Zenyatta Mondatta

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Customer reviews

review by: Tilly date: 2007-10-05 rating:
Even the poorest is still great
I was just a kid when this album came out. I admit at the time I was disappointed. My head was still very much into Reggatta De Blanc. But as I have grown older I've liked this album more and more. I still listen to this album alot even now. The problem with this album is that it verges on the cheesy pop stuff at times, on tracks such as De Do Do Do... and Man In A Suitcase. But when you listen more closely you start to appreciate the creativty of Sting, Summers and Copeland merging together to create a work of art on songs such as Voices Inside My Head and Shadows In The Rain amazing guitars from Summers. To Driven To Tears and When The World Is Running Down... fantastic driving drums and bass. Don't Stand So Close To Me is the all time classic on this album and who could argue? This is probably the poorest of the Police albums but that doesn't mean it isn't any good, in fact it is still a great album.

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review by: sonofdavros date: 2005-08-18 rating:
Great Moments, But.....
This is my least favourite Police album - even though it occasionally reaches the heights of its predecessors, it leaves me wondering where the rest of the songs disappeared to. Even the album cover disappointed me - not a patch on the previous excellent efforts, the superstars look rather aloof and self-important as they stare out impassively from the corners of a pyramid - it's almost Spinal Tap! Extensive touring was obviously the background to this album, as the band wooed the far corners of the globe, racking up sales of their first two albums. Musically, they moved on yet again - from white reggae to.... hmmm.... pop???! The hard edge has almost totally gone, but there are some great moments on this album - Don't Stand So Close To Me and Driven To Tears are particularly good, along with the well-crafted Voices Inside My Head and the post-apocolyptic When The World Is Running Down.... Andy Summers is now making huge slabs of sound, creating that jangly, echoey, flanged style that so many people identify as his alone. Man In A Suitcase and Canary In A Coalmine are catchy pop / reggae in style, and ultimately not that satisfying and some tracks just feel like fillers - Behind My Camel and The Other Way Of Stopping being prime examples.


review by: date: 2005-01-25 rating:
Silly name, silly album.
I have only got into The Police in the last 6 months or so (admittedly in a big way), so if I said I have been a lifelong fan, I'd be lying. But I have listened to all 5 of their albums, so I feel I am in a position to give a decent review of this, their third album.

It's very much a transitional album, slowly moving away from silly, but madly catchy pop reggae to a more mature rock sound. Actually, most of this album is silly, but you hear the band's sound deepening with rich echoey guitar textures and a bit more use of the keyboards (check out the dark brooding synth at the start of the album).

The opening track, their third number one single, Don't Stand So Close To Me, is Sting's tale of a teacher giving into temptation to an underage pupil. It's surprising material for a No.1 hit (perhaps autobiographical ?). But the verses are wonderfully dramatic, Sting's voice ranging from terse begining to almost hysterical finish. Yes, the chorus seems to ruin the atmosphere created, but it's nonetheless mightily catchy, and it also has a rather strange Middle 8.

When The World Is Running Down.... is the highlight of this set, it's only got three chords, an incredibly simple bass riff and straight-to-the-point drumming, but it sparkles and the sound is fabulous. Sting's melody and voice are amazing as they weave around, seemingly creating a new kind of English language. The middle 8 consists of one note ringing through a delay on guitar whilst the rhythm section do their simple but mesmerising part.

The distant sounding, African style vocals of Voices Inside My Head are another example of Sting's use of World Music elements which add a blend of exoticism to the album. This effect is completed by Stewart Copeland's Bombs Away, a daftly catchy song about Banana Republics (any song which mentions attractive female rebel soldiers will always be a hit with me !). Overall lyrically The Police are more interesting and inventive than most other pop/rock bands. The song contains a marvelous Arabesque Guitar solo from Andy Summers.

The rest of the album is solid stuff, songs you'll undoubtedly like but perhaps not love. An examaple of this is the albums's second single, De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da. A touching verse is rather annoyingly interrupted by a plain silly chorus. It's good and catchy, but not a classic, like many Police songs.

Overall this a good, fun album. The Police were pretty consistant in their albums, so they are all worth purchasing. In the next four years after this, they'd make their two best albums, become the biggest band in the world, and proceed to nearly kill each other. But that's another story.

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