852 The Police - Outlandos D’Amour (1978)

Studio Album - Pop

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About the Act:

British Pop band featuring Geordie Sting on bass and vocals, American Stewart Copeland on the drums, and  Lancastrian Andy Summers on guitars, who had previously been in Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, The Animals and Soft Machine and had played live with some big names.  They burst onto the scene in 1978 and lasted in their first stint until 1984. They have had a couple of reunions since.  

About the Album:

This was the band's first album.

My History with this Album:

I have had a copy on cassette for many years, and have listened to it occasionally. I know the three hit singles really well.

Review:

Some critics have hailed this as one of the best debut albums ever, and I am inclined to agree. It is a barnstormer of an album! It is full of energy, musicality and subtlety, and sounds amazing. The music is a kind of cross between Punk and Reggae (and probably did quite a bit for opening the door to ska and two-tone). It's bouncy and spiky and most of it is also quite poppy, in that it's very singalong. It's bands like these that cemented the idea that 80s pop was exceptional in its quality, and there are few songs more immediately and lastingly engaging than "Roxanne". In fact, you probably know the singles (Roxanne, I can't Stand Losing You, and So Lonely). Let's talk about the other tracks. 

Next to you is a punk romance.

Hole in my Life is a reggae-like track that could have been a single, it is strong and engaging, and I feel like it is very similar to something I know, but maybe I just remember it from previous listens.

Peanuts is more punky again, and about Rod Stewart's presence in the tabloid press.

Truth Hits Everybody is the lowest point on the album, and sounds like the Buzzcocks or similar. It's not a bad song, but compared with the rest it is the lump of chocolate that makes up the weight in a box of choccies.

Born in the 50s is another straighter rock/punk song, but has interesting lyrics, so things are getting better again.

Be My Girl - Sally, is a weird combination of a fairly bland but catchy punky chorous and a poem about an inflatable girlfriend.

Finally Masoka Tanga is a reggae jam that is pseudo-instrumental, with pseudo-lyric, and is a great groove, with some lovely bass playing in it. Even among the excellent company it stands out as a great track.

As you probably know, Sting's vocals are high and distinctive, and quite expressive, he delivers the songs well. The musicality and arrangement is sometimes simple and punky, and sometimes more leaning towards the reggae and more spacious but beautifully realised with complex interplay between the instruments. As a threesome of musicians they are tight, tight, tight (there seems to be something special about threesomes), and as a whole the album is rich, alive, and varied. Some of the subject matter is on the darker side of life (in fact considering the singles are about prostitution, suicide and loneliness, you might think they were pretty depressed) but it's all handled with an ironic lightness.

8.5/10

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1H9g6j4Wwj6wh6p8YHVtkf

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkchy7gxVUopKMThqpGrJprfNw_7Wa7Xm

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlandos_d%27Amour