The Very Best of Sting & The Police

The Very Best of... Sting & The Police
Greatest hits album by Sting and the Police
Released	3 November 1997 (original) 18 February 2002 (update)
Genre	New wave, rock
Length	63:03
Label	A&M
Producer	Hugh Padgham, Sean "Puffy" Combs
Sting chronology
Mercury Falling (1996) The Very Best of... Sting & The Police (1997) Brand New Day (1999)
The Police chronology
Live! (1995) The Very Best of... Sting & The Police (1997) The Police (2007)
2002 updated edition
The Very Best of.... Sting & The Police (2002)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Rolling Stone	[2]
Uncut	[3]

The Very Best of... Sting & The Police is a compilation album issued by A&M Records on 3 November 1997,^[4] containing a mix of Police songs and Sting's solo works.^[5] It originally featured one new track, a remix of the 1978 song "Roxanne" by rap artist Sean "Puffy" Combs. The album was reissued in 1998 by PolyGram International^[6] with "Russians" removed and three added tracks: "Seven Days", "Fragile", and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da". The original European version issued by A&M Records of this compilation instead included these tracks without removing "Russians".

In 2002, an updated edition was released by Universal^[7] with several track changes: the songs "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot", "Russians", and "Roxanne '97 (Puff Daddy Remix)" are omitted, with the songs "Brand New Day", "Desert Rose", and "So Lonely" in their place. "Brand New Day" and "Desert Rose" were recorded after the original 1997 Very Best Of, being from the 1999 album Brand New Day.

Track listing

A&M (1997)

1. "Message in a Bottle" – 4:49 from Reggatta de Blanc
2. "Can't Stand Losing You" – 2:58 from Outlandos d'Amour
3. "Englishman in New York" – 4:25 from ...Nothing Like the Sun
4. "Every Breath You Take" – 4:13 from Synchronicity
5. "Walking on the Moon" – 4:59 from Reggatta de Blanc
6. "Fields of Gold" – 3:40 from Ten Summoner's Tales
7. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" – 4:20 from Ghost in the Machine
8. "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" – 4:14 from The Dream of the Blue Turtles
9. "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" (Edit) 4:29 from Mercury Falling
10. "Russians" – 3:57 from The Dream of the Blue Turtles
11. "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" – 4:29 from Ten Summoner's Tales
12. "When We Dance" (Edit) – 4:17 from Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984–1994
13. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" – 4:03 from Zenyatta Mondatta
14. "Roxanne" – 3:12 from Outlandos d'Amour
15. "Roxanne '97" (Puff Daddy Remix) – 4:33 Previously unreleased

PolyGram International (1998)

1. "Message in a Bottle" – 4:49 from Reggatta de Blanc
2. "Can't Stand Losing You" – 2:58 from Outlandos d'Amour
3. "Englishman in New York" – 4:25 from ...Nothing Like the Sun
4. "Every Breath You Take" – 4:13 from Synchronicity
5. "Seven Days" – 4:39 from Ten Summoner's Tales
6. "Walking on the Moon" – 4:59 from Reggatta de Blanc
7. "Fields of Gold" – 3:40 from Ten Summoner's Tales
8. "Fragile" – 3:54 from ...Nothing Like the Sun
9. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" – 4:20 from Ghost in the Machine
10. "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" – 4:09 from Zenyatta Mondatta
11. "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" – 4:14 from The Dream of the Blue Turtles
12. "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot (Edit)" – 4:29 from Mercury Falling
13. "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" – 4:29 from Ten Summoner's Tales
14. "When We Dance (Edit)" – 4:17 from Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984–1994
15. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" – 4:03 from Zenyatta Mondatta
16. "Roxanne" – 3:12 from Outlandos d'Amour
17. "Roxanne '97" (Puff Daddy Remix) – 4:33 Previously unreleased

Japanese version bonus single

1. "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" (Japanese version)

Universal (2002)

1. "Message in a Bottle" – 4:50
2. "Can't Stand Losing You" – 3:00
3. "Englishman in New York" – 4:28
4. "Every Breath You Take" – 4:12
5. "Seven Days" – 4:39
6. "Walking on the Moon" – 5:03
7. "Fields of Gold" – 3:40
8. "Fragile" – 3:54
9. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" – 4:21
10. "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" – 4:08
11. "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" – 4:15
12. "Brand New Day" – 6:22
13. "Desert Rose" featuring Cheb Mami – 4:47
14. "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" – 4:30
15. "When We Dance" – 4:18
16. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" – 4:00
17. "Roxanne" – 3:10
18. "So Lonely" – 4:47

Additional personnel

"Roxanne '97" (Puff Daddy Remix)

• Pras – rap vocals
• Full Force – background vocals

Production

• Dave Collins – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for The Very Best of Sting & The Police Chart (1997–98) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[8] 22 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[9] 4 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[10] 8 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[11] 14 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] 17 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[13] 8 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] 18 Italian Albums (FIMI)[15] 9 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[16] 5 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 26 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 17 UK Albums (OCC)[19] 11 Weekly chart performance for 2002 updated edition of The Very Best of Sting & The Police Chart (2002) Peak position Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[20] 4 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] 69 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] 59 Irish Albums (IRMA)[21] 4 Italian Albums (FIMI)[22] 4 Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)[23] 5 New Zealand Albums (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 17 UK Albums (OCC)[24] 1 US Billboard 200[25] 46 Chart (2008) Peak position Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[26] 60

Year-end charts 1997 year-end chart performance for The Very Best of Sting & The Police Chart (1997) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[27] 78 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[28] 51 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[29] 61 UK Albums (OCC)[30] 45 1998 year-end chart performance for The Very Best of Sting & The Police Chart (1998) Position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[31] 40 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[32] 70 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[33] 100 UK Albums (OCC)[34] 100 2002 year-end chart performance for The Very Best of Sting & The Police Chart (2002) Position UK Albums (OCC)[35] 44

Certifications

Certifications and sales for The Very Best of Sting & The Police

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[36]	Platinum	60,000^^
Australia (ARIA)[37]	Gold	35,000^^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[38]	Gold	25,000^*
Belgium (BRMA)[39]	Platinum	50,000^*
France (SNEP)[40]	2× Gold	200,000^*
Germany (BVMI)[41]	Gold	250,000^^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[42]	Gold	10,000^*
Italy (FIMI)[43]	Gold	30,000^*
Japan (RIAJ)[44]	Gold	100,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[45]	Gold	7,500^^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[46]	Gold	50,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[47]	Gold	25,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[48]	4× Platinum	1,200,000^^
United States (RIAA)[49]	Gold	500,000^^
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. The Very Best of Sting & The Police at AllMusic
2. Berger, Arion (22 October 2002). "The Very Best of Sting & The Police (2002)". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
3. Spencer, Neil (December 1997). "Arrested development". Uncut. No. 7. p. 98.
4. "BPI".
5. 1997/A&M version on AllMusic
6. 1998/PolyGram International version on AllMusic
7. 2002/Universal version on AllMusic
8. "Australiancharts.com – Sting & the Police – The Very Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
9. "Austriancharts.at – Sting & The Police – The Very Best Of... Sting & The Police" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
10. "Ultratop.be – Sting & the Police – The Very Best Of" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
11. "Ultratop.be – Sting & The Police – The Very Best Of... Sting & The Police" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
12. "Dutchcharts.nl – Sting & The Police – The Very Best Of... Sting & The Police" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
13. "Sting & The Police: The Very Best Of..." (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
14. "Offiziellecharts.de – Sting & the Police – The Very Best Of... Sting & The Police" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
15. "Classifica settimanale WK 48 (dal 21.11.1997 al 27.11.1997)" (in Italian). FIMI. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
16. "Charts.nz – Sting & The Police – The Very Best Of... Sting & The Police". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
17. "Swedishcharts.com – Sting & The Police – The Very Best Of... Sting & The Police". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
18. "Swisscharts.com – Sting & the Police – The Very Best Of... Sting & The Police". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
19. "Top 100 Albums 1997" (PDF). Music Week. 17 January 1998. p. 29. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
20. "Top 40 Albums - 38 / 2002". Tracklisten. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
21. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 9, 2002". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
22. "Italiancharts.com – Sting & The Police – The Very Best Of... Sting & The Police". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
23. "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 4 June 2022. Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "Sting & The Police" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca".
24. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
25. "Sting Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
26. "Spanishcharts.com – Sting & the Police – The Very Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
27. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1997". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
28. "Jaaroverzichten 1997". Ultratop (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 December 2020.
29. "Rapports Annuels 1997". Ultratop (in French). Retrieved 19 December 2020.
30. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1997". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
31. "Jahreshitparade Alben 1998". Austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 19 December 2020.
32. "Rapports Annuels 1998". Ultratop (in French). Retrieved 19 December 2020.
33. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
34. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1998". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
35. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2002". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
36. "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
37. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
38. "Austrian album certifications – Sting & The Police – Very Best Of" (in German). IFPI Austria.
39. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2002". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021.
40. "French compilation certifications – Sting and the Police – Very Best" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
41. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Sting & The Police; 'The Very Best of Sting & The Police')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
42. "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1997". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
43. "Italian album certifications – Sting & The Police – The Very Best of Sting & The Police" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 11 December 2018. Select "2013" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "The Very Best of Sting & The Police" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
44. "Japanese album certifications – Sting & The Police – The Very Best of Sting & The Police" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 1998年1月 on the drop-down menu
45. "New Zealand album certifications – Sting & The Police – The Very Best of Sting & The Police". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
46. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 964. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
47. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Very Best of')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
48. "British album certifications – Sting & The Police – The Very Best of Sting and The Police". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
49. "American album certifications – Sting and The Police – The Very Best of Sting and The Police". Recording Industry Association of America.