Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Album of the Day #53: ZENTYATTA MONDATTA - The Police

Title: Zenyatta Mondatta

Artist: The Police
Label: A & M
Year: 1980
Songs: Don't Stand So Close To Me/Driven To Tears/When The World Is Running You Down, You Make The Best Of What's Still Around/Canary In A Coalmine/Voices Inside My Head/Bombs Away*/De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da/Behind My Camel**/Man In A Suitcase/Shadows In The Rain/The Other Way Of Stopping**
Written by: Sting, except *Stewart Copeland and **Andy Summers
Produced by: The Police & Nigel Grey
Thoughts: If you need proof that The Police were great at the instruments they played, get this album. Andy's guitar is exquisite on this album and not just on his two incredible instrumental pieces, which you could hardly call filler. Stewart's drumming comes out in full flight on his own "Bombs Away". Sting's bass parts are incredible throughout, especially on "When The World Is Running You Down...," which is a great song, except its' long title! Personally I love "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da Da," despite the weak lyrics, although isn't that what the song's about? Sting's writing is also insanely good here. As I said yesterday, most of their albums have clearly defined singles and album tracks, but here all of Sting's songs are so good, that it's a bit of a challenge to pick them out.
Rating: 8/10

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