Guitarist Andy Summers has expressed excitement over the find, but isn't quite sure what's going to happen with it since he notes that it 'just turned up' and is 'very raw.'
- Nov 10, 2021
AceShowbiz - Lost audio from The Police's first U.S. dates at New York's CBGB in 1978 is to be restored and remastered for future release. Guitarist Andy Summers has confirmed the find, but isn't quite sure what's going to happen with the forgotten recording.
"We're looking at it," he tells UltimateClassicRock. "This is brand new. It's just sort of hot off the press, it just turned up. Somebody found that. I've heard it, and it's very raw. It's really in your face, not finessed at all. So I'm not quite sure what's going to happen with it yet. I would love to see it out, of course, because I think it's historical and important..."
"It's sort of interesting, because it's early days. It sounds enthusiastic! We're pounding away. I think later, we finessed some of the material. I mean, we got better at doing what we did. But it's very interesting to hear these early takes when I didn't even have the guitar pedals to really get the sounds that I sort of became known for later on."
"It was too early. I really didn't have much...But the band is playing great, with very fierce, strong playing. You know, it's kind of raw and violent!"
Summers adds, "I think the CBGB show should come out. It's a real collector's item if you're into history and all of that, and CBGB was the mecca of punk. It was very important for us to play there... Our punk credentials were dubious, but once you played at CBGB, it was, like, 'OK, you guys are the real thing'... In that political climate, that was an important gig."
Meanwhile, the guitarist admits it's unfortunate so many lost The Police recordings are scattered.
"It should all be in one place, completely organized; that's what you would hope for in a perfect world," he adds. "But I think record companies, somehow, they don't pay attention to what they've got, deep in a cellar and in a basement. I've never had a complete accounting of like, 'OK, where are the Synchronicity tapes? Where are they? Who's got 'em? Where are they exactly?' One wonders."
"It's kind of depressing. I'd like to tell you that everything's in one room, it's dry and it's clean and well-stored and accounted for. I don't think that's the case. I mean, pretty much everything is out, one way or another, so they're not lost. But if you're talking about the original tapes, that's another story."
