UAWIL #143: The Police - Outlandos D'Amour
The debut album by The Police is a mix of reggae, punk & rock that is the foundation for the sound & style of a band that in 5 years would rule the world
1978 was an interesting time for music. Bigger 70s acts like Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath & Deep Purple were breaking up or having issues. Punk was the hottest thing in the music industry. New wave was on the horizon as was the real game changer in 1981, MTV. Bands that would forge their way to superstardom in the 80s via MTV released their debuts in 1978 - Van Halen, Dire Straits, The Cars and The Police. WIth a young songwriting genius on the bass in Sting, a sturdy veteran of the road & the studio in Andy Summers and an intellectual drumsmith in Stewart Copeland, they were too good to be just another punk band. So they blended reggae, punk, and rock with relatable lyrics and built the foundation on which their sound would grow and take them to immense success.
The subjects of the 10 songs on Outlandos D'Amour vary from prostitution (Roxanne), suicide (Can't Stand Losing You), fame (Peanuts) and even a blow-up sex doll (Be My Girl - Sally). And yet it all comes together as a fresh sound that is still identifiable to The Police. These three make a lot of noise but it's mostly upbeat, jump up and down fun, especially on the crescendo building (and The Wolf's personal favorite) So Lonely. The album went platinum in the US & UK (and Canada, France, Australia, etc) and gave The Police the foothold they needed to eventually become the biggest band in the world in 1983 with Synchronicity.
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