Track Listing

1. Roxanne
2. Can't Stand Losing You
3. Message In A Bottle
4. Walking On The Moon
5. Don't Stand So Close To Me '86
6. De Do Do Do De Da Da Da
7. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
8. Invisible Sun
9. Spirits In The Material World
10. Every Breath You Take
11. King Of Pain
12. Wrapped Around Your Finger

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27983 in Music
• Released on: 2003-08-04
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: DTS Surround Sound, PAL
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .31 pounds

CD Description
EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE: THE CLASSICS is an updated version of the 1986 collection EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE: THE SINGLES. The only differences in this collection are the addition of the "New Classic Rock Mix" of "Message In A Bottle", differentartwork and a slightly reworded title. Cosmetic changes aside, this remains a solid representation of a unique pop triowhose studio output was a too-short five albums.
Although frontman/bassist Sting wrote practically all the material,Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland's contributions leave no doubt that this was a three-man effort. "Walking On The Moon" features Summers' reggae shadings and Copeland's precise percussive nuances, and their instrumental prowess turns a nonsensical title such as "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" into a quirky pop nugget. As for Sting's songwriting, most of it revolved around relationships and the different turns they take.Phases such as rapture ("Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"), manipulation ("Wrapped Around Your Finger", "Every Breath You Take") and desperation ("Can't Stand Losing You") are all deftly touched on by Gordon Sumner.

Customer Reviews

Beware!
I bought this thinking it was a DVD-Audio disc. IT IS NOT. It is a DTS-encoded CD, which means surround sound but not fantastic quality. I've since noticed there's a SACD of the same album available on Amazon - buy that one instead if you have an SACD player.

Excellent new mix for a classic album
This is a review of the DTS (Digital Theatre Surround) version of 'Every breath you take, The Classics' by the Police. For those who don't know, this is an audio CD of the album, re-mixed for a 5.1 DTS capable surround processor. DTS is the more recent, and far more superior in terms of sound quality, system used in movies for surround sound. This disc is not a DVD with a DTS soundtrack - it has no video content - but is a re-mastered and mixed version of the album first available in 1995.
My original CD compilation of the Police dates from 1986, and my comments on the new version therefore reflect comparisons with that version. First of all, how can you play this new disc? You will need either a CD or DVD player with a digital output linked to a surround amplifier or processor which can decode the DTS soundtrack. If you do not have this capability, it is possible to play it on a DVD player that has an on-board DTS decoder, (not to be confused with a player that can only output a DTS signal) and then you can connect it through your player's analogue output to the line input on a stereo amplifier. This will give you a high quality stereo mix, but not the full 5.1 mix.
Now to the music. My first listen was with the surround effects switched off, giving a stereo image. Compared to my 1986 compilation, the first thing that hit me was the altogether more realistic sound. The comparison would be the difference between listening to the band perform on stage behind the curtain, and then with the curtain raised. Sting's vocals are more focused with greater clarity and you can hear the breath in his voice. Andy Summer's guitar takes on a bell-like quality, his riffs coming through loud and clear. Stewart Copeland's drumming comes across with more attack and his excellent rhythmic patterns are easily picked out. Sting's bass is possibly a little more prominent than on my 1986 album, but it does not take anything away from the other instruments, and gives a livelier feel to the album. 'Don't stand so close to me' is the original version, not the 1986 re-mix, but 'De do do do de da da da' is not a version that I have heard before. Perhaps it comes from the 1986 sessions? It starts with 8 bars of wonderfully clear 'a cappella' singing before the instruments join in. It is a more laid back version and the urgency of Stewart's drumming is no longer there. Whether it is better than the original is a matter of taste, but the sound quality is excellent. Switching on the surround sound has the amazing effect of opening up the sound stage so that you can pinpoint the components parts more precisely than before. The amount of information coming from each channel varies from track to track, but it is a very pleasurable experience. All in all, this is an excellent album in an excellent new mix. Is it worth the extra money? If you really appreciate quality music, and you already have a good quality surround system, then this is for you.
The main difficulty for me in pursuing DTS recordings is their lack of availability. Here Amazon comes to the rescue! I had been trying to obtain another DTS title ('Band on the run') from a couple of mail-order services since March 2001, with no success. I ordered that title, plus 2 more, on the 8th November from Amazon, and received them on 30th November. Amazing!
I listened to the disc through my hi-fi separates system to which I have added a surround processor, surround and centre speakers, and a sub-woofer. If you are not into movies but are following the line of multi-channel audio, provided your processor has a DTS decoder, this album will play on a multi-channel SACD player using the digital output from the CD player.

Does everybody know what they are talking about?
OK, I'll come clean - I don't actually own this disc. The 3 stars is an average review based upon my total confusion as to its format (and nothing to do with the music or the mix). Does Amazon (either UK or US) know what they are talking about? This disc (or discs?) is advertised as a 5.1 DTS CD (I've not heard of this before), but under Product Details it states that it is a DVD-Audio disc. Hmmm! Well, it clearly cannot be both - unless it is dual layer or a two disc / two-sided single disc package (one a CD and one a DVD-Audio). It would be really good if this was clarified - quite important really, I would have thought! As an audiophile (horrible word), I search Amazon for DVD-Audio discs, so when I see the phrase DVD-Audio I am interested in just that - the DVD-A bit (ie a Digital-Versatile-Disc with just audio content in 96kHz/24bit resolution or better - with any additional video, or inferior quality 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS tracks being totally irrelevant). So - I don't know whether or not to buy this disc - is it a DVD-Audio or is it not? The last reviewer does not indicate the presence of anything other than DTS, Amazon bills it as a [DTS 5.1 CD][DTS Surround Sound] disc (talk about repeating yourself). If that is all it is (and the Product Details statement that it is a DVD-A is wrong), then I'll not be buying it! But if it is a DVD-Audio, then I will.

Does Amazon actually know? If so, please let on!