Every Breath You Take: The Singles

The Police

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1986
• Number of Discs: 30
• Label: A&M
• ASIN: B000008JI6
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #38,099 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Dated Greatest Hits Collection, August 12, 2007

By	L.A. Scene (Indian Trail, NC USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

It is hard to believe that a band can become a Hall of Fame band with just five studio albums to their name, but The Police are such a band. This is an honor that The Police are most worthy of. The Police were sort of an off-shoot of the Punk Rock movement of the late 1970s. The band would eventually encompass other influences - namely Classic Rock, Reggae, Jazz, Dance, and even Folk. For the most part, it is fair to say there was a Punk Rock and Reggae influence on the band for their first two albums" - "Outlandos D'Amour" and "Regatta de Blanc". Both of these albums were terrific efforts - mostly because The Police used applied their unique style to a formula that worked. The Police would soon transform their sound to a more Classic Rock sound. With each successive album ("Zenyatta Mondatta", "Ghost in the Machine", and "Synchronicity"), The Police would continue to grow as a band and incorporate a variety of genres into their sound. Following "Synchronicity" tensions were high among Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland and there were questions on whether The Police would continue. However in 1986, The Police would embark for a short reunion for the "Amnesty International" concerts (for what would be their last reunion for many years). As a way to promote that reunion, The Police would release their first greatest hits collection - entitled "Every Breath You Take - The Singles". This collection would focus on The Police's "hits" over their five albums. While it does provide a snapshot of The Police's music portfolio, it ultimately is a dated greatest hits collection.

"Every Breath You Take - The Singles" takes tracks from each of the band's five albums. Two tracks from "Outlandos D'Amour" ("Roxanne", "Can't Stand Losing You"); Two tracks from "Regatta De Blanc" ("Message in a Bottle", "Walking on the Moon"); One track from "Zenyatta Mondatta" ("De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da"); Three tracks from "Ghost in the Machine" ("Every Little Thing She Does is Magic", "Invisible Sun", "Spirits in the Material World"); Three tracks from "Synchronicity" ("Every Breath You Take", "King of Pain", "Wrapped Around Your Finger"). One of the big attractions to this collection when it was released was that it (at the time) was the only album that contained a new version of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" - simply titled "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86". This was a slower, more somber version of the original version from "Zenyatta Mondatta". Sting clearly doesn't hit the higher notes like he did ont he original. This version also contained a slightly altered lyric (adding the word 'famous' to 'that famous book by Nabokov"). The general consensus was that this 1986 version did not stand up to the original - I subscribe to that theory.

One strength of this collection is that the tracks are chronologically arranged by the studio album they released. This allows you to see how a band has progressed over time. In the case of The Police, this is essential because I think it is important to hear how their sound evolved. The exception to this rule in the new version of "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" is slotted right before "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da". While this is when the song was originally written, it wasn't when the song was recorded. I would have still placed this version of the song at the end of the collection.

When considering a greatest hits compilation, it is important to know that bands often release several flavors of compilations.

"Every Breath You Take - The Classics": This is actually an Updated Version of "Every Breath You Take - The Singles". It includes both versions of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and an additional version of "Message in a Bottle" (that version is not found on "Every Breath You Take - The Singles"). For the most part, this collection preserves the chronological ordering of the band.

"The Very Best of Sting and The Police": This provides a mix of Sting's solo work with some of The Police's best hits. There are two versions of this collection - one from 1997 and one from 2002 with the latter one being more complete. These compilations do not preserve the chronological ordering of the band.

"The Police - The Police (2 CD Anthology)": This is a 2 CD collection that was released in 2007 to coincide with The Police's 2007 reunion tour. This collection is much more comprehensive than the "Every Breath You Take" collections. It is important to know that all of the songs found on "Every Breath You Take - The Singles" - including "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" are found on this collection.

"Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings": This is exactly as advertised. It includes every song from each of the five studio albums as well as some B side songs, live tracks, and songs not originally found on CD. These songs are arranged in chronological order on four CDs. It also includes the "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" version.

One thing that is unusual for a greatest hits collection is that "Every Breath You Take - The Singles" contains the lyrics for all of the tracks. While back in 1986, "Every Breath You Take - The Singles" served its purpose, the recent 2 CD Anthology and "Message in a Box" collections are much more comprehensive. It is also worth noting that these particular collections contain all of the tracks that are on "Every Breath You Take - The Singles". If one is considering a greatest hits collection of The Police, I would easily opt for the "Message in a Box" first, then the 2 CD Anthology. You are going to get so much more for your money.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vehicle for "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86", July 8, 2007

By	Dennis G. Voss Jr. (Lexington, KY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Police started out, strangely enough, as a punk band made up of older musicians with jazz and reggae sensibilities. When The Police managed to find the right balance, this odd fusion -- jazz complexity and a punk edge hidden under chirpy pop or reggae -- resulted in some of the most interesting hits of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The "Every Breath You Take" compilation draws songs from each of their albums and exhibits the wide variety of styles through which they could maneuver.

Problem is, that volatile mix produced musical and personal tensions that came to a boil after the "Synchronicity" album (which quickly went multi-platinum). The band members took a break to work on other musical projects, but relations did not improve and when they regrouped in the studio all they could manage was a drippy remake of the song "Don't Stand So Close to Me" that showed where the singer's new pretensions would be moving him.

This hits package was the vehicle for releasing that swan song, and everything about it (from the album name to the packaging to the song selection) shows that they were aiming for pop fans picked up by the last album. Their attempt succeeded; the compilation shot to Platinum and eventually achieved Multi-Platinum RIAA certification. A subsequent release under a new subtitle, "The Classics," added the original DSSCTM and a new mix of "Message in a Bottle," but there are so many copies of the older compilation floating a around that it still serves as an effective and cheap way to sample the band.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll Be Arrested By This Album!, March 11, 2005

By	Danielle (Peabody MA USA) - See all my reviews

This is one group I wish was still together. Sting is good as a solo artist, but his songs tend to be very redunant. Every Police song was unique.

I do wish there were more songs on this CD--like "Driven To Tears" "Syncronicity, Part 2" and the original "Don't Stand So Close To Me", but still, I think this album is endlessly listenable, and I highly recommend it.