rlr@pyuxn.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (09/21/83)
One doesn't "look for" annoying and grating vocals unless one likes that
particular style. (Some people do.) One "looks for" clever, interesting,
new sounds instead of the same old crap. (Unless you like the same old crap,
in which case you should just buy the same album over and over again...) One
finds some neat guitar playing, quirky rhythms, and great sounds in "Mother".
If you can't get past the voice, then too bad for you. You don't know what
you're missing. But how come you can listen to other people whose voices sound
no different than apes in heat (scientifically proven!!!)? At best, it is
a really good cut, worthy of the great Snakefinger. Shows that Summers isn't
as pappy as past history might indicate, and that he and Fripp both benefited
from their exchange of ideas.
WRT Synchronicity being only half an album, Mr. Honeyman must have a turntable
that only plays the second side of a record, because he apparently hasn't heard
"Synchronicity I & II" which are probably the best Police-esque Police cuts
since the Regatta de Blanc album. Perhaps Mr. Honeyman thinks that cuts from
THAT album, like "Bed's Too Big Without You" and "Does Everyone Stare?" are
also inane. If so, he is more qualified to review AC/DC albums than Police
albums. If "good" Police albums contain songs with intelligent lyrics like
"De Doo Doo Doo De Da Da Da" & clever arrangements like "Too Much Information"
and overpompous one-worldisms from the son of the founder of the CIA... well,
there's no accounting for taste. My intention is not to malign Peter Honeyman,
but rather to make sure that this album gets a fair shake, since I really like
it, and since I am really glad to see the Cops back up front where they belong.
My apologies to Peter if he took these criticisms the wrong way.
One comment I would like to add: a friend of mine has a criticism of this
album that I believe is even more lopsided than Peter's. He says that he
doesn't like the album because he thinks Sting is just moaning over his
divorce and writing hypocritical lyrics ("Every Breath You Take"). For me,
the songs work (or don't work) regardless of who the writer is or what his/her
intent may be. The piece of music has to stand on its own, and not be judged
on the basis of what one reads in People magazine about what a song really
means. Though I'm sick of hearing EBYT, I have to admit that it has an
ominous pull to it that drags you in. Another friend of mine has a five-year-
old who says "If that guy was watching me all the time, I'd punch him in the
mouth." Plucky little kid, but for a song like that to pull off that kind of
reaction is (to quote Moon) awesome.