Customer Reviews

The Police

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

THE BAND: Sting/Gordon Sumner (vocals, bass), Andy Summers (guitars), Stewart Copeland (drums & percussion).

THE DISCS: (2007) 28 songs on 2 discs clocking in at approximately 110 minutes (Disc-1 at 50 minutes, disc-2 at 60). Included with the discs is a 6-page fold out containing song titles/credits/times, band photos, a "Police Raid Madam Wong's" (1979) advertisement poster, a 1-page intro, what songs came from which albums, and year released. Remastered digi-paks were released in 2003 of the band's entire catalog - with the sound on this Police compilation being superb, I'm assuming these are digitally remastered... but fail to see in the liner notes indicating so. The song "Fall Out" is the only song to not be featured on one of the band's 5 studio albums - recorded prior to the band's debut in 1977 with Henri Padovani playing guitar. Label - A&M Records.

ALBUM REPRESENTATION: Outlandos D'Amour (6 songs), Reggatta De Blanc (4), Zenyatta Mondatta (5), Ghost In The Machine (4), Synchronicity (8), bonus track (1).

COMMENTS: Their rise in England was quick. Going from small pubs to monstrous tours and sold out stadium dates in less than 5 years. Releasing their first studio album in 1978, to their last in 1983. They covered several music categories - punk, jazz, reggae, rock & pop. Millions of albums sold, Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame members each... every music collectors library needs some Police in one way or another. Don't want to purchase all their studios albums or the pricey boxed set ("Message In A Bottle: The Complete Recordings"), this 2-disc compilation is THE place to start. THE GOOD: All the celebrated hits are here - "Roxanne", "Can't Stand Losing You", "Message In A Bottle", "Walking On The Moon", "Don't Stand So Close To Me", "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", "Spirits In The Material World", "Every Breath You Take", "Wrapped Around Your Finger", "King Of Pain", etc. There are some excellent deep album cuts including "Hole In My Life", "Bring On The Night", "Voices Inside My Head", "Demolition Man", "Murder By Numbers" and "Tea In The Sahara". Songs are presented in chronological order. To me, this is a bonus - you can hear the band change/grow from album to album... from raw punk, to polished pop rock outfit. The sound is flawlessly crisp. The 3-fold cardboard case is sturdy and well put together. THE NOT SO GOOD: No compilation is perfect and this one isn't either (however it's very close). Three small gripes. 1. - A few important (but not critical) songs missing - "When The World Is Running Down...", "Secret Journey", "The Bed's Too Big Without You", and the oddball from their debut "Be My Girl - Sally" (also - nothing from their underrated '95 live album). 2. - Large amounts of unused disc space - 30 minutes on disc-1 and 20 minutes on disc-2 - this is criminal. Including the 4 omitted songs (mentioned previously) and a few live tracks would have made this collection perfect in my book.. plenty 'o space. And lastly, 3. - Why the heck did it take almost 25 years to get here? Now that it's here, I suppose it was worth the wait. OVERALL: Excellent mix of Police tunes any way you slice it. Looking for a studio album - start with "Zenyatta Mondatta" or "Synchronicity" (beware of the song "Mother" here). Looking for a great introduction to The Police - look no further (5 stars).

It is hard to believe that a band can become a Hall of Fame band with just five studio albums to their name, but the Police are such a band. This is an honor that the Police are most worthy of. The Police were sort of an off-shoot of the Punk Rock movement of the late 1970s. The band would eventually encompass other influences - namely Classic Rock, Reggae, Jazz, Dance, and even Folk. For the most part, it is fair to say there was a Punk Rock and Reggae influence on the band for their first two albums" - "Outlandos D'Amour" and "Regatta de Blanc". Both of these albums were terrific efforts - mostly because The Police used applied their unique style to a formula that worked. The Police would soon transform their sound to a more Classic Rock sound. With each successive album ("Zenyatta Mondatta", "Ghost in the Machine", and "Synchronicity"), the Police would continue to grow as a band and incorporate a variety of genres into their sound. In 1986, the Police officially disbanded and it wouldn't be until 2007 when they would officially reunite for a reunion tour. To build some momentum for the tour, the Police would release a two CD greatest hits collection entitled "The Police". This compilation does provide a good portfolio of the band's classic tracks.

"The Police" takes tracks from each of the band's five albums. Six tracks from "Outlandos D'Amour" ("Can't Stand Losing You", "Next to You", "Roxanne", "Truth Hits Everybody", "Hole in My Life", "So Lonely"); Four tracks from "Regatta De Blanc" ("Message in a Bottle", "Regatta De Blanc", "Bring on the Night", "Walking on the Moon"); Five tracks from "Zenyatta Mondatta" ("Don't Stand So Close to Me", "Driven to Tears", "Canary in a Coalmine", "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", "Voices Inside My Head"); Four tracks from "Ghost in the Machine" ("Invisible Sun", "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic", "Spirits in the Material World", "Demolition Man"); Eight tracks from "Synchronicity" ("Every Breath You Take", "Synchronicity I", "Wrapped Around Your Finger", "Walking In Your Footsteps", "Synchronicity II", "King of Pain", "Murder By Numbers", "Tea in the Sahara"). This collection also includes the band's debut single - not released on the five studio albums - "Fallout". There is an import version of this collection that includes two addition tracks - "The Bed's Too Big Without You" (from "Regatta De Blanc") and "Rehumanize Yourself" (from "Ghost in the Machine"). My big argument is that this collection tends to go too heavy on "Synchronicity" - with eight of the eleven tracks from that album on this collection. One can also make the argument not enough was taken from "Regatta De Blanc" or "Ghost in the Machine". For the most part, this compilation does a good job at taking the essential tracks from the Police's music portfolio.

One strength of this collection is that the tracks are chronologically arranged by the studio album they released. This allows you to see how a band has progressed over time. In the case of the Police, this is essential because I think it is important to hear how their sound evolved.

When considering a greatest hits compilation, it is important to know that bands often release several flavors of compilations.

"Every Breath You Take - The Singles": This was a compilation released in 1986. It only includes twelve tracks. It contains an updated version of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" called "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86"). All of the tracks on this collection are found on "The Police" 2 CD compilation. For the most part, this collection preserves the chronological ordering of the band.

"Every Breath You Take - The Classics": An Updated Version of "Every Breath You Take - The Singles". It includes both versions of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and an additional version of "Message in a Bottle" (that version is not found on "The Police" 2 CD compilation). For the most part, this collection preserves the chronological ordering of the band.

"The Very Best of Sting and The Police": This provides a mix of Sting's solo work with some of the Police's best hits. There are two versions of this collection - one from 1997 and one from 2002 with the latter one being more complete. These compilations do not preserve the chronological ordering of the band.

"Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings": This is exactly as advertised. It includes every song from each of the five studio albums as well as some B side songs, live tracks, and songs not originally found on CD. These songs are arranged in chronological order on four CDs. It also includes the "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" version.

It is worth noting that "The Police" 2 CD compilation is very good. If you are looking for a greatest hits collection by the Police, this stands up much stronger than the two "Every Breath You Take" compilations. It also provides more depth from the Police perspective than the two versions of "The Very Best of Sting and The Police". However, if one is considering a greatest hits collection, I would easily opt for the "Message in a Box" collection over this 2 CD compilation. You are going to get so much more for your money. You also get the benefits of a boxed set (including a very good booklet). Every song on this 2 CD compilation is going to be found on the "Message in a Box" collection. My recommendation would be to go for the "Message in a Box" collection over this 2 CD compilation.

To kickoff their overwhelmingly-anticipated reunion tour, A&M Records has released a new compilation of the Police's finest work. Unlike their previous compilations, this new compilation, titled simply "The Police," spans two discs, with 14 songs on each disc. Those old one-disc compilations always seemed shallow to me - collecting their #1's just wasn't enough. I felt that only through a 2-disc set could those unfamiliar with the Police get a feel for the group. "The Police" accomplishes that goal, providing a fine sense of the group's style through 28 tracks, ranging from their rare first single, "Fallout," to "Tea in the Sahara," which finished off the original LP of the group's final album.

"The Police" has all the greats - you know, "Roxanne," "Message in a Bottle," "Don't Stand So Close to Me," "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic," "Every Breath You Take," etc. - along with a number of less-appreciated gems like "Demolition Man," "Driven to Tears," and "Bring on the Night." The breakdown of the songs picked from each album is as follows:

- "Outlandos d'Amour" (1978): 6 tracks.
- "Reggatta de Blanc" (1979): 4 tracks.
- "Zenyatta Mondatta" (1980): 5 tracks.
- "Ghost in the Machine" (1981): 4 tracks.
- "Synchronicity" (1983): 8 tracks.

Every single great from "Outlandos d'Amour" is contained in the collection, and for that the set deserves some applause. Only one great is absent from "Reggatta de Blanc," but it's one of the band's most popular songs, "The Bed's Too Big Without You." Two of the band's very finest are absent from "Zenyatta Mondatta," Sting's post-apocalyptic anthem "When the World is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around," and his delightfully pop "Man in a Suitcase." At least two tracks are overlooked from "Ghost in the Machine," "Rehumanize Yourself" and Andy Summers' bombastic fan favorite "Omegaman" (and possibly Sting's mystical "Secret Journey" as well). Needless to say, with an almost suffocating 8 tracks present, nothing from "Synchronicity" is overlooked. But the omission of those beauties mentioned above, 5 or 6 total, is upsetting. I would also have loved to see "I Burn for You," from the "Brimstone & Treacle" soundtrack, here. It's one of the group's most brilliant compositions and has been sorely neglected for years.

A rather curious aspect of this collection is the placement of the tracks. They are presented chronologically by album, but not in the order they would appear on the album, which is odd. Odder still is the decision to do that, and then to put the dreamy "Tea in the Sahara" at the end of the collection rather than the band's signature tune, "Every Breath You Take." Why not let "Tea in the Sahara" drift off into its ethereality and then finish things off with a bang with "Every Breath"? This is a minor detractor, though.

As a die-hard Police fan, I have my beefs with this compilation, but I would still highly recommend it to those unfamiliar with the band. They were truly one of the greatest groups of all time, and "The Police" is a fine way to get a sense of their style. However, due to the problems listed above, it's by no means the definitive collection, though it is the best one so far. All in all, it's a great career overview which I highly recommend.

OK, what you get with this collection is far superior to any previous collection. I'll give you that. However, it is still incomplete. As has already been pointed out the most glaring omission is "When The World Is Running Down..." Yes, "Don't Stand So Close '86" should be here too. However, I can understand it's omission as making that record was a bone of contention with the band in '86. My biggest gripe is where the hell is "Secret Journey"? It was a hit on my planet!

Each disc has 14 tracks and could've easily fit 15. I would give this collection 5 stars if they would've just made it an even 30 songs and included:

"Secret Journey"
"When The World Is Running Down..."

The only thing it's missing is the song "When the World is Running Down You Make the Best of What's Still Around"...I guess the title was too long to fit in the credits..lol!

This Anthology is worth every penny you spend on it. I grew up listening to the Police and every song imaginable from their early days to the days before the band broke apart are included in this 2 disc compilation.
If you can't go see them on tour right now, buy this cd....and if you CAN go see them on tour right now, I hate you...and buy this cd! :) ;)
p.s. I love you Sting. Nobody really plays bass like you. (ha ha)

back in the day I was a Big time Fan of the Police. I always dug there Jams and Grooves. "Every little thing she does is magic", Canary in a Coalmine" was my jam back in the day. Spirits in the Material world, Every Breath you take,Roxanne,etc.... are all here. the Grooves and Versatility Highlighted by the songwriting of Sting and the chemistry of the Musicianship truly made for some tight Jams. the Police in some ways were the link between the Clash,U2 ,Red Hot chilli Pepers and No Doubt on some levels. they Bridged quite a few themes and styles that worked. this is the best overall set that best Highlights there Greatest Hits.

Holy Cow! 28 cuts and everyone a keeper from one of the most creative and imaginative groups in rock history. The Police's rhythmic interplay between just three guys is the standard to be measured by. Stewart Copeland's drumming is so rhythmic, it sound like he's got three rhythms going on at one time. He is truly one of the greatest drummers in rock history. Sting is also one of the all-time great singers. This CD features more early cuts, and they all rock, plus all the big hits you've come to know and love. This is the definitive CD to own. Case closed!

My title sums it up. This collection is a nice balance of Top 40, rock radio hits, and album tracks from the Police. My only gripe is the uneven quality of the recordings. Given the available remastering technology I expected a fuller, richer sound. It's okay, ... but that's also it's shortcoming...it's JUST okay.

For those who bemoan the lack of additional songs, specifically 'The Bed's Too Big Without You', I would recommend seeking out the Australian or British edition of this compilation; it has all 28 songs from the American release and includes 'Bed's Too Big' and 'Rehumanise Yourself'. These two songs rectify the shortfall of songs from 'Regatta De Blanc' and Ghost In The Machine' (only four each on the American version) and makes it feel a significantly more comprehensive compilation.

Yes, there are still tracks missing that would make it truly perfect, but remember that the Police only released five studio albums; if A&M had added yet more tracks to this compilation it would have come close to negating the need to buy the original releases and they were never going to allow that to happen were they? So the thirty-song version is about as good as we could ask for, it's an excellent blast through the past. Enjoy!