Ghost in the Machine

Album: Ghost in the Machine
Year: 1981

. . .

I saw the Police two times during their initial run, both in situations where it was easier to watch the video screen then actually have a chance to see how the band interacted with each other while playing their songs.

The first time was at the US Festival in 1982, and they had the misfortune to follow an absolutely on fire Talking Heads, who killed me so much that I don’t remember the Police’s set, which came at the end of a very very long and scorchingly hot day.

The second time was at Ratcliffe Stadium in Fresno on the 1983 Synchronicity tour, and while there was a video screen of course, the eternal problem with video screens is that I’m stuck watching what the director wants me to watch (Sting) instead of what I want to watch (Stewart Fucking Copeland). Which isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy it: in my compare-and-contrast-with-Translator-at-KFSR’s-first-anniversary review in the Dead Air Diary I pointed out “Synchronicity II” and “Reggatta de Blanc” as highlights.

Album: Ghost in the Machine
Year: 1981

. . .

It’s weird to call the next-to-last album by an artist a “transition album,” but that’s certainly how Ghost in the Machine was perceived at the time: an expansion of basic sound of the Police that set the stage for whatever came next.

And at first, I was a bit leery of all of those horns and keyboards that were slathered upon all of the songs — after all, what made them interesting if not great, was the interplay between Sting’s bass, Stewart Copeland’s drums and Andy Summer’s guitar. And while all of that still existed, it was now buried beneath layers of keyboards. And weirdly enough, to me, at least, it actually narrowed down their sound a bit by removing all of the space that existed.

Certain Songs #1610: The Police – “Secret Journey”

Certain Songs #1609: The Police – “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”