[.ca] Message In A Box: The Complete Recordings (4CD)

From Amazon.co.uk:
"This is it: Everything the Police released", boasts the notes in the 66-page booklet are included with this box set. Obsessive fans have already written to rock magazines indignantly pointing out the omission of this or that obscurity but everyone else will find that these four discs include all the Police they'd ever want to own. The first two discs include all of Outlandos d'Amour, Reggatta de Blanc and Zenyatta Mondatta in their original order, interspersed with live rarities and singles B-sides. Discs three and four are more satisfying, including the band's well-crafted studio high points, Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity, plus more outtakes and live tunes. The set ends with "Don't Stand So Close to Me 86", a dismal remake of the early favourite. By this point, the musicians' egos were running rampant and they were barely speaking. If anyone wonders why the group called it quits so abruptly, this tune makes it clear that the split was smart and timely. --Jim De Rogatis

Chronique amazon.fr:
En 1977, né de la vague punk, un trio britannique, constitué du chanteur et bassiste Sting (qui depuis a connu la carrière que l'on sait), du guitariste Andy Summers et du batteur Stewart Copeland, caracole au sommet des charts avec un singulier mélange de new wave, de dub et de reggae qui en fera un des groupes parmi les plus populaires du moment. Ses quatre premiers albums (dont, surtout, Outlandos d'amour et Regatta de blanc) sont totalement indispensables. Y émerge, entre autres, un tube planétaire, "Roxanne", écrit en hommage à une prostituée parisienne. Plutôt que de s'offrir l'excellente compilation Every Breath You Take-The Classics, on peut se reporter au copieux Message In A Box qui compile l'intégralité de cette période particulièrement créative, complétée des faces B inédites. --Hervé Comte

this boxet is just great:
well the first time that i had listened to the police was on the radio( the message in a bottle song) and it was great , i then bought the greatest hit cd but it still was too little, i had a hard time looking for this boxset but i finally got it last week and it;s the greatest thing, every single song . buy this boxset and the police live cd and u don't need anything else

As Good As Advertised:
The Police's "Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings" is what it says - the complete set of studio recordings by the Police. In this boxed set, you get every song from the 5 Studio albums released by the Police, plus some B sides, live recordings, and other rare stuff put into a 4 CD collection. What is nice is that this is a pretty affordable way to get all of the Police's recordings in one package. When I review a boxed set, I like to start by looking at the packaging since that is a key element in addition to the content. It seems that nowadays everything that is above 2 CDs that is considered a "Boxed Set". There really have become 2 categories of Boxed Sets. The first is a "Classic Boxed Set". This comes in a covered box about the size of an LP and contains CDs (sometimes in jewel cases, sometimes just on the bottom of the box) and a book about the same size. The second type is more like a 5.5" x 10" hardcover book which I term "Hardcover Box Set'. The CDs basically are stored in the hardcover binding and the book is in the middle. I much prefer what I call the Classic Boxed Set to the Hardcover format. The "Message in a Box" set is a Hardcover format. This is disappointing to me because for a 'Complete' collection, I would have liked to see the "Classic Boxed" presentation. The book that is contained in the set is outstanding. The book opens with a profile of how things looked for the Police in 1976, just as the band was coming together. Then there are individual biography/profiles devoted to the three band members - Stewart Copeland, Sting, and Andy Summers. Right before the Summers bio, there is a section on how Stewart and Sting joined forces. Following the bios, there is a detailed profile of the history of the band. In addition to the many photos, there are sidebars that form a timeline of important dates in the band's history. Each of the sections of the history of the band is devoted to the different studio albums that the band put together. There is even a section that chronicles how the Police would dissolve as well as profiles on what the band members did after the Police. There is a small section devoted to the B-Sides and obscure releases with comments by each of the band members. Then there is a photos section of singles and albums. A detailed discography adorned with album, single, and video covers is also featured. Finally, each song in the set has a list of credits of songwriting and production credits. The nice thing is how you learn what band members wrote what songs. As for the content, this speaks for itself. Every major studio recording is included in the set and then some. Everything is put in order on the CDs from the first single "Fallout" to the last song "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86 (released on the Every Breath You Take: The Singles" greatest hits. The rare and B side stuff is also put into chronological order as well. A couple of minor things I would have liked to see 1) The 'Classic Boxed' Packaging (mentioned above) 2) An Interviews CD. The book does a great job at giving you insight into the band members, but there would have been nothing like having the actual voice 3) Unedited Stuff - perhaps there wasn't much saved, but I'm sure there had to be some unedited stuff to add to this. But these are extremely minor points - the best thing is that this Boxed Set really delivers as advertised. Whether you are a beginner to the Police or a more seasoned fan, this collection should not disappoint.

every leg you break... every cake you bake...:
Now this is what a boxed set is supposed to be - everything in one place, good sound, nice packaging, and worthwhile extras - a set no one will ever feel bad investing in. At the time of its release, _MIAB_ was an essential purchase for Police fans even if they had the albums on cd, because the sound was such a vast improvement. One could argue that its value has diminished somewhat since then, with the individual albums having been remastered, not once, but twice (no, I don't know why). But there is enough else here that this is still the best way to experience the group on cd (not to mention it's a significant price break). The booklet is loaded with information, nice glossy color photos, and an essay that doesn't sugarcoat anything. And let's not forget the extra tracks - "Fallout", "I Burn For You", "Once Upon a Daydream", and Andy Summers' wonderfully deranged "Friends" are all essential additions to the Police catalog. If their greatest hits album isn't enough for you, you should consider shaking out your piggy bank and getting this set.

EVERY SONG:
This is THE complete set of the Police! ALL of their songs before they got big even. If you are a fan of the band then this is the box for you! It is well worth the price.

BAN "Don't stand so close to me 86'"!!:
I just bought this set, but I am anticipating it to be really good. will be great to have all of these songs in one set! However, I'm planning to program my cd player to ALWAYS skip track 18 on disc 4, "Dont' stand so close to me 86'". THIS RE-DOING OF THE SONG IS AN ABOMINATION! Please, if you are a person of any musical taste, always avoid this song. Participtate in this ban!! I first heard this piece of trash when I bought the greatest hits record back in the 80's--I always wondered why they put this song on their instead of the original, which was far superior and without any need to be "re-done." Why did sting do this this? If I could break into the archives at A & M and erase the master, I certainly would--what a pleasure it would be!

• Fallout
• Nothing Achieving
• Dead End Job
• Next to You
• So Lonely
• Roxanne
• Hole in My Life
• Peanuts
• Can't Stand Losing You
• Truth Hits Everybody
• Born in the 50's
• Be My Girl - Sally
• Masoko Tanga
• Landlord \oLive\c
• Next to You \oLive\c
• Landlord
• Message in a Bottle
• Reggatta de Blanc
• It's Alright for You
• Bring on the Night
• Deathwish
• Walking on the Moon
• On Any Other Day
• Bed's Too Big Without You
• Contact
• Does Everyone Stare
• No Time This Time
• Visions of the Night
• Bed's Too Big Without You \oMono Version\c
• Truth Hits Everybody \oLive\c
• Friends
• Don't Stand So Close to Me
• Driven to Tears
• When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still
• Canary in a Coalmine
• Voices Inside My Head
• Bombs Away
• De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
• Behind My Camel
• Man in a Suitcase
• Shadows in the Rain
• Other Way of Stopping
• Sermon
• Driven to Tears \oLive\c
• Shambelle
• Spirits in the Material World
• Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
• Invisible Sun
• Hungry for You (J'Aurais Toujours Faim de Toi)
• Demolition Man
• Too Much Information
• Rehumanize Yourself
• One World (Not Three)
• Omega Man
• Secret Journey
• Darkness
• Flexible Strategies
• Low Life
• How Stupid Mr. Bates
• Kind of Loving
• Synchronicity I
• Walking in Your Footsteps
• O My God
• Mother
• Miss Gradenko
• Synchronicity II
• Every Breath You Take
• King of Pain
• Wrapped Around Your Finger
• Tea in the Sahara
• Murder by Numbers
• Man in a Suitcase \oLive\c
• Someone to Talk To
• Message in a Bottle \oLive\c
• I Burn for You
• Once upon a Daydream
• Tea in the Sahara \oLive\c
• Don't Stand So Close to Me '86