Police 4: Ghost In The Machine

The Police began to break out of a rut, somewhat, on Ghost In The Machine. For one thing, it had a pronounceable title that wasn’t remotely gibberish. The cover itself was a stark subtle portrait of the band in LED—apparently Sting is the poofy digit in the middle, and the advent of MTV helped perpetuate the idea that his ego was in charge.

But while he may have been running the show, that wasn’t successful for the whole album. Many of the songs are nothing more than one-chord jams based around saxophone riffs. Apparently he’d just taught himself the instrument, so he toots incessantly, all over the album.

Synthesizers play a big role as well, starting with the jumpy “Spirits In The Material World”. “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” was a huge hit, and it’s still an incredibly happy song with just a hint of Caribbean influence. “Invisible Sun” meanders against its meter, but at least we finally hear a guitar. “Hungry For You” has a French subtitle, which is fitting since the song is yelled in that language. “Demolition Man” is a loud jam that was probably more fun to play than it is to listen to, even for six minutes.

Side two starts with another jam, and “Too Much Information” is fittingly crammed with too many saxophones. The same could be said for “Rehumanize Yourself”, but at least the lyrics are clever. “One World (Not Three)” beats the same idea into the ground over a reggae beat. By the time “Ωmegaman” (written by Andy Summers) arrives halfway though the side we’re aching to hear an actual song, with dynamics and everything, and it delivers. “Secret Journey” is something of a throwback to Zenyatta Mondatta, being prefaced by a full minute of guitar synthesizer. Stewart Copeland’s melancholy “Darkness” still manages to keep the album from ending dull.

Outside of “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”, the best songs on the album are the two Sting didn’t write. Taken as a whole, Ghost In The Machine is fairly boring, but that didn’t keep it from becoming a huge hit. Perhaps the tropical climate of the sessions permeated the cold exterior of the album for the majority of consumers.

A year after what would have been its 40th anniversary, an “alternate sequence edition” of the album was released on vinyl picture disc, as well as streaming. The tracks were in a completely different order, with half of side two now on the first and the biggest hit toward the end. Plus, “I Burn For You” appears in a shorter mix than the Brimstone & Treacle soundtrack), and side two closes with “Once Upon A Daydream” and “Shambelle”, which had been originally relegated to B-sides. (“Invisible Sun” has alternate vocals as well, and Stewart’s count-ins can be heard occasionally.) Hearing the album in a context shuffled from what we were used to for decades is intriguing, if not necessarily an improvement, but at 53 minutes it would have been considered too long, picture disc or not. And “Darkness” sounds just plain wrong anywhere but the end.

The Police Ghost In The Machine (1981)—2½