How The Beatles’ ‘Get Back’ Inspired the Police to Rethink Their Past

Stewart Copeland revealed that the Beatles’ movie Get Back inspired the Police to re-evaluate their past, leading to the revival of their 1983 album Synchronicity, which is set to return in a 6-disc box set on July 26.

The drummer, alongside his former bandmates Sting and Andy Summers, has often discussed the interpersonal challenges that made some aspects of the band tough to endure, despite their love for the music they created together.

In a recent interview with the Guardian, Copeland explained the timing behind Synchronicity‘s return. “The Police had an epiphany courtesy of the Beatles’ documentary, Get Back,” he said. “Each of us learned, in our separate ivory towers, that the final master isn’t in any way diminished by showing the sketches or demos along the way. [Previous album] Ghost in the Machine had taken us into stadiums and then Synchronicity made us even bigger, but the recording sessions were very dark. We beat the crap out of each other. We’ve laughed about it since, but going back into that black hole isn’t something we tended towards.”

He mentioned that it was “such fun listening to the demos and songs that didn’t make it,” adding that more reissues could be expected. “There will be more reissues. We’re starting at the end and working backwards, like Wagner’s Ring Cycle.”

When asked again about the trio’s relationship, Copeland said, “We had a great bond, which wasn’t strong enough to make recording together very easy. We tore each other’s throats out in the studio – but those two motherfuckers came up with incredible stuff and we got on really well on stage, in the van, on the plane.

“To this day we still send each other dumb Instagram clips. It’s a myth that Sting and I fought all the time. I broke his rib once, but we were play-fighting!”

Copeland also touched on the release of his Police-era diaries last year, which provide an inside look at the band’s dynamics. When asked about his motivation behind keeping these notes, he said, “They were such exciting times; I really wanted to grab some of them. I’d no idea it would be of interest 40 years later.”

Source: The Guardian