The Police: Message In A Box

     I don't have the Male Car Gene or the Male Beer Gene, but I do have the Male Roxanne Gene. Anywhere in the world, when "Roxanne" is played, dudes are biologically required to sing that opening "Roxanne" along with Sting. I doubt this phenomenon has been studied and I only have anecdotal evidence, but I'm pretty sure it's true. Having said that, my musical relationship with The Police and Sting has been erratic at best. I liked "Roxanne" and "Message In A Bottle" when they came out, but I didn't buy the album. And there's no denying they have many great songs. So Lonely. Don't Stand So Close To Me. Can't Stand Losing You. Walking On The Moon. De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da. Invisible Sun. Spirits In The Material World. Driven To Tears. When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What's Still Around. Murder By Numbers. King Of Pain.  I never bought their albums, though. They had weird titles like Reggatta De Blanc and Zenyatta Mondatta. I didn't even buy Synchronicity. I was in college when Synchronicity was huge. I hated "Every Breath You Take" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger". I constantly argued with one of my roommates, because he claimed Copeland was a better drummer than Neil Peart and that The Police were a better trio than Rush. Insanity, I thought. Looking back, he did have some valid points, but he was still wrong.
     Then Sting shocked the world and broke up The Police. In retrospect it's not that shocking, because Sting seems to be an insufferable, tantric sex-having jerk...allegedly. Anyhow, I'm not a big fan of Sting's pretentious solo career. I respect that he didn't want to keep doing what he was doing with The Police, but I don't enjoy his brand of jazz-rock fusion or his lute playing. I have Dream Of The Blue Turtles, but it's one of my inherited albums and I haven't listened to it. I also had Brand New Day, but I got rid of it. A few years ago, I found myself feeling nostalgic about The Police and decided to buy Message In A Box: The Complete Recordings Of The Police. This boxed set was ideal for me, because I didn't already have their albums. I strongly recommend this to my kids, by the way. The packaging is fantastic and so is the music (except "Every breath You take" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger"). I can't wait until the day my son does his first "Roxanne". Peace.