912. The Police / Outlandos d'Amour. 1978. 4.5/5

Somewhere in the middle of all of that confusion in the late 1970's, when punk was suddenly the in thing in the UK, where new wave was finding its roots, and bands that weren't conforming were finding it increasingly difficult to find their feet, amongst all of that was The Police. They were a four piece that soon enough became a three piece, and with their unique take on those styles around them and between the three members, they recorded this debut album which began their world domination.

Some view this album as being punk influenced, while others view it as reggae influenced. With so much of punk music flavoured by reggae (a quick listen to The Clash and Stiff Little Fingers is all that is needed for that) surely there needs not be an argument, as both take their place within the framework of the songs on this album, but having been sewn by the particular talents of each of the three band members such that it sits in neither genre. It is a sound of their own. It is The Police.
As with most debuts the rawness of the band and music is obvious, and while that doesn't always date well in retrospect, the freshness of Outlandos d'Amour has stood the test of time. From the opening dramatic urgency of the drums and vocals in "Next To You" the album kicks off brilliantly. It drives along wonderfully between the vocals and pace of the music. This then moves into the slow paced and quiet opening to "So Lonely", which explodes brilliantly into the chorus, with the irreverent support vocals in the background of the chorus expressing the individuality of their song recording. How can a song go so easily between what is essentially just Sting's high pitched vocals and the barest of musical backing into the chorus that blends everything together without even really noticing? Stewart Copeland's drumming in this song is superb.
Everyone in the world knows "Roxanne". It is the song that allowed the band to get their record contract. It has dominated radio airplay for almost four decades. Everyone knows the words, and no one can hit those notes that Sting does, except of course Eddie Murphy (yes, a 48 Hours reference had to come). Great harmonies in the chorus, terrific song. This is followed by perhaps the only letdown for me on the album, "Hole In My Life", which is slow and drags and doesn't have any momentum whatsoever. This is rectified by "Peanuts", a lively jaunt that was apparently written about Sting's disappointment in his hero Rod Stewart, which years later he then rescinded when he discovered the trappings of fame himself.
Side Two opens with the brilliant "Can't Stand Losing You", which was banned by UK radio on its release as a single because of its subject matter of suicide. Seriously? Anyway, it is a great song, and has always been a favourite.
"Truth Hurts Everybody" is a great jiving song, driven in the main by Andy's fantastic guitar riff and Sting's harmony vocal over the top. The fact that the chorus/title is probably over sung, it isn't really noticeable. This probably isn't quite the case for the following song, "Born in the 50's". The song is back in mid-tempo range, and is terrific all the way through, apart from the chorus which does become annoyingly nasal quoting of the title over and over. Apart from this it would be a terrific song, but to me it does get too monotonous because of this.
"Be My Girl - Sally" is one of those songs that could only come from a young band that has enough confidence in their ability. The song starts off simply with "Will you be my girl", until it runs out of puff, and we suddenly hear a spoken word poem, which was written by Andy about a blow up doll. Classic. Then we go back into the song as it started to finish it all up. Apparently it was an unfinished song by Sting, and to pad it out they used this poem by Andy. Different, unusual, and fits in perfectly with the band's persona at the time. The album then comes to a conclusion with "Masoko Tanga", which for the most part is an instrumental with some rambling spoken singing from Sting.

The winner on this first album is the first impression on the musicianship of the three members. Andy Summers was (and is) some ten years older than the other two, and his amazing guitar playing and style is the perfect fit with the sound the band had in these early days. Sting's bass falls in behind this, providing the bottom end foil, while Stewart Copeland's precision drumming is spectacular. Even on a low budget, he gets the perfect sound out of his hi-hats in particular and his drum rolls, which fit in snugly like a jigsaw piece. Add to this Sting's changing range of vocals to suit each song and moment and you have an amazing debut. An album everyone should hear in their lifetime.

Rating:  "All I want is to be next to you".   4.5/5