Rating: 9/10

Track Amount: 10

Running Time: 38 minutes and 20 seconds

Genre: Rock/Punk Pop/Reggae

Personnel: Sting (vocals, bass guitar and supporting instrumentation), Andy Summers (guitars and piano), Stewart Copeland (drums)

Producer: The Police, Nigel Gray

Recording Location: Surrey Sound

Record Label: A&M Records

Art Direction: Michael Ross

Best Tracks: So Lonely, Roxanne

Quick Verdict: One of the finest debut albums ever released

This conspicuously named group achieved a breakthrough success with their debut album. The Police, originally known as Strontium 90, recorded and released this album fairly quickly after the success of their first single Roxanne, which charted in the group’s home country, the UK. The Police promptly scrambled together an album with borrowed funds from their manager, Miles Copeland, and were heavily reliant on recording time that was squeezed into the band’s schedule wherever possible. Upon release, the album received mixed reviews, but since then has been seen as a wider classic album that is worth listening to. In particular, of note is the guitar work of Andy Summers, and the album stylistically embraces Punk, Pop and Reggae Music styles. The album title again was inspired by Miles Copeland, and is a French translation meaning “outlaws of love”. Let’s jump back in time to 1978 and hear this album, and hopefully, it should still sound amazing today.

1. Next To You launches the album with Punky drums and a crunchy Fender Telecaster, and has some original and different singing by Sting. This is the sort of music that would have no doubt been popular back in the late 1970s: cool, catchy and straightforward. A fantastic song with references to romantic ideals. Sting steals the attention, until Andy Summers plays a slide guitar solo on his Tele that sounds absolutely wicked. A really cool and punchy tune that is punk-like without necessarily being too close to that trend in the late 1970s. This is short, sharp and sweet music that is designed for repeat listens. The outro is enjoyable, but repetitive for many out there. A great song to launch this album with.

2. So Lonely is one of the main singles from the album. It is very much a Reggae/Ska tune that is very 1970s. Sting sings rather unnaturally on this song, although he is struggling with a higher note vocal range than you would expect. Despite its obvious flaws, this is absolutely fantastic music to listen to. It’s about being on one’s own and not enjoying it. This song is obviously influenced by the likes of the legendary Bob Marley and some of the Jamaican crossover artists of the time. A very nice and pretty tune, even though this is fairly dated, in its own way. The sounds and musicianship are incredibly great. In the second half is a searing Fender Telecaster guitar solo that is pseudo-shred and fantastic in its very own way. A solidly great tune overall. The Police showed the world back in 1978 that they were exactly the band for the time. Sure, this song is quite long for a simple Pop tune of its time, but it delivers an extraordinary ambience from start to finish. Top. Again, a little repetitive at the end.

3. Roxanne begins with hi-hats and a simple, Punk/Reggae guitar riff. It quickly launches into a song about a former prostitute who can change her ways by being a man’s lover. This is an awesome and dynamic song, although it is fairly presumptuous in what a typical young lady does in her younger days. Even so, this is a very magical and interesting listen that is more about the music than the lyrics as such. This is a good listen, and the chorus is indeed uplifting. Seriously great music to listen to. The thrashy outro is excellent, and this fades out nicely. Nice tune.

4. Hole In My Life begins with some wah-wah and flanger-laden guitar parts, followed by some cool drumming and Sting’s chanted vocals throughout. This is another fairly good listen with some realistic and romantic lyrics throughout. Some soaring singing mixed with interesting, yet minimal instrumentation is absolutely fantastic to hear. A seriously joyous listen with minimalistic and Punk-inspired music present. Sting is clearly in charge of this album’s music and direction, although Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland deliver a seriously solid and sensational instrumental performance at hand as well. The midsection has some unique, timeless and awesome guitar soloing, matched with vocal harmonies to boot. A seriously cool tune at hand, which simply and effectively works in a musical sense. Piano is present in the second half as well. This sounds very different to what The Police would eventually become later on in their career. Even so, this debut album and even the less noteworthy songs, such as this one, are top-notch and superb. As we gradually approach the end of all this, this is very much a jam band session, and The Police were a work in progress. The conclusion is soaring and fantastic.

5. Peanuts begins with some neat and interesting drumming, launching into a joyous and wonderful Pop Punk piece of music at hand. This is a mind-blowingly great listen, even though Sting’s vocals are borderline falsetto, which isn’t really his vocal range. Even so, the music is consistently decent enough to hear. An enjoyable song with soaring vocals and a shredtastic guitar solo by Andy Summers. A fantastic song to listen to, this guitar solo is exactly the sort of thing Eddie Van Halen would love to hear. A sweet and divine tune to listen to. This catchy tune may be a lesser tune on this album popularity-wise, but it is an awesome music statement, with some weird solos in the second half of the song. A seriously cool tune, this album far exceeds expectations as a classic album at hand. A magical and pure tune with a strange outro, this is better than the Peanuts cartoon as well. The outro is different.

6. Can’t Stand Losing You is another Reggae flavoured tune about losing a lady at hand. The music is straightforward, decent and 1970s in its appeal. This is an extraordinarily good listen that borrows from popular music of the time, although it is a very original song at hand. If you are having relationship troubles at hand, then this is an upbeat song to solidify your desire for your partner. In the second half is a mellow music section of treated guitars and passionate singing by Sting. In fact, this sounds remarkably like The Who. There is a great deal of Roger Daltrey’s vocals here. A good three-minute-long Pop/Rock tune.

7. Truth Hits Everybody begins as a straightforward Punk Rock styled song. It sounds very simple, melodic and enjoyable. This is closer to The Clash than the Sex Pistols, but it has its own unique musical charm about it. The sounds and musicianship are very good and perfect for this stripped-back guitar-based music. Honesty is the best policy, as the saying goes, but truth is stranger than fiction. The honest fact is that this is an awesome album, even on the lesser-known songs such as this one. A brilliant listening experience, with a church bell in the second half as well. A solid and sensationally great listen, once again. One of the greatest debut albums ever made, and these songs nail that fact.

8. Born In The 50’s is a simple-sounding song that sounds like a song by The Beach Boys, made to a late 1970s music backdrop. A great song about growing up as a Baby Boomer and living a great life in the free world. This is a repetitive listen in the chorus section, but nonetheless, this is a reflection of the youth culture from the late 1960s and the trends throughout that time. Although this song will not appeal to non-Baby Boomers, it is certainly a great cut of music at hand. This timeless tune has some genuine magic to it, and it is a simple and passionate song that many will connect with from the postwar generations. A great song overall.

9. Be My Girl – Sally begins with some muted guitar riffing, melodic bass guitar and simple drumming. This is a simple song about romance for a lady at hand. Again, this simplistic and repetitive song does sound really great. It launches into a spoken word dialogue with piano. Clearly, this is a parody tune of sorts. The dashes of piano and spoken word dialogue by Andy Summers are indeed weird. This has a hilarious peak throughout, and if you like humourous stories, then this is for you. An awesome listen that sounds quirky and different. Eventually, the band returns to action and this hybrid song concludes in a fine musical section. No spoilers here, but this is seriously wacky. It ends with some weird screams with cavernous reverb.

10. Masoko Tanga begins with some loose instrumentation and a count-in, followed by chugging Rock Music instrumentation at hand. This has a Reggae feel to it all, once again, and sounds literally awesome at hand. Some Jamaican-sounding lyrics are present, and this tune progresses nicely on in a decent fashion. This is a quirky oddity to the end of the album, and yes, it is Ska Punk styled Reggae that sounds incredibly refreshing. If you love The Specials and The Clash, you will love this tune. A really smooth and magical tune to listen to. Stewart Copeland does some fantastic and intricate drum fills on this piece, and he sounds supercharged and brilliant simultaneously. This jam band-style tune continues on extremely nicely, and just like Oasis’s Definitely Maybe (1994), The Police prove that they had a ton of surprises within such simple music on a debut album. This expansive Rock jam sounds absolutely brilliant. A seriously strong and fluid listening experience, with rushes of bongos, guitars and nonsensical singing. Sting leads the way vocally, and this tune may seem like rubbish to some, but it is far from that. A very awesome and detailed jam tune. It ends with some fast-paced performances and a gradual fade out.

This album is up there as an out-and-out classic album that not only got The Police recognition but also retains its unique and wonderful Punk essence to this very day. Fortunately, the group had many more moments of brilliance ahead of them. Having said that, if you want to hear The Police, begin with this album. Should you listen to this regardless? Definitely give it a shot, especially if you love Punk Music. Fans of more intricate and expansive music may not like this, however.

If you like this article, please like, share, comment and follow me on The Ultimate Music Library. Thank you, Chris Airey.