Sting Confirms Police ‘Synchronicity’ Box Set Is Coming

Today I had the pleasure of speaking with one of my rock and roll heroes, Sting. He confirmed that a Police Synchronicity Box Set is coming! He'll be on tour in the U.S. through October; see his dates here.

Of course, I had to ask him some questions I've always wondered about. One of them was whether or not we'll ever get deluxe, expanded editions of any of the five Police studio albums. They released the Message In A Box box set thirty years ago. That included all five Police albums -- 1978's Outlandos d'Amour, 1979's Reggatta de Blanc, 1980's Zenyatta Mondatta, 1981's Ghost In The Machine and 1983's Synchronicity. It also had b-sides and non-album tracks, including their debut single, 1977's "Fall Out" (written by Stewart Copeland).

As a mega fan, I'd love outtakes, demos, alternate mixes things like that. Sting said that the box set will include his demos for the album! This is such fantastic news for Police fans like me. He didn't share any other information or even a release date. I cannot wait to hear more about what else will be on the set. I'm thinking some live shows from the tour will have to be included, for one.

It seems likely that there are some live recordings in the vaults that have never been commercially released.  In 1995, the Police released Live!, a full concert from Boston from 1979, and another from their final tour in Atlanta in 1983. In 2008, they released Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires, recorded on their reunion tour the year before. Last year, they released The Police Around The World, originally released in 1982 and out of print for nearly four decades.  But there are likely more live recordings in their vaults, especially from their final tour.

Below, check out my interview with Sting.

Sting celebrates his birthday today (October 2), and it goes without saying that he has one of the best stage names in music history.

In fact, the rock world is littered with stage names! In honor of Sting's birthday, here's a look at some of our favorite stage names and a few fun facts about them.