both pursued solo careers, while Kristina would later revive Curved Air for touring. In hindsight, Airborne is a likeable, underrated farewell, and a fascinating footnote in the story of one of rock’s biggest bands.

The verdict

Airborne isn’t where to start with Curved Air — the early albums, from Air Conditioning to the hit-filled Second Album, come first — but it’s a rewarding listen for fans, and a genuine curiosity for anyone interested in the roots of The Police. Taken on its own terms, as a melodic, accessible mid-1970s rock album with one foot still in prog, it has real charms, above all ‘Moonshine’ and the catchy ‘Desiree.’ Come for Sonja Kristina’s voice, Darryl Way’s violin and the sight of a future superstar drummer finding his feet, and enjoy a graceful close to Curved Air’s original era.

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