Black Sheep Hit: Ghost in the Machine was for the most part very funk-influenced, but notably the exceptions were the radio singles: "Spirits in the Material World", for all the synth trickery, is essentially a reggae tune, "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", Stewart's reliably forceful drumming aside, is a pop song, and "Invisible Sun" is an ominous, droning dirge.
Creator Backlash: Andy Summers looked back poorly on the album's heavy focus on horns and keyboards, writing in his memoir, One Train Later, that the album sounded like "Yes on a bad day." Sting additionally stated in an interview with Rolling Stone that these feelings influenced Synchronicity's move away from session players in favor of songwriting built around the band's typical three-piece configuration (though it was also heavy on overdubs).
Cut Song: "I Burn for You", "Shambelle", and "Once Upon a Daydream" were all recorded during the album sessions with the intent of including them on the tracklist; this got as far as the creation of a production master before the songs were dropped and the remaining ones were rearranged. "I Burn for You" would wind up on the Brimstone and Treacle soundtrack, while "Shambelle" and "Once Upon a Daydream" respectively became B-sides to "Invisible Sun" and "Synchronicity II". The three would eventually be added back to the album via the Alternate Sequence Edition in November 2022, based on the early production master.
