Synchronicity

by The Police

Overview

Simultaneously more pop-oriented and experimental than either Ghost in the Machine or Zenyatta Mondatta, Synchronicity made the Police superstars, generating no less than five hit singles. With the exception of "Synchronicity II," which sounds disarmingly like a Billy Idol song, every one of those singles is a classic. "Every Breath You Take" has a seductive, rolling beat masking its maliciousness, "King of Pain" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" are devilishly infectious new wave singles, and "Tea in the Sahara" is hypnotic in its measured, melancholy choruses. But, like so many other Police albums, these songs are surrounded by utterly inconsequential filler. This time, the group relies heavily on jazzy textures for Sting's songs, which only work on the jumping, marimba-driven "Synchronicity I." Then, as if to prove that the Police were still a band, there's one song apiece from Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers, both of which are awful, as if they're trying to sabotage the album. Since they arrive on the first side, which is devoid of singles, they do, making the album sound like two EPs: one filled with first-rate pop, and one an exercise in self-indulgence. While the hits are among Sting's best, they also illustrate that he was ready to leave the Police behind for a solo career, which is exactly what he did. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	03/04/2003
Label:	A&M / Interscope
UPC:	0606949359928

Tracks

1. Synchronicity I
2. Walking in Your Footsteps
3. O My God
4. Mother
5. Miss Gradenko
6. Synchronicity II
7. Every Breath You Take
8. King of Pain
9. Wrapped Around Your Finger
10. Tea in the Sahara
11. Murder by Numbers

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Police   Primary Artist,Noise
Stewart Copeland   Percussion,Drums,Vocals
Andy Summers   Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Lead Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Gordon Sumner   Vocals,Guitar (Bass)
Sting   Bass,Oboe,Drums,Piano,Vocals,Keyboards,Saxophone,Lead Vocals,Synthesizer,Guitar (Bass),Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Eddie Cochran   Composer
Femi Jiya   Engineer
Eddy Offord   Engineer,Recording
Vartan   Art Direction
David Foster   Tape Research
Tim Summerhayes   Mixing
Stewart Whitmore   Compilation Producer
Jim Ebdon   Mixing
Dave Collins   Mastering
Meire Murakami   Reissue Design
Jane Hitchin   Tape Research
Margaret Goldfarb   Reissue Production Coordination
Zoe Roberts   Tape Research
Brendan Morris   Tape Research
Steve Klein   Engineer
Pete Smith   Mixing,Engineer
Jeff Ayeroff   Design,Art Direction
Stewart Copeland   Arranger,Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Recording Arranger,Mixing
Chuck Berry   Composer
Duane Michals   Photography
David Lascelles   Tape Research
Randy Aronson   Tape Research
Norman Moore   Design,Art Direction
James Glen   Composer,Lyricist
Paul McKenna   Engineer
Andy Summers   Effects,Composer,Lyricist
Quentin Reynolds   Composer,Lyricist
Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff   Design,Art Direction
Bob Cochran   Composer
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Hugh Padgham   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Robert Orton   Mixing
Gordon Sumner   Composer
The Police   Mixing,Arranger,Producer,Recording Arranger,Rhythm Arrangements
Sting   Arranger,Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Sequencers,Recording Arranger
Bill Levenson   Reissue Supervisor