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Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings

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Released
  
September 28, 1993

Message in a Box The Complete Recordings(1993)
  
Live!(1995)

Release date
  
28 September 1993

Genre
  
New wave

Recorded
  
1977–1986

Artist
  
The Police

Label
  
A&M Records

Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings httpsimagesnasslimagesamazoncomimagesI5

Producer
  
The Police, Nigel Gray, Hugh Padgham

Similar
  
The Police albums, New wave albums

The police message in a bottle


Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings is a four-CD box set by The Police, containing all five of their studio albums in chronological order, as well as non-album singles, non-album B-sides, and tracks from various compilation albums and the Brimstone & Treacle soundtrack (1982). The box set also comes with a 68-page booklet.

Contents

While the box set does contain every original song released by the band, these are not the complete recordings up to 1986, contrary to the box set's title. The following are not included in the box set:

  • "Truth Hits Everybody '83" appeared on a limited edition gatefold single of "Every Breath You Take".
  • Two versions of "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" were released in 1980 as a double A-side 7", one with Sting singing Japanese lyrics, the other with Spanish lyrics (AM-25000). A third version of "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" was also re-recorded in 1986, entitled "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da '86". This version of "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" is not present on the box set, but is available on the DTS-CD and SACD releases of Every Breath You Take: The Classics (1995).
  • Other official releases were a 12" single for "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86", which featured both an additional remix and live version of the song, and an extended version of "Voices Inside My Head".
  • Live recordings of "Can't Stand Losing You" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" had also been released but not included.
  • Another rarity missing from the box set is the extended video mix of "Invisible Sun", which featured an additional verse not present on the LP version.

    • Disc one includes live renditions of "Landlord" and "Next to You", which were recorded at the Bottom Line, New York on 4 April 1979 and originally broadcast on WNEW-FM, New York.

    Disc three has a live version of "Driven to Tears" which was recorded live at Les Arenes, Frejus, France, 28 August 1980 and is featured on the Urgh! A Music War soundtrack album (1982).

    "Shambelle", an instrumental written by Andy Summers, that is a B-side both of the singles "Invisible Sun" (UK) and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (US), was presented incorrectly, missing the hi-hat introduction played by Stewart Copeland. This error has never been corrected, and the original 45's is the only place to get the full-length versions. It should also be noted that the versions of "Shambelle" on the "Invisible Sun" and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" singles have different track times, clocking 5:42 on the former and 5:10 on the latter. The version on this box set clocks in just about five minutes.

    The U.S. version of the box set also features the version of "Don't Stand So Close To Me '86" that was originally released on the album Every Breath You Take: The Singles (1986). This version is shorter than the extended dance mix of "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" included on some international versions of the box set and includes a different guitar solo from Andy Summers. There is no edition of the box set that includes both versions of the song.

    There was also speculation by a number of music fans that "Can't Stand Losing You" was remastered from a needle drop of the original vinyl and that "Roxanne" had pitch issues due to tape drag and possible damage to the master tape used.

    The police message in a box the 36


    Reception

    Allmusic gave resounding approval to the set, going so far as to claim that all 78 songs are "timeless classics," making it the ideal purchase for the casual listener. They also praised the booklet included, especially the Police biography, and asserted that the digital remastering is so superior to the sound quality of the original releases that they would recommend the purchase even to those who already have all the recordings on the box set.

    Track listing

  • Tracks previously unreleased on CD are marked with "*".

    • Disc one

    1. "Fall Out" (Stewart Copeland) * – 2:04
    2. "Nothing Achieving" (Copeland) * – 1:56
    3. Tracks 1-2 originally released as a single (UK only) in 1977.
    4. "Dead End Job" (Sting, Copeland, Andy Summers) * – 3:35
    5. B-side of the singles "Can't Stand Losing You" (UK) and "Roxanne" (US)
    6. "Next to You" (Sting) – 2:50
    7. "So Lonely" (Sting) – 4:49
    8. "Roxanne" (Sting) – 3:12
    9. "Hole in My Life" (Sting) – 4:52
    10. "Peanuts" (Copeland, Sting) – 3:58
    11. "Can't Stand Losing You" (Sting) – 2:58
    12. "Truth Hits Everybody" (Sting) – 2:53
    13. "Born in the 50's" (Sting) – 3:40
    14. "Be My Girl - Sally" (Sting, Summers) – 3:22
    15. "Masoko Tanga" (Sting) – 5:40
    16. Tracks 4-13 originally released on the album Outlandos d'Amour.
    17. "Landlord" (Live) (Sting, Copeland) * – 2:36
    18. "Next to You" (Live) (Sting)* – 3:11
    19. Tracks 14-15 originally released on the A&M compilation album Propaganda - No Wave II in 1980 (AMLE 64786).
    20. "Landlord" (Sting, Copeland) * – 3:09
    21. B-side of the single "Message in a Bottle"
    22. "Message in a Bottle" (Sting) – 4:51
    23. "Reggatta de Blanc" (Copeland, Sting, Summers) – 3:06
    24. "It's Alright for You" (Copeland, Sting) – 3:13
    25. "Bring On the Night" (Sting) – 4:16
    26. "Deathwish" (Copeland, Sting, Summers) – 4:13
    27. Tracks 17-21 originally released on the album Reggatta de Blanc.

    Disc two

    1. "Walking on the Moon" (Sting) – 5:02
    2. "On Any Other Day" (Copeland) – 2:57
    3. "The Bed's Too Big Without You" (Sting) – 4:26
    4. "Contact" (Copeland) – 2:38
    5. "Does Everyone Stare" (Copeland) – 3:52
    6. "No Time This Time" (Sting) – 3:17
    7. Tracks 1-6 originally released on the album Reggatta de Blanc.
    8. "Visions of the Night" (Sting) * – 3:05
    9. B-side of the singles "Walking on the Moon" (UK) and "Bring On the Night" (US)
    10. "The Bed's Too Big Without You" (Mono) (Sting) * – 3:29
    11. "Truth Hits Everybody" (Live) (Sting) * – 2:26
    12. Tracks 8-9 originally released on Six Pack (UK only) in 1980.
    13. "Friends" (Summers) * – 3:36
    14. B-side of the singles "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (UK) and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" (US)
    15. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (Sting) – 4:04
    16. "Driven to Tears" (Sting) – 3:20
    17. "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around" (Sting) – 3:38
    18. "Canary in a Coalmine" (Sting) – 2:26
    19. "Voices Inside My Head" (Sting) – 3:53
    20. "Bombs Away" (Copeland) – 3:09
    21. "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" (Sting) – 4:09
    22. "Behind My Camel" (Summers) – 2:54
    23. "Man in a Suitcase" (Sting) – 2:19
    24. "Shadows in the Rain" (Sting) – 5:02
    25. "The Other Way of Stopping" (Copeland) – 3:22
    26. Tracks 11-21 originally released on the album Zenyatta Mondatta.

    Disc three

    1. "A Sermon" (Copeland) * – 2:33
    2. B-side of the singles "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" (UK) and "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (US)
    3. "Driven to Tears" (Live) (Sting) * – 3:29
    4. Originally released on the compilation album Urgh! A Music War in 1981.
    5. "Shambelle" (Summers) * – 5:00
    6. B-side of the singles "Invisible Sun" (UK) and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (US)
    7. "Spirits in the Material World" (Sting) – 2:59
    8. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (Sting) – 4:22
    9. "Invisible Sun" (Sting) – 3:44
    10. "Hungry for You (J'aurais toujours faim de toi)" (Sting) – 2:53
    11. "Demolition Man" (Sting) – 5:57
    12. "Too Much Information" (Sting) – 3:43
    13. "Rehumanize Yourself" (Copeland, Sting) – 3:10
    14. "One World (Not Three)" (Sting) – 4:47
    15. "Omegaman" (Summers) – 2:48
    16. "Secret Journey" (Sting) – 3:34
    17. "Darkness" (Copeland) – 3:14
    18. Tracks 4-14 originally released on the album Ghost in the Machine.
    19. "Flexible Strategies" (Sting, Summers, Copeland) * – 3:43
    20. B-side of the singles "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (UK) and "Spirits in the Material World" (US)
    21. "Low Life" * (Sting) – 3:45
    22. B-side of the UK single "Spirits in the Material World"
    23. "How Stupid Mr. Bates" (Sting, Summers, Copeland) * – 2:41
    24. "A Kind of Loving" (Sting, Summers, Copeland) * – 2:03
    25. Tracks 17-18 originally released on the soundtrack album Brimstone & Treacle in 1982.

    Disc four

    1. "Synchronicity I" (Sting) – 3:23
    2. "Walking in Your Footsteps" (Sting) – 3:36
    3. "O My God" (Sting) – 4:02
    4. "Mother" (Summers) – 3:05
    5. "Miss Gradenko" (Copeland) – 1:59
    6. "Synchronicity II" (Sting) – 5:02
    7. "Every Breath You Take" (Sting) – 4:13
    8. "King of Pain" (Sting) – 4:59
    9. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" (Sting) – 5:13
    10. "Tea in the Sahara" (Sting) – 4:19
    11. Tracks 1-10 originally released on the album Synchronicity.
    12. "Murder by Numbers" (Sting, Summers) – 4:36
    13. Not included on original LP release of the album Synchronicity, but was included on CD release.
    14. B-side of the single "Every Breath You Take"
    15. "Man in a Suitcase" (Live) (Sting) * – 2:17
    16. originally released on the maxi-single "Every Breath You Take" (UK only).
    17. "Someone to Talk To" (Summers) * – 3:08
    18. B-side of the singles "Wrapped Around Your Finger" (UK) and "King of Pain" (US)
    19. "Message in a Bottle" (Live) (Sting) * – 4:51
    20. Originally released on the maxi-single "Wrapped Around Your Finger" (UK only).
    21. "I Burn for You" (Sting) * – 4:49
    22. Originally released on the soundtrack album Brimstone & Treacle in 1982.
    23. Also included on the maxi-single "Wrapped Around Your Finger" (UK only) which contributes to its ordering in this collection.
    24. "Once Upon a Daydream" (Sting, Summers) * – 3:31
    25. B-side of the single "Synchronicity II"
    26. "Tea in the Sahara" (Live) (Sting) * – 5:06
    27. B-side of the singles "King of Pain" (UK) and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" (US)
    28. "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" (Sting) * – 4:51
    29. Originally released on the album Every Breath You Take: The Singles.

    Personnel

    The Police

  • Sting - bass guitar, keyboards, saxophone, oboe, lead and backing vocals, harmonica on "So Lonely", drum machine on "Synchronicity I"
  • Andy Summers - guitar, keyboards, bass guitar on "Behind My Camel", backing vocals, piano on "Does Everyone Stare" and "Be My Girl - Sally", spoken word on "Friends", "Dead End Job" and "Be My Girl - Sally", lead vocals on "Mother" and "Someone to Talk To"
  • Stewart Copeland - drums, percussion, keyboards, backing vocals, guitar on "Fall Out", "Nothing Achieving", "It's Alright for You" and "A Sermon", lead vocal on "On Any Other Day", spoken word on "Does Everyone Stare"

    • Additional

  • Henri Padovani - guitar on "Fall Out" and "Nothing Achieving"
  • John Sinclair - piano on "Hole in My Life" and "Masoko Tanga"
  • Jean Russell - piano on "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic"
  • Olaf Kübler - saxophone on "Low Life"
  • Suzanna Hamilton - screaming on "A Kind of Loving"

    • Songs

    Fall Out2:03
    Nothing Achieving1:56
    Dead End Job3:35

    References

    Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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