Friday, October 2, 1981

The Police Ghost in the Machine released

Ghost in the Machine

The Police


Released: October 2, 1981


Peak: 3 US, 13 UK, 15 CN, 11 AU


Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 0.3 UK, 9.5 world (includes US and UK)


Genre: new wave


Tracks:

Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.

  1. Spirits in the Material World [2:59] (12/5/81, 11 US, 15 CB, 17 HR, 9 RR, 7 AR, 2 CO, 12 UK, 13 CN, 50 AU)
  2. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic [4:22] (9/25/81, 3 US, 6 CB, 8 HR, 3 RR, 1 AR, 1 CO, 1 UK, 1 CN, 2 AU)
  3. Invisible Sun [3:44] (9/26/81, 10 CL, 8 CO, 2 UK, 89 AU)
  4. Hungry for You (J’Aurais Toujours Faim de Toil) [2:53]
  5. Demolition Man [5:57]
  6. Too Much Information [3:43]
  7. Rehumanize Yourself (Copeland/Sting) [3:10]
  8. One World (Not Three) [4:47]
  9. Omegaman (Summers) [2:48]
  10. Secret Journey [3:34] (2/6/82, 46 US, 47 CB, 90 HR)
  11. Darkness (Copeland) [3:14]

Songs written by Sting unless noted otherwise.


Total Running Time: 41:03


The Players:

  • Sting (vocals, bass)
  • Andy Summers (guitar)
  • Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion, backing vocals)

Rating:

3.992 out of 5.00 (average of 26 ratings)


Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album:

“For their fourth album, 1981’s Ghost in the Machine, the Police had streamlined their sound to focus more on their pop side and less on their trademark reggae-rock. Their jazz influence had become more prominent, as evidenced by the appearance of saxophones on several tracks. The production has more of a contemporary ‘80s sound to it (courtesy of Hugh Padgham, who took over for Nigel Gray), and Sting proved once and for all to be a master of the pop songwriting format.” AMG

“The album spawned several hits, such as the energetic Spirits in the Material World (notice how the central rhythms are played by synthesizer instead of guitar to mask the reggae connection) and a tribute to those living amid the turmoil and violence in Northern Ireland circa the early ‘80s, Invisible Sun.” AMG

“But the best and most renowned of the bunch is undoubtedly the blissful Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.” AMG It topped the charts in the UK and reached #3 in the U.S.

“Unlike the other Police releases, not all of the tracks are stellar (Hungry for You, Omegaman), but the vicious jazz-rocker Demolition Man, the barely containable Rehumanize Yourself, and a pair of album-closing ballads (Secret Journey, Darkness) proved otherwise.” AMG

“While it was not a pop masterpiece, Ghost in the Machine did serve as an important stepping stone between their more direct early work and their more ambitious latter direction, resulting in the trio's exceptional blockbuster final album, 1983’s Synchronicity.” AMG

Resources and Related Links:


Other Related DMDB Pages:


First posted 3/22/2008; last updated 8/25/2021.

No comments:

Post a Comment