Stewart Copeland Police Deranged for Orchestra LP

Stewart Copeland, influential drummer/founder of seminal '80s band The Police and acclaimed film, opera, and orchestral composer, continues his musical journey with Police Deranged for Orchestra. With his latest album Copeland explores the band's best-known tracks through a new lens, inspired by his recent forays into expansive musical forms and instrumentation.

Beginning originally in 2021, Copeland created his newest project, Stewart Copeland: The Police Deranged for Orchestra, which focused on the epic rise of his career. The concert was an evening bursting with The Police's biggest hits including "Roxanne," "Don't Stand Too Close to Me" and "Message in a Bottle" arranged for full symphony orchestra as well as hand-picked highlights from Copeland's compositions. The project has toured with sold-out dates across the US and Europe.

The resulting album revisits Police hits newly arranged for full orchestra alongside bassist Armand Sabal Lecco (Paul Simon), guitarist Rusty Anderson (Paul McCartney), and vocalists Amy Keys, Carmel Helene, and Ashley Támar. Percussion and drums were arranged, orchestrated, and co-produced by Copeland. The music was conducted and co-produced by Edwin Outwater and produced and mixed by Craig Stuart Garfinkle.

Unlike his earlier compositional work, Copeland explains that the "derangement" of The Police's music began as a score for a movie he made out of Super8 footage of the band that he had shot during their rise to glory.

In his own words Copeland says, "Film puts capricious demands on music, so I had to carve up the songs to serve the scenes in the movie, and once the scalpel was out, a whole new frenzy of inspiration from Police music began."

He continues. "delving into the multi-tracks of our original recordings and live performances revealed lost guitar solos, bass lines, and vocal improvisations that were just too cool to leave in obscurity… this discovery is what brings us to this performance: Sting's songs, Andy's inventions, and my impunity; all on the page for a wild ride with orchestra and unique musicians from around the world to adapt some of the most loved The Police hits for old and new audiences alike."