Ghost In The Machine Album Article Index for
Ghost In
Website Links For
Ghost
 

Information About

Ghost In The Machine Album




  Type Studio album
  Artist The Police
  Cover Ghost In The Machine coverjpg
  Released October 2 1981
  Recorded AIR Studios , Montserrat , and Le Studio , Quebec , Canada , January 1981 - September 1981
  Genre Rock
  Length 41:03
  Label A&M Records
  Producer The Police & Hugh Padgham
  "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Robert_Christgau" class="copylinks">Robert Christgau (B+) link
  Last Album '' Zenyatta Mondatta ''<br/>(1980)
  This Album '''''Ghost in the Machine'''''<br/>(1981)
  Next Album '' Synchronicity ''<br/>(1983)


''Ghost in the Machine'' is the fourth Album by The Police , released in 1981 . Much of the material in this album was inspired by Arthur Koestler 's '' The Ghost In The Machine '', which also donated the title.


ALBUM OVERVIEW


The cover art for ''Ghost in the Machine'' features an LED -inspired graphic that depicts the heads of the three band members each with a distinctive hair style (from left to right, Andy Summers , Sting with spiky hair, and Stewart Copeland with a Fringe ); the band was unable to decide on a photograph to use for the cover.

The album was the first Police record to feature heavy use of Keyboards and Saxophone s. "Spirits in the Material World" used a Synthesizer to mask the song's reggae influence, and the middle twenty minutes of the record ("Hungry for You (J'aurais Toujours Faim de Toi)" through "One World (Not Three)") has a great deal of saxophone harmonies. Interestingly enough, the opening to "Secret Journey" is a guitar layered with Effects Pedal s. As Andy Summers recollects:

The LP opens with "Spirits in the Material World", a dark pop song with keyboards dubbed over Summers' original guitar line. Following that is " Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic ", which features piano and a strong Caribbean vibe. "Invisible Sun" refers to The Troubles in Northern Ireland . "Hungry For You (J'Aurais Toujours Faim de Toi)" is sung mostly in French. "Demolition Man", one of the band's longest songs, almost six minutes in length, features a strong bass line and saxophone, and was written by Sting while staying at Peter O'Toole 's Irish mansion. Grace Jones and Sting have both recorded solo versions of the song. Manfred Mann's Earth Band also recorded a version of the song - with extensive use of synthesizers - in 1982 for their " Somewhere In Afrika " album.

"Too Much Information", "Rehumanize Yourself", and "One World (Not Three)" all concern various political themes. The final three songs return to the darker sound which opens the album: "Ωmegaman" features lyrics dealing with personal pressure, "Secret Journey" is a moody song about inner strength and enlightenment, and "Darkness", the album's Stewart Copeland-penned closer, is a ballad about the pressures of being a rock star.

"Invisible Sun", released as a single before the album, was a large success in the UK, making it to #2 even though the video was Banned by the BBC for including footage referring to the conflict in Northern Ireland. Later, "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" made it to #3 in the U.S. and #1 in Britain, and "Spirits in the Material World" made it to the U.S. Top 20 .

Arthur Koestler 's reaction to the album is said to have been muted. He knew little about the burgeoning New Wave scene, and said in an interview with the Paris Review (compiled later on in ''Writers At Work vol. Seven''):

In his younger days, Sting was an avid reader of Koestler. Another of The Police's albums '' Synchronicity '' was also inspired by Koestler's '' The Roots Of Coincidence '', which mentions Carl Jung 's theory of Synchronicity .

In 2000 ''Q'' Magazine placed ''Ghost in the Machine'' at number 76 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.


TRACK LISTING

All songs written by Sting unless otherwise indicated.
#" Spirits In The Material World " – 2:59
#" Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic " – 4:22
#" Invisible Sun " – 3:44
#"Hungry for You (J'aurais Toujours Faim de Toi)" – 2:53
#"Demolition Man" – 5:57
#"Too Much Information" – 3:43
#"Rehumanize Yourself" ( Stewart Copeland , Sting) – 3:10
#"One World (Not Three)" – 4:47
#"Ωmegaman" ( Andy Summers ) – 2:48 ''("Omegaman" on some editions)''
#" Secret Journey "– 3:34
#"Darkness" (Copeland) – 3:14


PERSONNEL

The Police

Additional personnel
  • Jean Roussel - Keyboards on "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"



TRIVIA

  • "J' ''aurais'' toujours faim de toi" translates in French as "I ''would'' always be hungry of you". It is more likely that the band meant "J' ''aurai'' toujours faim pour vous" which translates as "I ''will'' always be hungry for you." There are a few other language mistakes in the song's lyrics.

  • It is the first Police album with a title in English.



CHARTS

Album)

Singles