The Police - Every Breath You Take: The Classics

One of the greatest singles bands ever

Sting's solo career has certainly hurt the Police's reputation, which is too bad. They were a good band. All of their albums are pretty good. But they were definitely a singles band first, and this is why I consider this THE Police album to get. I mean, look at the track list! It's got "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic", "Roxanne", "Every Breath You Take", "King of Pain", "Wrapped Around Your Finger", "Can't Stand Losing You", "Walking on the Moon", "Don't Stand So Close to Me", "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", and "Spirits in the Material World". DUDE! Those are some great punk-reggae-pop-adult contemporary singles! It's also got "Invisible Sun", but I find that one kinda boring. Swap in... I dunno, "Synchronity II" or something. There are also remixes of "Message in a Bottle" and "Don't Stand So Close to Me", to which I say "whatever", like every other remix. They're okay.
I don't know what else to say, really. I'm just letting the track list speak for itself here, because these are some really great song, and you're probably familiar with most of them anyway. I'll just add that "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" is my favorite, Sting is a great tunesmith, Stewart Copeland is an amazing drummer, and Andy Summers... doesn't suck! Good for him.
And that's all. This is an essential purchase for all fans of New Wave. May 29, 2008

These guys were awesome!!

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 might be a movie about war; I'm not certain. But 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 February 21, 2008

Great "Best of" collection

If you're into collecting the "hits" version of a lot of bands, as I am, this is a great one to add to your collection. The whole album is amazing, and a lot of these songs work well into random play lists.
November 21, 2007

One of My Favorite CD's

I think this CD is one of the best albums in my collection, because basically every song is good. Favorite tracks would be Message in a Bottle, Invisible Sun, King of Pain, and Wrapped Around Your Finger. November 20, 2007

We're Still Listening To Them

This year has proven more to be the year of classic rock in the industry. With classic acts reuniting like the recent surprise return of Genesis and lesser-known acts like Crowded House, known for the song Don't Dream It's Over. But with all those acts back in the mainstream, none of them have been as widely more anticipated like The Police. With Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers returning to a whole new generation and rocking to others, it is a real welcome return to a supergroup that still withstands the test of time. Even nearly 25 years after their final album, the group is still played everywhere, and this hits album really shows with it.

The 2005 re-release of the classic Police greatest hits album Every Breath You Take: The Classics is a definitive single disc showcase that still has withstood the test of time. The songs have been remastered better than ever, the third time around. The collection was released beofre in 1995, and originally recorded in 1986. The collection includes a lot of great tracks that really feel like a dynamic trip down memory lane that works still today on great rock tracks like Don't Stand So Close To Me, Roxanne, and driven sounds of Spirits Of The Material World, and the most played song on radio today, the #1 smash Every Breath You Take.

All in all, even though nothing new has been released from The Police in years, Every Breath You Take: The Classics still works like a charm, as a fantastic reflection that is still selling out everywhere. If you haven't heard a great group from the 70's and 80's like this one, than this would work very nicely as a must buy, no matter whatever breaths they still take. We're still watching them.

Album Cover: A-

Songs: A-

Price: A 1/2-

Remastering: A

Overall: A 1/2- July 29, 2007

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