About this product: Tonka Jumbo Wall Accents - These fun wall accents can be be peeled and placed and even replaced on any flat surface. Made of translucent vinyl, they can even adhere to windows to add a friendly, colorful glow. Perfect for games, arts and crafts, and much more. And if a small hand makes an error, the accent can be peeled right off and corrected immeadiately. The set comes with four 7" x 23" sheets, 32 unique characters in all, with sizes for any project. Just peel and stick and instantly your child (ST96402BW)
About this product: I wasn't even alive when The Police were topping the charts, but their appeal is still strong after all these years. All in all, it was an excellent compilation of their classic songs. Here's what I thought of them, one by one...
1. ROXANNE
This one's hard to describe. The best way I can put it is that The Police fused modern subject matter with more traditional soft-rock music (esp. in the chorus) and the result was a timeless hit. *****
2. CAN'T STAND LOSING YOU
A sincere, easygoing song that's kind of similar to Roxanne, but a little more diverse. Two songs in, and I'm already enjoying this more than most of Sting's solo work. I can see why The Police were red-hot in their time. ****
3. MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE
This is wonderful. It's all about being alone and crying out for help, but they still make it sound uplifting. I especially liked the part near the end about how billions of other people were just as lost as the singer. ****1/2
4. WALKING ON THE MOON
Excellent lounge-type tune here, and maybe the best song ever made about walking on the moon (though to be fair, they're describing a mood, not the literal action). ***1/2
5. DON'T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME
This was one of the songs that really got me into The Police. The story behind it proved that they weren't afraid to explore truly controversial subject matter, like so many other mainstream bands seem to have been. In my view, the song's only flaw (and it's a minor one) is the chorus. It has an abrupt and poppy rhythm behind it that seems at odds with the serious lyrics. Maybe it's just a kind of musical irony. In any case, this is one of my favorites. ****1/2
6. DE DO DO DO, DE DA DA DA
Probably one of my least favorites on the CD, but still good. I guess I've never been a fan of songs with nonsense words in the choruses. Plus the tones sound weird and kind of sour. But I could listen to it again. ***
7. EVERY LITTLE THING SHE DOES IN MAGIC
Everyone must have heard this one. Needless to say, it's another one of their most enduring classics. ****1/2
8. INVISIBLE SUN
This might be a movie about war; I'm not certain. But it manages to be sad and hopeful at the same time, like Message in a Bottle. I can really appreciate how much The Police had evolved by the early '80s. ****
9. SPIRITS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD
Like Invisible Sun, the lyrics have an existential theme going. I like this one even better because of the energized chorus. ****1/2
10. EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE
I've heard this described as "the ultimate paranoia song" or "the ultimate stalking song." I have to admit the lyrics always unnerved me, too. Maybe they were just trying to tug at our heartstrings by describing a love gone too far. Whatever your interpretation of it, it's one of the most successful and recognizable Police songs. *****
11. KING OF PAIN
Another great song about pain and loss. It wouldn't really have stood out for me, if not for the lines. The lyrics have to be the best thing about this. ****
12. WRAPPED AROUND YOUR FINGER
I like the slow, leisurely tone and the references to Greek mythology in this one. ****
13. DON'T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME '86
This might be my favorite Police song ever. They took a song that was already great and made it even more effective. Plus, they really capitalized on the theme this time with brooding tones and a slower pace. The band had already broken up, and this remake was a product of their short-lived reunion. It's a shame they didn't last longer...but The Police left us more than enough hits to remember them by, that's for sure. *****
14. MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE (new classic rock mix)
The remix doesn't seem all that different from the first version--which I prefer, in this case. Unlike in the new version of "Don't Stand," not enough real changes were made to make this a new song unto itself. But it's still good listening. ***1/2
About this product: UK-ONLY Release to Commemorate Sting's Award for 'outstanding Contribution to the UK Music Industry' Received at the 2002 Brit Awards. A&m Has Repackaged 'the Very Best of Sting and the Police,' Updating it with his Most Recent Hits 'brand New Day' and 'desert Rose.' This Release Carries a New Sleeve Image and Includes 18 Hit Singles, Five of which were Number One Smashes.
About this product: With the release of 1983's Synchronicity, their fifth and final studio album, the Police were briefly the biggest rock band in the world. As such, it's a suitably overblown representation of their stature. Gone are previous albums' love ditties set to danceable Caribbean pop and new wave; in their place are the pretentious conceptualism of the title, the grand strokes of chart-friendly drama, and rock-star brooding found in the record's three top-ten hits, "Wrapped Around Your Finger," "King of Pain," and the undeniable classic, "Every Breath You Take." The newfound seriousness spurred multiplatinum sales, convincing Sting it was time to go solo. --Roni Sarig
About this product: In TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE, a group of marionette puppets form Team America, an international police force dedicated to maintaining global stability. Discovering that a power hungry dictator, Kim Jong II, plans to destroy the world and is brokering weapons of mass destruction to terrorists, the team enlists the undercover help of Broadway star Gary Johnston and embarks on a harrowing mission to save the world. Opposed to this, is the Film Actors' Guild, or F.A.G., whose members include puppets representing actors Alec Baldwin, Tim Robbins, Matt Damon, Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. In spite of the lack of support they receive, the team sticks to their plan of saving the world and putting an end to terrorism.
About this product: "Officer Dave" Hood, the cocreator and host of the energetic There Goes a... series of videos, partners up with "Officer Becky" to look inside and outside the workings of a contemporary police car. Playing a policeman for the day, Hood shows us the many crime-fighting and safety features in a peace officer's vehicle, and--typical of the series--that includes an amusing goof factor in which Hood invariably screws something up. The video's title doesn't really suggest the range of police vehicles Hood introduces to youngsters. The action also includes a quick look at police helicopters and police boats, and the exciting footage takes kids not only on the highway but on the sea and in the air. This production might be best suited for slightly older kids (post-toddler but pre-school or early school age), due to the greater-than-usual extent of Hood's detailed descriptiveness. --Tom Keogh
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