Police - Synchronicity POLL

Murder by Numbers

no doubt, alfred. that one, "omegaman," and "no time this time." nti, it's the lyric in the song

i was so excited for this album. i was in 8th grade, and it's one of the first albums i remember anticipating the release date and making sure i got my dad to drive me to the record store the day it came out. the police were my first "favorite band," or at least the first one that was mine and not borrowed from my dad's records (beatles, stones, etc). so of course i was convinced it was genius and loved it to pieces for several years. in retrospect it's possibly my least favorite police album. i'm sure being burned out on it is part of that, but it also has a pretty high embarrassment-to-riches ratio, sting's insufferability was really hitting its stride. still, both "synchronicity" tracks are good jams if you subtract the lyrics, "every breath you take" is unassailable even if no one ever needs to hear it again, "king of pain" has a great chorus. i think i'll vote for "wrapped around your finger" because i like the slinky melody, and the underlying venom is if anything even more pronounced than on "every breath." (among other things, sting sounds like a very bitter dude on this album.)

I know what you mean. I didn't burn out on King Of Pain. I think it's because it was the one big single from the record that didn't have a music-video made for it, so I was exposed to the song less.

^^^^Yeah, this. What was the deal with that? Was it even a single in real form? I didn't know that. It was just played more on the radio than other songs on the album, far as I knew.

Also that was a fantastic post, Tipsy.

I just happen to have the book Synchronicity by Carl Jung beside me right now. I tried to read it before and got nowhere, but I definitely respect that dude. No joke.

wrapped around your finger

synch II & King of Pain are good jamz tho. but yeah, probably my least favorite Police

I just happen to have the book Synchronicity by Carl Jung beside me right now. I tried to read it before and got nowhere, but I definitely respect that dude. No joke.

Wow. wonder if there's a word for that.

It's between 'King Of Pain' and 'Synchronicity II' - might go for the former, just for the middle-eight (which I'm sure The Dismemberment Plan borrowed somewhere along the line). Does anyone have a good word to say about 'Mother'?

I went with Synchronicity II though Synchronicity I, Wrapped Around Your Finger, and King of Pain were all close for me.

I love how pissed off and aggravated Sting sounds on this one and it has some of Summers' coolest guitar work.

Basically I could listen to the singles and "Synchronicity I" on endless repeat; I chose "SII" but really it could have been any of them.

"Wrapped Around Your Finger" playing inside Subway at lunch today.

i'll be one of the 15+ to vote for "every breath you take", but the only one to admit it

Hahah oh my god, yeah. You are a hero, to vote for that and admit it. I salute you, man.

if any part of "every breath" is underappreciated i'd say it's the bridge, which has always sounded like a classic country tune to me.

havent listened in decades; between Breath and Wrapped for me. Sting really lays the other lyrics on with a trowel, esp Sync II (great Andy there tho).

can't tell if you're being sarcastic, bimble, but i genuinely like the song. probably because it's the song i've known since i was little - fuck da haters

I've half a mind to vote for "Mother". Or rather I'd vote for "Mother" if I had half a mind, or something.

But no, I'll go for title track #1, which I wish was longer.

Synchronicity II for me. But I do have a great love of Mother and hell, the whole rest of this album.

It's still my favorite Police actually, but that's because I haven't consciously gone through their catalog as an adult. I just continue to enjoy it the way I have since my Mom first bought the cassette and played it in her truck on long drives.

Was it even a single in real form?

Oh yeah. It reached No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard charts. And, as Wiki notes, "(i)nterestingly, King of Pain was the only single from Synchronicity that did not have an accompanying music video."

I was a young 'un, but I remember "King of Pain" hearing a lot on the radio (around Big Country's "In a Big Country" and H&O's "Family Man"), so its chart position makes sense.

*but I remember HEARING "KOP," rather

I thought Family Man was mostly an MTV music-video phenomenon. I can't even remember hearing it on the radio. Great song, tho.

I for one am pleased to not see the CD bonus track "Murder By Numbers" included although it's better than at least half the songs on this album, but it's just refreshing to see an accurate representation of the original release for once.

The lyrics of The Police, although consistently terrible, have always been overshadowed by how great the music is (in this one person's opinion). This is why songs like "Tea In The Sahara" are so good. Unfortunately, some people just can't get over bad lyrics.. which seems to be the case with most people posting here.

"O My God" is not shitty because the bass line is sick, and the outro is sublime.

And "Synchronicity 1" is way underrated.. I think I'm voting for that.. okay I just did.

I was a young 'un, but I remember "King of Pain" hearing a lot on the radio (around Big Country's "In a Big Country" and H&O's "Family Man"), so its chart position makes sense.

I suddenly want to make a huge 1983 mix.

H2O is the 1982 hit album from the duo Daryl Hall and John Oates. It featured three Top 10 U.S. singles, including "Maneater" which was the biggest hit of their career, spending four weeks at the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The album title is a play on the chemical formula for water, where "H" is for Hall, and "O" is for Oates.

late 82 album = singles charted in 83 stfu

no! I was responding to Daniel about "Family Man."

yeah i'm down w/ tea in the sahara, even if it prefigures the solo sting tripe that was to come. i don't put much stock in lyrics though - unless it's so blatantly over-the-top or forgrounded in such a way that i can't get around it.

i think Becker/Fagen lyrics are the only ones where i actively pay attention and am not consistently dissapointed or embarrassed.

fore-

im all on defense today. sorry

Am I the only one who really, really loves Miss Gradenko?

yeah, sorry

What a mildly stupid fate I have.

King Of Pain by a mile

This.

THERE'S A LITTLE BLACK SPOT ON THE SUN TO-DAY

THERE'S A SALE ON OUR GABARDINE SUITS TO-DAY

"every breath you take" is unassailable even if no one ever needs to hear it again

OTM. It's a perfect song, a gorgeous recording, and a deserved juggernaut of a single. And, while it's weird to call it this, a monster riff.

Am I the only one who really, really loves Miss Gradenko

Maybe, but I do really, really like it.

The results of this poll may surprise you, Abbot.

Weird, I had never noticed that Murder By Numbers was a cd bonus track before.

I'm pretty sure this was the first album I ever bought new from a store with my own money (as opposed to from a garage sale; that was the White Album). I still pretty much like this record and think it was the best thing the Police ever did, and I like Mother too, because it has a pretty strong Crimson vibe to it. This album also introduced me to Paul Bowles and other stuff that was cool to be into when I was in junior high, even if it now seems kind of pretentiously passe. Anyway favorite song is probably Synch 2.

"Wrapped Around Your Finger". Best Police song ever.

I like all of the singles here. Among the non-singles, "Tea In The Sahara", "Synchronicity I" and "Walking In Your Footsteps" are great, while "Mother" is of course horrible.

And, hey! Yes "Murder By Numbers" was great!

I don't understand why people hate Mother so much. I guess I would expect Geir not to like it, but I love its utter madness. I've heard Murder By Numbers, it's okay I guess.

Mother is a delight. I played that damn song so many times in 2001. Real Mother kick.

It reminds me off a sillier/creepier (longer) '5% for Nothing.'

I really, really hate "Mother". I'm all about crazy songs where someone just screams, but really.

It is pretty out of place, I will admit.

box set coming:

https://wmgk.com/2023/08/22/sting-confirms-police-synchronicity-box-set-is-coming/

Does the world need a Sychronicity boxed set?

tbh, except for Pet Sounds, I can't think of a single rock album box set that needed to be box set. They all should have been carved up into separate releases - e.g. a remastered (or remixed) edition of the album, a live album, and an outtakes/demos/studio rarities compilation. But economically speaking, when it comes to reissues, album box sets are the most viable products a label can come up with.

Looking forward to that 21-minute version of "Mother"

A whole disk of "Mother" ala the Fun House sessions.

the motherlode

Looking forward to that 21-minute version of "Mother"

― pplains, Wednesday, 23 August 2023

Extended remix by Arthur Baker.

this is an album that easily could have landed in my top 50 if I'd thought about it. certainly interested in hearing outtakes, but like most box sets, I'd go for a digital version.

Listening to it again now after 30+ years and nope... still nowhere near as good as "Ghost In the Machine".

Love Summers' playing on "Synchronicity II', though.

6CD deluxe reissue was supposed to be released today

The box set contains the following content:

CD1 is the original album including ‘Murder By Numbers’, all remastered directly from the original source tapes
CD2 features 18 tracks containing all original 7” / 12” B-sides plus 11 exclusive non-album bonus tracks, available on CD for the first time
CD3 and CD4 contains previously unreleased alternate takes of all the Synchronicity songs
CD4 also features unreleased Police songs including an early version of Andy Summers’ 1982 track ‘Goodbye Tomorrow’ (later renamed ‘Someone To Talk To’); a demo of a Stewart Copeland penned song ‘I’m Blind’ which later resurfaced as the renamed ‘Brothers on Wheels’ for Copeland’s acclaimed soundtrack to Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Rumblefish’; an unreleased first take of ‘Truth Hits Everybody’ (originally from the 1978 debut Outlandos d’Amour’); and rare covers of the Eddie Cochran song ‘Three Steps To Heaven’ and ‘Rock and Roll Music’ by Chuck Berry
CD5 and CD6 features 19 live recordings – all previously unreleased – captured on 10th September 1983 at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, USA
As well as the hardcover book, the 6CD box includes four art prints. Other formats include a 2CD set (repeats first two discs of the super deluxe), a 4LP vinyl edition (42 tracks instead of the 84 on the 6CD set) and a vinyl picture disc that rejigs the running order.

would be an instant buy for me 10 years ago, now i think i'm happy with just listening to the album very occasionally

https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/the-police-synchronicity-6cd-box-set/

A library checkout for me, something to dive into for a not-busy week and that’s it.

Results from the ILM Police poll:

2 802 21 Synchronicity II
13 589 17 Synchronicity I
14 529 17 King of Pain
18 473 17 Wrapped Around Your Finger

20 374 11 Every Breath You Take
32 176 6 Tea in the Sahara
36 149 5 Murder by Numbers
40 110 4 Mother

― Bee OK, Friday, December 9, 2022

a vinyl picture disc that rejigs the running order

This actually probably makes for a more listenable (albeit front-loaded) record (I won't miss "Murder By Numbers"):

Side 1

Synchronicity I
Every Breath You Take
Wrapped Around Your Finger
Miss Gradenko
Synchronicity II

Side 2

King Of Pain
Walking In Your Footsteps
Mother
O My God
Tea In The Sahara

Conveniently on Spotify. If anything, I appreciate the band more - live cuts are great, and demos are edifying, revealing what the others brought to the songs. Sting could've gone in a bad direction on some of these - just listen to the "Every Breath You Take" demo and the "O My God" outtake.

If they release the Oakland show separately, I might actually buy that.

Love the box set. It's super weird to me that The Police never had the same cultural reevaluation that so many other bands of that era received.

Do they need it? They've never gone away!

I hope I'm not being glib. They're omnipresent on oldies radio, as background music in cafes and shops -- hell, my students know the super hits. Most of these hits are real good.

their reunion tour in 2007 was one of the highest grossing tours ever

Sting could've gone in a bad direction on some of these - just listen to the "Every Breath You Take" demo

I have to say that the demo, for me, significantly undermines Andy Summers' contention that he deserves a co-writing credit for that song. What's really striking is that every last nuance of the vocal melody is already there. All Summers did was to substitute in some cooler-sounding chords for Sting to sing over. (And, yes, arpeggiate them in a distinctive fashion.) By Summers' own telling, his harmonic choices were inspired by studying the works of Béla Bartók, so maybe the latter's estate should also get a share of the spoils?

Oh, I wasn't implying the band had a bigger hand in composing the songs, but to me it underlines how much of a difference their arrangements had on the music.

xps They never struck me as needing a reevaluation either - as long as I've known about them, they were both critically acclaimed and massively popular, probably more true after the fact than it was in the '80s when they were filling stadiums, racking up awards and critical hosannas (#5 album in 1983's Pazz & Jop poll before they split). If anything, I'm stunned Sting alone is still massively popular - I've never seen his shows and considered catching his latest tour since he's doing a lot of Police songs, but not only were tickets jaw-droopingly expensive, they had no problem selling out.

(too much alliteration there, with the "st---" words)

I have to say that the demo, for me, significantly undermines Andy Summers' contention that he deserves a co-writing credit for that song. What's really striking is that every last nuance of the vocal melody is already there. All Summers did was to substitute in some cooler-sounding chords for Sting to sing over. (And, yes, arpeggiate them in a distinctive fashion.) By Summers' own telling, his harmonic choices were inspired by studying the works of Béla Bartók, so maybe the latter's estate should also get a share of the spoils?

― Vast Halo,

Claims like Summers' -- and I agree with you -- rely on the generosity of the composer. Should Dylan have given Al Kooper credit for the hook in "Like a Rolling Stone"? Maybe? U2 and R.E.M. avoided problems by splitting the publishing.

Always a challenge with bands of any kind and especially one like the Police (or, say, the Band) where the individual players do bring so much to the final song. Every Breath You Take may have been a hit as a solo Sting tune, who knows, but it wouldn't have been the hit or the song it is without that specific guitar line.

You can see, though, that the writer of "Every Breath You Take" might look askance at the idea that the writer of "Behind My Camel" was contributing equally to the compositional success of the group.
A number of Police songs were written by Sting before he ever met the others.

Yup Every Little Thing She Does is Magic is from like 1977 I think, but the demo arrangement is nothing like what wound up on the album. The melody is there though.

Yeah, I mean if Sting were a more generous sort maybe he would've worked something out where Andy and Stewart each got like 5% of the songwriting. But also I think Andy and Stewart both did just fine off of being in Sting's band.

Dude nicked Mark Knopfler for credit and royalties after singing "I Want My MTV" to the tune of "Don't Stand So Close to Me". He coulda thrown Andy a bone.

Given how he sampled himself on "We'll Be Together" and "Love is the Seventh Wave" I'm surprised he didn't award himself songwriting credit for them.

Copeland: Andy, since we're here, I'm going to back you up on this. You should stand up right now and say, 'I Andy want all the Puff Daddy money. Because that's not Sting's song he's using, that's my guitar riff.' Okay over to you Andy, Go for it...

Summers: (meekly) Ok, I want all of the Puff Daddy Money.

Copeland: There you go, you feel better now don't you?

Sting: Okay Andy here's all the money. (pours some change on the table) Unfortunately, I've spent the rest of it.

Apparently more box sets are planned. Andy specifically mentioned a four-CD of Reggatta de Blanc in an interview prior to the Around the World reissue (which at the time was nearing completion in terms of restoration work but had yet to be scheduled for release).