Dream Police

Dream Police was the fourth studio album and the third in a row produced by Werman. It went to number six on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum within a few months, making it the band's most commercially successful studio record. It moves to longer, more complex songs and adds orchestration on several tracks. The album was complete by early 1979, but the surprise success of At Budokan pushed its release back several months. The title track reached number 26 and Voices number 32.

Nielsen called it the last album with Werman, and said the band liked it heavier. He went in to help conduct the strings because Werman did not show up for that part. Steve Lukather played lead and acoustic guitar on Voices, and Nielsen sings the middle eight of Dream Police. Critics were mixed: the New York Times called it busy and diverse while doubting that the band had anything really important to say.