Stewart Copeland’s diaries of the early days of The Police will serve as the main inspiration for his new book, the aptly named Police Diaries 1976-’79, which will be out later this year through Rocket 88 Books.
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Copeland will also be offering previously unheard demos and recordings from the era, the first of which, a proto-Police song called “Clown’s Revenge,” is out today (January 12).
“Do you know where you were on September 25, 1976? Maybe not, but I do,” Copeland says by way of introduction, referencing the night he saw Sting perform for the first time. “I was a long-haired alien drummer touring the U.K. in a prog-rock band called Curved Air, and that night we were in Newcastle where I saw a local band called Last Exit. I know that because I was taking notes every day in my now slightly dog-eared, pocket diaries. I noted that they were ‘great’ and that we had a party. In a later diary entry, after realizing that punk was the future, I remark on the day that I persuaded their bassist to move to London and join me in my own punk band.”
Copeland says that Police Diaries will be “the truest account of the Police’s beginning and early days. It’s full of my original diary pages, hand-made poster designs, ragged accounts, callow observations and other scribblings of a proto-rock star, illuminated by hitherto unseen vintage photos from the deepest vaults. It’s a big, noisy book about one heckuva ride.”
In October of last year, the stylish music video for The Police’s signature hit “Every Breath You Take” has officially joined YouTube’s Billion Views Club, the video streaming service announced Wednesday, October 5.
Originally released as the lead single off the band’s 1983 album Synchronicity, the Sting-penned ballad eventually became The Police’s sole No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and reigned atop the chart for eight weeks total. It won Grammys for song of the year and best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal.