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Critic Reviews
80
The multitrack singing eliminates the attractive tinge of aloneness that's always been integral to the subtext of Police compositions, while the extra instrumentation ... fills up the open spaces in their music. Ghost in the Machine feels unsettlingly crowded.
9y
70
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.
13y
Holy hell this was better than "Synchronicity", and it has only a 74 as user score? Come on now.
This is BY FAR the most artsy and creative effort by The Police, trying everything they can to make this record unique and appealing at the same time by blending catchy pop perfect singles and more experimental reggae rock songs.
The first three songs are just perfect songs, all three of them are singles, with "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" being the standout song, the ... read more
I love the sound that The Police started to embrace with the Zenyatta Mondatta album and after. "Ghost in the Machine" came out right after, and you can immidiately notice its lush, texturally rich and sonically elegant sound, that I find to be extremely beautiful, sleek and mesmerizing. So sonically, this record pushes all of the right buttons for me. I love the way Sting's stunning and faint harmonies synergize with the instrumentation's cozy basslines, airy Rock guitars ... read more
There is an ambivalent feeling listening to Police's fourth album. Ghost in the Machine contents a track such as the opener "Spirits in the Material World", almost a harbinger for Police's last, best and most sophisticated album "Syncronicity" (imo), but also tracks such as "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", which is a radio friendly chart hit, don't get me wrong, it's nonetheless an excellent and stunning song. Fortunately I like both ... read more
Sometimes what moves us most is not the voice trying to explain the feeling, but the restless energy underneath it that speaks before words ever can.
I really enjoyed parts of this release. The Police lean heavily into a dense and compact sound, mixing new wave, a lot of reggae influences, and synth driven textures into something that feels darker than some of their earlier work.
The drumming from Stewart Copeland is fantastic throughout the album. His grooves add so much movement and ... read more
The band's subtle shift in direction gives way for more liveliness it its sound, even if only the few highlights took the majority of its potential and kept it to themselves.
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Track List
| 1 | Spirits in the Material World 2:59 | 89 |
| 2 | Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic 4:20 | 93 |
| 3 | Invisible Sun 3:44 | 90 |
| 4 | Hungry for You (J'aurais toujours faim de toi) 2:52 | 79 |
| 5 | Demolition Man 5:57 | 81 |
| 6 | Too Much Information 3:42 | 77 |
| 7 | Re-Humanise Yourself 3:10 | 78 |
| 8 | One World (Not Three) 4:46 | 74 |
| 9 | Omegaman 2:47 | 85 |
| 10 | Secret Journey 3:33 | 80 |
| 11 | Darkness 3:11 | 79 |
Total Length: 41 minutes
Comments (4)
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3mo
some of my favorite all-time song land here
invisible sun, spirits in the material world, darkness, every little thing...
underrated album
invisible sun, spirits in the material world, darkness, every little thing...
underrated album
8mo
Fun fact - this is the only Police album on AotY that doesn't have a song in the yellow.
