Tuesday before last, I got a message from Rocket 88 Books; the imprint responsible for several fine volumes in my Record Cell, touting what will surely be a book I’d love to read. Stewart Copeland; drummer extraordinaire, bon vivant, and perhaps most importantly, the secret identity of eccentric New Waver Klark Kent, is publishing a book on his infamous Police Diaries. The hand written, day by day accounts of how one of the first world-conquering New Wave acts from England got their top-selling act together.
We’re only discussing it now because I make this up as I go along! We get diverted by a bigger thread and there we go for a week down an unplanned rabbit hole. But there are repercussions in the here and now for which I offer a mea culpa. The window for getting one’s name printed in the edition as an early supporter closed four days ago! And what I’ll call the “CEO Edition” of the book has sold out in defiance of its hefty cost. But the standard prole edition is a right on $55, and the “Signature Edition” can still be yours…if the price is right. We’ll get to that later.
I’ve actually read an earlier book by Andy Summers, 2006’s “One Train Later” which capably covered his own life and development from birth to the day the Police broke up and it’s actually one of the best Rock autobigraphies I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Copeland’s book is more tightly focused on him putting together the band that mined platinum early on in this Wave we called New.
The 224 page hardcover features his quickly scrawled daily diaries from 1976 to 1979 enhanced with deeper, contextual copy as shown above, with photos of significant objects, locations, people, and situations. Groovy. And already on my reading list. Where things get particularly interesting are with what is called the “Signature Edition” of the package. As seen below.
- 224 pp. hardcover
- bespoke slipcase
- signed and numbered edition of 500
- large [folded] “Outlandos D’Amour” poster
- Demo CD of Copeland material from 1977-1978
As a dyed-in-the-wool Klark Kent fan, I have to say that I am really interested in hearing Copeland’s demos from 1977-1978! But the price of this edition is a deal killer for me: 350 clams!
But the one that’s already sold out is the $700 “Ultimate Edition” with all that the “Signature Edition” had, but in a smaller edition of 100 with an additional giclée print of an early promo photo as signed by Copeland and the photographer, Lawrence Impey. If the simple book or the deluxe edition call out to you, then you need to go there.
POLICE DIARIES HARDCOVER
POLICE DIARIES SIGNATURE EDITION
-30-
Post-Punk Monk 
I’ve bought several Rocket 88 titles (e.g. Andy Summers, 10cc, Keith Emerson) and so I received notice of this particular epic. I was very interested, but the enormous price point made it very easy to pass by. Andy Summers’ deluxe edition book of short stories was much more reasonable.
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Big Mark – Well, $55 for just the book is agreeable enough. It’s the signed editions that curl my hair. It’s a pity as I’m highly interested in that CD.
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Never mind, of all the ultra excluscive deluxe specials I needed to obtain a few years later they all where published once again, perhaps not in the original formats but it’s just a question of time. If your health is not to bad I would’nt throw in the additional 300$, and considering he’s been a member of The Police chances are way better than they have been for various Shriekback specials like the USB only bonus tracks for Cormorant.
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slur – And I got the “Cormorant” reissue just a few years later with the USB egg bonus tracks! My hope is there might be a Klark Kent box with all of that and more.
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The fact that the disc of demo tunes is only available with an exorbitantly overpriced edition is criminal.
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postpostmoderndad – Well, we must keep Stewart Copeland in the manner to which he’s accustomed, eh? For all I endured in seeing The Police in 1983, he should be paying me!
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