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 For
their fourth album, 1981's Ghost in the Machine, the
Police had streamlined their sound to focus more on their pop side, and less
on their trademark reggae-rock. Their jazz influence had become more prominent,
as evidenced by the appearance of saxophones on several tracks. The best and most renowned of the bunch
is undoubtedly the blissful "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,"
which topped the U.K. singles chart and nearly did the same in the U.S. (#3).
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, resulting in the trio's exceptional blockbuster final album,
1983's Synchronicity. — Greg Prato
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 Nominally,
the Police were punk rock...
...but that's only in the loosest sense of the
term. The trio's nervous, reggae-injected pop-rock was punky, but it
wasn't necessarily punk. All three members were considerably more
technically proficient than the average punk or new wave band. Andy
Summers had a precise guitar attack that created dense, interlocking waves
of sounds and effects. Stewart Copeland could play polyrhythms
effortlessly. And Sting, with his high, keening voice, was capable of
constructing infectiously catchy pop songs. While they weren't punk, the
Police certainly demonstrated that the punk spirit could have a future in
pop music. As their career progressed, the Police grew considerably more
adventurous, experimenting with jazz and various world musics. All the
while, the band's tight delivery and mastery of the pop single kept their
audience increasing and by 1983, they were the most popular rock &
roll band in the world. Though they were at the height of their fame,
internal tensions caused the band to splinter apart in 1984, with Sting
picking up the majority of the band's audience to become an international
superstar.
Preceded by the number one British single "Message in a
Bottle," Regatta de Blanc (fall 1979) established the group as
stars in England and Europe, topping the UK charts for four weeks.
Following its release, Miles Copeland had the band tour several countries
that rarely received concerts from foreign performers, including Thailand,
India, Mexico, Greece and Egypt. Zenyatta Mondatta, released in the
fall of 1980, became the Police's North American breakthrgouh, reaching
the Top 10 in the US and Canada' in Engalnd, the album spent four weeks at
number one. "Dont Stand So Close To Me," the album's first
single, became the group's second number one single in the UK; in America,
the single became their second Top 10 hit in the spring of 1981, following
the number 10 placing of "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" in the
winter. By the beginning of 1981, the Police were able to sell out Madison
Square Garden. Capitalzing on their success, the band returned to the
studio in the summer of 1981 to record their fourth album with producer
Hugh Padgham. The sessions, which were filmed for a BBC documentary hosted
by Jools Holland, completed within a couple months and the album, Ghost
in the Machine, appeared in the fall of 1981. Ghost in the Machine
became an instant hit, reaching number one in the UK and number two in the
US, as "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" became their
biggest hit to date. — Stephen
Thomas Erlewine
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