The Police biography
In June 1986, the trio reconvened to play three concerts for the Amnesty International A Conspiracy of Hope Tour. In July of that year, they reunited in the studio to record a new album. However, Copeland broke his collarbone in a fall from a horse and was unable to play the drums. As a result, the tense short-lived reunion in the studio produced only subdued re-recordings (using a drum machine) of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da". "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" was released in October 1986 as their final single and made it into the UK Top 25; it also appeared on the 1986 compilation Every Breath You Take: The Singles. De Do Do Do De Da Da Da was subsequently included on the DTS-CD release of the Every Breath You Take: The Classics album in 1995. The song remains hard to find because later versions of the DTS release do not include the remake.
Following the failed effort to record a new studio album, the Police effectively disbanded. In the liner notes to the Police's box set Message in a Box, Summers explains: "The attempt to record a new album was doomed from the outset. The night before we went into the studio Stewart broke his collarbone falling off a horse and that meant we lost our last chance of recovering some rapport just by jamming together. Anyway, it was clear Sting had no real intention of writing any new songs for the Police. It was an empty exercise." In a Qantas inflight radio program named "Reeling in the Years", Copeland said an ongoing argument between himself and Sting over what drum machine to use in the sessions was "the straw that broke the camel's back", and led to the group's unraveling.
Disbanded (1987-2006)
Each of the band members continued with their solo careers over the next 20 years. Sting continued recording and touring as a solo performer to great success. Summers recorded a number of albums, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians. Copeland became a prolific producer of movie and television soundtracks, and he recorded and toured with two new bands, Animal Logic and Oysterhead. However, a few events did bring the Police back together, albeit briefly.Summers played guitar on Sting's album ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987), a favor the singer returned by playing bass on Summers' album Charming Snakes (1989) and later singing lead vocals on "'Round Midnight" for Summers' tribute to Thelonious Monk Green Chimneys (1999).
On 2 October 1991 (Sting's 40th birthday), Summers joined Sting on stage at the Hollywood Bowl during The Soul Cages Tour to perform "Roxanne" and "Every Breath You Take". The performance was broadcast as a pay-per-view event.
In 1992, Sting married Trudie Styler. Summers and Copeland were invited to the ceremony and reception. Aware that all band members were present, the wedding guests pressured the trio into playing, and they performed "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle". Copeland said later that "after about three minutes, it became 'the thing' again."
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