Great Rock Albums of 1982: The Police- Ghost in the Machine

Normally, I start each year with the very first album or song from an album I heard at the beginning of said year. But my brain isn’t what it used to be and I only realised this mistake after this album was announced. So, you’ll get that one next post. I can’t even blame being caught in massive amounts of traffic and roadworks today while going to and from a supply teaching assignment that was miles away where my “Iron Man 2” soundtrack got scratched. Maybe it was all for the best because “Ghost in the Machine” by The Police might be a good place to start.

Tempting as it may be to once again mention my suspicion about albums whose hit single is the opening track being a ploy by one hit wonders, I won’t. True, the very first two tracks on “Ghost in the Machine” are the two singles from the album but I get a different impression here. “Spirits of the Material World” and “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” are both good songs in their own right and worthy of being singles, my impression is that the idea behind putting them first was to say, “Now, you’ve heard the singles, now listen to the rest of our album.”

The rest of the album is no less inferior, in fact, I only like it more. “Invisible Sun” gives me a dark brooding feeling while I listen to it but I like it. Then things go the complete opposite way with the next two songs. “Hungry for You” and “Demolition Man” are almost party atmosphere songs and definitely make things come alive. With the latter, I hear a bit of fingerboard smoking from Andy Summers which is probably why it’s my favourite track on the album. So once again I ask, why did they not just give him one song to just shred? Answers on a post card please. “Too Much Information” sums me up perfectly at times and is an enjoyable song and “One World” sticks out as well. With “Ghost in the Machine,” The Police stick with the standard reggae-rock roots but at the same time weren’t afraid to venture out of their comfort zone a little. The result is a great album.

Track Listing:

1. Spirits in the Material World

2. Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

3. Invisible Sun

4. Hungry For You (J’aurais toujours faim de toi)

5. Demolition Man

6. Too Much Information

7. Rehumanizer

8. One World (Not Three)

9. Omegaman

10. Secret Journey

11. Darkness

The Police

Sting- vocals, bass, saxophone, keyboards

Andy Summers- guitar, guitar synth, keyboards

Stewart Copeland- drums, percussion, keyboards

It might not actually have opened 1982 for me musically but I think that perhaps “Ghost in the Machine” by The Police was a good place to begin the journey through the year.

Next post: The actual first album I heard in 1982, actually it was a couple of songs.

Rod Stewart- Tonight I’m Yours

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