Police to reunite!

The Police are to reunite for a short run-through of some of their best-known hits at the band's forthcoming induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York on 10th March - according to UK-based "Record Collector" magazine. The show will be televised by VH-1.

The article also mentions the forthcoming reissued back catalogue in "remastered, bonus-tracked form, marking the band's 25th anniversary". No mention of SACD or hybrids though. Presumably the bonus tracks will be B-sides and other stuff only found on CD in the Message In A Box set.

As for the Police playing together again, I've waited nearly 20 years for this! I was lucky to see the Police perform live, albeit only once. It was their last official UK gig in front of a paying audience - at Wembley Arena in London on New Year's Eve 1983. At the time it wasn't known that it would be their last UK gig but that's what it turned out to be. Those of us there that night were also treated to a unique one-off medley of Can't Stand Losing You/Auld Lang Syne/Regatta de Blanc.

Now let's hope those remastered reissues appear on hybrid SACD.

 

Thanks interesting news. I saw The Police on their first US tour and they were a big hit, in fact they did'nt have enough songs to play an encore so they played several songs over for their encore. The band that opened for them was.......The Knack(My Sharona)This concert took place at The Berkley Community Theater(California), if my memory serves me right.

 

Nice!!!!!! That's a suprise...........Stewart Copeland and Sting always quarrelled.

-Wes

 

Let's hope Sting & Copeland don't start kicking the **** out of each other BEFORE they play their set...I don't care what they do to each other afterwards

 

Anyone know who's mastering these?

 

Steve Hoffman of course Seriously, I honestly don't know, I've not seen any info on that. It would be great if this stuff was remastered one day by Steve though wouldn't it?

 

Question: Are the R&R HOF performances typically televised?

 

Duh... never mind... I was too excited about a reunion when reading the first post...

VH-1, March 10th

 

Old-school Onion article.

EDITORIAL

You Know, I Used To Be Kind Of Cool Once

By Sting

You know how, every so often, something you haven't thought about in the longest time will just sort of pop up out of nowhere, and all of a sudden you're like, "Hey... Wait a minute"? Well, that happened to me last week, when it occurred to me that I actually used to be sort of cool once.

I guess, like everybody else, I've gotten used to thinking of myself as, you know, one of those guys on VH1. Some vaguely "adult contemporary" artist like Billy Joel or Elton John or somebody. The sort of musician you'll find your dad listening to or hear playing quietly in the background at the bank. I mean, "cool" is that last thing I'd normally think of myself as being.

Looking at it now, who would think that the composer of "Desert Rose" used to be cool? Sounds crazy, huh? It seems ridiculous, but it's true. I was kind of hip, in a way, if you think about it.

Isn't that just so weird?

It hit me the other day, and it was like, "Whoa—that's so bizarre." I was sitting at one of my pianos, working out some chords for my forthcoming album, The Tepid Heart, when the wife asked me to pick up some diet soda. Since the staff was off (it was a Sunday), and the kids were due home from football practice soon, I said sure and drove down to the cornershop.

When I got there, the kid behind the counter had a tape playing that sounded oddly familiar. It wasn't really my cup of tea—polyrhythmic and uptempo, with intense emotional energy and electrically amplified guitars instead of acoustic. And the kid was, to be honest, playing it a bit loud. But instead of being annoyed, I found it compelling in a weird sort of way. When I asked the kid who it was, he said he'd found it in a bag of stuff that used to belong to his older brother. "It's old, but I like it," he said. "It's kind of reggae, but it sounds punk, too."

Well, several weeks went by, but it kept nagging at me. Then, finally, last Thursday, I figured it out. I was in the den, watching figure skating on TV and reading Parade. (Isn't it funny how these things always hit you at the oddest times?) Anyway, there was an article about a policewoman who volunteers teaching schoolchildren about pet safety when, suddenly, it clicked: That kid was listening to Outlandos d'Amour, the first record by my old band, The Police!

I know what you're thinking: "Wow... I haven't thought about The Police in years." And neither had I, but you know what? It sounds nothing like what you'd expect after hearing "Fields Of Gold." At first, I thought, "Wait... is this just my memory playing tricks on me? I mean, I recorded the love theme from Three Musketeers with Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart, for Christ's sake. How cool could I possibly be?" But then I dusted off a bunch of the old LPs and, boy, was I amazed. Those records were actually pretty rockin'! You wouldn't think that kind of stuff would come from me, but hey, the opening track, "Next To You"? Come on! And the rest of the album, too: There's "So Lonely," "Born In The '50s," and you've got to admit that "Be My Girl-Sally" is one cool song. I was like, "Did I write this stuff? No way!"

Come to think of it, I did lots of cool stuff back then. Sure, now we all think of me as starring in duds like The Bride, but I was in Quadrophenia, too. Heck, I was even in Urgh! A Music War. Remember that one? I'd totally forgotten until now. Man, I used to watch that on USA Network's Night Flight back in the '80s, and I just thought it was so awesome. It had X and Devo back when they were really punk. Even the Go-Gos were hardcore in that show! ****, man, things sure do change.

And it wasn't just the early years. The whole Police catalog was pretty cool. I mean, the chorus on that one song—what was it—"My wife has burned the scrambled eggs / The dog just bit my leg / My teenage daughter ran away / My fine young song has turned out gay"? That one actually had the mosh-pit kids slamming. Can you believe it? Teenagers, moshing to me, of all people! Sure, nowadays, most people think of "Don't Stand So Close To Me" as a deodorant commercial, but at the same time, it was pretty out there, what with the whole Nabokov-pedophilia thing.

I know the idea of me being cool doesn't seem to make sense (it didn't to me at first, either), but just listen to those albums. Even Synchronicity isn't bad, and I didn't start really laming out until "Don't Stand So Close To Me '86." Go figure, I guess.

Then again, Eric Clapton, of "Tears In Heaven" fame, really used to tear it up, too, come to think of it. Hell, Paul Westerberg did, too. Now, there's one to ponder.

Makes you wonder, you know? I mean, I guess it just really goes to show you.

 

Thanks for posting that article AKA. Very interesting. I have to say though, I find it a bit hard to believe Sting when he says he walked into the shop and didn't even recognise one of his own recordings!

 

kip,

the Onion writes satire pieces. You got sucked in!

 

And so did I. Gary.

 

Well it was early this morning (early for me anyway)...well, that's my excuse anyway!

Now I read the article again I can see it's quite obviously a work of satire

 

Funny one, too. "The Tepid Heart."

Ryan

 

I met the Police in 1978 when they were touring the US in a van by themselves. Nice guys, Sting especially(I heard he got meaner as his fame grew).

It's cool they are going to reunite; maybe this gig'll make Stewart Copeland give up his current day job(ie "The Doors")!

 

Now my wish is for a new studio effort. I really think that they could still come up with some great material if feelings are left aside and they don't try to copy-cat the old stuff...and not try to make a "Sting" album (although some new Sting material would be very nice as well).

 

I agree Alex - my gut tells me that they have one more in 'em, and it wouldn't be embarassing.

 

Police

Saw their Synchronicity tour. Opening act was REM.
Pretty decent show

Peace
Norm

 

Re: Police

I guess!

I saw the MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE, GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE and SYNCHRONICITY tours. Never could get enough Police! The SYNCHRONICITY was an especially tasty treat due to the other bands in this 80's festival. Oingo Boingo, Thompson Twins and The Fixx (yes!) were also in attendance. Great show!

I have also had the chance to see Sting twice. Once in Milwaukee and again In Berlin. Both excellent.

 

A new Police album would hopefully break Sting's downward spiral ("Ten Summoners Tales", "Mercury Falling", "Brand New Day" and "All This Time"). Maybe playing with Stewart and Andy will revitalise Gordon before he turns completely into Phil Collins.

In a worst case scenario the opposite happens, and we'll have a new Police album full of lounge music in our hands.

-Markus



P.S. And if a (highly unlikely, but one can dream) full-fledged Police reunion fails to materialize, he should get Vinnie Colaiuta back. Seven Days - incredible.