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The Police / Synchronicity 6CD box set

55 previously unreleased tracks

By Paul Sinclair

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Synchronicity / The Police 6CD box set

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4.2

The floodgates have finally opened and – as predicted in the SDE Reissue Preview for 2024 – The Police will issue a 6CD super deluxe edition of their smash 1983 album Synchronicity which offers masses of unheard alternates, outtakes and demos!!

The band’s fifth and final studio album, Synchroncity features the singles ‘Every Breath You Take’, ‘Wrapped Around Your Finger’, ‘King of Pain’ and ‘Synchronicity II’ and went on to sell 15m globally, with 8.5m in the USA alone.

This reissue has been three years in the making, created with the band’s involvement and endorsement. The accompanying 60-page hardcover book contains extensive new sleeve notes written by music journalist Jason Draper, who details the conception and infamous birth of the album.

The 6CD super deluxe of Synchronicity (click image to enlarge)

The box set contains the following content: 

  • CD1 is the original album including ‘Murder By Numbers’, all remastered directly from the original source tapes
  • CD2 features 18 tracks containing all original 7” / 12” B-sides plus 11 exclusive non-album bonus tracks, available on CD for the first time
  • CD3 and CD4 contains previously unreleased alternate takes of all the Synchronicity songs
  • CD4 also features unreleased Police songs including an early version of Andy Summers’ 1982 track ‘Goodbye Tomorrow’ (later renamed ‘Someone To Talk To’); a demo of a Stewart Copeland penned song ‘I’m Blind’ which later resurfaced as the renamed ‘Brothers on Wheels’ for Copeland’s acclaimed soundtrack to Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Rumblefish’; an unreleased first take of ‘Truth Hits Everybody’ (originally from the 1978 debut Outlandos d’Amour’); and rare covers of the Eddie Cochran song ‘Three Steps To Heaven’ and ‘Rock and Roll Music’ by Chuck Berry
  • CD5 and CD6 features 19 live recordings – all previously unreleased – captured on 10th September 1983 at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, USA

As well as the hardcover book, the 6CD box includes four art prints. Other formats include a 2CD set (repeats first two discs of the super deluxe), a 4LP vinyl edition (42 tracks instead of the 84 on the 6CD set) and a vinyl picture disc that rejigs the running order.

Synchronicity will be reissued on 26 July 2024 via UMR/Polydor. You can support SDE by ordering the 6CD set via the SDE shop using this link or the button below.

Tracklisting

Synchronicity The Police /

    • CD 1
      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
    • CD 2 (Bonus)
      1. Truth Hits Everybody (Remix)
      2. Man In A Suitcase (Live At The Variety Arts Theatre, Los Angeles, USA / 16th January 1981)
      3. Someone To Talk To
      4. Message In A Bottle (Live At The Gusman Cultural Center, Miami, USA / 26th October 1979)
      5. I Burn For You
      6. Once Upon A Daydream
      7. Tea In The Sahara (Live At The Omni, Atlanta, USA / 3rd November 1983)
      8. Every Breath You Take (Backing Track)
      9. Roxanne (Backing Track)
      10. Wrapped Around Your Finger (Live At The Omni, Atlanta, USA / 3rd November 1983)
      11. Every Bomb You Make
      12. Walking On The Moon (Live At The Omni, Atlanta, USA / 3rd November 1983)
      13. Hole In My Life (Live At The Omni, Atlanta, USA / 3rd November 1983)
      14. One World (Not Three) (Live At The Omni, Atlanta, USA / 3rd November 1983)
      15. Invisible Sun (Live At The Omni, Atlanta, USA / 2nd November 1983)
      16. Murder By Numbers (Live At The Omni, Atlanta, USA / 2nd November 1983)
      17. Walking In Your Footsteps (Derangement)
      18. Tea In The Sahara (Derangement)
    • CD 3 (Unreleased Part 1)
      1. Synchronicity I (Demo)
      2. Synchronicity I (Alternate Mix)
      3. Synchronicity I (Instrumental)
      4. Walking In Your Footsteps (Alternate Version)
      5. Walking In Your Footsteps (Alternate Mix)
      6. O My God (Demo)
      7. O My God (Outtake)
      8. O My God (OBX Version)
      9. O My God (Alternate Mix)
      10. Mother (Alternate Version)
      11. Mother (Instrumental)
      12. Miss Gradenko (Alternate Mix)
      13. Synchronicity II (Demo)
      14. Synchronicity II (Outtake)
      15. Synchronicity II (Extended Version)
      16. Synchronicity II (Alternate Mix)
      17. Synchronicity II (Instrumental)
    • CD 4 (Unreleased Part 2)
      1. Every Breath You Take (Demo)
      2. Every Breath You Take (Outtake)
      3. Every Breath You Take (Alternate Mix)
      4. King Of Pain (Demo)
      5. King Of Pain (Alternate Version)
      6. King Of Pain (Alternate Mix)
      7. Wrapped Around Your Finger (Demo)
      8. Wrapped Around Your Finger (Alternate Mix)
      9. Wrapped Around Your Finger (Instrumental)
      10. Tea In The Sahara (Demo)
      11. Tea In The Sahara (Alternate Mix)
      12. Murder By Numbers (Demo)
      13. I’m Blind (Demo)
      14. Loch
      15. Ragged Man
      16. Goodbye Tomorrow
      17. Truth Hits Everybody (Remix) (Outtake)
      18. Three Steps To Heaven
      19. Rock And Roll Music
    • CD 5 (Live Part 1 – Unreleased)) Live At The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, California, USA / 10th September 1983)
      1. Synchronicity I
      2. Synchronicity II
      3. Walking In Your Footsteps
      4. Message In A Bottle
      5. Walking On The Moon
      6. O My God
      7. De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
      8. Wrapped Around Your Finger
      9. Tea In The Sahara
      10. Spirits In the Material World
    • CD 6 Live Part 2 – Unreleased)) Live At The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, California, USA / 10th September 1983)
      1. Hole In My Life
      2. Invisible Sun
      3. One World (Not Three)
      4. King Of Pain
      5. Don’t Stand So Close To Me
      6. Murder By Numbers
      7. Every Breath You Take
      8. Roxanne
      9. Can’t Stand Losing You

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