Zenyatta was arguably the peak - and the guys obviously knew that, otherwise why should they have called the album 'Top of the world'? - and, of course, there's nowhere but down after the peak, right? That's what most people think anyway, I guess. But you see, some people reach the top and then crash down to the bottom in a matter of seconds using the same way they came up. The Police, on the other hand, preferred to descend slowly and gradually, and using the other side of the mountain of artistic success as well. Which means seriously modifying their sound. Having messed around with the XTC producer for some time, they were convinced to 'modernize' the sound a bit, and so, in addition to the drums/bass/guitar fireworks of yore, Sting and Co. bring in synthesizers, thus getting closer to the treacherous world of synth-pop, and even saxophones, getting closer to the treacherous world of funky rave-up.
This definitely muddles the sound up a bit, since the Police do not sound unique with this album - not on every single track, at least. After a few listens you get to understand that the change is not as significant as it seemed at first; for instance, after sitting several times through 'Spirits In The Material World' it becomes obvious that the synth lines upon which the song is based are actually a mere substitute for a reggaeish/tangoish guitar rhythm of the 'Roxanne' type, and with a different production, the song could have easily fit onto Outlandos D'Amour. But the extra production angles do take away from the classic idiosyncratic style, and this explains the disappointment of the many and complaints about 'overproduction'. Then again, who wants to tally all the time within a given framework? The Police certainly wouldn't want to do that.
[George Starostin]
Zenyatta was arguably the peak - and the guys obviously knew that, otherwise why should they have called the album 'Top of the world'? - and, of course, there's nowhere but down after the peak, right? That's what most people think anyway, I guess. But you see, some people reach the top and then crash down to the bottom in a matter of seconds using the same way they came up. The Police, on the other hand, preferred to descend slowly and gradually, and using the other side of the mountain of artistic success as well. Which means seriously modifying their sound. Having messed around with the XTC producer for some time, they were convinced to 'modernize' the sound a bit, and so, in addition to the drums/bass/guitar fireworks of yore, Sting and Co. bring in synthesizers, thus getting closer to the treacherous world of synth-pop, and even saxophones, getting closer to the treacherous world of funky rave-up. This definitely muddles the sound up a bit, since the Police do not sound unique with this album - not on every single track, at least. After a few listens you get to understand that the change is not as significant as it seemed at first; for instance, after sitting several times through 'Spirits In The Material World' it becomes obvious that the synth lines upon which the song is based are actually a mere substitute for a reggaeish/tangoish guitar rhythm of the 'Roxanne' type, and with a different production, the song could have easily fit onto Outlandos D'Amour. But the extra production angles do take away from the classic idiosyncratic style, and this explains the disappointment of the many and complaints about 'overproduction'. Then again, who wants to tally all the time within a given framework? The Police certainly wouldn't want to do that. [George Starostin]