STEWART COPELAND

I have a question about the tape of Voices that was used as an intro for many Police concerts during the 80s, when the boys would take the stage and check their instruments before playing the first song. It's obviously different from the album version, sounds like a Roland drum machine keeping the beat. Do any of the experts here know if it was just a demo version of the song, or was it ever released as a B-side?

Its a different mix of the same studio version we know and love. If you listen to some of the boots available where it runs for awhile or the Synch Concert DVD where its briefly high up in the mix you can get a real feel for it. It is just the drum machine portion of the track though. It never seems to get to the snare drum and slowly starts to fade at about the 2 minute mark...

Although some GREAT remixes were released in 1995 using the original Wisseloord Studios tapes I have never seen this live mix released officially apart from the Synchronicity Concert DVD.

Seek out this official vinyl release:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j6bxexpjkM

Almost nine minutes of the original tapes and drums up to and including what sounds to be a great Summers guitar solo missing from the released version...

You can also find on vinyl an acapella version of Voices again using the original tapes. No cheesy house mix drum over top of either version.

There are of course 6 or 7 more versions that are utterly destroyed by dance mix drums and reverse cymbal crashes. Keyboard bass replacing Sting...ignore those. The two I mention above are absolute musts for Police fans and collectors...and officially released.

Thanks, that is some great information. I'll check out the remixes.