Synchronicity

1	Synchronicity I 3:26
2	Walking in Your Footsteps 3:36
3	O My God 4:02
4	Mother 3:05
5	Miss Gradenko 2:00
6	Synchronicity II 5:02
7	Every Breath You Take 4:14
8	King of Pain 4:58
9	Wrapped Around Your Finger 5:13
10	Tea in the Sahara 4:11
11	Murder by Numbers 4:34

Barnes & Noble

An elegant and mature work that also turned out to be the group's last recording, Synchronicity is the Police's finest moment. Ambitious and sophisticated, the album blended unusual ingredients for an arena rock band: odd time signatures, spare arrangements, reggae grooves, and strange vocal inflections by lead singer Sting. The subtlety and passion of his performance on "Every Breath You Take" remains unforgettable, while "Tea in the Sahara" is equally haunting and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" and "King of Pain" carried the venerable theme of tortured romance to further heights on the airwaves. The trio, which had been as powerful live as in the studio, never made another album together, but Synchronicity was a brilliant closing statement. It also helped launch Sting as a successful solo artist whose best work -- heard in such songs as "Fields of Gold" -- reflects the sleek, simple approach of this album. Michael Hill

All Music Guide

Although The Police's fifth release, 1983's Synchronicity, would be their most commercially successful and lead to a sold-out tour of enormodomes (including New York's Shea Stadium), it would turn out to be the trio's final album and tour. Like all Police recordings, Synchronicity contains some obvious "filler" (such as the silly dinosaur tale of "Walking in Your Footsteps" and the almost unlistenable "Mother"), but for the most part, it's exceptional. One of 1983's biggest singles, the haunting "Every Breath You Take" is an obvious highlight, as well as other hits -- the cacophonous rocker "Synchronicity II," plus the far more temperate "Wrapped Around Your Finger" and "King of Pain." Also included are the oft-overlooked tracks "O My God," "Synchronicity I" (used as a concert opener on the ensuing tour), "Tea in the Sahara," "Murder by Numbers," and the Stewart Copeland original "Miss Gradenko." Few other albums from 1983 merged tasteful pop, sophistication, and expert songwriting as well as Synchronicity did, resulting in yet another all-time classic. Greg Prato