THE POLICE Schallplatten & CDs

Review: The long-awaited 6CD super deluxe edition of The Police's iconic 1983 album Synchronicity is finally here, offering fans a bountiful deeper exploration of works around the making of the album as well as previously unheard material. The band's final studio album, featuring hits like 'Every Breath You Take,' 'Wrapped Around Your Finger,' 'King of Pain,' and 'Synchronicity II,' sold 15 million copies globally, solidifying its place in rock history. This meticulously crafted reissue, created with the band's involvement, includes a remastered version of the original album, bonus tracks, and unreleased alternates, outtakes, and demos. Highlights include early versions of Andy Summers' 'Someone To Talk To' and Stewart Copeland's 'Brothers on Wheels,' as well as covers of Eddie Cochran's 'Three Steps To Heaven' and Chuck Berry's 'Rock and Roll Music.' The live recordings from their September 1983 concert at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum are a standout, capturing the band's electrifying stage presence. Accompanied by a 60-page hardcover book with new sleeve notes by Jason Draper and four art prints, this box set is a comprehensive celebration of Synchronicity.

Review: The fifth and final studio album by The Police, Synchronicity, released in June 1983, was the band's most successful effort, catapulting them to global stardom. The album featured four classic hit singles: 'Every Breath You Take,' 'King of Pain,' 'Wrapped Around Your Finger,' and 'Synchronicity II.' With over 8 million copies sold in the USA (8x platinum) and 300,000 in the UK (1x platinum), the total worldwide sales by the end of 1983 surpassed 20 million. The album, inspired by Arthur Koestler's "The Roots of Coincidence," garnered five Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year, in 1984. This first comprehensive archival album project for The Police has been compiled with full band cooperation. The expanded multi-format reissue features unreleased bonus material, new liner notes, interviews, rare archive memorabilia, and unseen photographs. The 4-LP set on standard black vinyl includes a 60-page lavish color book with unseen material, printed inner sleeves, and four art print photographs, all housed in a hardback slipcase. The track listing includes the original remastered ten-track LP, a 12-track collection of contemporaneous B-sides and singles bonus tracks, and two discs of previously unreleased alternate takes, out-takes, and instrumentals, making it the most complete and in-depth version of the album ever released.

Review: Whatever your views of what Sting may have become after he left his band, you can't argue that The Police was a superb outfit. They took a love of reggae and transformed it into funky, soul, pop leaning tunes with oodles of charm and plenty of big hooks and kooky lyrics. 1982's Around The World now gets a deluxe and extended reissue on vinyl and DVD with restored picture and remastered audio. It chronicles the band's first ever world tour and takes in some of their biggest hits such as 'Walking On The Moon', 'Message In A Bottle', 'Roxanne' and 'So Lonely.'

Review: You'd be hard pushed to find anyone with a set of ears who doesn't like at least one of The Police's many hits. Sure, Sting is a pretty divisive figure these days but back in his pomp with this crew he was untouchable. The band was known for bring their love of dub and reggae to their catchy indie-pop sounds and it resulted in global tours, a number of chart topping hits and adoration from fans across the planet. All the best tune are here from the squealing 'Roxanne' to the freaky 'Walking on the Moon' via the funky 'Message In A Bottle.' This 30th Anniversary edition is a real bumper across four sides of vinyl.