Jump to content

Synchronicity (The Police album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Synchronicity
Studio album by
Released17 June 1983 (1983-06-17)
RecordedDecember 1982 – February 1983
Studio
Genre
Length
  • 39:42
  • 44:18 (cassette and CD editions)
LabelA&M
Producer
The Police chronology
Ghost in the Machine
(1981)
Synchronicity
(1983)
Every Breath You Take: The Singles
(1986)
Singles from Synchronicity
  1. "Every Breath You Take"
    Released: 20 May 1983[3]
  2. "Wrapped Around Your Finger"
    Released: 8 July 1983 (UK)
  3. "King of Pain"
    Released: August 1983 (US)
  4. "Synchronicity I"
    Released: 26 October 1983 (Japan)[4]
  5. "Synchronicity II"
    Released: 28 October 1983

Synchronicity is the fifth and final studio album by the British rock band the Police, released on 17 June 1983 by A&M Records. The band's most successful release, the album includes the hit singles "Every Breath You Take", "King of Pain", "Wrapped Around Your Finger", and "Synchronicity II". The album's title and much of the material for the songs were inspired by Arthur Koestler's book The Roots of Coincidence (1972). At the 1984 Grammy Awards the album was nominated for a total of five awards, including Album of the Year, and won three. At the time of its release and following the Synchronicity Tour, the Police's popularity was at such a high that they were arguably, according to BBC and The Guardian, the "biggest band in the world".[5][6]

Synchronicity reached number one on both the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200, and sold over eight million copies in the US. The album was widely acclaimed by critics. Praise centred on its cohesive merging of disparate genres and sonic experimentation. Rolling Stone described "each cut on Synchronicity [as] not simply a song but a miniature, discrete soundtrack".[7] It was ranked number 17 in the magazine's lists of the "100 Best Albums of the Eighties"[8] and number 159 on the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[9] In 2009, Synchronicity was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2023, the album was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Recording

[edit]

The album's title was inspired by Arthur Koestler's book The Roots of Coincidence. Frontman Sting was an avid reader of Koestler, and also titled the Police's prior studio album Ghost in the Machine (1981) after one of his works.

The album marked a significant reduction in the reggae influences that were a part of the band's first four studio albums, instead featuring production-heavy textures and liberal use of synthesizers that, at times, drove entire songs ("Synchronicity I", "Wrapped Around Your Finger"). The influence of world music can also be heard in songs such as "Tea in the Sahara" and "Walking in Your Footsteps". As opposed to the band's previous effort, Ghost in the Machine, the songs are much sparser, with less overdubbing, more akin to the trio feel and the band's aesthetic of "less is more". Sting explains:

"I enjoyed making Ghost in the Machine and playing with the tools of the studio, just building things up and sticking more vocals on. Great fun. But listening to it, I thought. "Hey, my voice on its own sounds as good as fifteen overdubs, so I'll try it on its own." And I've done the saxophone section bit now, I'm bored with it; and Andy [Summers] was into just plunking down one guitar part. I'm glad we did 'Ghost'. I don't regret it. But it was time to change the regime again."[10]

As with Ghost in the Machine, the recording for Synchronicity took place over a period of six weeks, at AIR Studios in Montserrat beginning in December 1982.[11][12] The three band members recorded the basic tracks live in separate rooms: Stewart Copeland with his drums in the dining room (connected to the control room via video link), Sting in the control room, and guitarist Andy Summers in the actual studio. According to co-producer and engineer Hugh Padgham, this was done for two reasons: to obtain the best sound for each instrument and "for social reasons."[11] Sting explained how this setup worked for him:

"In my case, it's because there is nothing worse than hearing a bass through a set of headphones. Basically, it sounds like a frog farting. I play much better when the sound coming out of the instrument is rich and warm. If we played together like that in the same room, we wouldn't be able to hear anything except the drum, because the guitarist has to have a lot of volume to hit a certain level of distortion or passion or emotion. I play in the studio next to the engineer [Hugh Padgham] so I can hear the instruments balanced and mixed roughly as they'll sound on the record."[10]

While tracking live, the band would do multiple takes of each song. Alongside Padgham, they would listen through each take and select the best parts, which would be edited together into one 'master backing track' before they recorded overdubs (including vocals, which were often bounced down to make room for other overdubs on the 24-track).[13]

During the recording of "Every Breath You Take", Sting and Copeland came to blows with each other, and Padgham nearly quit the project.[11] The song was originally attempted with the live method, but due to numerous failed takes the song had to be assembled entirely from overdubs, including all drum parts.[11]

This album also marked Sting's first time using a sequencer, which features heavily on "Walking in Your Footsteps" (said to be the first track he programmed with it) and "Synchronicity I". It was an Oberheim DSX sequencer, which Sting seemed to enjoy pushing to its limits, and he likened it to HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).[10]

Final overdubs and mixing were done within two weeks at Le Studio in Morin-Heights from mid-January to February 1983 using an SSL console.[11][12] Summers reflects on the transition from recording to mixing:

"It was only after we'd taken a week off [after recording the album on Montserrat] and started hearing it back in Canada, almost for the first time, that we realized it was good. When you're recording there's this terrible, terrible doubt that goes through your mind – 'we just can't do it anymore'. It's unbelievable. Then you finally come out of the studio and the whole thing begins to assume a life and identity of its own."[14]

As recalled in an interview with Studio Sound magazine, Padgham described the routine during the mixing sessions: in the mornings, he would do much of the mixing work while the band were off skiing, then they would return to the studio to help fine-tune the mix by suggesting a few changes and so on.[15][16] Contrary to this, however, in later interviews he recalled that due to tensions within the group, at least one member of the band would be present at the studio while the other(s) would be skiing.[11] Of the tensions, Padgham remarked that although the tension in the room was sometimes horrible, "in many ways, that tension is what ended up making such a good album."[17]

Artwork

[edit]

The album's original cover artwork, conceived by Jeff Ayeroff and Norman Moore, consisted of a series of photographs overlaid with transparent horizontal stripes of blue, red, and yellow. The album was available in 36 variations, with different arrangements of the colour stripes and showing different photographs of the band members, taken by Duane Michals.[18] In the most common version Sting is reading a copy of Carl Jung's Synchronicity (1960) on the front cover along with a superimposed negative image of the actual text of the synchronicity hypothesis. A photo on the back cover also shows a close-up, but mirrored and upside-down, image of Jung's book.

The original vinyl release was pressed on audiophile vinyl which appears black like most records, but is actually purple when held up to the light.

Release

[edit]

Synchronicity was released in the United Kingdom on 17 June 1983.[19] The album was issued on LP, CD, and cassette. Synchronicity debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and spent two weeks at the top position.[20][21] In the United States, the album topped the Billboard 200 in late July and ultimately spent 17 nonconsecutive weeks at number one on the chart,[22][23] interrupting the dominance of Michael Jackson's Thriller (1982). In Canada, the album went to number one for a record 24 (consecutive) weeks. Synchronicity's 24 weeks at number one surpassed the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack (22 consecutive weeks) for most weeks at number one all-time on the Canadian album charts. It was itself surpassed in 2012 by Adele's album 21 (35 nonconsecutive weeks.) Synchronicity still holds the record for most consecutive weeks at number one in Canada with 24.

The album was reissued as a remastered gold CD in 1989 by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, and on SACD in 2003.

On 29 May 2024, 41 years after the original release, it was announced that a deluxe 6-CD box set (plus a 4-LP box set, picture disc LP, 2-CD and 2-LP colour vinyl) would be released on 26th July to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Synchronicity. This would represent the first time that any material by the band had been given the deluxe treatment, with various editions featuring up to 55 previously unreleased tracks including all original 7” / 12” b-sides plus 11 exclusive non-album bonus tracks, 36 demos or early mixes plus a live show from the accompanying tour. The box set saw a release on 26 July 2024.[24]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Baltimore Sun[25]
Chicago Tribune[26]
Mojo[27]
Q[28]
Rolling Stone[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[29]
The Sacramento Bee[30]
Smash Hits9/10[31]
The Village VoiceB+[32]

Professional music critics at the time of release and afterwards have been mostly positive towards the album. Richard Cook of NME called Synchronicity "a record of real passion that is impossible to truly decipher", and felt that "although [the album] magnifies the difference between Sting and Summers and Copeland it also evolves the group into a unique state: a mega-band playing off glittering experimentation against the sounding board of a giant audience. It's the sound of a group coming apart and coming together, a widescreen drama with a fascination at a molecular level. Some of the music fuses intuitive pop genius with willfully dense orchestration so powerfully it stuns. It is occasionally sensational."[2]

In Melody Maker Adam Sweeting was less enthusiastic, saying, "I would guess that devotees of this extremely sussed trio will find plenty to amuse them, and indeed Sting has sown all sorts of cryptic little clues and messages throughout his songs... However impressive bits of Synchronicity sound, I could never fall in love with a group which plans its moves so carefully and which would never do anything just for the hell of it".[33]

Reviewing the 2003 reissue, Mojo's David Buckley stated that "Synchronicity [...] was already, in the time-honoured words of rock journo cliché, 'the work of a disintegrating unit', yet 20 years on it hangs together well".[27] Although noting what he felt was a clear gap in quality between the first and second halves of the album, AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine concluded that the "first-rate pop" of the second half ranks among Sting's best work, while also illustrating "that he was ready to leave the Police behind for a solo career, which is exactly what he did."[1]

The track "Mother" generated controversy, with it widely being viewed[by whom?] as the worst track on Synchronicity. Andy Summers, who wrote the song, explained why it was put on the album: "We all have our family situations, and I had a pretty intense mother who was very focused on me. I was sort of 'the golden child,' and there I was, sort of fulfilling all of her dreams by being this pop star in The Police. I got a certain amount of pressure from her. It's not heavy - it was written kind of ironic, to be kind of funny, but crazy. It's inspired a little bit by Captain Beefheart. It's something that's really off-the-wall. It was very bizarre - I think it freaked the record company out. When the album came out, we had all the press in the world watching us and talking about it. The reviews came in, and that song got written about so much because it was so off-the-wall and so ballsy to do that, because the band was having so much commercial success."[34]

In his review of Synchronicity, Stephen Holden from Rolling Stone noted that "corrosively funny 'Mother' inverts John Lennon's romantic maternal attachment into a grim dadaist joke."[35]

Accolades

[edit]

In the 1983 Rolling Stone readers' poll, Synchronicity was voted "Album of the Year".[36] It was voted the fifth best album of 1983 in The Village Voice's year-end Pazz & Jop critics' poll.[37] At the 1984 Grammy Awards ceremony, Synchronicity won the award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal,[38] and was nominated for Album of the Year.[39] "Every Breath You Take" won the awards for Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals,[38] and received a nomination for Record of the Year.[39]

In 1989, Synchronicity was ranked No. 17 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 best albums of the 1980s.[8] Pitchfork ranked the record at No. 55 on its 2002 list of the decade's 100 best albums.[40] In 2006, Q placed Synchronicity at No. 25 on its list of the 40 best 1980s albums.[41] In 2016, Paste ranked Synchronicity sixth on its list of the 50 best new wave albums,[42] and 17th on its list of the 50 best post-punk albums.[43]

Synchronicity has appeared on numerous rankings of the greatest albums of all time. In 2000, it was listed at No. 91 in the Virgin All Time Top 1000 Albums book.[44] In 2003, Synchronicity was ranked No. 455 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time;[45] the album also placed on updates of the list in 2012 (at No. 448)[46] and in 2020 (at No. 159).[9] In 2010, Consequence listed it as the 37th best album of all time.[47] Synchronicity was ranked 50th in VH1's 2001 countdown of the "100 Greatest Albums of Rock & Roll",[48] and 65th in Channel 4's "100 Greatest Albums" in 2005.[49] The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame compiled a list of "The Definitive 200" albums in 2007, placing Synchronicity at No. 119.[50] In 2009, Synchronicity was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[51] In 2013, it placed at No. 13 in BBC Radio 2's "Top 100 Favourite Albums", a poll voted in by over 100,000 people.[52] Synchronicity was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005).[53] Synchronicity was selected by the US Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2023.[54]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Sting, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Synchronicity I" 3:23
2."Walking in Your Footsteps" 3:36
3."O My God" 4:02
4."Mother"Andy Summers3:05
5."Miss Gradenko"Stewart Copeland2:00
6."Synchronicity II" 5:00
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Every Breath You Take" 4:14
8."King of Pain" 4:59
9."Wrapped Around Your Finger" 5:14
10."Tea in the Sahara" 4:11
11."Murder by Numbers" (bonus track on cassette and CD editions)
  • Summers
  • Sting
4:36
Total length:44:18

Additional tracks

[edit]

Additional songs recorded during the Synchronicity sessions can be found on other releases:

Title Source
"Murder by Numbers" "Every Breath You Take"
"Truth Hits Everybody" (Remix) "Every Breath You Take" (UK)
"Synchronicity II" (Europe)
"Someone to Talk To" "Wrapped Around Your Finger" (UK)
"King of Pain" (US)
"Once Upon a Daydream" "Synchronicity II"

Personnel

[edit]

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[55]

The Police

  • Sting – lead vocals on all tracks except "Mother" and backing vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, oboe, drum machine, saxophone
  • Andy Summers – guitars, guitar synthesiser, keyboards, lead vocals on "Mother"
  • Stewart Copeland – drums, marimba

Production

Charts

[edit]

Certifications and sales

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[82] Platinum 800,000[81]
France (SNEP)[83] Platinum 400,000*
Germany (BVMI)[84] Gold 250,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[85] Gold 10,000*
Italy (AFI)[86][87] Platinum 500,000[88]
Japan 175,000[63]
Netherlands (NVPI)[89] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[90] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[91] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[92] 8× Platinum 8,000,000^
Yugoslavia 85,000[93]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Synchronicity – The Police". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  2. ^ a b Cook, Richard (18 June 1983). "Junger than Stingtime". NME. London. p. 29.
  3. ^ "BRIT Certified". Bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Promo disc". Discogs.
  5. ^ "Police play Shea Stadium". BBC. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  6. ^ Pidgeon, John (24 August 2007). "Whatever we do, this will always be the seminal band". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  7. ^ a b Holden, Stephen (23 June 1983). "Synchronicity". Rolling Stone. New York. pp. 54–55. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  8. ^ a b "100 Best Albums of the Eighties". Rolling Stone. No. 565. New York. 16 November 1989. pp. 53–149. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  9. ^ a b "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. New York. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  10. ^ a b c Garbarini, Vic (June 1983). "The Police report - The lion in winter". Musician. Archived from the original on 29 January 2012.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Buskin, Richard (March 2004). "Classic Tracks: The Police's 'Every Breath You Take'". Sound on Sound. Cambridge. pp. 136–140. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  12. ^ a b Connelly, Christopher (1 March 1984). "The Police: Alone at the Top". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  13. ^ Weiss, David (18 June 2018). "'Synchronicity' by The Police Turns 35: How Producer Hugh Padgham Survived the Experience".
  14. ^ Colbert, Paul (May 1984). "Summers". One Two Testing.
  15. ^ Denyer, Ralph (March 1984). "The Producer Series - Hugh Padgham". Studio Sound. No. 4. p. 42.
  16. ^ Summers, Andy (2007). One Train Later, 2nd Edition (Piatkus), page 422-423.
  17. ^ a b "The Police's Every Breath You Take". Mixonline. 1 April 2003.
  18. ^ Phillips, Ian (10 September 1999). "Arts: Angels in America". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  19. ^ "Police cancel all leave". NME. London. 11 June 1983. p. 36.
  20. ^ a b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  21. ^ "Police". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  22. ^ a b "The Police Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  23. ^ "Drum Dates". Modern Drummer. Vol. 26, no. 7. Clifton. July 2002.
  24. ^ GillesAndréFroment (30 May 2024). "Synchronicity 40th Anniversary Editions". The Police Official Website. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  25. ^ Considine, J. D. (19 June 1983). "Police's 'Synchronicity' full of challenging ideas". The Baltimore Sun.
  26. ^ Kot, Greg (7 March 1993). "Feeling A Sting". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  27. ^ a b Buckley, David (April 2003). "The Police: Synchronicity". Mojo. No. 113. London. p. 118.
  28. ^ Kane, Peter (April 2003). "The Police: Synchronicity". Q. No. 201. London. p. 123.
  29. ^ Considine, J. D. (2004). "The Police". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 644–645. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  30. ^ Macias, Chris; Barton, David (30 July 2000). "On the Sting beat: The Police and beyond". The Sacramento Bee.
  31. ^ Dellar, Fred (23 June – 6 July 1983). "The Police: Synchronicity". Smash Hits. Vol. 5, no. 13. London. p. 13.
  32. ^ Christgau, Robert (26 July 1983). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  33. ^ Sweeting, Adam (18 June 1983). "Synch or Swim". Melody Maker. London. p. 27.
  34. ^ "ShieldSquare Captcha". songfacts.com. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  35. ^ Holden, Stephen (23 June 1983). "Synchronicity". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  36. ^ "Readers' & Critics' Awards". Rolling Stone. No. 416. New York. 1 March 1984.
  37. ^ "The 1983 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. New York. 28 February 1984. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  38. ^ a b "1983 Grammy Winners". The Recording Academy. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  39. ^ a b "Complete List of the Nominees for 26th Annual Grammy Music Awards". Schenectady Gazette. 9 January 1984. p. 12. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  40. ^ "The Top 100 Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. 21 November 2002. p. 5. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  41. ^ "40 Best Albums of the '80s". Q. No. 241. London. August 2006. pp. 84–89.
  42. ^ Jackson, Josh (8 September 2016). "The 50 Best New Wave Albums". Paste. Decatur. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  43. ^ Jackson, Josh (13 July 2016). "The 50 Best Post-Punk Albums". Paste. Decatur. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  44. ^ Larkin, Colin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  45. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Synchronicity – The Police". Rolling Stone. New York. 11 December 2003. Archived from the original on 20 December 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  46. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. New York. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  47. ^ "The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time". Consequence. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  48. ^ "100 Greatest Albums of Rock & Roll (60 – 41)". VH1. Archived from the original on 18 July 2005. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  49. ^ "100 Greatest Albums". 100 Greatest. 17 April 2005. Channel 4.
  50. ^ "The Definitive 200". definitive200.com. p. 5. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  51. ^ "GRAMMY Hall of Fame". The Recording Academy. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  52. ^ "Radio 2's Top 100 Favourite Albums". BBC Radio 2. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  53. ^ Jones, Tim (2006). "The Police: Synchronicity". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Universe Publishing. p. 514. ISBN 978-0-7893-1371-3.
  54. ^ "2023 National Recording Registry selections". Library of Congress. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  55. ^ Synchronicity (liner notes). The Police. A&M Records. 1983. AMLX 63735.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  56. ^ "Le Studio Stalwart dead at 31". Archived from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  57. ^ a b c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, New South Wales, Australia: Australian Chart Book. pp. 235–236, 435–436. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  58. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Police – Synchronicity" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  59. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6324a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  60. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Police – Synchronicity" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  61. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Police – Synchronicity" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  62. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 4 June 2022. Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "Synchronicity" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
  63. ^ a b Okamoto, Satoshi (2006). Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  64. ^ "Charts.nz – The Police – Synchronicity". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  65. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Police – Synchronicity". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  66. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  67. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Police – Synchronicity". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  68. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Police – Synchronicity". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  69. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Police – Synchronicity" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  70. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Police – Synchronicity" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  71. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Police – Synchronicity" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  72. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista sprzedaży - albumy" (in Polish). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Note: Change the date to 26.07.2024–01.08.2024 under "zmień zakres od–do:". Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  73. ^ "The Top Albums of 1983". RPM. Vol. 39, no. 17. Toronto. 24 December 1984. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  74. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Jaaroverzichten – Album 1983" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  75. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1983 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  76. ^ Scaping, Peter, ed. (1984). "Top 100 albums: 1983". BPI Year Book 1984. British Phonographic Industry. pp. 44–45. ISBN 0-906154-04-9.
  77. ^ "Top Pop Albums". Billboard. Vol. 95, no. 52. New York. 24 December 1983. p. TA-16.
  78. ^ "Top 100 Albums of 1984". RPM. Vol. 41, no. 17. Toronto. 5 January 1985. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  79. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1984 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  80. ^ "Top Pop Albums". Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 51. New York. 22 December 1984. p. TA-17. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  81. ^ "CRIA figures - '83 Sales Show 13% Gain". Billboard. 4 February 1984. p. 51. The Police album "Synchronicity" was A&M fastest-selling disk of all time, with sales of more than 800,000 in about six months
  82. ^ "Canadian album certifications – The Police – Synchronicity". Music Canada.
  83. ^ "French album certifications – The Police – Synchronicity" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 19 November 2020. Select THE POLICE and click OK. 
  84. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Police; 'Synchronicity')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  85. ^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1984". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  86. ^ Mario Luzzato Fegiz (14 December 1983). "Pavarotti, Iglesias e i Police nella notte tv dei dischi d'oro: i big italiani non ci saranno?". Corriere della Sera. Le vendite dei vari artisti sono state verificate da una apposita society di certificazione (la Ernst & Whinney) per conto dell'AFI, che insieme ai Comune di Genova sponsorizza la manifestazione. .... Altri collagamenti con i Police e Julio Iglesias (dischi di platino rispettivamente per Syncronicity e Momenti)
  87. ^ Venegoni, Marinella (13 December 1983). "Notte di Stelle". La Stampa (in Italian). p. 17.
  88. ^ Venegoni, Marinella (15 December 1982). "Ai re del disco, oro, argento e platino". La Stampa (in Italian). p. 17. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  89. ^ "Dutch album certifications – The Police – Synchronicity" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 21 August 2018. Enter Synchronicity in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1983 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  90. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – The Police – Synchronicity". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 19 November 2020.[dead link]
  91. ^ "British album certifications – Police – Synchronicity". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  92. ^ "American album certifications – The Police – Synchronicity". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  93. ^ Volvic, Mitja (12 January 1985). "Pervasive Economic Slump Hits Yugoslav Industry Hard". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 2. p. 57. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
[edit]