Sting and The Police

Sting - A Winter's Night... Live from Durham Cathedral
From Sept 2009, and coinciding with his If On A Winter's Night album of the same time, this was a modest show with Sting running through many tracks from the album, with one or two others (his version of I Saw Three Ships during the closing credits for example). A nice little show.

Everyone Stares - The Police Inside Out
Stewart Copeland carried a Super 8 camera around during the Police years, and this 2006 film brings a lot of the footage together, the slow rise, the heyday, and the eventual end. Includes what amounts to a behind the scenes bit on the De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da promo, as they were called then. As he says in closing:

When you get to when you're going, the ride is over.

Rock Goes To College - The Police
From 1979, and apparently including their first live performance of Message In A Bottle, which would be a big #1 hit for them that year. A few less remembered tracks included amongst some very familiar ones.

Stewart Copeland was a recent guest on Later w/Jools Holland and amongst general anecdotes, he revealed he's got a book out in the Autumn, based on the Diaries he kept from 1976-8, so the really early years of the Police. As with the above Super 8 observation, he was a chronicler for the band, and kept receipts and all sorts of paraphernalia from those days.

Did finally pick up Sting's Broken Music last week too, so that should be something to come at some stage.

misery guts wrote:
Did finally pick up Sting's Broken Music last week too, so that should be something to come at some stage.

Broken Music, by Sting (2003)
Actually better than I originally believed, it's fairly in-depth up to the Police's first triumphs in the USA, before it skips to his parents' deaths, and a final story of death at his rock star estate. Well written, it makes me kick myself I missed a chance to get Andy Summers' book many moons ago. Maybe later.

Sting has finally accepted the accolade of the Freedom of North Tyneside, which was apparently conferred on him back in 2010, and he's only just got round to accepting it 

Greatest Guitar Riffs: Andy Summers
The affable Police star spoke at length about acts who inspired him growing up, how a blend of musical approaches fired the success of the Police, and how ultimately it all proved too much. He cited Message In A Bottle as his favourite, and told how he helped Every Breath You Take to completion. Hank Marvin, Richie Sambora and Dave Davies were amongst the other musicians to help the story along, and Andy got to visit George Benson at home to pay homage.