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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great blend of rock & reggae, 27 Oct 2003
This is a superb collection of Police singles, from the early days of Roxanne and Can't Stand Losing You - both of which were considered controversial songs because of their subject matter. The Police very successfully integrated reggae rhythms into their sound, as demonstrated by the aforementioned and by later smashes like Message In A Bottle and Don't Stand So Close To Me. My other favourites include Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Spirits In The Material World and Every Breath You Take. Not everything here has stood the test of time well - De Do Do Do is one those irritating novelty numbers that I skip when listening to this album. These songs, although mostly simple and catchy, are a cut above simple pop because of their clever lyrics that often contain a twist or two, innovative rhythmic patterns and the band's professionalism. This greatest hits album is perfect for the casual listener although hardcore fans might want to get all the band's output on CD. There is also the 1997 collection The Best Of Sting And The Police with a slightly different track listing, containing more of Sting's ballads.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A really good summary, 18 Oct 2003
A very good collection for the casual fan, "Greatest Hits" gathers the Police's most succesful singles, and since they were mostly a singles band, that's pretty much everything most people will need.All their most accessible songs are here; "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", "Don't Stand So Close To Me", Can't Stand Losing You", the larynx-shredding "Roxanne", and of course Sting's and Andy Summers' subtle reworking of "Stand By Me" - the classic "Every Breath You Take".
(What? You don't believe that song is based on "Stand By Me"?
Listen to the chord changes. Or ask Keith Richards, because I hadn't noticed it either until I read an interview with him where he mentions the Police and those two songs.) Anyway, unless you're a hardcore Police fan (in which case you probably have all of their albums anyway), this is pretty much all you'll ever need.
A fine, throrough compilation.
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33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quite simply the best Police compilation out there, 12 Mar 2002
By A Customer
There are quite a few Police/Police-Sting compilations doing the rounds at the moment. Avoid all of them and buy this ! Greatest Hits is just that, a sixteen-track, chronologically correct retropsective which provides us with all the big hit singles, plus a couple of classic album cuts such as Beds To Big Without You, Tea In The Sahara and the utterly brilliant power-pop of Synchronicity II (a US single). With Sting's ever-thoughtful lyrics, Andy Summers' sublime muscianship (he was the real cornerstone of the band) and Stuart Copeland's brilliantly tight percussion, there is something here for everyone. From the reggae-esque Roxanne (1978), the gorgeous simplicity of the bass-line on Walking On The Moon (1979), the pure pop joy of Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (1981) to their all time classic single Every Breath You Take (1983), you can really begin to appreciate the musical evolution of the band over the years, with the quality control never letting-up throughout. They probably had another classic album or two in them after 1983 but by then they were all fist-fighting in the studio, couldn't stand the sight of each other and Sting was being rapidly lulled by the A&M money men into his solid if not a little dull solo career. They briefly reformed in 1986, and as a prequel to a new album, cut a poor remake of their 1980 single Don't Stand So Close To Me, which the compilists have thankfully not tagged onto the end of this collection. Once again the punch-ups and musical differences prevailed and The Police were finally and lamentably laid to rest. Between 1981 and 1983, The Police were deservedly the biggest band in the world and much of their best material was produced during this period (especially on their Synchroncity album), but this is not to criticize their first three albums from 1978-1980 which were also brilliant in their own right. All of their key material between 1978 and 1983 is present and correct. Thus, The Police Greatest Hits is by far the best compilation out there and will probably not be bettered, so go out and get it now before the record company deletes it from their catalogue.
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