Ghost in the Machine

1981's Ghost in the Machine is still my all-time favorite album by The Police, which was my favorite band from sixth grade well into high school.  Singer/bassist Sting, guitarist Andy Summers, and drummer Stewart Copeland always created unique, genre bending music.  Ghost, to me, is musically their most accomplished.  The white punk sound of the early albums was giving way to saxophones and synthesizers, though the reggae shadings were still well in evidence. Quite a suite of diversity here.   This album could be seen as a bridge between the older, more aggressive attitude and the polished sheen of their final work, the massively successful Synchronicity. 

And darker.  All of their albums had their dark moments, but "Invisible Sun", a lament about IRA violence (with a controversial video to boot), had a despairing sound that was a surprising choice for a single ( though not in in the U.S.). The lyrics, however, are somewhat hopeful.  The final three tracks, "Secret Journey". "Omegaman", and "Darkness" also cast a forboding timbre, and maybe some bleak verses.  Wisdom to be gained after a journey through hell.   Hell as defined as a frustration with daily living.  Each track has some mystical bents.  They're incredibly atmospheric. 

Elsewhere, we have the big hits "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" and "Spirits in the Material World". bouncy but melancholy tunes.  The middle stretch of the album is danceable, with "One World", " Hungry for You (J'aurais Tojours Faim De Toi") sung mostly in French, and the lengthy, menacing "Demolition Man", the same year covered by Grace Jones.   Every song is tinged with nervous energy, though channeled differently than the fist shakes of the band's debut album.  This time they're jaded, introspective, angry at injustice.  The word "cunt" is even used among the lyrics.  There are continued themes from Zenyatta Mondatta, though here everything has higher production values.

While Summers is quoted as saying he didn't like the musical direction Ghost in the Machine was taking (many guitarists bitched about the encroaching synth in this decade), I feel the expanded sound really showcases what amazing musicians these guys were/are.  Yes, Sting was being a prima donna about band contributions and all, but this is some tight music.  Their most mysterious, intriguing work.  The opening keyboard of  "Secret Journey:" is as eerie and sublime as anything heard in the early '80s.