Second appointment dedicated to "The Police": today we're talking about "Ghost in the Machine".
After the success of "Reggatta de Blanc", the band released their third album "Zenyatta Mondatta" in 1980. Despite the various awards and accolades received for the record, the group did not hide their dissatisfaction when commenting on the project retrospectively: written during their second tour and recorded in four weeks, "Zenyatta Mondatta" was the result of the pressures The Police were under during its composition. The lyrics, however, brought an important turning point, increasingly focused on the political events of the time, such as in "Bombs Away", where Copeland explicitly writes about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This trend continues with "Ghost In The Machine" (1981), the band's fifth studio album. For this project, production was handled by Hugh Padgham, known in the field for the drum sound he developed for artists like Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins. New instruments like keyboards, synths, and brass make their appearance. This new direction did not immediately appeal to Summers, who wanted to maintain the tried-and-tested formula of drums, bass, and guitar from the early albums. Without mincing words, he declared that he felt like a musician serving Sting's pop songs. Among the singles chosen to launch the album are "Invisible Sun", "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", "Spirits in the Material World", and "Secret Journey". The first, with its dark synthesizer beat and denunciatory lyrics, immediately clarifies the band's new trajectory. Despite the gloomy atmosphere, the song carries an optimistic message, reflecting on the strength of populations affected by conflicts or poverty in believing in the existence of an "invisible sun" during the darkest periods. In this sense, the song takes on an extremely personal value for Copeland, whose hometown, Beirut, was devastated by bombings during the recording period. The second single, "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", with its vaguely Caribbean sound and Jean Roussel's piano, is a decidedly lighter track. "Spirits In The Material World" represents Sting's first experiment with synths and is characterised by the overlap of a Prophet-5 and Summers' reggae guitar. With the last single "Secret Journey", the atmosphere becomes mystical and evanescent, while Sting tells of a man whose wisdom inspires him to find light in darkness. The at times philosophical approach of the album is already justified by its title: "The Ghost In The Machine" by Arthur Koestler is an essay that addresses the theme of human tendency towards self-destruction, particularly analysing the nuclear arms race. The album reached the top position in the British chart and the second in the American chart, also earning widespread critical acclaim.
Today we recommend listening to "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", to appreciate The Police in their most carefree key, but no less complex or predictable for that.
