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Sunday, January 10, 2010

Album Review: The Police - Synchronicity (1983)

Reggae music, for me, holds the distinction of being one of the very few genres that actually sounds good naturally without forcing it to sound good. In fact, in order to make it sound bad you have to put effort into doing so. Its easy going nature, with its strong rhythm, laid back tempos and simple melodies, holds universal appreciation by followers of all music genres, not just Rastafarians, stoners, and confused bung-toothed whiteys in Bob Marley t-shirts. Mix it up with other forms of music, such as new wave and rock, and despite it's assimilation it will still manage to stand out like Wayne's World's Garth Algar at a Peter, Paul and Mary reunion special.

British pop rock band The Police built their success on their distinct reggae-infused pop rock numbers, like "So Lonely", "Walking on the Moon" and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da." It worked fantastically well for them, even though they would eventually put out only five albums, it still managed to propel them to stardom. But toward the end of their recording career, this reggae influence would be dropped in favor of a more new wave orientated sound. Expecting fans to start a soccer riot outside A & M headquarters and an entire race scapegoated, the reception proved to be anything but hostile, and was received well enough to earn them a few Grammys for the effort. Looking at the album as a whole, it comes across as being slightly above average in terms of perceived greatness, but the general quality of the tracklisting also seems well balanced, with "Every Breath You Take", "King of Pain", "Synchronicity I & II", "Wrapped Around Your Finger", "O My G-d", having the appreciative qualities of Jagermeister and Red Bull, whilst others, such as "Mother", "Walking In Your Footsteps" and "Miss Gradenko" being comparable to drinking window cleaner.

So in conclusion, my advice to anyone would be simply be this; if you're 'buy-curious' about The Police, you might like this album, if you're a Police fan, you better have this album already. B+


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