Just great! But what’s up with Mother? I had to check my phone to make sure I didn’t switch to a different album.
Synchronicity is the fifth and final studio album by English rock band the Police, released on 17 June 1983 by A&M Records. The band's most successful release, the album includes the hit singles "Every Breath You Take", "King of Pain", "Wrapped Around Your Finger", and "Synchronicity II". The album's title and much of the material for the songs were inspired by Arthur Koestler's The Roots of Coincidence. At the 1984 Grammy Awards the album was nominated for a total of five awards, including Album of the Year, and won three. At the time of its release and following its tour, the Police's popularity was at such a high that they were arguably, according to BBC and The Guardian, the "biggest band in the world".Synchronicity reached number one on both the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200, and sold over eight million copies in the US. The album was widely acclaimed by critics. Praise centred on its cohesive merging of disparate genres and sonic experimentation. Rolling Stone described "each cut on Synchronicity [as] not simply a song but a miniature, discrete soundtrack". It has since been included in the magazine's lists of the "100 Best Albums of the Eighties" and the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". In 2009, Synchronicity was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Just great! But what’s up with Mother? I had to check my phone to make sure I didn’t switch to a different album.
You could gain a great amount of knowledge by reading up on the topics Sting refers to in his songs. Contrast this to the amount you might learn from reading up on things David Lee Roth mentions in his lyrics: "Might as well Jump!" Draw your own conclusion from the fact that the Van Halen LP with "Jump" sold more copies in the US than Synchronicity did. At least Syncro outsold it in Canada - Eh! Tea in the Sahara is based on the novel "The Sheltering Sky". Sting is very much the intellectual and used this LP to remind everyone that he is. He mentions Mephistopheles, Scylla and Charibdes - and that name dropping is from just one song. The name of the album (and title song(s)) also show his knowledge of psychiatry and psychology (or some may say fringe psychology). This was the only of the five Police LPs that included a lyric sheet. I recall Sting saying lyric sheets were pompous. He must have hoped that some listeners might want to find out who Scylla and Charibdes were and knew that it would be near imposssible to find anything without the proper spelling back in the pre-internet pre-spell check days. I prefer Side 1 which is bookended by the two Synchronicity tunes. Walking . . . and Oh My God are two other gems that fill in the middle of Side 1. Miss Gradenko is Stuart's contribution and is easy to like since Ringo trained us to listen to the drummer's song, politely clap and move on. Andy's song "Mother" is hideous but I guess they had to give him his three minutes. When you hear the haunting and creatively avant garde guitar he laid down on Tea In the Sahara you realize you must take the good with the bad. Side 2 starts with Every Breath . . . the monster hit which imo is not as strong as Syncr II - but hey it sold a shit whack of records and is probably the best known Police song. Side 2 has the two other big hits and ends with what is probably my favourite song on the album: Tea in the Sahara - or at least my vinyl ended with that. It's nice to see Murder By Numbers included in the re-release. That was a pretty good song to be excluded from the album. Leaving that song off and including Mother must have driven Sting bee-shit crazy.
Any one of The Police's albums could rate as a favorite. This one hits all of the sweet spots for me. It keeps just enough of the punk/reggae vibe of their earlier works, but expands a slightly more mainstream rock milieu. It spawned quiet a few hits (all of them deserving, IMO) and even the lesser tracks still have a lot going for them. As a whole, the album is rather dark with it's investigations into murder, stalking, oppression, devilry and just the weight of day-to-day existence amongst the uncertainty of the world. The album kicks off with the almost discordant Synchronicity I, full of ambiguous lyrics, soaring vocals, and jamming piano & guitar. Sting gets a little preachy, but cheekily so, in Walking in Your Footsteps, with great tribal percussion lending weight to the musical message. O My God might be the weakest link for me, but still has a pretty good jazzy hook and a sound that Sting will move more toward in his solo work. Ditto the story aspect of Tea in the Sahara, which could easily come off of his Ten Sumner's Tales album. Many people react against Mother (Andy Summer's sole writing/singing credit) and feel it's too far afield from the rest of the album. Personally, I dig it's weirdness and primal angst, and musically, the Middle Eastern sounds of the oboe and the funky time signature. Miss Gradenko (Stewart Copeland's sole writing credit) hints at a corporate/government scenario rife with danger & intrigue. Murder By Numbers is as Dirty Deeds-esque lyric paired with a bouncy, fun melody for an ironic look at hired violence. Then there are the biggies, tracks 6-9: Synchronicity II is probably my fave track with it's cynical look at a day in the life of the working man. I can never be in a traffic jam without feeling like lemming packed in shiny metal box. Every Breath You Take, King of Pain, and Wrapped Around Your Finger all earned their place on the airwaves & the charts, each distinct, and yet also of a piece - much like side two from any number of Beatles albums. This album is a masterwork from a band at the top of their game. That they called it quits right after is in some ways disappointing, but may have been the best call they could make, as they clearly went out on top.
44 minutes too long.
One minute in and I can tell I’m not going to make it through this record due to my dislike of Sting, so I’m just going to roast it: They should have just called this record “Cultural Appropriation: The Album” “Hey Mr. Dinosaur, you really couldn’t ask for more”. A grown-ass, 32-year old man wrote those lyrics. Hey everybody! it’s Saturday night…what do you say we get tepidly funky with The Police? “Andy, this is your mother calling…I know you’re busy making misogynistic snake charmer music with your friend Sting, the “tantric sex practitioner”, but it would be nice if you answered the phone every once in a while. Your father’s gout is acting up again and he’s in hospital. Ok? Call me back, please” Ohhhh, Ohhhh, Ohhhh…why won’t Synchronicity II stop?!? If the Police had any sense of humor, the video for “Every Breath You Take” would have been Sting sitting in a tree with binoculars staring into an unsuspecting woman’s bedroom while singing the song. The Peeping Tom national anthem. At least Sting is self aware enough to call himself the King of Pain. The suffering he’s unleashed upon the earth with his music is immeasurable. What kind of Tea we talking about having in the Sahara?…Hemlock?….Sure, sign me up. What’s the statute of limitation on crimes in the UK? I’d like to report a homicide. I just witnessed The Police murdering Jazz. BOOM. ROASTED.
Usually Andy Summers is my biggest gripe with the Police, but he really came into his own on this record. Stewart Copeland continues to be monumentally underrated, and Sting brings the same flavor he always does: tasty, but quick to get sick of. As a whole though, I think this is my favorite I’ve heard from the Police.
Massively overrated band overall, this album is decent enough
Mixed bag. Some great tunes (Synchronicity II, King of Pain, Every Breath) and some not so good (Mother!). A band about a to go their separate ways and it shows
We all know the singles are excellent. Radio play, critics and countless polls have been telling us that for decades. But blimey, there's a lot of dishwater to get through first. For me the album struggles to stay afloat after a really strong opener, flitting through weak AOR tracks with dull instrumentation and toe-curling delivery (\"Mother\"... really?). It picks up again with the brilliant Synchronicity II which kicks off a \"Greatest Hits\" style run of singles- but it seems the album is judged mainly against the strength of these 3-4 tracks. It's an effort to get there!
Easily their least interesting album, although the previous album had all the warning signs it was coming. Sting got so far up his own arse he could barely stand for Stewart and Andy to play their instruments. I remember him bragging in interviews how smart he was for not letting them play at every turn. Really this is the first Sting solo album (not a compliment), but the label was probably afraid nobody would buy a Sting solo album (they were right). “Rumors” but without the good stuff.
The Police make music for people that don't like music
This was one of my first "cassette tapes"! I LOVE this album!
Police are a strange band, I just don't understand how they were the "biggest band in the world" at one stage. But hey, I don't understand how One Direction were either. This album has that 80s electric coldness to it that I sometimes enjoy. Maybe it's my negative feelings towards Sting, but here it felt dry and smug. I feel I say this on every album, the hits are great, but there's a lot of filler. Also, Mother should never have been committed to tape.
I was 10 years old. This was my first favorite album and soon to be first favorite band, thanks to an older cousin. This album was very influential to my listening development I still listen to this album regularly. I preferred Regatta or Zeñata back in the day, but after this revisit I realize that this album will forever be legendary. Synchronicity is by far the most realized Police album. A bunch of my friends made lists of our top 10 most personally influential albums and several of my friends included Synchronicity on that list. I did not, but it would definitely be top 20 in my book.
Many hail this as the best album The Police have released in their career and it also happens to be their final release. While this isn't an entire retirement from their Reggae influence on earlier records, it is much less present. Although this album would still be important without it, 'Every Breath You Take' really cemented this album as a classic in the world of 80's New Wave and Pop music. The album is really diverse, both with the influences but also with its quality that ranges from some of the best songs of the decade to some of the most average and mediocre recordings in that style. The albums starts off with a typical up-beat and dancey New Wave song which happens to be the first of two title tracks. 'Synchronicity I' features a very fast keyboard loop done by Sting and a very groovy chorus. An incredible intro song to this one of a kind album. It is followed up by 'Walking in Your Footsteps' a song focused on the rhytmic drums with a few guitar and keyboard moments in the background. It takes influence from typical West African music to create a song that "screams" Savannah. I like the approach but there should've more to this in terms of lyrical and vocal performance as well as maybe some drummers who were born into this type of music and not a white guy doing an imitation. I still like it quite much as it still has an incredible groove even with its a more "slow" performance approach. 'O My God' feels way to average. It is just a standard 80's New Wave Pop song with not much to it except a nice performance. The only way I can describe the song is average with a little to much influences that don't really work or add and make the song feel very stale. The next song 'Mother' gets a lot of hate. Why? I don't know. The song is incredible; it doesn't really fit on the album, it is the only one not song by Sting, it is much more Punk then the rest and weirdly experimental. This is closer to No Wave than New Wave. It's so abrasive and dark, the lashing drums, the manic vocals, the ominous sound it creates! This is the best song on the album and you are all sleeping on it!!! In contrast, 'Miss Gradenko' does the same thing that 'O My God' did only that I like the chorus much more. It is short and sweet but very nice. The first half closes with 'Synchronicity II', a very, again, standard 80's sounding track but it works much more this time. The build up works and is worthy, the chorus is done very nice and the melodies are great. While I prefer Version I, I get why this was one of the many singles they released as album promotion. The second half starts with the song everybody knows. 'Every Breath You Take' is a stalker song disguised as a love song. It might be that I'm just so familiar with the song but this is an incredible track and easily my second favourite on the album. Followed up by 'King of Pain' which gets a lot of love but to be honest, I do not care for it much. I like the bridge but it feels very overblown once it reaches the actual chorus. Same thing with 'Wrapped Around Your Finger' which does feel less overblown and I welcome its presence more, I am not a fan of how Sting tries to impersonate a Raggae vocalist. It feels not really fitting (I do not want to use 'appropriated' but I gets close). Still, it has some really nice moments even with my criticism. The final song 'Tea in the Sahara' has to be my least favourite on the album. It just feels way to long, while being not even that long. It takes the two things that didn't work on Track 2&3 and combines them. The song is just boring! Only the somewhat passable atmosphere and chorus save this from being a "bad" song. favourites: Mother, Every Breath You Take, Synchronicity I & II least favourites: Tea in the Sahara, O My God Rating: strong 7 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes
Ich hatte das schlimmste befürchtet, bin aber mehr als angenehm überrascht worden. Der bekannteste Song der Platte ist gleichsam der am wenigsten dafür typische, was der Platte unrecht tut.
There is something annoying about the lyrics on this album. Some songs are memorable but the bad ones are terrible.
In which an insufferable prick, aided by more than competent musicians, makes a song about being a creeper.
Normally I don't mind The Police, but weirdly this one bar "Synchronicity II" and "Every Breath You Take" was forgettable by the time you reached the end, and you can tell it's the end, they were done. At least they dropped the white boy reggae act by now.
There were some bangers, but Jesus Christ, Mother was a lot.
could barely force myself to finish listening to this. really not my thing. hate his voice, hate the drums. shite.
I did not like a the juice
Sting. Ugh.
I was about to give up on this project. I really was; then I drew this record. I love the whole project. Prog rock, reggae, dancehall, dub, soul - so much blended into one unique sound. Reminds me of 311. Also one of the greatest songs of all time. So I’m finally proud to give an album 5 STARS on this journey. Hopefully the first of many. 🔥🔥. Favorites: Synchronicity I, Mother, Miss Gradenko, Every Breath, King of Pain
I am surprised that I didn’t favourite every single track on the album.
Incredible cohesive album with classics I didn't know were The Police
From the very first notes, this album changed how I think about The Police. I’ve always loved the singles (and the singles are here: the deceptively beautiful “Every Breath You Take,” the heartbreak jam “King of Pain” and the dub-influenced “Wrapped Around Your Finger”) but the album has some surprising left turns too. “Mother” is a bizarre one — it’s fascinating but not something I need to listen to more than once. I love the opening energy of “Synchronicity I” though — starts things off with a bang! The calmer songs are played beautifully too. “Tea in the Sahara” is spacey and gorgeous. And “Murder By Numbers” has a great off-kilter jazz rhythm. Fantastic drumming throughout the album but I really noticed it on this one. It’s a toss-up for me as to whether “King of Pain” or “Murder By Numbers” is my favorite. I guess I’m going to have to go through every Police album now because I had no idea the album cuts were just as good as the singles. 4.5
Cet excellent album de Police tombe à pique puisque j'ai justement une anecdote à vous partager. Il y a aujourd'hui une semaine, il m'est arrivé une drôle de mésaventure. Il est quatorze heures lorsque je sors de mon lieu de travail et m'en vais barouder dans le centre-ville pour m'acheter des vêtements. N'en trouvant pas à ma convenance, je décide plutôt d'aller chez le coiffeur. En sortant du salon sur les coups de dix-huit heures, je suis extrêmement satisfait de ma coupe. Le dégradé est impeccable et mes cheveux ont retrouvé de la souplesse. Cette magnifique journée est toutefois sur le point de basculer. Je rejoins mon arrêt de bus et attends patiemment que ce dernier arrive à l'heure prévue. Mon enceinte JBL FLIP 5 crache pendant ce temps l'album de John Zorn dans toute la rue. Soudain, deux personnes m'encerclent : « Bonsoir monsieur, nous sommes the Police. - Le groupe de musique ou les vrais policiers ? - Les vrais policiers. Nous recherchons une personne ayant volé une dizaine de costumes des New York Dolls. La victime décrit le malfaiteur comme un homme équipé d'une enceinte JBL FLIP 5 à la main et ayant une coiffure satisfaisante et le cheveu souple. - Mais c'est quoi ce délire, c'est eltrapeze qui vous envoie ? - Pas du tout, vous savez très bien qu'eltrapeze est interdit de séjour en Basse-Saxe. On va vous palper et fouiller votre sac. » Les policiers commencent alors à me palper et à fouiller mon sac. « Tiens tiens tiens, et que voilà ?.. » dit soudain la policière en sortant une perruque blonde et des talons aiguilles de ma poche avant. J'avais été piégé. L'enquête est aujourd'hui toujours en cours, je vous tiendrai donc informés de la suite des événements dans des critiques ultérieures.
Decent rhythm section here. I had to check to see if it switched over to King Crimson on track 4. I had no idea Police got down like that. This album was alright, but I don't really like Sting's voice. For that, I'll give this a 3.
I wish I liked Sting's voice more. If I did, I'd be a much bigger fan of the Police. That said, this is a pretty good album. Quirky, eclectic, silly at times, and downright awful for one track ("Mother" seems like it was recorded by Primus before they figured themselves out). I want to give it four stars but it didn't quite reach that level for me.
Les Flics were the biggest band on the planet when I was very little, and this astonishes me as now they seen faintly obscure, at the prog-edge of post punk, their hits far-off. Which is to say, we are near-guaranteed a heavy The IPolice revival shortly. During the third track, another clever fragment, I expected a streamlined pop song to follow; instead, we have the cartoonishly ghastly “Mother”. This is funny! This is one the lightest big hitters for hits I’ve heard; there are weird excursions into synth rush, world music, folded-up sketches like “Mrs Gradenko”, and the band are snappy and sleek throughout. I really don’t know how to rate this.
While I think the Police are a fantastic group, this is my least favourite album. Perhaps too much Sting, not enough Stu. Synchronicity is my favourite song. and shout out to 'Scrantonicity'!
Comme vous le savez désormais, avant même les débuts du générateur des 1001, j'étais déjà en train d'essayer de confectionner le parfait générateur pirate. Alors qu'aujourd'hui trois superbes générateurs pirates me permettent de générer de nouveaux albums à volonté, les premiers prototypes étaient beaucoup moins convaincants. Par exemple, l'un des premiers prototypes ne me proposait que des albums de The Police. Après deux albums écoutés dans la douleur, j'abandonnais logiquement ce prototype, la faute à une diversité vous l'aurez compris pour le moins discutable. Je garde depuis un très mauvais souvenir du groupe The Police, et c'est pour cela que je lui accorde la note de 3/5.
If only it wasn't Sting. I really like a lot of the music on this album, theres some really good stuff. But then Sting opens his mouth and it's like listening to fingernails on chalkboards. I'venever been able to handle his voice, it really scrapes on my nerves. Such a shame because I could easily love some of these songs were the music accompanied by someone less Sting.
Released in 1983. Genre of rock with influences heavily from reggae, punk and jazz. 11 songs. 44 mins. 1. Synchronicity I. I’m not sold. I doubt this is very many few people’s favourite song and is a lacklustre into. 2. Walking in Your Footsteps. There’s the sound of the police. I don’t hate the voice, but the arrangement reminds me of a bunch of school children trying to play along with the local artist. Messy. 3. O My God. I hate the songs less. But the arrangements still aren’t selling me. Don’t tell me I just don’t like jazz/reggae. It’s them. (It should be noted I also think the Beatles are overrated, you might not want to listen to me). 4. Mother. Australia, Canada, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, the UK, and the US all had this album as the #1 on their billboard. It went platinum. I’m confused, but this song redeems the album a tiny bit. It’s just so obscure. 5. Miss Gradenko. Aw, we lost the obscurity. 6. Synchronicity II. Here’s hoping sequels come out stronger. 7. Every Breath You Take. As a child of the 90s, I’ve heard the chorus. I’ve also heard the story that it’s a bit random to use it as a song to the dead when the original is about a stalker. Ah possessive love, truly romantic. It does have a catchier beat. Or maybe the slower version is just stuck with me. 8. King of Pain. I’ve gone on a google deep dive. This was their last album and no one could stand each other. Sort of ironic given the album name, but also maybe why the instrumental feels not…. Synchronized that is. 9. Wrapped Around Your Finger. Everyone thinks they’re a music critic. Except here, the whole intention is for me to listen and see what I think. So there. 10. Tea in the Sahara. I’m not sure I can even add anything else. It’s a bust. End album. 11. Murder By Numbers. This is the downside of the album listening. You know you’re not into it, but you must finish it for completion sake. Ah well, it’s at an end. Did I add anything to my playlists? Ha. No. I was happy it was over. 2 out of 5. Because I’ve heard worse.
Quite an odd mishmash of styles and "look at me, I've read a psychology book" guff with huge swings in quality between tracks ("Mother", "Walking In Your Footsteps", the "Synchronicit[ies]" ffs). I, too, would have come to blows with Sting during the recording of "Every Breath You Take". I do quite like "King Of Pain", however
Undeniably a talented bunch, but together it sounds insipid. No, thanks.
Some great tracks, some okay tracks, some awful tracks. Overall, so-so.
Synchronicity It's the police Walking in your footsteps Sounds like he's saying "Woking in your food stamps." That pretty much ruined it for me Oh my God The Police have a sound. It's unique, but I'm not necessarily a fan. This sounds like that. Mother What the heck is this? Someone needs to check on Sting. Miss Gredenko That was better than the last song... Synchronicity II I don't like 2 part songs as a rule. This is at least a return to reasonable Police music Every Breath You Take Ahhh. Classic creeper song. King of Pain Mother should have had this track name. This one wasn't bad. Wrapped around your finger I also recognize this one. This album took some warming up. This one is okay. Tea in the Sahara This song was a nap Murder by numbers This album was murdered by the number of bad songs. +1
pre-listen: oh god The Police ugh post-listen: Synchronicity 1 is completely forgettable in every way Walking in Your Footsteps is one of the most embarrassing things I've ever heard, like they made a Barney song serious hahahaha the indulgent wind instrument solo in O My God is so bad Mother is one of those pretentiously "experimental" things Sting likes so goddamn much Synchronicity 2 is kind of refreshing in that its not the most dogshit thing in the world but its still a 1/10 song Every Breath You Take is justifiably a hit but I'm sick of it also it's basically Sting talking about stalking someone so thats not great King of Pain is actually good thank god for a break in this shitfest For what its worth at this point I am finishing the album specifically because it is SO BAD overall that I am just astonished Wrapped Around Your Finger is blandly whatever but the music video is hilariously the wrong energy for it, way funnier than just listening to the song Tea in the Sahara sucks in an ordinary, sucky Police song way Murder By Numbers is just another forgotten 80s track I cant believe I have to wait almost a day to get fed another album that might not suck as much, this site needs a "bring me my new album immediately" button
You mean to tell me one of the albums I need to listen to before I die is a man singing about dinosaurs, how every woman he dates reminds him of his mummy and how every step you take every move you make every breath you take he'll be watching you? No thanks
Yikes...not a fan of the police...the music is fine, but Sting's voice sounds like what I imagine turpentine tastes like...
No, I'm not going to pretend that I like this album. The music sounds like the vaguely jazzy background musak ITV played when broadcasting a loop of Teletext pages at 4:30 AM. But this album is still quite the curiosity, as I found plenty to laugh at. Take the song Walking In Your Footsteps: it contains the couplet "Hey Mr. dinsaur/ You really couldn't ask for more". It's hard to treat that lyric portentously, yet it's in a song musing on the extinction of the dinosaurs and fearing for humanity's fate under the shadow of the nuclear weapon. Is Sting being whimsical, sardonic, bitter, absurd, or is he just unintentionally undercutting his message with a weak lyric? I don't suspect Sting of having much of a sense of humour, unless you count Old Rainforest-Breath's ads for Jaguar. Or how about the song Mother, the only one written and sung by Andy Summers? It's just bloody odd. It's like a early-60s' Halloween novelty record, and Andy sings like he's forgotten his much-needed lithium. Mind, that's probably my favourite track: at least it's having fun in its derangement. So, the best track on the album is only interesting by virtue of its madness. That doesn't augur well for the rest of the album, does it? Simultaneously pretentious and artless, The Police? More like The Poo-lice.
5 estrelas
Synchronicity I and II are a couple of my favorite Police songs. This album has several hits.. Every Breath, King of Pain, Wrapped Around Your Finger. Some hits get overplayed and get worn out but no matter how many times I hear these songs, they still really get me. The Mother song is a bit odd. The Police sometimes dip into a bit of a reggae groove (Miss Gradenko). Dig it. Great album!
This album is pretty flawless, aside from the unfortunate Mother song. What the hell is that? Feels very out of place, but the rest makes up for it. King of Pain is one of my favorite songs ever. So many other great hits (including the stalker song!) and non-hits on here too. Love love love.
Classic album with great synth sounds and amazing guitar work.
This album is really solid. The weirdest song is Mother and that doesn't mean its bad. The run of songs from Miss Gradenko to Wrapped Around Your Finger is amazing.
Everything here is practically perfect. I’d happily even go for a full album like Mother and feel the same. Never not astonishing, this band.
OK. I cannot be unbiased but in some sense I can try to be objective in my write up at least. For those of you who may not be super fans like I am, you might find the first half of this album a bit gritty, hard, or even somewhat unhinged at times. Nevertheless, even here it is hard to resist the feeling that this band is "pretty darn interesting" and variable. Then the second half... I think every one of these songs was a massive hit and fairly so. Deep, melodic, fantastic. I don't know of many albums that can claim this... (there are a couple but...) I really do feel that The Police was one of the greatest bands of all time...
I remember when this came out. It was huge. Then they broke up and I was bummed. I think The Police were brilliant. They had a strong 5 album run and went out on top.
A great album by one of Rocks best trios.
This was the first cassette tape I bought with my own money. I don't think I'd heard anything on it. I was only 10 years old and I think I picked it because of the display at Musicland and the cool cover. It's an album I have practically memorized. As I got older and more accomplished as a musician, I found more and more to love about this album and found new ways in for the songs that I wasn't really drawn to as a kid. This is one of my all-time favorite albums.
Loved it!
Excellent
It’s hard to comprehend that a single track could propel an album to a *5 rating nearly by itself, but in this case it does. The impact that “Every breath” ( and the album) had on the 80’s cannot be understated. The are plenty of others on here that are heavy, heavy hitters as well. The drumming is in another stratosphere, especially on “Oh my God”, and the rest of the musicianship and song writing is top notch as well. The way the recording was done in separate rooms was an interesting fact I didn’t know.
An excellent last album from a short-lived group of master class players. As an up and coming drummer at the time who was obsessed with Stewart Copeland, I of course owned this cassette. With the majority of the songs all playing a part in helping to define the 80s, it would be hard to rate down here. A few tracks for sure are not needed (the excruciating Mother), but Synchronicity I and II, Every Breath, King of Pain, Wrapped Around Your Finger, Murder By Numbers all are bangers. Definitely some world music seeds being planted here too of what would become Sting’s new solo life.
I don't understand why people are always yelling out "Run, it's the police!" or "F*ck the police!" These guys are great musicians. I wouldn't want to run from them, I'd instead sit down and enjoy their music. And as to the other, well, I don't have that particular bent. I'm sure they're nice enough guys, but I'm certain that carnal knowledge of them does not suit my tastes. I wonder if one of them said something derogatory about hip hop at one point, because those folks seem to be awfully prejudiced against these guys, calling them all kinds of ugly names and deriding their talents at every turn. In the end, all of them are musicians. Why can't they all just get along?
Отличный альбом, великолепный Стинг, есть свой стиль.
Muy bueno
It’s all subjective, right? Personally, I love The Police and Sting’s 80’s stuff but I’ve never been a fan of Morrissey or The Smiths. I’m going to waste my time counting the Morrissey albums on this list, but it’s a lot. This list is very biased and I don’t agree with a lot of the subjective choices Dimery makes. Synchronicity is a weird album, it’s really back heavy and 3 of the big tracks on the second side feel very samey to me. It’s probably a 4 star album but I just can’t stand to give 4 stars to 50% of the inclusions of one of my favourite artists out there. So 5 stars, and also more Sting please.
Stewart Copeland speaks to me in ways no one else can or should, was so sick of all this shit we’ve gotten over the past 2 weeks. EVERY GIRL I GO OUT WITH BECOMES MY MOTHER IN THE END EVERY GIRL I GO OUT WITH BECOMES MY MOTHER IN THE END THE PHONE IS RINGING IS THAT MY MOTHER ON THE PHONE
One of my favorite albums ever. Even the two "oddball" tracks not written by Sting are catchy and fit with the themes of the album. It's best that The Police never recorded new material after this. It would have been impossible to improve upon it.
My favorite Police album. Great stuff
Album 522 of 1001 The Police - Synchronicity (1983) Rating : 5 / 5 Great album. Full of awesome tracks. Their 5th and final album. Wrapping it up with an instant classic.
One of the best New Wave albums
4.5/5
Try as I might, I can't bring myself to dislike this album. It feels like coming home. I'm happy and comfy here.
For me - when this broke it was a whole new sound. And that sound was fantastic.
Masterpiece
I wore this out back in the day
Day225 - the police are definitely in my top fifteen favorite bands and synchronicity is my favorite by them. this album has six hits that i’ve loved since i was nine
Everything about this album was fantastic. I love the jazzy vibes and the fun lyrics. Murder by Numbers was an unexpected favourite.
here we go again
Classic from my high school years, know it well. "Mother" is god awful but oddly entertaining. The rest of the album is almost a greatest hits collection.
I keep getting albums I wish I could talk to my dad about. Of course I loved this
The Police never released bad album, and what an album to end on.
Lush, mystical gems
Their best
fantastic album, i really enjoyed it! i listened to it about three times. synchronicity i - an absolute banger, deserving of far more attention than it gets. walking in your footsteps - sting wrote a song about how much he loves dinosaurs? that's kinda based. it's giving crash test dummies' "in the days of the caveman" but 80s o my god - honestly didn't care much for this song until around the last minute or so. is this the first appearance of those last four lines of the song? they're definitely put to better use in every little thing she does is magic, but it's cool to see them show up here. also these drums are funky and this solo is wild. mother - yesssss what a cool, weird, kinda creepy song! love the 7/4 time and the unsettling Residents-y vibes on this one. andy summers wrote this one, and I expect he was thrilled once caller ID became commonplace. miss gradenko - eh, it's fine. at least it's short. synchronicity ii - one of the best songs the police ever made. love the lyrics, love the music, just absolutely incredible. every breath you take - ah yes, sting's stalker song. this is a classic and well-deserved. king of pain - beautiful and moving track. I've always liked this one. wrapped around your finger - good, though seeing the title always makes me start singing linger by the cranberries first tea in the sahara - this is the kind of music I feel sting makes in his solo career. it's kinda boring and empty, just like the sahara. murder by numbers - cool track, nice closer. favorites: everything but miss gradenko and tea in the sahara.
Glorious, and contains so many hit songs.
Amazing album with many catchy songs
tolles album mit mehr bekannten als unbekannten songs. immer wieder gerne!
Enjoyed this a lot more than their early albums I'd heard this has much a much more cohesive sound. Also forgot that they were coked out weirdos some of these songs are fucking bizarre. But all in all had a great time, awesome musicians, silly guys, great combo
Nice
This album has everything going for it; well established band with solid song-writing, there are so many hits on it and it was released at a time when music was nearly everything to me (High School). There isn't a single bad note from beginning to end.
Loved this album when it came out and still holds up today.
istened to this album many times. Great songwriting by great musicians. How does Mother make it on this album with Murder by Numbers only a bonus track? "Many miles away, there's a shadow on the door..."
I've seen Sting in concert a few times in the past years (a very memorable one was with Shaggy) - it's incredible how he's still got it: "Every Breath You Take" and such a range of songs on each album.
Some of these songs were played to death on the radio when I was a kid. But listening to the album now there is a deeper appreciation for the music and lyrics (except Mother which was quickly fast-forwarded). The Police have their own iconic sound. Ironically, one of the songs on this album were included in the PowSab Spotify Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/00gGuI2RcApWVfDTCzIRh4?si=MUKSoV4VSlSTVCFAcHTKIA&pt=653dea9fae1afd0e38b5eb7351917b59&pi=b0yq1wnORq-46
Listened to this album many times. Great songwriting by great musicians. How does Mother make it on this album with Murder by Numbers only a bonus track? "Many miles away, there's a shadow on the door..." 5 stars. Listened to this album many times. Great songwriting by great musicians. How does Mother make it on this album with Murder by Numbers only a bonus track? \"Many miles away, there's a shadow on the door...\" 5 stars. I've seen Sting in concert a few times in the past years (a very memorable one was with Shaggy) - it's incredible how he's still got it: "Every Breath You Take" and such a range of songs on each album.
2nd half is very, very good
Lots of nostalgia here - I have this on vinyl from when it was released. Can't fault it. Just listened again - picked up my phone a couple of times to do some "research" but quickly put it down again so I could just listen and enjoy.
One of those ‘nothing wrong with it’ albums - all the songs on here are good except ‘Mother’, and that song’s weird enough to not be a waste of time. End.
Listening to this album brought back good old memories of my teenage years, of getting together at a friend's house to listen to this band and others that were so important to us growing up! Back in the days of cassettes, walkmans and pirate radio ;-)
Synchronicity by The Police is a masterful swan song, a tour de force that encapsulates the band's creative brilliance and personal turmoil. Sting's songwriting reaches new heights, delving into themes of existential dread, failed relationships, and societal decay with poetic lyricism and haunting melodies. The album seamlessly blends genres like new wave, post-punk, reggae, and jazz-fusion, showcasing the trio's musical versatility and innovative spirit. Standout tracks like the chilling "Every Breath You Take" and the apocalyptic "Synchronicity II" are elevated by the band's impeccable musicianship and Hugh Padgham's masterful production. Copeland's thunderous drumming on the title track is a tour de force, propelling the album's sonic exploration with relentless energy. While personal tensions linger, the band's chemistry shines through, with Summers' "Mother" and Copeland's "Miss Gradenko" providing welcome moments of levity. Synchronicity is a crowning achievement, a timeless record that solidified The Police's legacy as one of rock's most influential and innovative trios.
4.6 this stuff is quite unique
Amazing record!!! I love everything Sting has done. Amazing voice and musicality overall. It's a shame that, from this record, only Every Breath You Take became a hit, because there are a lot of songs that are waaaaaaay better and more complex (not saying that that song is bad, it is an amazing song). Overall, I loved this record. P.S.: What the hell is with the song Mother??!?!?!?!?!
Still holds up in 2024.
the definitive Police album. Mother is the only song worth skipping.