The Police - Every Breath You Take: The Classics (CD)

All Music Guide

By deleting the 1986 hits collection Every Breath You Take: The Singles and replacing it nearly ten years later with Every Breath You Take: The Classics, AM improved the original set...but only slightly. Instead of finally adding the missing hits that were mysteriously absent the first time around ("Synchronicity II," "Demolition Man," "So Lonely," etc.), there are only two additional tracks -- the original version of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and a "New Classic Rock Mix" of "Message in a Bottle." Again, the included hits speak for themselves -- "Roxanne," "Walking on the Moon," "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," "Wrapped Around Your Finger," -- but ultimately, The Classics misses the mark. Why would a Police fan who already owns The Singles want to replace it with a modestly different repackaging? AM should have added some of the missing classics instead of just rehashing what many fans already own.

- Greg Prato, All Music Guide