Every Breath You Take: The Classics

I wasn't even alive when The Police were topping the charts, but their appeal is still strong after all these years. All in all, it was an excellent compilation of their classic songs. Here's what I thought of them, one by one... 1. ROXANNE This one's hard to describe. The best way I can put it is that The Police fused modern subject matter with more traditional soft-rock music (esp. in the chorus) and the result was a timeless hit. ***** 2. CAN'T STAND LOSING YOU A sincere, easygoing song that's kind of similar to Roxanne, but a little more diverse. Two songs in, and I'm already enjoying this more than most of Sting's solo work. I can see why The Police were red-hot in their time. **** 3. MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE This is wonderful. It's all about being alone and crying out for help, but they still make it sound uplifting. I especially liked the part near the end about how billions of other people were just as lost as the singer. ****1/2 4. WALKING ON THE MOON Excellent lounge-type tune here, and maybe the best song ever made about walking on the moon (though to be fair, they're describing a mood, not the literal action). ***1/2 5. DON'T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME This was one of the songs that really got me into The Police. The story behind it proved that they weren't afraid to explore truly controversial subject matter, like so many other mainstream bands seem to have been. In my view, the song's only flaw (and it's a minor one) is the chorus. It has an abrupt and poppy rhythm behind it that seems at odds with the serious lyrics. Maybe it's just a kind of musical irony. In any case, this is one of my favorites. ****1/2 6. DE DO DO DO, DE DA DA DA Probably one of my least favorites on the CD, but still good. I guess I've never been a fan of songs with nonsense words in the choruses. Plus the tones sound weird and kind of sour. But I could listen to it again. *** 7. EVERY LITTLE THING SHE DOES IN MAGIC Everyone must have heard this one. Needless to say, it's another one of their most enduring classics. ****1/2 8. INVISIBLE SUN This was inspired by the troubles in Northern Ireland, and it manages to be sad and hopeful at the same time like Message in a Bottle. I can really appreciate how much The Police had evolved by the early '80s. **** 9. SPIRITS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD Like Invisible Sun, the lyrics have an existential theme going. I like this one even better because of the energized chorus. ****1/2 10. EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE I've heard this described as "the ultimate paranoia song" or "the ultimate stalking song." I have to admit the lyrics always unnerved me, too. Maybe they were just trying to tug at our heartstrings by describing a love gone too far. Whatever your interpretation of it, it's one of the most successful and recognizable Police songs. ***** 11. KING OF PAIN Another great song about pain and loss. It wouldn't really have stood out for me, if not for the lines. The lyrics have to be the best thing about this. **** 12. WRAPPED AROUND YOUR FINGER I like the slow, leisurely tone and the references to Greek mythology in this one. **** 13. DON'T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME '86 This might be my favorite Police song ever. They took a song that was already great and made it even more effective. Plus, they really capitalized on the theme this time with brooding tones and a slower pace. The band had already broken up, and this remake was a product of their short-lived reunion. It's a shame they didn't last longer...but The Police left us more than enough hits to remember them by, that's for sure. ***** 14. MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE (new classic rock mix) The remix doesn't seem all that different from the first version--which I prefer, in this case. Unlike in the new version of "Don't Stand," not enough real changes were made to make this a new song unto itself. But it's still good listening. ***1/2

Back in the 1980s, I sort of took The Police for granted. They had some good songs, and I never changed the station when one of those songs started playing, but I never had any desire to actually purchase any of their music. After all, there was more good music than a guy could possibly afford back in that most glorious of decades. Later on, when Sting went solo (and soft), a lot of his music really didn't appeal to me. I hadn't really thought about any of The Police's classic songs since then, not until I came across this album at a decidedly reasonable price (sort of a blue light special, you might say - even though it makes for a pretty bad joke). What is not pretty bad, though, are the classic songs in this collection. In an industry where virtually ever singer/group sounds like someone else, The Police have always been distinct. The staccato beats driving the music, often with a uniquely reggae-influenced electronic sound, and Sting's uniquely plaintive voice make any of the group's songs instantly recognizable. At times, there's a downright ethereal quality to their music, especially in slower numbers such as Walking on the Moon and Invisible Sun, but they are at their best when delivering the more rhythmic, up-tempo, pop-oriented songs that made them so successful. I mean - you've got at least five downright iconic hits included in this collection: Roxanne, Don't Stand So Close to Me, Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, Every Breath You Take, and Wrapped Around Your Finger (those are my five, anyway; no doubt, some would add Message in a Bottle, King of Pain, Spirits in the Material World, and others to that list). These songs made an indelible mark on the 1980s, culturally as well as musically. Is this the best collection of songs from The Police? Heck if I know. What I do know is that no collection of their hits could ever be considered a bad collection, and this one definitely includes all of the hits I remember listening to back in the 1980s. I can't say I care too much for the strangely-named De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da or the 1986 remix of Don't Stand so Close to Me (nor can I tell any difference between the original and mixed versions of Message in a Bottle), but everything else in this collection is timeless music that will always be a small part of me.

A must have for any Police fan!

Es lo que mejor se oye hoy en día,en cuanto a sonido.Aconsejable

A nice rounded collection of hits from The Police. Recommended!

For the owners of SACD players and Police Fans, this compilation is a must. Hidden away on the multi channel 5.1 layer is a new version of "De do do do, De da da da" that this writer has never heard before. The surround mixes of all the well known tracks are pretty good too so if you're a big fan then do yourself a favour and upgrade your sound system to SACD. The experience is a joy to be heard and worth the expense to hear this little gem! post note.This title is also available as a Dts cd The Police - Every Breath You Take [DTS 5.1 CD ], playable by most dvd players and home theatre set-ups but minus tracks 13 & 14. Worth tracking down if you can find one as the SACD is becoming rare.

輸入盤で購入、SACDかと思いましたけど。通常盤だったようでした、音的には満足。ケースパッケージのひび割れが、残念でした。

Über die Musik muss man wohl keine Worte mehr verlieren. Technisch ist dies eine der besten Pop-Produktionen, die ich kenne. So räumlich, dynamisch und unangestrengt kommt keine andere Scheibe rüber. Man fühlt sich direkt in den übungsraum von Police versetzt. Hier spielt die Mehrkanal-Technik ihr ganzes Potential aus, selbst bei Stücken mit wenig Surround-Effekten. Insbesondere die älteren Titel sind von allen Schlacken früherer Veröffentlichungen befreit. Absolute klangliche überflieger sind "Wrapped around your finger" und "De do do do, de da da da". Letzteres Stück ist übrigens nicht in der Originalversion vom Album "Zenyatta Mondatta" vorhanden, sondern in einer Neuaufnahme, die mir wesentlich besser gefällt. Alles in allem kann ich diese Scheibe uneingeschränkt allen Fans und allen Hifi-Jüngern empfehlen.