Editorial Review:

Amazon.com:
'This is it: Everything the Police released,' boasts the notes in the 66-page booklet 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 3 and 4 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 favorite. By this point, the musician's 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 DeRogatis









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Disc 1:

1. Fallout
2. Nothing Achieving
3. Dead End Job
4. Next To You
5. So Lonely
6. Roxanne
7. Hole in my Life
8. Peanuts
9. Can't Stand Losing You
10. Truth Hits Everybody
11. Born In The 50's
12. Be My Girl, Sally
13. Masoko Tanga
14. Landlord (Live)
15. Next To You (Live)
16. Landlord
17. Message In A Bottle
18. Reggatta De Blanc
19. It's Alright For You
20. Bring On The Night
21. Deathwish

Disc 2:

1. Walking On The Moon
2. On Any Other Day
3. The Bed's Too Big Without You
4. Contact
5. Does Everyone Stare
6. No Time This Time
7. Visions Of The Night
8. The Bed's Too Big Without You (Mono)
9. Truth Hits Everybody (Live)
10. Friends
11. Don't Stand So Close To Me
12. Driven To Tears
13. When The World Is Running Down, You Make The...
14. Canary In A Coalmine
15. Voices Inside My Head
16. Bombs Away
17. De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
18. Behind My Camel
19. Man In A Suitcase
20. Shadows In The Rain
21. The Other Way Of Stopping

Disc 3:

1. A Sermon
2. Driven To Tears (Live)
3. Shambelle
4. Spirits In The Material World
5. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
6. Invisible Sun
7. Hungry For You (Jaurais Toujours Faim De Toi)
8. Demolition Man
9. Too Much Information
10. Rehumanize Yourself
11. One World (Not Three)
12. Omegaman
13. Secret Journey
14. Darkness
15. Flexible Strategies
16. Low Life
17. How Stupid Mr. Bates
18. A Kind Of Loving

Disc 4:

1. Synchronicity I
2. Walking In Your Footsteps
3. O My God
4. Mother
5. Miss Gradenko
6. Synchronicity II
7. Every Breath You Take
8. King Of Pain
9. Wrapped Around Your Finger
10. Tea In The Sahara
11. Murder By Numbers
12. Man In A Suitcase (Live)
13. Someone To Talk To
14. Message In A Bottle (Live)
15. I Burn For You
16. Once Upon A Daydream
17. Tea In The Sahara (Live)
18. Don't Stant So Close To Me '86

Rating: - Essential, of course, but...
I love The Police and this is the definitive collection. A must-have.

But there's one tragic flaw: at least in the version I have (the original boxed set release from 1993), there's a serious mastering error at the beginning of "Roxanne," arguably the most essential track in the bunch. It sounds as if the analog master tape was not up to full speed when the digital master was being recorded -- the pitch and tempo are slightly off as the track starts and then it slides up to the correct pitch. No!

I haven't heard any later pressings of the boxed set so I don't know if this problem has been remedied... but if you buy this, you might still want to spend the extra 99 cents to get the Outlandos d'Amour MP3 of "Roxanne."

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Rating: - Every Note That The Police Recorded!
What a great idea this is! Basically this box set gathers the band's five excellent albums together which are "Outlandos d'Amour" (1978), "Reggatta de Blanc" (1979), "Zenyatta Mondatta" (1980), "Ghost In The Machine" (1981), and "Synchronicity" (1983) plus many b-sides that range from studio recordings not included in the albums or live tracks.

Of course all tracks have been remastered so if you are thinking about getting the Police albums, this is the way to do it! But to complete the collection you should also get the excellent double live album that was released in 1995 too! So don't forget about that. It includes two concerts. One from 1979 and the other from 1983.

For fans of the late 70's new wave movement or rock in general this group featuring Sting on vocals/bass, Andy Summers on guitar and sometimes vocals, and the awesome drumming from Stewart Copeland is essential listening as their fusion of reggae, rock, and other styles became hugely influential.
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later...

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Rating: - A great classic
The complete works of The Police in a four disc collection. A great classic compilation of the recordings done by The Police. If you are a fan then this collection is well worth it.

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Rating: - The Police are the Greatest Band Ever!!!!!
Message in a Box is an amazing box set, with every song The Police have ever played, and it is all neatly placed in chronological order. The Box Set also comes with a biography of the band, from their humble beginnings as a pseudo punk group, to the amazing Reggaesque group that epitamized there career. Sting and The Police were lyrical geniuses, and were candid when discussing anything from temptation(Don't Stand So), obsession(Every Breath You Take), and even the misery of war(Canary in a Coalmine, and Invisible Sun). For any classic rock listener out there, I highly recommend this band, it just kicks butt!

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Rating: - Rockin' those middle high memories
I first started listening to The Police when I was in middle high school and never got tired of them. Most of the songs on this CD set reminded me of specific times throughout my middle to high school years.They also became subjects of conversations I had with friends in college about the bands we listened to while in high school. The Police still rocks!