"Sting!!!" ... *whomp* "Dad!!!"
Some people think of the Police as "that band that made everything into pap." Others think of the Police as that band that acted as a launchpad for Sting's obnoxiously self-important and dull solo career. And still others think of the Police as a good punk band that totally betrayed its roots, first by packing their albums with pointless instrumentals and then by turning into a bloated and boring adult-contemporary pop band. Sure, lots of people like the Police, but the enormous commercial success of Synchronicity seems to give an impetus for some "elitist" people to dismiss the band as, at least to some extent, a crap band for the masses.
It is my opinion that these negative opinions are not well-founded by any means. While I don't worship the band like some people I know online do, I do hold the position that the Police were one of the very best bands to come out of the late 70's New Wave movement, and consequently one of the best bands to come along after the late 60's/early 70's. Despite only putting out five studio albums, the Police managed to create an almost absurdly high number of truly classic songs, a bunch of tracks that can serve as a primer on how to write a good song. With a combination of solid hookwriting, the willingness to combine previously unmixed genres, and a willingness to throw in whatever gimmick they believed could enhance the song, this group couldn't help but create one endlessly entertaining track after another. Sure, they always tended to fall short of greatness on a couple of tracks an album, but when they were on, wow.
The most important thing to understand if one is to explain the greatness of the Police is the fact that, despite ostensibly starting their career together as a punk band, the three members of the band had their musical roots in anything but punk. When Sting and Stewart Copeland first hooked up and formed a band with some guitarist (I don't remember his name), they started off as a prog band (well, a pop band with progressive tendencies). Both of them had extremely high levels of proficiency with their instruments, but more important than this, both had heavy exposure to jazz and classical music (in addition to "regular" rock and pop) via "formal" training. Not that I'm saying that these forms of music are inherently superior to rock or punk (at least, not by any definition I'd find the least bit useful; they're certainly not inferior either, though), you see - I'm just saying that jazz and classical provided a diversity of musical perspective that served them well.
Eventually, Sting and Copeland dumped their guitarist, and in his stead chose Andy Summers, who had gotten his start as a frequent session guitarist during the British Invasion of the 60's (in other words, he had been around the music scene for a loooooooooong time). Summers wasn't a great lead guitarist, but that soon turned out to be somewhat irrelevant for the direction the band chose, a direction that took advantage of Summers' many strengths. Without going into album-specific details, suffice it to say that Summers was a master "support" guitarist, able to play whatever rhythm necessary and, as time went on, willing and able to create whatever sound effect or ambient noise with his instrument that could help the songs and albums the band churned out.
In any case, this was a friggin' great band, and all five of their albums should be a part of any rock collection. I only give them a three because, while all their albums are great, none of them quite make it to godlike level for me - even then, though, more than one of them comes very very close, and if you tell me any of them deserve higher grades than what I give them, I'd probably be hardpressed to give a serious argument to the contrary.
Addendum (re: the purported objective superiority of jazz and classical to rock music, which prompted such a row in the reader comments years ago): Many years after writing this introduction, I have amassed for myself a pretty substantial (and ever-growing) collection of classical and jazz recordings, spanning a decent range of time periods and stylistic approaches in each. I've developed a strong admiration and love for many recordings in both of those general areas that I hadn't known when I wrote this introduction. And you know what? I wouldn't change a word of what I wrote. Jazz and classical might be able to do things for me that rock music by and large can't do, but there are still plenty of things that rock can do for me that jazz and classical can't do. If jazz and classical are the definition of perfect musical forms, and rock isn't allowed to defile the hallowed halls of what great music is supposed to be, then music needs to get over itself.
What do you think of the Police?
stray_toasters.juno.com (1/08/03)
I was going to make a dumb joke like, "Hey John, there's a mistake on your
index page, where the Police are listed, you left off a star" but after reading
your intro I would feel foolish doing that. Thank you, THANK YOU for pointing
out what I've been dyiing to tell people all along - the Police all worked in
complicated, professional forms of music that required sheer technical skill,
yet they let go of themselves and made "simple" pop music. I once read a
comment praising Andy and Stewart, saying they could prove themselves
worthwhile when freed from Sting's poppiness, and that made my blood boil. Of
course I have solo music from Andy and Stew and enjoy them very much, but their
solo work is mainly what they contributed to the Police in a more concenrated
form.
If there's any band to prove complex and simple, inaccesible and accessible,
and underground and sellout are not the same things as "good" and "bad", the
Police are it. Unlike their spiritual predecessor Cream they never flaunted
their instrumental skills, always putting their chops in service to the music.
The Police are a truly misunderstood band that you can not judge by their radio
singles - it's most of their best songs, yeah, but they aren't better than the
non-singles by a wide margin, and in any case you do not know anything about
the Police until you hear "Reggatta DeBlanc" (the song). It's a phonomenon
like Ren and Stimpy - some people just see R&S as being gross and others see it
as a revival of the cartoon artform with engaging character development. In
short, you don't have to like the Police (Joel Larrson's reviews were well
thought-out and even though I don't agree with them, I can see where he's
coming from), but listen to the music and don't judge it on things that are
only tangentally related. Thank you.
Jesús Brea (breamorgoth.gmail.com) (10/27/06)
I wasn't even going to write to you regarding other bands like
Jethro Tull or probably King Crimson, I was lazy to write until
now. Reading this stuff by accident I was just amazed by a very small
statement you made regarding the jazz and classical music in
comparison to rock or pop. Now I think I'm going to put some words in
capital letters because it should be worth of notice: THAT WAS
ATROCIOUS; how could you possibly put the latter in the same room as
classical or jazz?; It's not a matter of taste or opinion, it's a
matter of FACTS; objective facts; as objective as the temperature
of boiling water; THEY ARE INHERENTLY SUPERIOR, ACADEMIC-WISE. They
establish the language in music: the carefully structured classical
music and the boundaries of improvisation established by jazz. I know
that probably you do it as to not offend anyone; well, you've just
offended a great portion of trained musicians while others can't deny
the inherent superiority of these forms of music (which are both
forms of classical music IMO), they are the absolute synonym of music
at it's most perfected and crafted form, and they actually enhance
the mind, as opposed to simple pop or rock music... which
concentrates mostly on image rather than in making challenging
music...
With all due respect you had made some ridiculous statements but THIS
ONE TOPS THEM ALL. Rock made it's progression with the form of the
eclectic "progressive rock", but "progressive rock" hardly levels
itself to classical music; HARDLY!!. Imagine how below pop and
standard rock would be. Obviously you have no idea what you're
talking about, and if you make MUSIC REVIEWS, at least you should
have notions of musical theory to make such self-righteous remarks.
I'm sorry I have to act as a prick but I just can't help but laugh at
the idea you are suggesting: that now that everyone can be a musician
by pulling a couple of bar chords I don't have to worry about having
a musical training anymore, since it's a waste of time and money....
or maybe I'll have to go to "punk school" and learn all the punk
scales and notations. As for your Police review: If they were such
great musicians I just don't see it reflected in their work, so apart
talent from the actual music and all I hear is dull music made by
talented musicians; there's no challenge for one's mind. Although I
just wanted to comment on that little out-of-aim statement, as I
don't really care for The Police as in their output. I'm sorry again
I know that it's A POINT OF VIEW, but please, not everything is
subjective, not even in music. I hope you understand that.
(author's note): The following was my response to this reader. There was a very lengthy rebuttal then sent, but I got bored with it after a minute of reading and trashed it. Maybe that was rude of me, but it was boring.
"My overall perspective is simply this: all of the academic training in the
world isn't worth *anything* if it is unable to entertain the listener. Music
does not exist in a vacuum: regardless of how much craft and training and
what the hell else went into whatever style of composition somebody is
working in, until the moment that that composition reaches the ears of the
listener, it is not music, it is merely a sequence of different vibrations
in the air. Hell, if you even look at the first definition of music on
dictionary.com, you will get the following: "an art of sound in time that
expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of
rhythm, melody, harmony, and color." Rhythm, melody, harmony and color, as
important as they are, are not, in and of themselves, *music*; they are the
*elements* of music, tools used to trigger emotions and thoughts in the
listener. They are means to an end, and not the end itself. And the end
itself is, as much as you'd like to deny, an inherently subjective area: the
thoughts and emotions of the listener."
followup day after posting:
jazz and classical: sinonym of music IN IT'S MOST PERFECTLY CRAFTED
FORM!!....I'M NOT LOOKING IN THE DICTIONARY FOR THE DEFINITION OF
MUSIC... hell even the noise is music, just disorganized and
lacking most of the attributes...
BUT did I need to spell it out for you??... your answer was way off
what I was trying to tell you.... you are just a self-righteous proud
man, who obviously doesn't know what he's talking about... I respect
you trying to voice your opinions, but please don't tell them as
facts without knowing better... I can tolerate if you say that Lizard
was atrocious, I'm not going to try to change your mood about it
because I understand it's your taste (I'm not a big fan of KC, but
Lizard was arguably the best thing that Fripp had come up with, at
least IMO, with all it's flaws), and you tend to confuse musical
terms sometimes but it's also understandable that you're just trying
to give your point... but, but, BUT that thing about jazz and
classical is what bugged me enough to waste my time writting to
you... GOD, you're worse than that Starosin fella... get the facts
straight buddy... I was nice enough in my other comment but you
decided to trash it..... here's my least offensive return... THANK
YOU!
Self-righteousness is the tool of the ignorant.
(author's note): Oh yeah, well, you fight like a cow!
chris adams (05/13/07)
im watching vh1's 'worse #1 songs of all time right now and I just
keep waiting for a police song to come on!
they are repetitive in both lyrics and music!
how the hell do people like this stuff...
i was 10 when i first heard the police, (over and over and over and
over), on the radio,...and even at that tender age i knew they
sucked!
Fernie Canto (cfern.canto.gmail.com) (12/13/08)
John! Darn it, it's been such a long time since I've been only
sporadically and superficially following music reviews that I
completely missed the long-winded arguments on the "objective
superiority" of some kinds of music over others; and I have to say,
no other topic on music leaves me so deeply intrigued and downright
puzzled. I'm really hoping NOT to create a personal flamewar here or
anything, but I just ask: so, Classical and Jazz music are inherently
superior, academic-wise? Well, you know what that so called "academy"
is, right? It consists of people who spend more time defining what's
NOT music, instead of what music CAN be. They destroy, instead of
create! What's the point? And the so called "academy" consists as
well of people who work really hard on being wrong. They spend
copious amounts of time in creating theories that will eventually be
debunked in the blink of an eye. Just look at how the story of music
is peppered with composers and pieces that went from "noise" to
"genius" in a matter of decades. Heck, just look at the community of
followers of the so called "superior" Classical music: they still
can't agree on whether Mozart was a hack or a genius! There are
"classically trained" people who still can't accept Stravinsky's
Sacre du Printemps as anything other than "noise"! How can someone
boast "objectivity" like that? Modern classical was once "noise", and
now it's "music"; Jazz was once "noise", and now it's "music"; Rock
was on "noise", and now it's "music". And so it goes: they'll always
find a way to be wrong.
And it's sad, because that forms a pretty nasty stereotype which is
just not true. That kind of élitism rules supreme in pretty much
EVERY community, not just in the "I'm OH so classically trained" one.
It's something we have to get used to, I guess. I just do my part.
I've convinced myself that music is not a tiny little box, but a
literally infinite universe to be explored, with its galaxies, suns
and planetary systems, meteors, comets and asteroid belts; all of
them different, but all of them the same thing. Yes, THE SAME THING.
And the angrier the disagreement, the happier I feel. I've come to
realise there's nothing more radical than thinking nothing is radical
at all. Music only becomes radical because it escapes the tiny little
boxes people build for themselves. It's always been like this, it's
always going to be. And what can we do? Like mr. Prindle would say,
put on some FRIGGIN' RAMONES, of course.
Sorry for not being able to contribute anything on the Police, but
I'll hopefully have something to say about them in maybe a few weeks;
and whatever I contribute, it'll certainly be head and shoulders
above whatever crap I was writing about 6 years ago. :)
Best song: CAN'T .... CHOOSE .... hell, it might even be Peanuts
What intrigues me most about the album is that, despite what some might think (i.e. those that just think of the Police as an idiosyncratic punk band that betrayed its past), the general approach and philosophy that the band would show on subsequent albums is already firmly in place. The band recognized that the most important facet of punk-related music had nothing to do with attitude or banal stupidity, but instead was well-crafted minimalism. When listening to this album, it becomes obvious that all of the members can do pretty much anything they want in their songs, but instead of choosing to stretch out songs unnecessarily, they instead (a) make sure that every note is in place, with nothing made excessively complex or wanky, and (b) make sure to (almost) always play as a band, with none of the players overshadowing the others.
Put another way, all three know their roles and stay within them, but within those roles all put forth their best efforts. The band doesn't use many "fancy" time signatures, but Copeland, in addition to demonstrating an absolutely AMAZING snare tone, amply demonstrates that incredible creativity can be shown even within "standard" time signatures. Sting doesn't engage in pyrotechnics a la Chris Squire or John Entwistle or whoever, but his playing is as smooth and controlled and powerful as needed. And finally, Summers shows that he can punch riffs out with incredible efficiency, play against the beat as needed (i.e. in the reggaish tracks) and even throw in a good solo once in a while (the incredibly fast and cool solo in "Peanuts").
It also helps that the songwriting is incredibly good, with only two of the ten songs really falling short of BRILLIANT. Of course, I dislike these two tracks pretty significantly, so it makes sense that they'd hurt the rating a bit. "Born in the 50's" is an obvious attempt on the part of the band to make a generic classic rock song, and while the chorus is memorable, it's incredibly banal and lacks the crisp punch that makes so many of the other tracks so great. Add in the fact that Sting's screams in the verses are pompous and ugly without having any resonance, and you have one of the few Police tracks I actively dislike. Unfortunately, the next track is even worse - while "Be My Girl - Sally" has cool enough music (especially that neat echoey Summers riffage), the spoken interludes with Summers talking about falling in love with a blow-up doll are just about the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. It might have been considered risque and even avantgarde back then (though one should note that Roxy Music beat them to the punch on this idea six years previously, and did it way better too), but today it just sounds like extremely stupid "experimentation."
The other eight tracks, however, more than make up for those two stinkbombs - it took me a few listens to get used to them (mainly because I was initially more inclined to the "polished" version of the band), but these songs have grown on me to such an extent that, if the album consisted only of them, I could make a strong argument for giving this an E. If pressed, I can guess I could say "Hole in My Life" is a little weaker than the others, but it's still a great song - the reggae groove could seem a bit monotonous, but Sting does a great job of modulating the chorus up and down, and the verse melody has enough surprising variations to relieve most of the boredom.
The rest, though, sheesh. The opening "Next to You" has punkish undertones, mostly because of Sting's attempts at growling vocals, but otherwise it's just an exceptionally good fast pop song with a terrific chorus and great vocal-to-riff flow in the verses. "So Lonely" is a common choice for the album's best song (though in my opinion, there's so much great stuff on this album that no clearcut choice exists), and it's not hard to see why - though it starts as an obvious Marley ripoff in the reggaish rhythm section, the verse melody is one of the great examples of simplistic brilliancy, and the chorus is just a fine piece of guitar-rock. Besides, it has that FABULOUS part near the end, where Sting wails the title (and necessary accompanying words) repeatedly, building the tension into a hell of a frenzy before the band jams over the choral part before fading out. So goodie, so goodie, so goodie!!
After the brilliant and universally known "Roxanne" (a piece that seems like reggae at first, until you realize that it's actually a tango - at least, that's what I thought until I heard that it's actually a bossanova. What a clever band) and the aforementioned "Hole in My Life," we get a trio of tracks that might not be as well known as some others here, but still amaze me just as much. "Peanuts" has EVERYTHING, from clever punkish verses to a GREAT chorus to an unexpected AMAZING guitar solo to an even MORE unexpected dissonant saxophone part that disappears as suddenly as it appears before going back to the "normal" song for the finish. The album then returns to a reggaish feel with "Can't Stand Losing You," but truthfully the only reggaish part is the guitar playing against the beat. Otherwise, it's just an INCREDIBLY catchy number, with another one of those choruses that amazes me with the total ease with which it manages to stick in my brain. And finally, there's "Truth Hits Everybody," with one of the greatest punkish riffs ever, more incredible drumming, another amazing vocal melody (with a solid, short middle 8), and even some chimes that should sound out of place but don't! Amazing.
Now, the album then hits a very disappointing lull with the two aforementioned stinky tracks, but it manages to redeem itself plenty with "Masoko Tanga," a world-beat piece that's technically not an instrumental but may as well be (supposedly, the vocals were recorded with Sting under hypnosis, so he doesn't actually know what the heck he's saying on this track, and neither does anybody else). Copeland does all sorts of amazing things on this track, overdubbing a "standard" drumming pattern with all sorts of ethnic patterns while Sting gets to play off him marvelously and Summers throws in some weird guitar effects as compliment his regular off-beat rhythm work. Suffice to say it's great, and I'm definitely glad that the album ends on such a high note.
Overall, then, this is a VERY high C, and a necessity for anybody interested in the New Wave era at all. As good as it is, though, the band managed to improve on the effort, and the next album conclusively proved that this was not a flash-in-the-pan group.
marco ursi (marco_ursi.hotmail.com) (1/08/03)
Hey John. Great to see you reviewing The Police, considering that they
rule as much as you do! As always your reviews are detailed and thoughtful
but immediately readable.
Just a note on Roxanne though, it definitely is not a bossa nova, it's a
tango.
They actually do it in an all out tango style in the movie Moulin Rouge.
Anyway,
that song is impossible to play with a band.
The Austin Powers theme song is a great example of a bossa.
Keep up the excellent work.
bsitting.mail.math.ucsb.edu (2/26/03)
What an album! If it weren't for a slightly weaker second half, this would
probably be my favorite Police album. Why? These songs are so energetic,
probably due to the 'punk' influence. Although most bands can probably play
most of these songs, they're incredibly well-written. My complaints only come
with "Born in the 50's" and "Be My Girl-Sally", even though
these songs have
their good moments, too. George's comment on the latter song (Ferry
reference...) is right on the money, though I may have a chuckle over the song
in private. As for my favorites... "Can't Stop Losing You",
"Peanuts", "Truth
Hits Everybody", though the others (minus the obvious two are still quite
good.
And, yes, Stewart Copeland's drumming is superb! 9(13).
Xemblinosky (xemblinosky.gmail.com) (02/13/15)
I have loved this song since it first came out in 1978. Call me contrarian if you must, but out of all The Police albums I have owned
and listened to over and over again, “Born in the 50’s” is the one and only Police song on my computers or on my other devices.
Warwick Hunt (warwick.hunt.acutedisorder.com) (08/13/15)
Truth Hits Everybody: best track on Outlandos
Best song: Message In A Bottle
It helps that this time around, there's only ONE song that I'd call a significant weak point. "Deathwish," one of two group-composed numbers on here, is a piece that gives me great pains in trying to remember how on earth any of it goes, and while I sense that all of these tempo changes are meant to give it some sort of rocking intensity, it always seems like a bunch of idea fragments haphazardly glued together but not quite making it. It's unfortunate, but I dislike it enough to dock the album one point (and thus, as mentioned earlier, denying the band a 4) - it may fit the mood, but its structural "ugliness" somewhat spoils my listening experience every time.
As always, though, the rest of the album is just genial. This time around, Copeland gets to contribute three of his own numbers, and while some wince at this, I hardly find this a problem. "On Any Other Day" is hilarious throughout, and while it's clunkier than the rest of the songs on the album, the clunkiness is obviously intentional, and in turn adds to the amusing novelty of the song. "Contact" is better, though, a slow and menacing (at least in the verses) pop song that has a perfectly solid chorus to go with it. And finally, there's "Does Everyone Stare," a cabaret-based pop song that could function as an anthem for every clutzy (both physically and emotionally) teenager that ever lived. In particular, the last verse is one that should resonate with millions of young males all over the world, a spot-on devestating look inside the soul of a love-struck goof.
The other seven songs all have full or partial credits for Sting, and if you ever wondered after listening to any of his solo work how this boob ever got so popular, you need to go here to see just exactly how talented he once was as a songwriter. One of them, the title track (the other one with credits from all three members), goes so far as to be an instrumental, and it's GOOD - it has vocals, but they're completely wordless, and the emphasis is on building from a vaguely reggaish beginning through various "CHA"'s and other wordless sounds over ever-intensifying instrumental parts, until the tension reaches a breaking point and the band explodes into a ferocious jam (I love those basslines!!!!!!) over the next minute or so until the track fades out. Maybe well-constructed instrumentals are too "artsy" for punk lovers, but hell, the Police were never a "true" punk band anyway, so get out of here.
There are, however, still some vague elements of punk in some of the other tracks. "It's Alright For You," in its essence, is a punk song, but it has the same type of hardened polish that makes up the rest of the album, and when you throw in the incredible rhythmic catchiness of it, I'm not about to complain about its presence on the album in the slightest. The closing "No Time This Time" also has a lot of punk elements, but face it - you would NEVER find drumming this incredible or basslines this fast in a song done by any "conventional" punk band. The mid-song guitar solo kinda stinks, but that's ok - it's hardly supposed to be the "selling point" of the track. And of course, there's the well-known opener, "Message in a Bottle," which just so happens to be the best song on the album - in many ways it too is a punk song, but on the other hand guitar lines this tight and this interesting aren't something you'll readily find elsewhere. Oh, ok, it also goes without saying that every other possible element of the song rules mightily as well, but since you've probably heard the song a zillion times, I guess there's no real point in describing it further.
Finally, there's three ballads with a vaguely reggaish base, but all turn into something quite a bit more. "Bring on the Night" comes first, opening with Copeland showing just how intriguing drumming can be even if it's just riding a cymbal and occasionally using a kick drum for twenty seconds, before it becomes mystical in the verses and catchy in the chorus (before fading out with all sorts of echoey guitar parts). Then a couple of tracks later, there's a total masterpiece in "Walking on the Moon." Sting's bass carries the instrumental melody (while Sting's vocal melody is totally genial), Summers augments his standard reggaish licks with these mystical echoey "ba-bammmmm"'s, and the drumming ... I'm gonna put this as simply as I possibly can - before I ever heard this track, I never realized that one could do so much on drums when playing 4/4. Aside from the greatest snare and cymbal tones you'll ever hear in your life, he just does so many incredibly creative things that I can't even begin to describe them. In any case, a couple of tracks after "Moon," we get one of the great examples of "reggae-pop" ever conceived, the gripping "Bed's Too Big Without You," filled with more great drumming and more great basslines and more subtle guitarwork. You know, typical Police genius.
So yeah, there's your brilliant album. A little monotonous in mood (yeah, I know that's the point of a moodpiece, but some moods suck me in better than others do) and with one really icky track, but otherwise full of brilliancies. If you only want to have one Police album (ie you're an idiot), this is definitely the one to have. Even if the following ones are damned great as well.
John Schlegel (john_schlegel.hotmail.com) (1/22/03)
Man alive, I could go on and on about this LP. I'll try to keep this as
concise as possible, but I have a somewhat hard time with this when I'm
commenting on something this profoundly good and complex. For starters,
I basically agree with your overall attitude toward the Police. They
were a truly great and innovative band during their short-lived career,
but unfortunately, they never quite made an album better than a 13. I
like how George gives them a 4 (they're one of my favorite bands, after
all), but I still couldn't reward any of their albums a 14. That said,
this one is, on most grounds, their strongest. However, I have mixed
feelings toward the overall "consistency" (if you will) of 'Reggatta de
Blanc'. On one hand, I don't think any of the songs are full-fledged
"filler"; I like every single one of them to varying degrees, finding
even the weakest tracks redeemed by some catchiness and creativity. On
the other hand, when I listen to the album, I suspect that some of the
songwriting is uneven and certain songs sound unfinished. The best
examples of both of these traits are "It's Alright for You," "Deathwish"
and "Contact," because they're probably the weakest tracks. As with you,
it took me around six listens to like this album at all, and "It's
Alright for You" is a great example of why -- it has a steady rhythm, and
it's fairly catchy, but it sounds like generic punk on the first several
listens. "Deathwish" grooves well, but the grooves abruptly change;
"Contact" has cool, creepy verses and a poppy chorus, but the arrangement
is schizophrenic. I hope people understand what I'm trying to say.
No more over-analyzing, though. Even though the songwriting sounds a
little choppy to me, everything on here is a blast to listen to. And the
album has great overall mood. I never get tired of that melancholy
rocker "Message in a Bottle," and "No Time This Time" is an explosive
closer, demonstrating that Stu Copeland has some really fast hands! As
for the reggae tunes, "Walking on the Moon" goes on for a little long,
but it's totally redeemed by that stellar melody Sting sings over the
verses. I love how the dark verses and bright chorus of "Bring on the
Night" sound really different, but still complement each other.
Musically, "The Bed's Too Big Without You" is just really mesmerizing. I
also find "On Any Other Day" and "Does Anyone Stare" to be fantastically
hooky angst-ridden pieces. And the title track is a top-notch
instrumental that gradually builds upon itself throughout the song; my
favorite part comes at the end, when it bursts into a straight 4/4 jam,
except for the rhythm sounds angry at first, but then there's a drum fill
and a subtle note change somewhere, and the groove suddenly becomes
happy! Okay, you get the point, 'Reggatta de Blanc' is a superb
collection of songs. Sorry to be so long-winded, but great albums sort
of warrant that, ya' know?
bsitting.mail.math.ucsb.edu (2/26/03)
Maybe this is me, but this album actually underwhelms me a bit, compared to the
first album. Maybe, it's because the songs themselves seem a bit toned down.
(Too much reggae influence??) Despite that these songs are still quite
solid. "Death Wish' for me just rambles a bit unnecessarily. The title
track is
quite interesting, as well as "Does Anyone Stare" (perhaps because
it's such a
diversion from the style of this album overall). And, of course, my favorite
Police song of them all is "Message in a Bottle". I even liked this
song when I
didn't care for the Police! This song more or less says everything good about
the Police (the song writing, the drums, bass, support/ringing guitar, and
energy!!). Overall, a 9(12).
Best song: Don't Stand So Close To Me (though that just might be because it comes first)
The really nice thing about this album is that, unlike the last two, it doesn't have a single track I consider filler. Yup, Outlandos had its pair of stinkers, and Reggatta had its lone yuck track, but there's not a single track on here that doesn't have a bunch of really cool things going for it. Yup, this even includes the various instrumentals (or near-instrumentals, as the case may be), which some people automatically dismiss as pretentious filler. The two near-instrumentals, in particular, are absolute headphone musts; "Voices in My Head" REALLY manages to convey the mood of the title, with a terrific groove (anchored by Summers' echoey guitar riffs and a GREAT melody line carried by Sting's bass) that eats away at your brain while Sting faintly chants lines based in the title, until it gains some paranoid energy from (first) the band yelling out CHA! CHA! (in a similar way to how they did on the last album's title track) and (second) Stewart getting more and more aggressive with his drumming until they fade out.
Then there's "Shadows in the Rain," the kind of piece that one may want to instinctively dismiss as boring filler crap but that shows that "weird" need not mean "bad." The drums (mixed waaaaay above everything else) manage to create images of raindrops falling in my head, the bass melody depicts (for me) a sort of semi-urgent-but-not-really need to get out of the rain quickly, the occasional bits of piano are puddles that I cross, and Andy's weird (and COOL) guitar lines (mixed in such a way that they literally sound like they're coming from a distant place far above me) make me feel like I'm watching something cool happen in the sky, like lightning or a meteor shower or something. Maybe it could have been placed in a better spot on the album (more on that later), but that doesn't hurt the track itself at all.
The two "proper" instrumentals could be considered more boring, but I don't mind them. "Behind My Camel" actually won a Grammy for Best Instrumental, and it probably deserved it (how many bands were putting out quality instrumentals in the 80's?) - it's extremely hypnotic, with Andy creating an "Arabic" melody out of processed guitars and more processed guitars. It's a total departure from all punk pretenses of the beginning of the band, but heck, Summers was always more Robert Fripp than Johnny Rotten, and the person in me that likes well-done experimentation applauds this. The Copeland-penned "Other Way of Stopping" (which finishes the album) is weaker, but it does convey (for me) a sense of a final surge "up the mountain" (to the top of the world), until it ends with that cool sounding noise at the very end that I guess represents reaching the summitt. Whatever, it has cool drumming.
The bulk of the album, however, lies not in instrumentals, but in the "regular" songs. Every one of them is simply great - I don't like how some of them are ordered, but when I listen to them on their own, I absolutely love love love them. The first four, actually, are ordered perfectly (which, come to think of it, is probably the main reason I get bothered with the ordering of the others - my brain gets into a groove of perfection, and when there's something less, it gets disappointed), making the already great songs feed off one another until they seem to transcend mere pop. First of all, I'm not sure there could be a better way to start an album than on here, and I don't just mean the actual song - has there EVER been a cooler introduction to an album than that ultra-eerie synth-processed guitar sound that is here??!!! Not that the song is any slouch - "Don't Stand So Close to Me" is a pop masterpiece, one that manages to lyrically combine the base (horniness) with the "intelligent" (Nabokov!), and that musically combines a brilliant verse melody (that some people assume is the chorus) and lots of cool atmosphere to the already established expert playing.
The next three songs may be just as good, though - as far as I know, it may be just that "Don't Stand" comes first and has the cool intro that makes it "stand out" for me. "Driven to Tears" has a neat bassline (what else is new) over which Sting quietly rants against hypocrisy in dealing with poorer countries, in a way that says "I'm mad, but I'm not going to raise my voice to show my anger," and then uses a brief snippet of aggressive Summers guitar to vent instead (and then does all sorts of other neat things that I won't describe here). Then it virtually seamlessly segues (without being a "true" segue) into "When The World is Running Down You Make The Best of What's Still Around," which manages to showcase EVERYTHING good about The Police in one track (hard to describe it better than that). And, of course, there's the amusing (and SO CATCHY) "Canary in a Coalmine," where the guys manage to sound less earnest than on any other Sting-penned Police track, and Summers uses his mastery of guitar effects for humor (as opposed to "dramatic/atmospheric effect").
Now, the other three tracks are just fine, but for whatever reason, my brain wants to consider them "shoved" into the back part of the album (probably due to being sandwiched between the various instrumentals). Whatever, they deserve mention. "Bombs Away" is another amusing Copeland number, one that manages to make generals and other military people look and sound goofy, and in the process sound both timely and timeless (thanks to the fact that, as of this writing, bombs in Afghanistan aren't that far in the past). "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" is sometimes slammed because of its "stupid" title, but heck, a great lightweight pop number isn't any worse than a great "serious" pop number, and the whole thing is so catchy it's scary. Last but not least (well, maybe least, but just of this great bunch) is "Man in a Suitcase," another catchy ska number like "Canary" but with enough significant differences to make it anything but a ripoff of that song.
All in all, a good good good album. I get tired listening to it sometimes, but that's really my problem and nobody else's. I can't see giving this ANYTHING less than a D, and like all other Police albums, any argument you can give to justify an even better rating won't meet much opposition on my part.
bsitting.mail.math.ucsb.edu (2/26/03)
Too much James Cagney (i.e., "White Heat")? Actually not at all. This
album was
a pleasant surprise after the last album. The first of this album flowed so
well it was a bit scary! The only 'drawback' may be the instrumentals, though
they are wonderfully atmospheric, and often have interesting things going on in
the background. "Behind My Camel" may be a bit long though the main
motif is
very intriguing! As for the songs, I particularly enjoy "Driven to
Tears", the
song with a longer title than three classic Kinks albums strung together,
and "Bombs Away". A consistent album: 10(13).
Ivo Samuel Giosa Domínguez (ivosamuelgiosa.gmail.com) (05/13/16)
"I get tired listening to it sometimes, but that's really my problem and nobody else's".
Well, nope. That's my problem as well and I was surprised when I saw that the album that epitomized everything great about The Police for Starostin didn't really do it for me. Especially since I absolutely LOVE Reggatta de Blanc (it would be an E in your scale, for me). Anyway, I think I've listened enough to it to make some kind of theory.
Since I don't wanna waste anyone's time in reading this, I'm going to be brief: the production isn't very good in this album. Sure, you can listen every instrument just fine, but so could you in the previous album as well, and also you could hear Sting's grunts, his bass hitting the neck, every pluck from Summers and every little hit from Copeland's drum kit. Simply put, everything on here is WAAAAY too polished and that takes away from the spontaneity and energy that Reggatta had. Which takes me to the next problem: I get the sensation that The Police wasn't very thrilled to play on this album. Or at least, it doesn't feel like it. Maybe it's problem from the production, but I don't feel that the guys felt anything while playing. I mean, listen to any song from Reggatta and then one from Zenyatta and tell me that this album has energy flowing through it. I understand that songs like Driven to Tears, or Behind my Camel aren't meant to raise your adrenaline levels, but... ¿what about songs like Canary or Don't Stand? And finally, whereas on Reggatta only had Contact as the track that was "only" very good, here lots of tracks don't range a lot higher than "good".
Still, this album is very good. I mean, as I said, this is an album that hasn't got any song that falls below "good". So, it would be a B for me. This is a really good album... but the previous two albums were better.
Best song: Invisible Sun
It certainly doesn't hurt that the first three tracks of the album are easily the greatest 1-2-3 wallop in the entire Police catalogue. "Spirits in the Material World" is essentially reggae-pop turned into synth-based art rock, and while some of the lyrics are a bit pompous ("they subjugate the meek" has always bugged me for some reason), the melody does a good job of conveying "distant majesty" for me, and the chorus is impeccably constructed, as usual. "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" is simply one of the best pop songs ever (written by Sting well before the band got together), combining a beautiful piano-based vocal melody with the chorus-to-end-all-choruses, and even a terrific coda that rivals the one from "So Lonely" for emotional impact (though it's done in a different manner, obviously).
And then there's "Invisible Sun," where Sting gives the most stately vocal delivery of his career in the verses (in melody, lyrics and vocal tone), yet also delivers an upbeat chorus that might bug some but also gives a glimmer of hope to the otherwise depressing atmosphere of the song. I can't really see how anybody would complain about the synths after hearing this track - the atmosphere they create in the verses is totally amazing, and the stuff they do during the chorus gives a feeling of "fullness" that might not exist there otherwise.
Most everybody loves at least two of the first three tracks, but for many, the rest of the album is spotty at best. Fools, I say, fools all of you. MAYBE "Demolition Man" is a little longer than it should be, but that just means I get to enjoy the great playing and cool riffage that much longer. And MAYBE "One World (Not Three)" goes too much a bit in the simple pop-reggae direction (I like it nonetheless). And MAYBE "Secret Journey" has a bit too little "song" during its time (much of it is devoted to GORGEOUS guitar ambience courtesy of Andy), and MAYBE the lyrics are a bit pompous, but they're delivered in such a way that I really get moved by them.
Other than those, it's hard for me to pick out significant problems on the album. "Hungry For You (J'Aurais Toujours Faim De Toi)" doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is - a REALLY energetic groove with Sting trying to sing in French and failing in an incredibly entertaining way while the rest of the band does their stuff as well as ever. Hence, as a devoted member of the Black and Blue/excellent-"lightweight"-stuff-is-as-good-as-excellent-"serious"-stuff school of thought, I like the thing to death. "Too Much Information" is an EXCELLENT pop-funkster filled with a near endless supply of hooks, and while I might understand somebody getting annoyed with ANOTHER reprisal of the "Cha!"'s, they work here just as well as they did on the tracks that had them before. The following "Rehumanize Yourself" isn't as catchy, but it comes close, and while it might be tempting to dismiss it as "just another Copeland pop song," I'd beg you to reconsider - it's no worse than anything else he ever did, and it's not like the playing is any worse than usual, so stop yer derned complainin'. These tracks aren't spectacular, but they're still really good.
The other two tracks are also often ignored, but they shouldn't be. Summers' "Omegaman" is EXCELLENT, as weird as it might be (mostly because of the chorus and the "ugly" main guitar part that I love anyway). The verse melody is, quite simply, one of the best examples of an "epic hook" (see some of my prog pages for ranting on that concept) that will ever be found on an otherwise "non-epic" album, though one should note that the echoey chords that Summers uses to underpin the vocals there deserve a large part of the credit for that. Don't forget that cool solo, either - it's short, as all Summers solos are, but the weird phasing effect that he uses is something that will absolutely take your breath away (if you're a Police fan, of course).
And finally, we finish on a somber, slightly nostalgic note with Copeland's "Darkness." It's a bit unsettling to end the album with a mid-tempo ballad whose message is, "I wish I never woke up this morning - life was easy when it was boring," yes, but an album as bizarre as this could never have it any other way. Besides, the chorus melody is perfectly memorable in all its melancholy, so it's not like it's just mood and nothing else.
Simply put, this album is great. Pretentious in parts, yes. "Overproduced," possibly. But well-written, yes. Well-played, definitely. Diverse, in both style and mood, yes. In other words, GOOD. Ignore the skeptics, listen to me. I'm right, after all.
bsitting.mail.math.ucsb.edu (2/26/03)
The horns/synths don't really take away from the unique Police sound, but
rather add to it. (That wouldn't happen until the next album.) Again, this is a
solid effort start to finish, with no real filler again(!). The only drawback
is the songs get a bit overly long, and the order of the tracks. As it stands,
too many horn songs in a row, though each are quite good. Thank goodness the
horn-laced long songs are built on such wonderfully catchy grooves! And,
add "Invisible Sun" (my favorite of the album) to the handful of 80's
synth-led
songs that I actually enjoy!! 9(13).
Simon Brigham (slb23.shaw.ca) (4/14/04)
This is probably the Police's darkest album, and not one of my
favourites. Best songs: "Spirits In the Material World", "Every Little
Thing She Does is Magic", "Invisible Sun" and "Demolition Man".
5 (8)
kenh.coastside.nt (09/03/06)
Sorry for the revisit, but I just want to put this out there: That I
think that along with Paul Simon's America, Peter Gabriel's Shakin'
the Tree, Lennon's Nowhere Man, Strawberry Fields, and Tomorrow Never
Knows, and Crow's My Favorite Mistake, that Stewart Copeland's
Darkness, by a drummer no less, is one of the very best tunes written
since 1970. I know I've left out three or four more pieces to date,
but I will let the discriminating musical ears out there help me out.
I judge by the number of goosebumps raised and the nearly religious
quality of the music, as well as timeless and/or beautiful lyrics.
These songs and just a few others have it all.
Trfesok.aol.com (01/30/07)
This, I think, is by far the best Police album. But that's because
I'm not a big fan, and it's their least typical sounding album. There
are individual songs on all of the albums that I enjoy, but a little
bit of Sting's voice and Andy's scratchy guitar sound go a long way
for me. I can listen to this one, on the other hand, all the way from
beginning to end. Here, the overdubs of keyboards, saxes, vocal
harmonies and extra guitar parts changes the band's sound
significantly. It might be bit murky, I suppose, but that murkiness
obscures some of what is, for me, what irritates me about the group.
Copeland's drumming is absolutely relentless.
On top of all that, they came up with the best, most energetic set of
songs they ever did. The first side is just great, a lot of fun
("..Magic," "Demolition Man," "Hungry for You") balanced well against
pretentious preachiness with great hooks ("Invisible Sun,"
"Spirits.."). The second half is brought down a tad by "Darkness"
(really dreary, but I guess that's the point) and the just OK "Omega
Man," but that one has grown on me. Still, overall an excellent
album, although it might not be the best example of the Police's
usual sound.
jorge gimbernat (gimberflo.hotmail.com) (08/13/13)
The fun is over. Just look at the previous titles, they are funny enough and not totally meaningless,then look at this title.
“Ghost in the machine”...why not “Goustadin la machinna”? Because the sense of humor is gone and it’s going to be worse in short.
Let’s see, the album starts with: “there is no political solution” Ok message received, no problem with that, the real problem is
(i suspect) that after a lot of world touring the band did not have enough material and most of the songs are pure jam-session.
“Demolition”, “Too much information”, “Hungry for you” and “One world” rely on the talented musicians they are and only “One World”
(with Copeland doing things like he did on “Shadows in the rain”) does something for me. “Secret Journey” is half a song and needed
more work so that only makes six great songs. For me this is the beginning of the end. They should take Zappa’s advise: “Does humor
belong to music?”
Best song: Synchronicity II
FINE BY ME. Don't get me wrong, I do consider Synchronicity the weakest of the quintet, and there are several problems here that were unthinkable previously, but despite all these, I like this album a LOT. There are just way way way too many great songs on here for this album to get a low grade, and it's only some technical issues (the ordering of tracks, the reduced role of Copeland, et al) that keep this from making a strong case as my favorite Police album. Call me a sellout or McTernative or AlternaFerrin or whatever, this is just a great album.
Now, there are significant flaws, no question about it. Most of these stem from the fact that a more appropriate name for the album might be Stingchronicity, as Sting is obviously in almost COMPLETE control of the creative processes here. Yes, Sting got the primary songwriting credit the majority of the time on previous albums, but it also seemed that Copeland and Summers would usually begin making a significant impact early on in the song's development. This is not the case here - it's unfortunate, but virtually none of the drumming on the album reaches the superhuman levels to which Stu so easily and frequently aspired on the last couple of albums. To an extent, that's partially because many of the songs are quite subdued, meaning that energetic drumming wouldn't really fit in very well, but even on the faster songs, when the drumming has more energy, it still just seems normal.
The case with Andy, however, is a little more complicated. From one perspective, he's less integral to the sound than before, since his guitar parts don't interact with Sting's bass and Stu's drums in the same ultra-tight jamming way they used to. Instead, he's often more or less relegated to the side, not providing the backbone to the music he once did, but rather augmenting the sound with his various tricks. HOWEVER, from that perspective, this is Andy's experimental peak with the band - he may be close to a session man on this album, but he's definitely a featured session man, in that he pulls out so many cool sound effects that provide cool extra dimensions to the tracks that he almost accidentally makes himself the star of the album, despite Sting's domineering artistic facade towering over everything.
As far as Stu and Andy's songwriting, each only gets one track on the album, each found on the first side, and I tend to find that these are underrated by people. "Miss Gradenko" once again demonstrates a fine pop sensibility on the part of Stu, with a TERRIFIC lightweight chorus filled with macabre lyrics in the grand tradition of "Any Other Day." As for "Mother," I have a few words of defense for the track, in particular Andy's "ugly" wailings. You see, I had many an opportunity growing up to see my mother interacting with her mother, who could be, er, difficult to deal with at times. When Andy comes in with his wailings, I immediately am able to picture somebody whose entire body seems to radiate inordinate stress at just the thought of dealing with the "mother figure," somebody whose eyes may be bugged out hugely, or who starts to get an eye twitch when talking to her, or whose hair is totally on end or who gets a headache just from being around the person for three minutes. It's a phenomenon I have witnessed plenty in my life, and maybe seeing this is necessary to be able to "get" the song, but all I know is that I can definitely tell what it is Andy is trying to convey. And besides, I kinda like the "ugly" rhythm track, like "Behind My Camel" but more "sinister."
Beyond these, everything else is Sting and CLEARLY Sting, and the songs range from pretty good to absolutely freakin' fantastic. I do consider a couple of the tracks a good step down from the others, but they still manage to work in their own ways. "O My God" is the weakest of them all, with a bass line that we already heard just fine on "Driven to Tears" and "Demolition Man," and little else in the melody department ... BUT, it has a very nice emotional fire to it, shown especially in the wailing saxophone part at the end that drives home the desperation conveyed by Sting's vocals. I'm also a little less fond of the closing (on the LP release - the closer on CD is "Murder By Numbers") "Tea in the Sahara" than of the numbers before it, as it strays closer to "solo Sting" than anything else on the album, with a verse melody so mellow it completely fell under my radar the first time I heard it. Still, Summers gets in a bunch of neat guitar effects in the background, the chorus is memorable without being banal at all, the basslines are quite nice, and the lyrics are intriguing in their own way. It's a completely inappropriate choice for an album closer, but a nice track nonetheless.
That leaves seven tracks, all of which are just great. Side two kicks off with three MAJOR singles, and while one might be tempted to dismiss them as easy listening crud, just because they're so mellow, this is a temptation that should be ignored as much as possible. Do you REALLY want to tell me that "Every Breath You Take" is anything less than a brilliant song? Can you really imagine the world today without that brilliant guitar melody Summers plays to match Sting's brilliant vocal melody and creepy lyrics? "King of Pain" is another incredible track - the lyrics kind of go a little overboard in the pretense department, but there's no denying how brilliant the vocal melody is, both the main theme and the cool twists it throws around with ease. It has great use of instrumental contrasts too, in the way it moves from that simple (but neat) piano line in the beginning to all sorts of emotional (and not in the LEAST bit sappy) guitar parts.
"Wrapped Around Your Finger" can seem a whee bit weaker when listening, but that's mostly because of what I consider slightly excessive use of "moody" keyboards - everything else about the track is ace. The vocal melody is deceptively amazing, the rhyming scheme is different from the standard pop rhyming scheme, the chorus is great, and Summers gets in some of the most memorable guitar sounds you'll find on the album (which says quite a bit). Then, after "Sahara," we close out the album with "Murder By Numbers," a lounge jazz-based piece about becoming a serial killer, which has yet another genius chorus to drive the gruesome song deep into your head, never to escape (I should note that this has a Summers co-credit with Sting).
Despite all these brilliancies, though, I don't particularly feel that the second side really supercedes the first in quality. One track that gets a LOT of mediocre-to-bad press is "Walking in Your Footsteps," which I've loved since the first time I heard it (consequently, I was miffed when I read as many reviews of the album as I did that called this track weak. Hmmph.). For one thing, it has some of the most intriguing drumming of the album, but in a different way than you'd be used to on a Police album - Stu gets himself an echoey, multi-toned electronic drum kit, and the cool rhythms he plays on it would have made Bill Bruford proud, I think. Aside from that, though, the vocal melody once again rules, Andy's guitar effects are amazing to listen to, and darn it, I like the lyrics.
As I was saying, the first side is quite good, but I haven't yet mentioned what REALLY takes the cake for me - the two title tracks, bookending the side. "Synchronicity I" is just about the ultimate New-Wave artsy keyboard-based rock song, one that combines a GREAT keyboard riff with pretentious lyrics that are a blast to hear Sting belt out, and while it might have been nice to hear Stu come up with some more creative drum lines, the band is nevertheless quite tight and entertaining throughout the song. Yet as good as this is, the art-rock lover in me gravitates even more towards "Synchronicity II." The lyrics are quite neat, yet I managed to totally fall in love with this track long before I grabbed the lyric sheet and decided to read exactly what it was Sting was singing in the verses. The sheer epic urgency of the track is jawdropping, with all sorts of cool riffage springing forth from Andy's guitar to focus Sting's vocals (not just the words, but the way Sting molds his voice to mirror the tension of the lyrics) from potentially pretentious blabbering into something that gets my heart instinctively pounding in fearful anticipation every time I hear the track. Man, I tell you, when Sting is finished singing from the perspective of the father, and Summers bangs out that riff before Sting goes back to the Scottish lake, it seems like a supernova of disaster is about to explode out of my stereo, and that's a REALLY neat sensation.
So, you see, I really like this album. My biggest gripe is that bunching the three big singles plus "Tea in the Sahara" together on the second side really wasn't the best idea in the world - as good as the songs are, that is MUCH too much mellowness all in one spot for the listener who can tend to nod off if some bits of rock aren't interspersed between large stretches of softness. It's unfortunate, but as much as I like basically all of the songs on here, I do find myself starting to droop near the end, even though my brain keeps telling me "You idiot! "Wrapped Around Your Finger" rules!" And, ok, I'm disappointed with the relative lack of Stu that's here. Yet despite all that, it still fully deserves a high grade, and I'm quite glad that the band's studio album life ended on such a positive note.
bsitting.mail.math.ucsb.edu (2/26/03)
This is where the Police lose much of their uniqueness. This would be a bad
thing if the songs weren't up to par. But they are (minus "Mother", a
bit too
hard on the ears)! Only complaint: these songs are getting dangerously close to
adult contemporary on many occasions. At least "Synchronicity II"
saves us from
that. 8(11).
maxvort2000.bellsouth.net (08/16/06)
Wrapped Around Your Finger is one of my all-time favorite songs...while it
is a great song in many respects, the percussion really stands out. To me,
the drum arrangements symbolize controlled anger, the caged lion ready burst
through...which finally happens in the last chorus. The percussion in
Wrapped Around Your Finger contributes so much to the song's character in
such an efficient manner...an awesome song for sure.
"Alainna Earl" (lainnakate.yahoo.com) (02/13/2011)
It is so irritating when people think that if you've never heard a
certain song, you don't know anything. Now that I got that out, The
Police are a new favorite of mine. I think Synchronicity and the one
before that have to be my favorites. King of Pain, was an amazing one.
I recommend it.
Best song: ...
The biggest gripe I have is that both discs provide, in my opinion, only a caricature of the band at those particular points in time. Even though careful listens to the five studio albums show that the band, in essence, didn't completely change over time, an introduction to the band through this album would suggest otherwise. The first disc really does make them out to be sloppy, sometimes careless punks, while the second disc really does make them out to be pretentious sellout corporate whores. True, the first disc has a LOT of energy, and the second disc is VERY tight, but on the other hand, the first disc displays only some of the tightness that distinguished the first two albums, while the second disc is SO polished and SO rehearsed that all "true" energy is virtually dissipated.
Still, there are a few things I like quite a bit on each disc, and let's face it, the track listing can't help but be pretty danged good. Each disc has a nice rendition of "Can't Stand Losing You," highlighted by oh-so-tasty incorporations of the title track from Reggatta De Blanc, so that's something. Disc one also has some neat "psychadelic" jamming at the end of "Bed's Too Big Without You," decent renditions of unreleased punk songs ("Fallout," "Landlord"), and lots of other energetic stuff. Disc two's highlights aren't as obvious, but the band does do the two Synchronicity title tracks meshed together without a break, and most of the other songs from that album aren't really worse than they were before.
On the other hand, disc one's version of "So Lonely" is kinda yucky, mainly due to the cool coda getting waaaaay too stretched out and thus losing much of its power. Plus, the band ends the show with "Born in the 50's" AND "Be My Girl - Sally" (eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew), so that doesn't exactly leave the nicest taste in my mouth. As for disc 2, "Spirits in the Material World" is close to ruined (despite the synths being replaced by guitars, which is nice, the song is much worse than before due to the out-of-place female backing vocals), while "O My God" and "King of Pain" each become victims of the dreaded bad extended coda (in the case of the latter, an audience singalong).
Still, there's a lot of great songs on here, so this can theoretically work ok as a compilation. Hence, I'm not going to give it too low of a grade.
Best song: Yeah. Freakin'. Right.
Aside from seven live tracks (I dunno if any are overlaps with Live!), which are ALL ace (in my opinion),
there are 15 studio tracks on here (again, should have been 17), and they show that the Police were, indeed, a band with enough talent to record high quality material that still wouldn't make it onto an album. One of them sucks (an '86 remake of "Don't Stand So Close to Me"), but that was just a stupid posthumous cash-in anyway, so I'm not gonna count that. Otherwise, there's some FINE punk numbers from the early days ("Fallout," "Nothing Achieving," "Dead End Job," "Landlord," "Visions of the Night"), which show that, even when trying to be as punky as possible, they still couldn't help but throw in neat twists to really make the tracks worth it. I mean, dig all those cool guitar parts Summers flashes when he wants to!
After an interesting mono version of "Bed's Too Big Without You," there's a funny song called "Friends" (with spoken parts by Summers that are MUCH more entertaining than the stuff on "Be My Girl - Sally") and a slightly preachier poppy riff-rocker called "A Sermon." Then we move into the weird semi-hypnotic Zenyatta period, with the NEAT "Shambelle," which could have easily fit into the album and maybe have even made it better. I'm willing to guess that the following "Flexible Strategies" is from the Ghost sessions (due to the horns), and same for "Lowlife" (what NEAT echoey rolling guitar lines). Summers' "Someone to Talk to" is a throwaway, but it was well more than compensated by "I Burn For You," another moody Synchronicity Sting ballad that has great guitar ambience throughout. And finally, "Once Upon a Daydream" seems a bit too solo-Sting in places, especially in the lyrics, but hey, I've heard worse.
Final verdict on the boxset and the band - great sound, no matter what the era, and badly needed by any and all rock lovers. In theory, I should give the boxset the top grade, but that would be cheating, as I'd be grading the whole discography in one swoop, which is what I already spent the rest of the page doing. Ah well, no matter.
Douglas Bellen (doug.bellenworks.com) (2/19/03)
I really enjoy reading your reviews and most of the time you get it
right. Weaknesses are exposed and strengths are praised. Had a couple
of comments about rarities on the message in a box review.
Sting was in a movie in 1982 called Brimstone and Treacle where he
played a sickie priest and scowled a lot as if he was looking in the
mirror at himself. The A&M Records soundtrack had three tracks credited
to the Police and a bunch more credited to Sting. How stupid Mr. Bates,
I burn for you, and A kind of loving. These tracks all date from 1982
and were recorded either in Canada or the Caribbean during the 'Ghost'
sessions.
Also none of the live tracks on the box set overlap. The double disk
live release was an Andy Summers project because he didn't feel like
anything showing the band's live energy had ever been released. Sting
pretty much signed off on the whole thing and didn't have any
involvement.
Don't stand so close to me 86' sucks but it is not a cash in. After
Dream of the Blue Turtles was released, they spent a couple weeks in
the studio with the idea of re-recording all the tracks to a would-be
greatest hits album. Luckily the argued so much that the band broke up
soon after they started. The sad thing is Stu had broken his hand right
before the sessions??? So he programmed the drum track. Sort of sounds
like an 80's production urban legend but that is one reason the track
sounds so limp.
Keep up the good work,
Douglas Bellen
Peter Agnew (peter.agnew.xtra.co.nz) (03/17/07)
Excellent site John. Some incredibly pedantic Police fans I know never tire
of pointing out to me that, contrary to what it says in the liner notes,
this set actually doesn't contain every "note" the band recorded. I tell
them to get a life. Message In A Box is wonderful and certainly contains all
the Police you will ever need.
"Low Life" itself is worth the price of admission. To my mind, "Low Life" is
the classic, overlooked Police track. Brilliantly cutting and sardonic
lyrics from Sting, and great instrumental performances from all three, and
don't get me started on that sax solo! It's the classic song Steely Dan
never wrote.
Outlandos D'Amour - 1978 A&M
C
(Very Good / Great)
*Reggatta De Blanc - 1979 A&M*
D
(Great / Very Good)
Zenyatta Mondatta - 1980 A&M
D
(Great / Very Good)
Ghost In The Machine - 1981 A&M
C
(Very Good / Great)
Synchronicity - 1983 A&M
C
(Very Good / Great)
Live! - 1995 A&M
9
(Good)
Message In A Box - 1993 A&M
D
(Great / Very Good)