A&M/Interscope RecordsIn advance of Sting‘s recently announced studio album, 57th & 9th, the ex-Police frontman will release a career-spanning box set called Sting: The Studio Collection on September 30 that gathers together 180-gram vinyl editions of eight of his solo records.
The package spans from the singer/songwriter’s 1985 solo debut, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, through the 2013 companion album to his stage musical, The Last Ship.
The Studio Collection also features 1987’s …Nothing Like the Sun, 1991’s The Soul Cages, 1993’s Ten Summoner’s Tales, 1996’s Mercury Falling, 1999’s Brand New Day and 2003’s Sacred Love. The versions of …Nothing Like the Sun, Brand New Day and Sacred Love included in the box set are spread across two LPs, while the latter two albums have never before been available on vinyl.
Many of Sting’s biggest hits and best-known songs are featured in the compilation, including “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free,” “Fortress Around Your Heart,” “We’ll Be Together,” “Englishman in New York,” “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You,” “Fields of Gold” and “Desert Rose.”
Each album is housed in a sleeve that replicates the original artwork and packaging.
In a new video promoting the box set, Sting says he loves “the ritual of vinyl records,” recalling that when he was growing up he enjoyed looking at an LP’s cover art, reading the liner notes, pulling the disc out of the inner sleeve and placing it on a turntable.
“Music is too ephemeral in many ways,” adds Sting. “A record is something you can touch, and I think it’s more human.”
Sting: The Studio Collection is available for pre-order now. Meanwhile, 57th & 9th, as previously reported, will be released on November 11.
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