No boughta? You oughta.
Critics have called Zenyatta Mondatta the worst of the Police albums. From things the band members themselves have said about the time surrounding the recording of Zenyatta Mondatta, they were tired and pressed -- both by the record company for a hit record and their touring schedule. This being the case, this album is even greater than it seems. If this is the worst the Police got, I'll take the Police over countless other bands anyday. There are some delicious tunes here. Don't Stand So Close To Me, a song about how nervous a man can get when a young girl turns on the charm, is in many ways the best song the Police ever recorded. De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da is a fun and smart song about the corrupting power of words. Also fun and smart are Man in a Suitcase, Canary in a Coalmine and When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around. More serious is the driving Driven to Tears, a song about the pain one suffers by witnessing the suffering of others: a song of empathy. Voices Inside My Head's got a mesmerizing momentum. Shadows In the Rain is gorgeously haunting (and a personal favorite).
Zenyatta Mondatta has personal significance to me: It was the first Police album I bought. I was fifteen at the time and, I suppose, I haven't gotten over it. Maybe I'm getting old, but I think fifteen year olds today would be lucky if they had a band like the Police to listen to.
Doesn't seem rushed...
"Zenyatta Mondatta", The Police's third studio album was said to have been recorded under stress and in a rush. However, it seems to be pretty well produced and the songs are quite strong. It opens with the famous "Don't Stand So Close To Me", a wonderfully constructed song. The burst from the sombre verses into the cheery choruses is really The Police at their best. The album also features "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", another massive hit. There are two (very similar) perky, up tempo reggae infused songs here as well, "Canary In A Coalmine" and "Man In A Suitcase". They are also stand out tracks.
There is some filler on this album. "Behind My Camel" (courtesy of guitarist Andy Summers) sounds like something from a horror film and in "The Other Way Of Stopping", Stewart Copeland is really just seeing what digital delay sounds like on a bass drum.
"Zenyatta Mondatta" is often regarded as The Police's weakest album but even at that, it is still a great piece of work and I would recommend it to anyone. Oh and by the way, I love the art direction here.
great police cd
zenyatta mondatta was my favourite police album along with the ghost in the machine due to the presence of songs like dont stand so close to me and canary in a coalmine.very highly recommended.
Innovation
The first and most obvious indication that this a great album (or CD depending on which generation you hail from), is the fact that "The Infidel" (aka "mropinion") gave it just one star. It's hard to tell if this rather "eccentric" reviewer is The World's Foremost Musical Idiot or a certifiable genius, gifted in the art of p---ing people off. If it's the latter, my friend, then I suppose you deserve an award!
With that said, Zenyatta Mondatta (like all other Police achievements) is one of those albums that simply justified the 80s. While other 80s pop bands like...hmmm...I don't know...Duran Duran simply wrote good, catchy, yet ultimately forgettable tunes like "Rio" and "Union of The Snake," The Police wrote equally catchy & good, yet Unforgettable songs like "Driven to Tears" and "Don't Stand So Close To Me." The former being a heartfelt & intelligent account of having to view on TV the kind of atrocities that painfully marked the 1980s.
Though it might not me as obvious to some people (specifically those who give N'sync 5 stars vs. giving The Beatles 1 star), "De do do do, De da da da" is actually a very witty song about the power of the spoken (or written) word. On the surface it sounds as though Sting was in a goofy mood, and consequently wrote a goofy song - this is far from true. He wrote smart lyrics that shed light on the phenomenon of how the "poets, priests, & politicians have words to thank for their positions."
As musicians, The Police stretched the Rock 'n Roll boundries in the 80s much in the same way Led Zeppelin did so in the 70s. Sting was (is) a brilliant composer who thinks well beyond that of an average bass player. I think he played the bass guitar merely because SOMEBODY in the band had to. He also came up with many of the guitar lines that Andy Summers would then make his own and inevitably make even better. Andy was at the forefront of introducing ska/reggae rhythms to rock music in the 80s, and Stewart Copland did much of the same for drumming. Stewart's technical playing and overall rhythmic creativity is still inspiring drummers today (including myself)!
Zenyatta Mondatta still stands as one of the best achievements from a band who knew only how to achieve!
Ultimately, I suppose, De do do do, De da da da is all I've (and more importantly - Sting) got to say to any "infidels" who have either the nerve or the ignorant-based Bliss to imply that The Police had less talent than those "artists" who provide nothing more than mindless "ear candy" or souless, pop "fluff" such as N'Stync and that annoyingly perpetual, High School cheerleader - Britney Spears...I mean Christina Aguilara...oops, I mean Hilary Duff...forget it.
THIS IS MY FAVOURITE POLICE CD FEATURING STING AT HIS ABSOLUT BEST.I GIVE THIS GREATD CD MY HIGHEST RECOMMENDATIONS.FIVE STARS.
