One of my favorite tracks from this album is Tea in the Sahara. I love a good “story song” although listening to it right now it doesn’t feel quite as mystical as it did when I was 12 years old. Go figure! It’s certainly a preview of what’s to come on the Blue Turtles album.
Yes, "Tea in the Sahara" is great, and sort of a parallel song to "Miss Gradenko" in that it comes right after three big hits and often gets overlooked. "Tea in the Sahara" is the song that reminds me of Sting's debut solo album the most. I could picture it fitting in on The Dream of the Blue Turtles.
Synchronicity is a bit of a misnomer, in that as good as it is, it shows the band members siloing off and writing their own songs. There's only a couple of songs that feel like "Police" tunes, in the way that they sounded on their prior albums.
If it weren’t for Mother, Side 1 of Synchronicity would be damn near perfect. I was one of those kids who spent way more time with Side 1 than Side 2. As for Miss Gradenko: “We were at a policy meeting/They were planning new ways of cheating” - sounds like something a kid of a CIA operative would write!
I loved this article, especially how you go into detail about the whole vinyl/CD transition and your analysis in terms of sides/track listing. I know it’s quite niche and even a bit nerdy of me to say, but I really enjoy that kind of stuff.
Thanks Andres. I think tracking is still considered today, but not so much as “sides.” It’s got to be a challenge for artists to keep to the time constraints of LPs. CDs holding 79 minutes led to much longer albums. I’ve noticed a lot more 28-38 minute-length albums the past few years.That’s good news. I am working on a piece about how I almost sold my record collection that I started after reading one of your posts. Love the way all our writings inform each other!
Yes, tracking/sequence is a recurring topic (Spotify playing albums in shuffle mode by default a while ago comes to mind). Album duration and format are so intertwined. You see it especially with R&B and hip hop 90s records... all these intros, interludes and outros for which before there was no (mental/physical) space. I love the relative “brevity” of the typical LP: it forces artist and listener to focus.
That’s so cool to hear, and I look forward to reading!! Thanks! And yes, absolutely: all our writings are very complementary!
I love The Police, but I only ever listened to what was on the radio, not a whole album, so I've never actually heard this song before! I tend to latch on to repetitive phrases in music, and this song's "is anybody alive in here?" is the perfect earworm for that.
Right? It was the next line, "Nobody but us in here, nobody but us" that was the stronger earworm for me, but the whole chorus got stuck. I also love that the song is under 2 minutes. No fat on that song.
Sep 12, 2023·edited Sep 12, 2023Liked by Steve Goldberg
I agree that the tracking order seems odd, though I will say that "Synchronicity I" (for my money, the best song on the record) is the strongest opening track for a band that made a habit of opening records with bangers. Until looking it up just now, I could've sworn "Synchroncity II" kicked off Side B.
I also always thought it was kinda cool that "O My God" has the "It's a big enough umbrella, but it's always me that ends up getting wet" line from "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic."
To this day, I can't understand why "Mother" made it to the final cut. It feels lke a novelty song they put in the mix and just never said anything, assuming someone would catch it. I dunno...
As for this track? Definitely an earworm. I read the subtitle in the same voice/tone as the song.
I would put "Synchronicity 1" as my 2nd favorite. But it was probably my favorite at the time. It is a perfect opening track. And the callbacks to previous records were indeed a highlight.
Yeah- I knew you were going to pick “Don’t Box Me In.” 😝 I’m a huge Stan Ridgeway fan so this was a match made in heaven. Have seen Stan in concert probably 8 times. He’s a treasure.
My favorite policeman (though Andy is a close 2nd, followed by several million steps to that 3rd guy).
:)
One of my favorite tracks from this album is Tea in the Sahara. I love a good “story song” although listening to it right now it doesn’t feel quite as mystical as it did when I was 12 years old. Go figure! It’s certainly a preview of what’s to come on the Blue Turtles album.
Yes, "Tea in the Sahara" is great, and sort of a parallel song to "Miss Gradenko" in that it comes right after three big hits and often gets overlooked. "Tea in the Sahara" is the song that reminds me of Sting's debut solo album the most. I could picture it fitting in on The Dream of the Blue Turtles.
Synchronicity is a bit of a misnomer, in that as good as it is, it shows the band members siloing off and writing their own songs. There's only a couple of songs that feel like "Police" tunes, in the way that they sounded on their prior albums.
I did love this track. Synchronicity is such a strange album.
Strangely great!:)
If it weren’t for Mother, Side 1 of Synchronicity would be damn near perfect. I was one of those kids who spent way more time with Side 1 than Side 2. As for Miss Gradenko: “We were at a policy meeting/They were planning new ways of cheating” - sounds like something a kid of a CIA operative would write!
Yeah, like I said in the piece, I have a strange soft spot for “Mother” but I completely understand how it stands out like a screeching thumb.
Theme! From! Kinetic! Ritual! I played this on repeat! (I do have the 10” Klerk Kent album- green vinyl! A favorite among my stacks!)
Jealous! I have the cassette! Have no idea if it is still playable though.
I loved this article, especially how you go into detail about the whole vinyl/CD transition and your analysis in terms of sides/track listing. I know it’s quite niche and even a bit nerdy of me to say, but I really enjoy that kind of stuff.
Thanks Andres. I think tracking is still considered today, but not so much as “sides.” It’s got to be a challenge for artists to keep to the time constraints of LPs. CDs holding 79 minutes led to much longer albums. I’ve noticed a lot more 28-38 minute-length albums the past few years.That’s good news. I am working on a piece about how I almost sold my record collection that I started after reading one of your posts. Love the way all our writings inform each other!
Yes, tracking/sequence is a recurring topic (Spotify playing albums in shuffle mode by default a while ago comes to mind). Album duration and format are so intertwined. You see it especially with R&B and hip hop 90s records... all these intros, interludes and outros for which before there was no (mental/physical) space. I love the relative “brevity” of the typical LP: it forces artist and listener to focus.
That’s so cool to hear, and I look forward to reading!! Thanks! And yes, absolutely: all our writings are very complementary!
I love The Police, but I only ever listened to what was on the radio, not a whole album, so I've never actually heard this song before! I tend to latch on to repetitive phrases in music, and this song's "is anybody alive in here?" is the perfect earworm for that.
Right? It was the next line, "Nobody but us in here, nobody but us" that was the stronger earworm for me, but the whole chorus got stuck. I also love that the song is under 2 minutes. No fat on that song.
I agree that the tracking order seems odd, though I will say that "Synchronicity I" (for my money, the best song on the record) is the strongest opening track for a band that made a habit of opening records with bangers. Until looking it up just now, I could've sworn "Synchroncity II" kicked off Side B.
I also always thought it was kinda cool that "O My God" has the "It's a big enough umbrella, but it's always me that ends up getting wet" line from "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic."
To this day, I can't understand why "Mother" made it to the final cut. It feels lke a novelty song they put in the mix and just never said anything, assuming someone would catch it. I dunno...
As for this track? Definitely an earworm. I read the subtitle in the same voice/tone as the song.
I would put "Synchronicity 1" as my 2nd favorite. But it was probably my favorite at the time. It is a perfect opening track. And the callbacks to previous records were indeed a highlight.
Wait; is there more than one?
Sonically speaking....;)
Yeah- I knew you were going to pick “Don’t Box Me In.” 😝 I’m a huge Stan Ridgeway fan so this was a match made in heaven. Have seen Stan in concert probably 8 times. He’s a treasure.