When a band releases its biggest selling record, it usually capitalizes on that success by rehashing the same formula on its next several albums. This didn't happen with the Police. In 1983, the trio released "Synchronicity," a record that not only sold millions but it spent more weeks at Number One than any other album in that year, including Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Fans, myself included, clamored for a followup album, but the Police decided to call it quits while they were still on top. How many groups today would do such a thing? Anyway, "Synchronicity" is a fine album that shows a more confident and self-assured band delivering its most accessible work at the time. "Every Breath You Take" will probably go down as the most misunderstood and misinterpreted pop song of the 1980s, especially considering that it's still being played at senior proms and weddings. Thanks to Sting's passionate lyrics, it's often been mistaken for a love ballad when it's actually a song told from the mind of an obsessive stalker (Every breath you take/ every move you make/. . . I'll be watching you). Other strong points include the tribal rhythms of "Walking in Your Footsteps," the subtle jazz-rock touches of "Oh My God," and the absolutely nutty "Mother," in which guitarist Andy Summers sings vocals. But "Synchronicity" gets its money's worth for the lovely "Tea in the Sahara." This song was the closing track of the original LP version, but on the CD/cassette versions it's followed by the jazzy "Murder By Numbers." In my mind, it hurts the sequencing a bit, and it was better off as a b-side as was originally intended. "Synchronicity" is one of the best albums of the 1980s, but I hesitate to give it 5 stars because it lacks some of the raw edge of the group's finer recordings like "Zenyatta Mondatta" and "Ghost in the Machine." Still, it's one of the essential records to own and has lost none of its luster after 20 years.
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