Mus News

The Police were one of the most innovative power-trios on the planet during their all too brief, eight-year, five-album run throughout the late 70's and early 80's. They seamlessly managed to blend elements of punk, rock, reggae, jazz, and pop into their own unique sound, winning over the hearts and minds of fans from each genre. They also went on to sell over 50 million albums worldwide, score a handful of Grammys, and eventually take their rightful place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This year, more than 20 years after they went their separate ways, the Police reunited and announced a new world tour, which they kicked off with a lackluster performance of "Roxanne" at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.

For those of us not lucky (or rich) enough to attend their current tour, we can always turn to the band's Synchronicity Concert video, which was finally released on DVD back in 2005. The DVD, originally released on VHS in 1984, now boasts some excellent new DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mixes, as well as multi-angle performances of "Synchronicity II," "Roxanne," "Invisible Sun," and "Don't Stand So Close to Me," which were not included on the original release.

Synchronicity Concert was filmed at the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia on the 2nd and 3rd of November 1983, during the band's final tour in support of their #1 album Synchronicity. This is the only officially released, full length, concert video of the Police, which makes it all the more special. Unfortunately, the results are not as special as they could have been, thanks to video directors Godley & Crème, of 10cc fame, who nearly ruined the thing with their excessive and ridiculous audience shots and special effects.

The setlist is an amazing trip down memory lane, and the band's performance this night was tight and spirited. The show begins with the band casually taking the stage, as strains of African-themed music fill the air, and the crowd greets them with wild applause. The stage is small, and simple, with no sides or backing to block the view from any vantage point in the arena. Sting is wearing an obnoxiously multi-colored jacket, made mostly of shredded strips of fabric, and completely open in the middle to expose his shirtless, ripped chest and abs. Contrastingly, his two bandmates are both dressed quite normal.

They proceed to rip through "Synchronicity I" to start the show. Here the band's energy immediately wins you over. Surprisingly they slow things way down with the next song "Walking In Your Footsteps," which does, however, get a wonderfully ethereal and expanded update that easily outshines the original. Eight of the eleven Synchronicity album tracks are performed here, with the band wisely skipping such filler as "Mother" and "Miss Gradenko." They did however also leave out one of my favorites, "Murder By Numbers".

It didn't take long to start getting really annoyed at the directors for constantly jumping back and forth between the band and just about every person in the audience as they danced, sang, screamed, and basically just mugged obnoxiously for the camera. I personally would have preferred more coverage of Andy Summers brilliant guitar work, and Stewart Copeland's dazzling drumming, instead of just Sting and the audience.

To make matters worse, the directors also threw in every damn video special effect available to them back then. In case you got bored with the standard color video, they also gave you plenty of black and white, and various Synchronicity-inspired color schemes to keep you on your toes. Do you also like slow motion and swirling video effects? There's plenty of them too.

Still, if you can stand these director overindulgences, this DVD still does a pretty good job at capturing some vintage Police in their prime. Highlights include an absolutely ripping version of "Hole In My Life," one of the lesser known songs off their 1978 debut album, Outlandos d'Amour. "One World (Not Three)," one of the band's more reggae-inspired numbers, features some nice vocal work from the three female background singers, who were all — curiously — dressed in marching band uniforms. This also inspires Sting and Andy to dance about frantically together, all the while never flubbing a note on their instruments.

They close out the first set with a rousing extended version of "Can't Stand Losing You," — aided by a brilliant light show that was really cranked up a notch for the finale. Sting is apparently so pumped up here, he has to go bounce around for several seconds on the mini trampoline he kept up on stage behind him, occasionally visiting throughout the show.

"Spirits In The Material World" kicks off the encore, and I found this version too tame, and just too reggaed-up for my taste. "Invisible Sun," also from Ghost In The Machine, similarly fails to produce the same dark and ominous vibe that the original album versions deliver. To close out the show, they go back to the beginning one last time for a highly energized performance of "So Lonely" that seriously leaves you wanting more.

Apart from the directorial shortcomings, the overall production quality of this DVD is quite good. Both of the surround sound tracks sound excellent and the stereo track is more than adequate. My only minor complaint is that the bass could have been turned up a notch in the mix, and the vocals taken down slightly, especially the background singers. The picture is presented in its original full screen format and is remarkably sharp and colorful, considering it came from a 22 year old source recording.

Special Features include the Synchronicity Concert trailer; interviews with all three band members from Melbourne, Australia, in 1984; and the four additional multi-angle tracks that I previously mentioned.

Although the original Synchronicity Concert video could have been done much better, you could not ask for a much better DVD transfer than this. Sting has certainly not shied away from putting out his share of concert videos over the last decade, so hopefully he and the band already have the recording crews working overtime on this current world tour. I'll be first in line for that one.

Set List

01. Synchronicity I
02. Walking In Your Footsteps
03. Message In A Bottle
04. Walking On The Moon
05. Wrapped Around Your Finger
06. Hole In My Life
07. King Of Pain
08. One World (Not Three)
09. Tea In My Sahara
10. O My God
11. De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
12. Every Breath You Take
13. Can't Stand Losing You
14. Spirits In The Material World
15. So Lonely

Additional Multi-Angle Tracks:
01. Synchronicity II
02. Roxanne
03. Invisible Sun
04. Don't Stand So Close To Me

Performance 8/10
Production 7/10