Stewart Copeland of The Police speaks during the 2015 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show at the Anaheim Convention Center on Friday, Januin Anaheim, California.

HeвЂ™s threatening to come to a show in L.A., and I just canвЂ™t wait to show him.вЂќ And boy, it sure is a contribution to me, personally. HeвЂ™s a heck of a bass player and an unbelievable singer, but I think in his heart of hearts he really feels like his songwriting is his main contribution to humanity. It makes him feel like one of the great songwriters, which is one of the things heвЂ™s most proud of. вЂњHe loves to have people cover his songs. вЂњIвЂ™ve had a good relationship with Sting about all of this,вЂќ Copeland explained. In reality, Copeland is relishing the beauty found in these songs and the invaluable contributions from his former bandmates. When asked if itвЂ™s a liberating experience, he laughed and replied, вЂњRevenge! LetвЂ™s call it by itвЂ™s true name.вЂќ

This time Copeland is chief, playing in the sandbox solo. ItвЂ™s well documented that all three members of The Police tangled over the groupвЂ™s musical choices. IвЂ™m taking the inspiration I had from The Police and the expertise that IвЂ™ve had thrust upon me as a film composer, and bringing it to the stage. And thereвЂ™s a synergy between memory, music, and emotion. вЂњThis show here is something kind of special, because it has this emotional impact of these very popular songs. вЂњThatвЂ™s where the frenzy of cutting up Police songs came from,вЂќ Copeland said recently over the phone from his Los Angeles home. He scoured multi-track studio and live recordings, plucking gems he never knew existed.

Realizing the existing songs couldnвЂ™t be instantly dropped into the movie, he pulled out вЂњthe scalpelвЂќ and went to work rearranging them to best serve as the filmвЂ™s soundtrack. The seed of the concept dates back to 2006 when Copeland was scoring his documentary вЂњEveryone Stares: The Police Inside Out,вЂќ culled from footage he shot himself during the bandвЂ™s heyday.

Harmonic scalpel