749 The Police - Reggatta de Blanc (1979)

 749 The Police - Reggatta de Blanc (1979)

Studio Album - White Reggae



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 second album, the first to reach No. 1 in the UK, and the first to spawn UK No. 1 Singles (Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon).

My History with this Album:

I don't think I have had a copy of this album, which I get confused with their first album, Outlandos D'Amour because of the d/de in the title. I do know the hit songs, and The Bed's too Big Without You and Bring on the Night, from later live albums.

Review:

They are an inventive threesome, and their version of Reggae Appropriation is different to that of the two-tone bands (Madness, Specials, Selector etc.) It is somehow more Reggae and less Ska, but mostly it's distinctive. Sting's high and affected vocals, the fast, tight drumming, the jangly guitar and the thick bass, with lots of off-beat stuff, and at times lots of space (particularly in "Walking on the Moon") but oh so tight! There is something special about a threesome that tends to make things tight.

Musically, it's still exciting, quite a lot of years later. These days we would categorise The Police as part of the 80s establishment, but at the time they were fresh and radical. It's not over-produced, but they are obviously enjoying themselves. In some ways they have kind of got this sound and the different tracks are variations on the sound, providing an overall picture. It works well as an album, the song writing is strong (and curious at times) and it works together well, although if I was allowed one criticism it would be the song order, the second track (the title track, which incidentally is great) is too similar to the opener (Message in a Bottle), and the last track is a bit of a limp ending. 

I listened to it while driving. I turned it up loud and tapped the steering wheel.

8/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2EpuND32cO7CX0gXZl2NB6

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL94260A608E38ECD8

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggatta_de_Blanc



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