The reissue features five new recordings
Sting will release The Last Ship (Expanded Edition), an updated version of his acclaimed album featuring five new recordings, on December 5th, ahead of a series of highly anticipated international performances of his celebrated musical in which he will also star. The production will be staged in Paris, Amsterdam, and Brisbane in 2026, with additional cities to be announced soon.
Available in digital and 2 CD and 2 LP formats, the forthcoming album release expands upon the original deluxe edition of Sting’s 2013 solo album with the addition of five new, never-before-released recordings.
As a collection, these songs underscore the enduring power of The Last Ship’s narrative and Sting’s deeply personal connection to its themes of home, community, and resilience.
Inspired by the shipbuilding community of Sting’s native Wallsend in northeast England, The Last Ship explores the challenges faced by a town grappling with the loss of its historic industry. The musical premiered on Broadway in 2014, earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Original Score, and has since been staged to critical acclaim around the world.
“I literally grew up in the shadow of the yard,” Sting says. “I dreamed of escaping – and I succeeded. But later I realised I had to give something back. The Last Ship is my tribute to the people and the place that shaped me.”
With this expanded edition, including newly penned liner notes by the 2026 stage production’s book writer, Barney Norris, Sting invites listeners to rediscover the album that helped inspire the stage production, now enriched with fresh interpretations and collaborations.
The set was produced by Sting and Rob Mathes, mixed by Donal Hodgson and four-time Grammy Award winner Robert “Hitmixer” Orton.
CD 1:
1. Island Of Souls (2025)
2. And Yet
3. August Winds
4. Practical Arrangement
5. Shipyard (featuring Joe Caffrey, Brian Johnson and Jo Lawry)
6. Ship Of State (featuring Renée Fleming)
7. If You Ever See Me Talking To A Sailor (featuring Frances McNamee)
8. Language Of Birds
9. Dead Man’s Boots
10. The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance
11. What Have We Got? (featuring Jimmy Nail)
12. The Last Ship
CD 2:
1. It’s Not The Same Moon
2. So To Speak (featuring Becky Unthank)
3. What Say You, Meg?
4. I Love Her But She Loves Someone Else
5. Hadaway
6. Show Some Respect
7. The Last Ship (Reprise)
8. Ballad Of The Great Eastern
9. Sky Hooks And Tartan Paint (featuring Brian Johnson)
10. Peggy’s Song (featuring Rachel Unthank)
11. Jock The Singing Welder
12. O’Brien’s Hymn
