Synchronicity
Product ID: 55470648
Product Description Digitally remastered enhanced edition of the trio's fifth and final studio album with the Godley & Creme directed video of "Every Breath You Take" enhanced for extra viewing pleasure. Review By 1983 Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland were trapped in a loveless marriage. Sure, the guys still cared about each other, but 4 years of teenage adulation and non-stop touring had highlighted the difficulties of having three such large egos within one tight-knit trio. Previous album, Ghosts In The Machine had ended up with a bland red on black cover because the members couldn't even agree on a design, such was the festering rancour. So it was that Synchronicity was to be their Abbey Road. A final masterpiece born out of tears and break-ups.Following a lengthy gestation, the album came with all the hype and trappings due to such an event in the early 80s. With 36 different sleeves featuring pictures taken by the band themselves (well, it saved on those disagreements), attendant Godley and Creme directed videos and state of the art sonics co-produced by Hugh Padgham, it's a wonder that Synchronicity didn't sink bebeath the weight of its own publicity. But quality wins every time, and luckily Sting and co were still capable of delivering the goods.Alongside the so-classic-you-don't-even-hear-it-anymore track; creepy, stalker-related "Every Breath You Take", Synchronicity does the usual Police trick of balancing pretention with pop. While its predecessor had name-checked Arthur Koestler, this one referenced the same AND Carl Jung. "Walking In Your Footsteps" made some kind of analogy between mankind's folly and the extinction of the dinosaurs (but hold on...dinosaurs didn't produce pollution and war did they? Oh well.); "Synchronicity II" took its inspiration from Yeats' The Second Coming; "Tea In The Sahara" was based on Paul Bowles' novel, The Sheltering Sky. never let it be said that Sting's work wasn't educuational. A whole generation read Lolita due to him as well.Drummer Copeland's contribution, "Miss Gradenko" displayed his family's legacy of political globalism matched with Russian stereotypes while Andy Summers' "Mother", which seemed mere silly filler at the time, now sounds wildly funny and honest all at once. It certainly keeps the listener awake.Of course Sting's major works here revolve around his own private life taking a downturn. "Every Breath You Take" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" paint a desperate portrait of a marriage in shreds, while "Murder By Numbers" is taken from the point of view of a serial killer. If the album suffers at all, it's from over-production. This band were never better than as a punchy reggae-lite trio and this was about as far as they could ever come without sounding pompous. It still has at its heart, however, a nugget of purest pop, and that makes it timeless enough. --Chris Jones Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off in a new window
B**1
Largely regarded as The Police's best. A brilliant, melodic album, but a tad too down tempo for me.
I wanted to buy a Police album and this is (mostly) the one that tops many lists online. Apart from 'Every Breath You Take,' I was oblivious to all of the other tracks, 'King Of Pain' sounded pretty familiar. I was half expecting 'Roxanne' or 'Message In A Bottle' to be here too, but alas no!This was their last album and it sounds very mature for a band that is often (bafflingly after listening to this album) labelled Punk! Melody is king here, and experimentation a close second. There are guitars, there are synths, there are lots of instrumentation, but they are all mostly in the background and there are also some weird effects that pop up every now and then, see 'Walking In Your Footsteps.'The highlights are of course 'Every Breath You Take,' 'King of Pain,' and, well, take your pick. There isn't a bad song here really, though 'Mother' is very much a black sheep here and quite a jarringly weird one at that. It's totally at odds with the rest of the tracks and sounds like King Crimson soundtracking a man with Oedipus Complex having a meltdown! Which is pretty close to what it is, so I guess...that makes it a success story!?'Synchronicity,' has a cool electronic synth riff that leads the song and its sequel is also great and are among the most upbeat songs on the album.'Murder By Numbers' is a cool, laid back, almost bluesy closer with (like most of the songs) deceptively dark, twisted subject matter.Production is flawless, as are the vocal lines/melodies carrying each song. The lyrics book has all the lyrics and the packaging is very tasteful indeed and iconic to most. The album is also surprisingly short, and there is absolutely no excess fat/filler, nothing drags on longer than it should.Only loses one star because of my personal taste. I feel it lacks tempo sometimes and all the songs are pretty close to being the same bpm, or at least it feels that way to me. I would've liked them to give their more upbeat past a nod, but that's just my opinion. Fantastic and classic album though, and one I may just give back it's missing star with more listens.
N**T
A very good album which has some truly great tracks and sadly some forgettable ones.
If possible I'd give this 4.5 stars - dropping 1 star (20%!) from "I love this" to "I like this" is too harsh for me to do so although I don't love the entire album all tracks except Mother are enjoyable. I'm not sure why or how Mother made the final cut of Synchronicity - it stands out like a sore thumb. The songs I absolutely love are (no surprise really!) Every Breath You Take and Wrapped Around Your Finger, the latter of which has a similar sound to Dire Straits' Ride Across The River.The album opens explosively with the title track (part 1) them immediately slows down for the 'tribal' sounding Walking in Your Footsteps. The next 3 tracks are the low point of the album with Mother being the lowest point in my opinion. Synchronicity II brings us back on par - it's a stonking good track that pumps its slick guitar lick down your throat and makes you want to dance and sing. The other three singles from the album follow and these 4 tracks are the highlight before the album closes off with the pleasant but not wonderful Tea in the Sahara and Murder by Numbers. I have a 1987 CD not the remastered version, and having heard the remaster I'll happily stay with my old 'original' CD.
C**S
Pleasant surprises on re-listening to an old album
Recently replaced my vinyl of this with CD, along with other Police albums.I remembered this as my least favourite of their albums, and it certainly has some (for me) forgettable tracks - I could certainly live without the title track, and Mother is just a mess. But "Walking In Your Footsteps" is wonderful, as is "King of Pain". Add to that the hits "Every Breath You Take" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger", there is far more to enjoy here than not.A nice surprise was the old B-Side "Murder By Numbers", which my vinyl copy did not have. This actually sounds far more like contemporary Sting than the rest of the album, although I know it was recorded around the same time as the rest of the album.
M**C
Synchronicity
This was another really good Police album... I love the sound these guys could generate together... And this album is packed full of gems... The sound is as tight and as interlocking as ever... Dare I say that Stewart Copeland is as accomplished a percussionist as Neil Peart? I think he might be... And dare I say also, that Andy Summers is a better guitarist than The Edge even though when he uses some delay, there are some similarities? I think that is true too... Worth owning... but then all their albums are...
R**N
👍
great album
P**L
Classic police album
Classic police album. Not much else to say.Also my personal favourite police album.
S**K
You haven't heard Synchronicity until you've heard the SHM SACD version
The CD is good. The SACD is better overall, though it lacks some drive on tracks like Synchronicity II. but the SHM SACD is streets ahead of either. The drive is there, the transparency is better than analogue, and there's nothing between you and the group. Sting's voice is raw and alive, the drums have real punch. I only wish everything was sold in this format. It's a pity about the price - but it's worth it.
K**R
Used but as new
Arrived in as new condition, perfect.
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