Police - Ghost In The Machine [Digipak]
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Free Music Notes for Ghost In The Machine [Digipak]
Free Music Review: WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO STING?
Hit: 5 Stars
These songs are full of life, love, and rhythm.
Now, his songs are full of ****.
Give his true talent a try.
Free Music Review: Didn't have even the album yet
Hit: 5 Stars
Had to add this one to my collection - GREAT music.Free Music Review: The most politically conscious album by the Police
Hit: 4 Stars
With their penultimate studio album, the Police moved more towards political consciousness, emphasizing the human spirit and soul over soulless corporate machinery--hence Ghost In The Machine. However, in some songs, I detect the prelude to "Synchronicity" in quick-paced songs like "Rehumanize Yourself" and "Omegaman", with its racing guitars and drums. Only one song recalls the style of their old days.With the steady keyboard notes forming the rhythm of the verses, the single "Spirits In The Material World" deplores the moral and spiritual crisis in the world, with no hope for legally trying to change the world. The materialist-oriented 80's does give pause, making one wonder, "Where does the answer lie?/Living from day to day/If it's something we can't buy/There must be another way."
The Police scored their fourth UK #1 with "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic." Itself a big hit in the US, it's a catchy tune exploring that painful shyness a man feels towards a woman he admires. The shyness and distance is evoked in his line about standing with her under a big enough umbrella, but he becoming wet, climaxing in the all-time classic fears: "I resolve to call her up a thousand times a day/And ask her if she'll marry me in some old fashioned way/But my silent fears have gripped me/long before I reach the phone/long before my tongue has tripped/Must I always be alone?"
With grim keyboards rising in volume, with Stewart Copeland's drums tapping out a steady beat, the moody "Invisible Sun" echoes the
hopelessness of an industrial life draining the spirit out of someone so that "I face the day with my head caved in/Looking like something that the cat brought in." Such a bleak future, and a bleak song, underscored by "And they're only gonna change this place/by killing everybody in the human race/And they would kill me for a cigarette/but I'm don't even wanna die just yet."
I'm not sure how effective singing in French is to a steady rhythmic Police sound is, but the majority of "Hungry For You" is sung that way. There is raw desire and savagery in the lyrics, particularly when he sings [translated]: "I must burn away this jealousy/you have ravaged my heart/and me, I've drank your blood."
"The doomsday weapon, "a walking disaster, arsenal of doom, the sort of thing they ban," is psychotically personified in the jamming "Demolition Man," with a brass section and pulsing bass. Sting later redid this for the futurist movie starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes.
If Sting was singing about the 80's computer age leading to "Too much information running through my brain/Too much information driving me insane" would he make a 2000's remix of "Too Much Information" for the Internet Age? A catchy, jazzy song with a brass section.
Violence as a social norm...how sobering. "Rehumanize Yourself" makes a commentary on a policeman itching for violence, with a nod to the Beatles: "He'd like to have a gun just to keep him warm" and the unfulfilling purpose of making machines for a larger company and not working for one's own good and spiritual well-being.
Western political and sociologically-centered bias is tackled in the funky reggae of "One World (Not Three)," referring to the now-antiquated concept of the First World being capitalist countries, the Second World being communist countries, and Third World being the underdeveloped ones. Sting says in warning of a possible nuclear or environmental catastrophe, "We can all sink or we all float/'Cos we're all in the same big boat/One world is enough/For all of us."
There are mythological subtexts, of the hero's journey in "Secret Journey" and the meeting with a blind holy man/guru, whose words of wisdom include: "You will see light in the darkness/You will make some sense of this/And when you've made your secret journey/You will find the love you miss....And when you've made your secret journey/You will be a holy man."
With airy but moody synths and keyboards, "Darkness" shows how it's easier to dream of lofty ideals, but when one is out there, the flaws begin to show, and it makes on frustrated enough to wish "I wish I never woke up this morning."
Probably the most sciopolitically conscious and sobering album the Police have done, with a sound close to Synchronicity.
Free Music Review: Bands have a tendency to self-destruct...
Hit: 4 Stars
This album takes its title directly from a 1967 book by Arthur Koestler. The book reflects on human beings' self-destructive tendencies and concludes that we need chemical supplements to soften our irrational and violent side. Basically, Koestler argues that we'll destroy ourselves unless we do something about it. Gordon Sumner, aka Sting, in his never ending quest to depict himself as well-read, took inspiration from the ideas of the book and scattered bits of it throughout this album. Another book of Koestler's led to Sting's self-discovery of Carl Jung's principle of Synchronicity. But that's another album altogether.
Previous to "Ghost in the Machine", The Police reveled in various styles. Their first album, 1978's "Outlandos D'Amour", had more of a power trio feel to it. Some say that A&M once saw The Police as possible competition for Bob Marley (he died in 1981). Reggae thus slowly crept into their subsequent albums. 1979's "Regatta De Blanc" and 1980's "Zenyatta Mondatta" embraced frenetic pop reggae styles and greatly increased their fan base. "Ghost In The Machine" started to move away from reggae and more towards straight pop. They definitely succeeded in this endeavor. The unforgettable "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" still defines early 1980s pop music, and likely always will. Sting would reprise it in a few songs throughout his career, as if the song remained pivotal. But small doses of their early style remain. Nonetheless, some argue that Sting's solo career begins here, and Andy Summers seems to agree in this revealing quote: "I have to say I was getting disappointed with the musical direction around the time of Ghost in the Machine. With the horns and synth coming in, the fantastic raw-trio feel--all the really creative and dynamic stuff--was being lost. We were ending up backing a singer doing his pop songs." Apparently this album also marks the begining of the end of the band.
The album has its ups and downs, but delivers some very solid songs. "Spirits in the Material World" grooves to synthesizer strings while asking "What's it all about!?!" "Invisible Sun" deals with "The Troubles" in Ireland - and its video was subsequently banned by the BBC. "Too Much Information" presages the current deluge of facts and figures we find ourselves buried in. Summers' "Omegaman" turns the dials up a few knotches. The mystical "Secret Journey" hides in the bowels of the album, but it remains a great find. Perhaps it suggests a way out of our workaday predicament? And the rather melancholy "Darkness" closes the album with the chorus "Life was easy when it was boring". Some lesser songs such as "Hungry For You", "Demolition Man", and "One World" lend to the album's theme, but detract a little bit from the flow. But in spite of some of its flaws, "Ghost in the Machine" stands as one of The Police's best albums. Unfortunately, Koestler's ideas may have seeped into the foundation of the band. The Police recorded one more incredible album and then parted ways without even saying goodbye. At least they left behind some great music before they self-destructed.
Free Music Review: More Great Police Music
Hit: 4 Stars
Another year another album from the world's hardest working Rock band at the time. Titled "Ghost in the Machine" the album was noted for being less trademark Reggae-Rock sounding and more polished contemporary Rock with Synths and a touch of Jazz here and there. It was their most political album (and it's title refers to a famous book) and was seen as deeper and more serious then anything else they did. Some people would say it was their weakest album and based on the constant touring and studio working the band was defenitely fatique but I beg to differ on the end result. "Ghost in the Machine" is diffrent but it isn't a weaker album at all and infact Rolling Stones would rank it as one of the best 500 albums of all time. Alright let's take a look at the songs.
A classic hit "Spirits in the Material World" proves the change when synths for the main rhyme instaed of guitars. The lyrics are vague but the song seems to be the importance of existing rather then for material matters, considering how the 80's was all about materialism. A wonderful upbeat love song "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," topped the Uk charts and reached a #3 position in US and is the best song of this album. Once again Sting portait himself as some kind of loser in the song, listen to the beautiful piano and synths. A very dark song "Invisible Sun" about the turbulence in Northern Ireland sets the tone for this album. The song was later re-recorded as a reggae version, Must say that version was better!. A song with dual title "Hungry for You (J'aurais Toujours Faim de Toi)". Stings sings mostly in French here on a horn driven midtempo. "Demolition Man", yeah they later made a film with Sylvester Stallone influenced by the title of this song and Sting's song was also used. The song is very long with alot of bluesy Jazz infleunces. A simular sounding song "Too Much Information" is next but it's a bit too repetitive for my liking. "Rehumanize Yourself" a midtempo rocker, also jazz influenced. "One World (Not Three)" is another political song about how to help the third world countries. It's a midtempo which is also more reggae sounding. Sumners wrote "Omegaman", and I think it's one of the best songs here with a great rhymthm and riffs. It's also the most energic rocker on this album. "Secret Journey" another great midtempo rocker. I guess it is about finding yourself and spirituality. Copeland was also able to write his addition to this album, the closer "Darkness". A slow paced song with Beautiful melody about the problems about being famous.
Overall, Not their best album but a very good album nonetheless full of remarkable songs and plenty of memorable hits. Like aformentioned the overall sound is a bit diffrent here with more 80's rock then trademark Reggae-Rock. The band was somewhere inbetween their early days with direct Punk-Reggae-Rock and more Polished New Wave sound with synthesizers and horns. However, that shouldn't be the reason to not get this album aswell, cause the final result is great and Police once again proves how talented musicians they were.