Reggatta De Blanc

I've never liked the Police and listening to a whole album confirms that.

This really doesn’t do much for me. 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢 𝘥𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤 mixes new wave with reggae rhythms, but the combination never sounds fully convincing to my ears. A lot of it comes across as a very stiff, overly controlled take on reggae that loses the looseness and feel the style actually needs. The band is clearly talented, and there are moments where the hooks work, but across a full album it starts to feel repetitive and kind of lifeless. More irritating than interesting for me.

An entire album of Police may be too much Police for me

my goodness hvorfor går det så hurtigt Vi bliver ikke forkælet for tiden Reggae = no good White reggae = definitely no good Heldigvis er det trods alt så white, at det jo ikke er reggae. Det er til gengæld irriterende. Sting har ikke en complexion, der overhovedet kan bære det her. Lowlights: Contact Does Everyone Stare No Time this Time - altså, hvad fuck er det her for noget 2.0

++: It's Alright for You, Bring On the Night, Contact, Does Everyone Stare +: Message in a Bottle, Reggatta de Blanc, Deathwish, On Any Other Day, No Time This Time +-: Walking on the Moon -: The Bed's Too Big Without You 5,5/10

The Faux-Jamaican accent really bugs me on this album. The music itself is on par with any other Police album (which is to say, pretty damn good), but I really wish he would just sing like a normal person. Granted, the album is literally called White Reggae in a weird Anglified French kind of thing. It feels like they heard Talking Heads do Afrobeat and were like "I can do that too!" I guess Remain in Light came out the year after this album, so Talking Heads heard this album and went "We can do way better at stealing from black people than that." To be fair, David Byrne blesses anything he touches, but that still doesn't mean that The Police's attempt needed to be this ridiculous.

Not for me.

the singles are gems, but there is a "will this do" instrumental in there, and a couple of clunky songs, too

Meh, Message in the bottle is the only song that stuck. Not bad per se, but boring for me.

Веселый регги и каким то легким панком, забавно, но не то

good

Me gusta the police pero flojete y repetitivo

This band is much more distinctive and edgy than I first realised. I guess I heard the pop singles and heard people talk about the reggae influence and just figured it was all about that subtle bass phrasing.. But it's absolutely everywhere. It's also much punkier than I realised though. Didn't really click with me on this day

Sting and by association, The Police have always been a musical act I have actively disliked. Going all the way back to when I was only 10 years old. I was always cool with most of my Mom’s musical tastes but not Sting. I get that it’s not for me but I don’t understand his weird reggae rock fusion thing at all. Most of this annoys me, the rest just bores or confuses me. I don’t like Stings choice of music and he claps like a toddler. 2 stars

It's hard to overstate how omnipresent on the radio both Sting and The Police were on the radio growing up as an 80s kid in England. From this album, "Walking On The Moon" and "Message In A Bottle" were everywhere and they do still stand out today. I had never noticed that Sting was doing a kind of pseudo-Island accent on "Message," but now that I notice it, I cringe every time, and it's enough to dock this album an entire point. You're Geordie, Gordon! Away from Sting, the instrumentation is great, with Stewart Copeland's drumming being pretty propulsive by genre standards.

Me and Eazy E feel the same way about The Police.

Obvious single

The Police are a weird listen. They are quite unique and sometimes seem pretty innovative. But then Sting’s falsetto or some of their (ghastly) modern twist on reggae breaks out and your heart sinks.

Pretty lackluster other than message in a bottle

I had very low expectations for a reggae album by white British dudes, and that’s the only reason I wast disappointed.

No stand outs for me.

This album has a fantastic looking cover so I came in with high expectations and was unfortunately let down from the boredom of it.

If you ever wanted to know what 3 white guys from Northeast England would make of reggae, this is the album for you. At least they are self-aware about it. The weird pseudo-Mexican shouts in the title track seem unwise. I don't think I liked this. The best I can really say is that a few of the tracks were already familiar to me.

I’m always impressed with Stewart Copeland’s drumming, but this record just sounds like a poor imitation of The Clash or DEVO. “Bring On The Night” was a highlight for me, but I probably won’t be returning to the rest of the album.

kind seiner zeit. nur ein song hat mir gefallen

260/1089 message in a bottle is iconiccc. i kinda love that the title track is mostly instrumental. then there’s a reggae twist that i’m not mad at at all it was a fine album and then it just UNRAVELS on the final track, that was a headache omg faves: miab ofc, walking on the moon, reggatta de blanc 46/100

So much filler.

me pareció un poco aburrido, quizás debería darle otra oportunidad

Police songs are too repetitive. Police songs are too repetitive. Police songs are too repetitive (a-way-oh!) ACAB includes The Police

Enjoyable listen but wasn’t a stand out for me sadly. I did enjoy the reggae influences but Stings forced Caribbean twang was not for me. Favourite song on this one was Bring on the Night, liked the rhythm of this one

At first I got very excited with this blend of reggae-rock. It’s a very interesting approach. However, this record is just wildly inconsistent. You have really incredible highlights, between 3 or 4 but as an album it’s never quite there. The rest is disappointing. Aside from it just sounding like some white boy college music.

Some music ages well and some doesn't. This is an example of music that did not age well--for me at least. And I'm not talking about the lyrics or message of the songs, but the sound. Other than a couple of the more oddball tracks this music sounded very much of the time (late 70s) in a bad way.

4/10

80s pop heavily infused with reggae sensibilities, but still somehow managing to be as white as the front row of a tailor swift concert. More Marcus from accounting than Marcus Garvey Undoubted skill and musicality but not much of interest apart from the two singles .

At 41 minutes this album is about 39 minutes too long for me. I know many people who love Sting but more than a couple of minutes of his voice leaves me wanting to jab freshly sharpened pencils into my ears just to feel a better pain. Everything about the man annoys me. I would enjoy the band much more with a different singer entirely. I've been on a run of great albums recently, I suppose this is my penance.

In 1979 my Auntie Irene asked for my Chrimbo list. It was this and Eat to the Beat by Blondie. She bought Eat To The Beat. Phew. Lucky escape. Thanks Auntie Irene.

I just didn’t care for this when listening to it. Like there are some interesting beats but I just found it very underwhelming.

Não sou fã do The Police porém compreendo a importância da banda nos anos 80.

This album gave me a deathwish, it was not alright for me 2/5

buen album, pero no es tan mi estilo, mi favorita: the bed's too big without you

This is the sound of the police.

A title that translates as “White Reggae” is a red flag, and although there are a handful of decent tunes, it lacks the vitality of the debut.

I was hoping this would be great but its a bit dull. Big singles aside (which are AMAAAZING) this wouldn't have been released. Gets a 2/5 for the big ones but no more.

get why my parents didn't play this shit in the house

Such a groovy album ! Really summery. They have better albums, tbh. Fav song is ‘Message In A Bottle’.

Notabable Textzeile: no time to think no time to dare Wie plump der Bass hier vor sich hin tuckert. Quietschige Stimme kombiniert mit quietschiger Gitarre. Texte langweilig. So gar nicht meins

Radio.

Wonderful start and finish, massively boring for stretches in between despite great musicianship.

First half made me think I would love it. But I got more and more disappointed as it went on. Would be a 3, but the homophobia and the entirety of 'Does Everyone Stare' makes it loose a point.

An album to sell Message in a Bottle

Most of the songs sound like they needed more time to bake

Baby noises from part time punks. I hated them then and I hate them more now. Good drummer mind you. JE

It's not a terrible record, but I find the whole Raggae thing gets tiring really quickly, and I don't think there was a ton of variety on the record. Overall just really not for me.

The title Regatta de Blanc makes me a little uncomfortable. That said, I went to a reggae show a couple months ago and I can assure you if the band had have played The Bed's Too Big Without You at any point that night I probably would have stayed past 9:30.

Didn't really get into this album. It starts off pretty strong with 'Message in a Bottle', which is about as perfect as new-wave flavored punk music gets. But the rest of the album was pretty hit-or-miss. I was hoping for less Reggae on this album, given the title and all, because I just don't think these '70s white boy bands do it super well. But honestly, it worked on some of the songs like 'Bring On The Night' and 'Walking On The Moon', which is about as open and spacious as the title suggests. But then you get a song like 'The Bed's Too Big Without You' where String puts on this awfully tacky accent. The non-reggae songs were decent, I sorta liked 'No Time This Time', but I just don't see what The Police were doing on here that sets them apart from a group like The Clash, who were much better at doing this punk and new-wave genre fusion sound.

ehh

not my favorite band - voice is a little grating and whiny for my tastes.

"Message In A Bottle" is great. And that's it. White people reggae is just so odd, idk just wasn't a very good album. 1 star feels too low because it's not like un-listenable but I don't plan to ever return to it, so it gets a low 2.

I do like The Police, but found this album a little monotonous. A couple of great tracks, but I’m not sure I’ll be rushing to put this album on again.

Fav: Does Everyone Stare Least Fav: On Any Other Day Towards the end of the album, they remember that making good songs is probably what they should’ve spent the whole album doing, but better late than never

Not sure if I can really say I liked much about this album. Messages in a Bottle is good and Walking on the Moon is as well. The rest is just kind decent playing with bad lyrics.

Not for me, even the classics. "On Any Other Day" (strategically placed after 'Walking On the Moon'?) had much more charm than the rest of the album combined; the silliness was refreshing and actually made this the most earnest track on the album. 'No Time This Time' gets honourable mention for being whacky. Also... how many songs do these guys have about people standing??

Why the fuck is he doing that voice? This is my punishment for underrating Abbey Road. My greatest hope is that Straight Outta Compton is included in this list.

One of those bands where if all you own is the greatest hits, I won't give you a hard time. The two hits are excellent. The rest...

i absolutely love sting’s solo work, since i grew up with his music. and every breath you take by the police is one of my favourite songs of all time. honestly, i haven’t listen to much more than a few songs by the police so far. but this album simply isn’t it for me. maybe i just need to give their other albums a proper listen.

I'm not sure if I knew Sting was in The Police......but now I know. There's all these icons that I have no idea why they're famous. I know The Police. I know Sting. Didn't know they were one in the same. White Reggae. I like the heavy influence of reggae in this album and although i've heard Walking On the Moon and Message in a Bottle many times, I haven't heard the other songs. Tbh the rest of the tracks were by and large, not amazing. The singles were great, Reggatta de Blanc was good, the rest mostly felt like filler.

It's funny, I don't think I've ever intentionally listened to The Police. I'm glad I did and I kind of enjoyed it, but probably won't revisit very often.

I can't quite put this in the same category as the albums I gave 1 star, but 2 stars is generous. It's very bland, the fake jamaican accent is cringey, titling your album 'white reggae' and then just, being bland does feel like the most English thing to do, but... yikes.

Don't like this

a bit dull imo. definitely a step above most bland and swingless white reggae, but still a bit stiff outside of Message in a Bottle. deserves to be one of the 1001? i don't know about a second Police album but this one could work if you wanted to. i don't think i would but the option is there

Almost a 3. I do like the first song

I was not expecting this album to be… as advertised for lack of a better term. I know the title is meant to be a bit tongue in cheek, but it literally is white reggae. I was expecting it to be more like Every Breath You Take or Don’t Stand so Close to Me, as those were the only Police songs I was familiar with. Message in a bottle is fun enough, but not something I can see myself listening to consistently. The title track is serviceable as a mostly instrumental track and Its Alright for you is fine, and somewhat fun, but repetitive. I can only describe bring on the night as an assault to my ears. After listening to that I was like “awe shit, we still have more than half an album to go”. I zoned out during Deathwish so take that as you will. Walking on the moon, eh, not my thing, but an ok beat. *brief pause for a half an hour YouTube shorts break as that gave me more entertainment then this album* The rest of the album sounded very similar to me. Like, I don’t feel like going through it track by track as I’d be repeating myself. Overall, 1.5/5 ⭐️ (will be rounded to a 2 on site), like I love a lot of classic reggae tunes, but I could not get into this album. It totally just sounded like appropriation of a sound that wasn’t theirs. Like, with previous albums I’ve rated that weren’t my thing I could see why they were considered classics, but with this one I really couldn’t. There is some musicianship there, but mostly it’s just beats and riffs that have been used before in significantly better songs. Favourites: Message in a bottle Least Favourites: Bring on the night 5/1089

Great drumming as expected, Vocals do nothing for me at all. Classic Dad rock. Couple of good songs though.

acab

2 for message in a bottle. rest is shit

Reggae is shit

thank you the police. Acab does not apply to you, I guess

Never really got the police. Wish everyone all the best but its not for me.

No real hidden treasures here. I think this is a case of "you must listen to The Police, so here's a Police album". I'm fine with the singles, thanks.

Had Message In a Bottle in my likes already. Along with two other songs from the band. That's promising... Added the documentary about the making of the album to my watchlist. Overall, a pretty enjoyable album. I liked most of it. Still waiting for something to blow me away

Did not care for this, never did like the police even their hit songs. I'd rather just listen to reggae. Can definitely see their influence in future music though.

This album is another lesson in how specific songs get picked as singles. Nothing else on this album compares to either “Message in a Bottle” or “Walking on the Moon”. They don’t even come close.

Vibes: 2/5 Instruments: 3/5 Production: 2/5 Emotional Value: 1/5 Storytelling: 1/5 Album Cover: 0.5 Stand Outs: Message in a Bottle, Walking on the Moon Overall Rating: 1.9

White boy reggae doesn't do it for me 2

this is not unlistenable or particularly offensive but it’s also not anything special. if this played in the background while i was at a bar i would tolerate it with a minimum amount of grumbling.

it's fine but it's also annoying. message in a bottle is tolerable...the rest i pretty much zoned out.

Meh, entre les hits que sont walking on the moon et autres on s’ennuie un peu

It ok

Two big songs but let down by a very average rest of the album.

Had heard a couple of these. Not a fan, but the hits are catchy.

Talented musicians, and also Sting, who can feel free to continue not making music together. I never want to hear On Any Other Day and its tween-Offspring-cover-band ass, sub-Camper van Beethoven sounds again. not adding to collection

Not bad but mostly not noteworthy for me. I disliked On Any Other Day. Walking on the Moon was kind of fun and of course Message in a Bottle (which was the only song I knew prior). Nothing Liked.

I’ve grown to hate The Police they are so ass. Just their vocals piss me off and it doesn’t change throughout every song I’ve ever heard from the group. Meh just white dudes pretending to be Jamaican and rockstars. 5.3/10

Rätt soft ändå, bättre än Synchronicity tycker jag. Rakare! Stark tvåa!

Förväntade mig nog värre efter allt Sting-hat här i gruppen, så blev smått positivt överraskad. Men mja, inget jag kommer återvända till tror jag. Men lite bra är det ändå

Aldrig riktigt fastnat för Police trots Stings sexerlighet och att dom alla tre är underskattade som musiker? Minst två av deras album är också bättre än reggata enligt Dino. Stark tvåa eller svag trea? Avrundar alltid neråt!

Asså är det Sting eller Reggaeshark som sjunger? Extremt vit svart musik. Det finns ju några hits men. Det. Är. Så. Töntigt! 🤬

haha asså varför sjunger han på detta viset?

Som den yogi han är balanserar Sting på gränsen mellan "kanske har något" och "det här är det sämsta jag nånsin hört, det kan inte vara seriöst". Meddelande i en flaska dock.

meh

Message in a Bottle slaps despite Sting’s put on Jamaican accent. Rest of the records doesn’t move me.

Fuck the police

Wasn’t the biggest fan, ngl. Recognized a few songs.

ungood. A couple of 5/5 singles, and then rest is experimental "let's figure out how to sound like the Police" meandering

It's definitely better than Synchronicity, but not by much. These repetitive basslines need to fuck off

The second Police album I've come across on the list. I never seeked out the Police before, because I don't like the singles already. I hated Synchronicity with a passion, but this one is a little better. I can actually see how people consider them a ska influenced band, and I can actually see how someone would like this band with this album. I'll even go so far as to say Contact is a good song. At the end of the day though, it's a really bad white guy ska album, and I still dislike the Police very much.

With all due respect to Sting, Copeland, Summers as musicians, music on this album is at times almost "too white". Embarrassingly so. Still, there are a couple of cool songs here - like "Bring On the Night" and "The Bed's Too Big Without You".

message in a bottle é coisa boa msm de resto, os cara só perderam a linha, fodase apropriação cultural maluca meets chatice musical

eh doideira. o talking heads eh uma banda de new wave com inspirações em estilos musicais africanos, mas não soa tão forçado quanto esse. não sei, mas esse me passa uma super vibe de apropriação cultural fortíssima. por outro lado... eu gosto de message in a bottle. e eh isso. quando não tá tentando ser reggae de branquelo até que eh ok.

It was alright, the viral songs are viral for a reason. Not really my style of music. 4/10

i am discovering that i can’t STAND british reggae for more than 2 minutes

not their best, some hits for sure but i feel like some 1st drafts made it to the album that needed more work, such as the title track. apart from the ethical conversation, they are better when they are sticking closer to reggae, but still sound like a typical young rock band for most of the album. but they are their best when they are being more experimental and not strictly 'rock' or 'rocksteady' its ok

Its aight, feels like it was just reggae in a time where a white guy made ragged more palatable, nothing special.

Don't ever really enjoy or remember a Police album after I've listened to it

Of almost no interest to me

Listenable but... bland / boring. Meh.

I've never been a big fan of the Police. I guess I just don't get why they're regarded as some legendary, trendsetting rock band. I pretty much loathe reggae music, and the Police made a career out of affecting and reappropriating reggae styles, they just made it whiter (I guess they were straightforward about that with the album title...I don't even have a problem with that either, as if one culture can lay exclusive claim to any particular style, I just wish they'd chosen a genre I enjoyed in the slightest bit). They're talented musicians, for sure. But, it's rare when I hear such talented musicians express so little passion and joy in their work (Eric Clapton comes to mind also). And for me, this joyless vibe bleeds throughout the speakers. I'm bored listening to tired guitar upstrokes (with the chorus and reverb cranked to max levels). I'm bored listening to the drummer faff about on technically proficient but annoying snare rim clicks without ever really settling in. And Sting... Sting is a great bass player, no doubt. But, as a singer? Ugh. High, unyielding falsettos with the added bonus of an annoying Caribbean affectation to everything he sings. It's too much. Sir, you're from the northern end of England. Plus, who goes by "Sting"? It's like "The Edge" from U2. What a pretentious bit of assholery. All that said, there are some interesting bits. "Message in a Bottle" is a great song. "Walking on the Moon" has a great pop hook if you don't mind slogging through the mundanity of the verses. "On Any Other Day" seems pretty uncharacteristic of what this band was all about, and I found it the most interesting of the whole record. Well, I wouldn't say I hated this record, but I'm not far off. 2.0/5

Singles were the best. Maybe just not in the mood for it.

Liked the hits, some if it was yelpy nonsense though. Not for me.

A bunch of Police songs I had never heard of, except the two hits. Mostly not bad, but some duds, and nothing remarkable.

I truly enjoyed The Police until it became clear that Sting was a pompous ass wad. While there will be others who will say that Synchronicity is a better record. It is not. I’m going to try to lay out the reasons why that is so, but it relates back to the moment I realized Sting was a douche bag and an arrogant twat. But that was after this record. This record was good because it was at a moment in time where the arrogance had not colored my opinion of the Police as a band. Message In A Bottle was a terrific start to this record taking their now familiar power pop approach and incorporating ska elements with a catchy chorus. As the follow up to Outlandos d’Amour the album is a looser affair with the instrumental Regatta De Blanc almost a jam before the new wavey It’s Alright For You. Not memorable but a fun 3 minutes before hitting another good stretch of songs with Bring On The Night, Deathwish and Walking On the Moon. I think people might sleep on Deathwish but the instrumental break in this song highlights some of where The Police will end up on Zenyatta Mondatta a year later. Walking On The Moon with it’s dub influences bringing white reggae to the masses. (Regatta de Blanc literally translates into White Reggae). At 5:00 in length it was a little long but the chorus was an undeniable sing—a-long. I saw them play the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver BC (and a short set at the Kitsalano Community Center the day before) in May 1979. They signed a couple of records for me at A&A Records on Granville near the Vogue Theater the same day. On Any Other Day is an under appreciated track with it’s 50’s throwback sound and funny lyrics which for a band that was often rather dour is an outlier in the Police discography. Then comes the track I don’t like - the Bed’s To Big Without You is just dull. This one is a skip. In my mind it’s like putting up white wallpaper on a vibrantly colored wall. It’s a mopey Sting on this dirge. Contact and Does Everyone Star are largely forgettable and No Time This Time was the B-Side to So Lonely a single that came out in November 78. This is a throughly enjoyable record but time has not been kind. Most of this album does not hold up after 45 years. I’ve moved on. So, my 1979 rating would have been 4 out of 5. My figuring out Sting is insufferable and after…until today is 2/5. -1 for Sting and -1 for time.

besides message in a bottle, who cares

This was decent. "Message In a Bottle" was clearly the best song but the others were fun, too.

Hated this, really dumb stuff

acab (47/100)

Ok but bland and dated

ну это треш какой-то) если б ещё красиво было что они экспроприировали...

point9.

Naw, thought I would have enjoyed this for some reason

Probably a 2.5, I was kinda dreading listening to this album and held it off but it was alright

Weird album, mad mix of like fake reggae and joke songs, some great guitar on this (Bring On The Night was a highlight), but the one constant was Stuart Copeland's drums. Man can make the most basic 4/4 drum beat super interesting. Probably won't listen to this again tbh, can't hear anything by Sting without thinking about him in the middle of one of his marathon shaggin sessions

I did not vibe with this album. It’s only 49 minutes long but every single song seemed to last forever. My bf said he likes this album, I’ll see if he has a fever. Anyways, ACAB.

Outside of Message in a bottle and Walking On the Moon, I wasn’t super familiar with this album. The Police were always a hits band for me. Something about the “appropriation of reggae” (Wikipedia, and it says the album title literally translates to “white reggae”) and the mononym of Sting just doesn’t grip me. Sure he’s good looking, but what’s he REALLY doing? After listening to this album, though, I found a couple more songs that could’ve definitely been minor hits. Meh, I guess I would listen again, but probably not by choice. Again, I think they’re a Hits band.

The mass appeal of the police is baffling as always 2*

Didn’t land for me

After the first song I was pumped. That was the only pump I got. Boring.

Bara första låten var bra

I dont know what to make of The Police, or Polizia as they're known in Italian. After years of working in a chain department store, you come to hate a certain kind of easily digestible rock music. That's all this sounds like to me.

Not really a fan of reggae but enjoyed a few songs. Not a terrible album to start with, likely wouldn’t listen top to bottom again.

Message in a Bottle Carries the Album

Nice enough but the hits didn’t hit that hard for me and actually got quite bored towards the end of the album

This album has a clear reggae vibe. The strong reverb/echo and sparse arrangements make it sound very desolate. This isn't helped by the fact that the guitar riffs are also all on very high notes that overlap with Sting's voice and the high hats. I've heard Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon before, but I don't particularly like either track and there weren't any other real standouts.

Some good, some not so good. Some timeless, some DATED. It was fine! I like the Police, I didn't love this version of them. It's just a little.... much. I do see how this could have been a pivotal album to the turn of the new decade and the sound of the 80s. Mostly it was just wailing noise.

You know those things where everything is out of sync for a long time, but every so often everything lines up and sounds cool for a bit. That’s this album Reverb!!!!!

Kinda sterile kinda interesting kinda nothing all at the same time. I've never really cared about stings singing voice and I dont really here either. Alot of the record just isn't worth much for me. Message in a bottle is a classic and that one up strummed reggae type song were the only saves I had. Everything else just blended together. Its fine but thats about as high of praise as I can give it.

Boring. Cant listen further than 4 tracks

Couple of bangers. Mostly quite irritating.

Interesting to listen to a rock reggae album. Problematic elements aside, I liked this album a lot more than yesterday’s. I think the bass and the drums were my favorite part of this album.

Reggae pop? Some familiar deep beats. Don't really enjoy any of the songs except Message in a Bottle.

Apart from "Message In A Bottle", I did not jive with this. The way they do reggae doesn't work for me.

It's hard to argue with the influence of this one, given how many white reggae acts that still bubble up on pop radio. The Reggae/New Wave blend heard here isn't so popular anymore, but I feel like we can blame The Police (at least partially) for Ska and that's proven more enduring over the last few decades. "Message In A Bottle" is a great opener since that's the only track most people are going to listen to when they play this album. "Deathwish", "Contact", and "No Time This Time" feel like blueprints for Ska (without horns). "Walking On The Moon" and "On Any Other Day" are mostly pretty terrible. How on earth did anyone allow WOTM to be 5min long? The chorus is catchy, but you have to go through sooo much to get there and I just don't want to. OAOD feels like a garage band demo that wouldn't get them signed anywhere. Is that Stewart doing vocals? He should not do that.

Love message in a bottle. Apprechiate walking on the moon. Dont care for the rest that much and have to say that the on any other day lyrics didnt age well.

Not bad songs but many of them failed to make a strong impression on me. I had heard the first song before which I enjoyed.

the album title translates to white reggae and it unfortunately sounds like it. using jamaican accents is weird asl

Some flourishes, Copeland’s drumming is to be admired. Some interesting deep cuts that got me to understand the “post-punk” label a little, but still feels like music students who studied punk, jazz, blues rock and reggae rather than anything organically related. Overall, I’m not a fan of Sting’s voice, and the white reggae thing sits uncomfortably - it feels like they understood reggae better musically than eg The Clash, but profited well from an accurate reproduction rather than letting it flavour their own music.

The Police just aren't my jaaaam for the most part. I did enjoy unpolished vibe of "On Any Other Day."

Not sure I can get on The Police bandwagon. I like songs like Deathwish, but cringe at Message in a Bottle-style blah (this means you, Walking On the Moon). They have some talent, just wish it were more to my tastes.

Boring album full of some classics

Not a fan of reggae or Sting's voice. Most of the songs are annoying, but not even in an interesting way. The guitar is pretty good though.

If I had 3-4 minutes to live, I’d put on one of the songs from this album, because they make 3-4 minutes feel like an eternity. The Police hit songs are great. Their other songs on the other hand are quirky, strange, and half baked. This album is not great. I found it grating, annoying, and it made me keep looking at the clock to see how much longer I had to endure listening to it.

It was fine. Message In a Bottle not enough to bring the meh up in this album... I never really liked it, compared to some of their other stuff. Just not my thing.

2.5

2.5

Känns som att bandet har ett helt eget sound vilket definitivt är ett plus men samtidigt tycker jag inte riktigt om låtarna och har ju allmänt svårt för allt reggae-aktigt så det är ju två minus (:

This was not a pleasant album. Sting can sing well, but at times he just doesn't. I think "On Any Other Day" was intentionally sung poorly, and the last track was written to intentionally make the singing really annoying. The album starts out solidly with "Message In A Bottle" but it goes downhill from there.

This album isn’t as strong as I thought it would be. It’s actually quite forgettable. I also wasn’t expecting anything grand from these guys. I guess it is a surprise that Sting hasn’t always been in the easy rock genre. I was just about to look at the name of the current song I’m listening to because it had me thinking “gosh dang Police, now we are talking”! Then I remembered I changed what I was listening to. So if you want to hear something cool, check out Uluru Rock by Earthless Choice cut: Walking on the Moon

I like their alternative, slightly jazz fusion sound. I’m not a fan when that sound dips too heavily into reggae. So this album had a little too much of that for me. I do like the Police, very much. But it comes down to whether they’re throwing off the reggae beat, mon.

Denne holder seg dårlig. Må høres med arkeologisk innblikk, og selv der er vel konklusjonen at det er bra albumformatet ikke er like strikt lengre. 3-4 første sangene er bra, resten er fyllmateriale som knapt nok burde vært andresang på en b-side-singel...

I hated this less than I thought I would, but at the end of the day ACAB.

I was 10 in 1979 and getting my music via a weekly dose of Top of the Pops. According to official TOTP stats, the Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon videos were played 8 times on the show that year - not sure why the band didn’t turn up to mime in the studio as they had done for previous singles. Despite being so familiar with The Police singles, I have never previously listened to one of their albums. Always took exception to Sting for multiple reasons, but mainly his voice. This particular album has the feel of something cobbled together as a contractual fulfilment agreement, which it wasn’t, or maybe even as some sort of badly realised musical joke. Worse than I’d ever imagined it could be.

Message in a Bottle is the standout. Every other song is very forgettable. At least it's short.

Correct jusqua la toune 6, apres cest assss

2,5

2.5

Dododo

not my taste

fave track: message in a bottle besides the fact that its a massive fucking slog to go through, this album (reggatta de blanc = literally "white reggae") is kinda sinister for something made supposedly in admiration of its genre. idk. Besides the name obviously why is this white british guy singing in a totally deliberate fake jamaican accent lol message in a bottle is really good + clearly worthy of the fame but ive never really gotten the police and probably never will

OK album. I would not listen to the whole thing again.

Not for me - a bit repetitive

Daaaaaaaa police, this just isn’t for me but I know it’s for someone, and that someone really digs reggae and sting

Mostly ok with a hinge of the worst thing you've ever heard. I still don't know exactly how you're supposed to feel listening to them but I don't think it's what they wish it was. 4/10

WOOF

No va mucho conmigo este estilo

Feels more like a bunch of songs than an album, and not especially good ones.

two

sorry Ewan

Никак не зашло. Какой-то поп-рэгги

I don’t think I’d notice if I never heard a song off this album again but also I wouldn’t be mad if it was playing somewherr

most random band of all time ... they make Reggae ????

Sounded like spyro a bit

Bad cod reggae

2.0 Besides the couple of hits, the other songs were very skippable. I tried to focus on Copeland's drumming, which is very good but that only got me so far

No puede ser que esto sea un disco de pseudo reggae. Basta de Inglaterra por favooooor Nota: 1.9

Några bra

Not really my taste

Overrated.

Criminal

why I really only enjoyed one song

I'm not really that into reggae. So British people pretending to be Jamaican is definitely not for me

Meh. Didn't care for the reggae vibes and the lead vocalist's voice just sounded strained to me. I can see how his style works in some of the Police's most popular songs, but for this album as a whole it didn't work for me

Not a fan of this one

Was just okay, wasn't a huge fan and didn't find myself liking any of the songs too much to stand out. Just not my cup of tea.

**An ok album

Nope

27% banger

Eh. It’s fine but the best part is percussion and I think I’m in the minority but Stings voice is a grind after a while. 1-2 songs ok, but after that it’s like nails on a chalkboard

A lot about this album is pretty cringe in 2025, let's be honest.

Didn’t like the songs I knew on this album and like the ones I didn’t know even less

not a great album, but some good hits

Pretty dull. Their best album must be a Best Of? Too much filler that doesn't say much. Some better highlights

Too much reggae

I thought I generally liked The Police. This gem convinced me otherwise. There are the singles that are pretty fun, but other songs I couldn't stand...**cough** "On Any Other Day" **cough**

riesco a pensare solo a figatta de blanc, lo siento

I listened to Reggatta de Blanc. My fine young son has turned out gay.

Reggatta de Blanc by The Police honestly, it’s one of the most underwhelming records I’ve ever had the misfortune to sit through. I’m not one to mince words, so strap in. To be fair, there are a couple of fleeting moments where the musicianship shows a hint of promise. The rhythm section has its occasional spark – the drum beats and bass lines sometimes manage to keep a steady groove that could work on paper. And the guitar work, while largely lost in the mix, does have a few decent licks that momentarily catch your ear. But let’s cut to the chase: there’s nothing appealing about this album whatsoever. For me, Sting needs to fucking stop with his overblown vocal style and pretentious accents. We get it, mate – you think you're so fucking amazing, but honestly, your delivery is nothing more than a tiresome, self-indulgent display that grates on the nerves. His vocals overshadow any semblance of genuine emotion or subtlety, turning what could be interesting songs into monotonous droning sessions. The production feels flat and uninspired, with a mix that does little to elevate the otherwise lacklustre arrangements. Every track drags on without any real dynamics or innovative twists, leaving me bored and increasingly frustrated as the album goes on. Instead of captivating me with its sound, it just comes off as a confused, muddled attempt at style that never finds a groove. Reggatta de Blanc is a massive letdown. Despite the bare minimum of instrumental competence, the album is utterly bog-standard and fails to move me in any way. Sting’s affected vocal antics and the overall lack of appeal make it a record I’d rather do without. I’m giving it a dismal 1.8/5 stars—hardly worth a listen, and a stark reminder that sometimes, hype just isn’t enough to cover up the underlying mediocrity.

This is "I'm already having a nice day" music. This is "I'm doing chores and need something fine in the background" music.

4/10 Post-Punk and Reggae sound fantastic in concept, and has succeeded before. The Police do everything in their power to convince me otherwise Sting please stop doing the accent challenge: impossible

The famous songs are catchy of course but the rest is pretty insufferable

It is all very well constructed music and there are a few really excellent songs, but overall it is just a tad too 'dad rock' for my tastes

Better than expected but still not great

I feel like I'm supposed to like the Police...but I don't really think I do. I don't get pumped up by their frantic movement. It's not something that I ever find myself wanting to put on, and in fact, most of the time, would rather turn it off.

I met Andy Summers once. He was very nice. Polite. A quiet man. It's understandable why he is bullied into the background of so many of these songs, constrained to tight, tasteful chiming so that Sting can gulder and Copeland flail more freely. What charm there is here is down to Summers: the ringing 9ths of Message in a Bottle; the dub chording of Walking on the Moon. But every one of the handful of guitar solos is more staid than any bar of Stewart Copeland's drumplaying. All feel and no thought. It is anyone's guess what those fills have to do with the songs in which they're played. But I understand why Copeland doesn't want to listen to Sting too closely: those vowels. It is surprising though that the battle between the biggest ego and the freest spirit can produce such a banal, bad record as this one. It's Alright for You is awful. On Any Other Day is embarrassing. Does Everyone Stare is dumb. The Bed's Too Big Without You thinks it has a chorus. But imagine Contact performed by Gary Numan! Someone with a bit of style! 1.5 Well I hated this. I might have felt the second half of the record was comically bad if I had listened to it first but as it is I had long since run out of good humour by the time On Any Other Day started up. Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon, when I encounter them on local radio sandwiched between Kajagoogoo and Ed Sheeran, sound almost profound. Here, in the cold, 5 minute long light of day, both those songs are dishwater dull. There are no songs here at all. This is essentially practice room grooves and Sting making ‘reggae noises’. If there is anything truly memorable here it is only the numbing shock of contemplating that the ‘The Bed’s Too Big Without You’ was a single from a million-selling album and that ‘It’s Alright For You’ is on any album at all. 1.5/5

Couple good songs

If this project has shown me one thing, it's that The Police majorly annoy me. I always assumed I'd probably sort of like them if I were to look into their catalog. Thanks for opening my eyes, 1001 Albums!

mid

Reggae is fine, rock is fine, reggae-rock is not fine.

This album is a good argument for playlists over albums. A handful of really good songs including bring on the night, which is a fave from this band. But the bad songs aren’t just skippable, they’re skip-inducing. It’s fine to die without listening to this whole record.

Other than Message in a Bottle, pretty gash!

It's white people singing reggae, and it sounds exactly like white people singing reggae. Starts off with the classic Message In A Bottle, but then the rest of the album is just dull and empty. Also very repetitive. Someone needs to send an SOS for this album. Best song: Message In A Bottle

Staat natuurlijk 'gewoon' in de kast hier, maar ben nog nooit verder gekomen dan een 'Message in the Bottle', een 'Walking on the Moon' en een sporadische 'Bring on the Night'. En ik heb daarmee niks gemist. The Police is hier al te ver verwijderd van z'n punky roots om de lak aan creativiteit te compenseren met aanstekelijke energie, wat een overwegend saai album oplevert. 5,5/10 Highlights: Message in the Bottle Walking on the Moon

Hitti. Sitä seuraa pitkä B-puoli.

Har hört sen innan men vet inte. tycker alltid police har saknat något förutom vissa hits och på denna skiva är det den solklara låten ”Walking On The Moon”. Hursom är det lätt härligt å höra, avslappnande och måste ge dem att de är rätt speciella, ett eget ljud, Den vita reggaen

borrring

Ik heb dus best wel een zwak voor Sting. Vooral zn solowerk vind ik echt geweldig, het werk met The Police ken ik niet zo goed. Tuurlijk ken ik Message in a bottle, en ik vind dat absoluut een fijn nummer, maar ik merk dat ik bijvoorbeeld Bring On The Night niet zo goed trek, het klinkt alsof Sting het nummer ook niet helemaal red ofzo? Sowieso is het wel een beetje wennen deze soort van reggae. Walking on the moon is ook echt een fijn nummer, maar het kwaliteits verschil tussen de hits en de rest is gigantisch. Ik heb ook een beetje het idee dat de niet hits gewoon ook slordiger zijn als muziek? Nee, buiten de hits vind ik dit gewoon echt geen goed album. Het is slordig en rommelig en klinkt gewoon totaal niet als wat ik verwacht van Sting. FAVO: Message in a bottle, Walking on the moon

the choices are baffling

The two or three good tracks on here are so good that I find myself genuinely angry about how crap the rest of it is

2- Stars (4/15)

Another Police album that drags and does enough crap stuff that I won't be listening again. Clearly a band to listen to the Greatest Hits album by and ignore everything else.

Can Message in a Bottle carry this whole album? No. Even the album track doesnt stack up, this whole album mystifies me, I cant see why its so beloved. Man I am glad Sting got away from this. Although calling your album White Reggae is pretty funny.

Perhaps I was a little unfair giving Synchronicity a one star rating earlier. Tempted to score this higher than I would otherwise to compensate, but I can't do it; there's just something about Sting's voice that annoys me.

meh

Message in a bottle is a great song, but they never recreated that energy on the rest of the album for me. With each passing song, I disliked this album more.

Judging just based on the music, it’s perfectly mediocre. Favorite song: The Bed’s Too Big Without You Least favorite song: On Any Other Day

мне не понравился альбом, зацепила только первая песня, которая, к слову, очень часто семплилась в репе

#70 Not much.

Do people really like the whole album or just a few songs? I suppose I can appreciate the innovation but that's about it. They sure sang about some weird stuff.

alright, fun sound.

It irks me that Stewart Copeland's incredible drumming talent was wasted on The Police. There's a good song here and there but most of it is typical Sting-led trash.

Yeah this was not for me. I just don’t care for the reggae style sound

Kan bedre lide The Police når fokus ikke er så reggae'et!

I can't tell if this album is bad, or if it's just very much not my thing. Their hits are ok, but even those have never been a big love for me. I think half the reason I like Roxanne has more to do with the Moulin Rouge version doing a lot of heavy lifting to make my have affection for it.

Honestly, after message in a bottle this album never really regains its footing. The classic rock leaning ska approach just isn't for me. Some good moments but overall unimpressed.

First actual Police album I ever listened to. The hits are absolute standout tracks, some of the other songs are okay, some are unnecessary. Also...I think Stewart Copeland is an outstanding drummer, but on this album it often sounds a bit like even when he's doing tons of little fills and other things, he's still bored and adds more stuff still. Which is often a bit too busy for my taste.

el album en general bastante mid, no he encontrado coherencia alguna entre las canciones, ni progresiones musicales al transicionar una canción con otra. Las melodias en general muy simples y me han resultado hasta repetitivas (quitando 4 canciones contadas). Top canciones: ☆ Message In A Bottle ☆ Walking On The Moon ☆ No Time This Time

I mean it wasn't the worst thing I've heard, but I certainly wouldn't come back to it. Best songs were Message in a Bottle and Bring On The Night

Liked 1 song. Otherwise forgettable

Helt okej reggea blandat med rock

Ah The Police, one of those overhyped bands. Only 2 semi-decent tracks on this. And just the mention of reggae (like jazz and punk) immediately raises my suspisions, justifiably in this case.

ég er enginn aðdáandi stink og ekki óx hann í álit við þessa áheyrn. frekar einhæf músik og gólið með sting yfir.

Avausraita on musta aidosti hyvä Police-hitti, mut muuten levy jää todella kädenlämpöiseksi. Jatkan mun reggae-dissaamista (onhan levyn nimi kuitenkin jotakuinkin white reggae) ja 2/5

Väsynyttä ja kulunutta rokkia.

Don’t like it

It was alright but I lost interest with “On Any Other Day”. Poor lyrical choices made there.

it is okay and forgettable! 2-2.5/5

I wanted to like this more than I did. Message in a bottle is great, but I wasn’t that into the reggae sounds for the full album listen through

Ok

Message in A Bottle é enorne, assim ofusca o restante do disco. E mais, provoca a vontade de escutar versões de outras bandas que aproveitam a melodia para usar mais peso.

Meh, I'm underwhelmed but The Police. "Message in a Bottle" is fine, but the album as a whole is nothing to write home about.

Message in a Bottle slaps, the rest doesn’t do too much for me, but it is fun background tunes.

A strong opening but outside of that it didn't really hook me like other albums.

"Walking on the Moon" is great. It's a classic that's better than "Message in a Bottle". The other songs are ok to boring. I honestly think the Police are overrated. Sting's voice is annoying sometimes. I'll give "Regatta de Blanc" 2 stars.

I remember after the first Police album I got on here (Synchronicity) I noted that I’d enjoyed it and would be looking forward to more Police albums if they were on the list, and well, here’s one and no thanks.

1.5

do you know how hard it is for me right now to try to review my thoughts on this without just making a dirty joke about how the first track is excellent and the rest sounds tired? can you begin to imagine?

Deathwish was a cool song, the drums were great and how it picks up the pace after the chorus. But that's all the good I can write about this album. Obviously Message in a Bottle is a classic, but they didn't seem to give a fuck about any of the other music on this record, knowing they'd sell more copies. Two good songs, the rest is almost unlistenable horseshit.

First listen. Ok.

Message in a bottle - this is the hit, it's catchy, I like the instruments, I don't care for the lyrics or vocals Regatta de blanc - this song has minimal vocals, which helps it immensely. Reading the lyrics on Spotify is funny. I really enjoyed the last minute, no vocals just drums, bass and guitar, if the rest of the album was as nice as the last minute of this song it'd be awesome. It's alright for you - great guitar solo in the middle, I'd like to learn how to play it. Rest of the song was very ordinary Bring on the night - rubbish lyrics, abysmal vocals I couldn't stand another hour of The Police after this one, and I've got 7 tracks to go. Guitar work not great not terrible. Drummer and bassist would have been really bored in this one. Deathwish - not great not terrible, still let down by the vocals. Instrumental were decent enough. On Any other Day - wackier lyrics made it a more interesting listen, vocals were less grading than usual. Instrumentals were nothing special Beds too big without you - I liked the bass parts, that's about it. More rubbish lyrics. Contact - At least this one was over quickly Does everyone stare - I quite liked this one, lyrics and vocals worked fine. Instrumentals were solid too. Had a good build up around the middle. Perhaps it was helped by the piano throughout. No Time This Time - All the instruments were cooking on this one, but they found some kind of filter that made the vocals much worse and more annoying. Really nice guitar solo in the middle which the other tracks lack. Drum parts were great. I guess The Police were ahead of their time with this album, but they were leading the way for music I really don't like. It blows me away the band has 31.1 million monthly listeners in Spotify, The Beatles have 37 million. I'd like to interrogate one of their top listeners. Sting should have left the band and focused on his acting career. It would have helped this album if he'd done so, that's for sure

message in a bottle is obviously one of the greatest songs of all time and automatically earns this album a 3 walking on the moon is also a fucking banger track but thats really all i gleamed from the album. i struggled to really focus/draw an opinion on any of the other tracks, and zoned out a lot while i was listening to the album. its just very average 70s pop rock, with an occasional reggae flare thrown in. i think my biggest problem with the police is that id rather just listen to sublime, who really evolved that 'white reggae' style and introduced punk and ska to it as well. theres also some legitimately bad tracks on this album. like actually awful. contact is the first track from this book that ive had to actually skip because i couldnt finish it. lowered to a 2 because of a handful of these absolute trashcan tracks idk. the police are just a hits band imo, as a whole release this was pretty weak. its constituent parts were greater than it's whole.

I was initially really excited for this, then I realised I wasn't. The police sound very much the same on just about every track. Message in a bottle is a fucking great song, but it really is one of the songs that leans further away from the weird mix of reggae/punk found on the rest of the album. This is probably why its so much better than anything else on there. Also doesn't hurt that I used to shred that shit on guitar hero. There were some half assed punk songs on there that feels just corny to listen to, like it would be in some shitty XXXX ad where some dudes sinking a mango in his back yard while his kids play cricket with that shitty yellow bat from Kmart. Specifically Its Alright For You. Some of the more Jamaican sounding songs walking on the moon are pretty groovy. I can see a lot of uni kids sparking up to this tune in the 70s for the first time. On Any Other Day is just a dogshit attempt at punk. Real punk sounds grundgey and shit in a good way, this sounds like some corporate shill attempted to recreate the "punk" sound guided by various focus groups. Although, the line "My fine young son has turned out gay" seems pulled directly from Marko's dad's diary. Honestly, I love stings voice and I love a lot of the Police's greatest hits. This album bar like 2 songs is just boring. It just feels like a bit of a limp dick compared to the Police's greatest hits (Roxanne, Dont Stand So Close To Me, Every Breath You Take, Every Little Thing She Does etc.). I'm just going to enjoy this album via guitar hero 2

Message in a bottle is a song about a woman posting on insta and getting a hundred billion men washed up in her Dm's. Good song. Rest of the album was whatever, first half was alright but after walking on the moon it falls off. WHITE BOY REGGAE 2/5

I like the chill vibes, but this really falls off in the back half.

I don’t like how the main singer sings with a Jamaican accent Vibey sons but just not a fan. Roxanne is a good song but it’s not in this album 2**

I loved this when I was nine. Sadly one that nostalgia doesn't work for. Some good moments but Sting's reggae voice has to be one of the most embarrassing things ever committed to tape.

Some okaish New Wave. Most well known song is "Message in a bottle".

The police have a distinct sound that sets them apart. White reggae is a thing they created and it works most of the time. The 2 hits on this album shine but the rest falls short. Some tracks completely flop like the failed wierd al song On Any Other Day. Good bass throughout the album though. Probably their weakest album in my opinion and not sure why it makes the list. I would think their debut will if this does...2.4.

Until today I wasn't sure exactly how to describe what aspect of the Police completely sucks. Then they put it in album title for me. "Reggatta De Blanc". police: fuck em. (⌐■_■)

Whenever I’ve expressed a distaste for The Police, someone always says “Yeah, but the first two albums, when they were kinda cool and punk,” Well now I’ve listened to one of those and the problem is, they still require a guy to listen to a bunch of songs sung by Sting. There’s a lot of musically cool stuff on this album, but none of it overcomes that the worst part of the band is the main part of the band.

Found the sound annoying and the lyrics... not great.

I don’t have a favorite Police album, but if I did it wouldn’t be this one. Sting seems like a pretty smart dude but this album is idiotic. Sure, they pulled off a couple huge hits with this one, but it’s hard not to notice they don’t sound like the remaining tracks.

Here and there, an interesting rhythm would break out, but overall, pretty boring. Walking on the Moon is catchy in parts.

Never been a big Police fan, but they've aged well, or I haven't. I like Message in a Bottle more than I did before, though the rasta sound Sting assumes is unfortunate. And as the album progresses, I realize again that I'm not really a Police fan. Just not that into them. However, I hung in there until Any Other Day came on and then, listening to it, decided life's short and stopped turned the whole thing off.

What ya gonna do aboot it? Phone the polis? Mate, we are the polis.

I guess I was really only exposed to the Police's hits. I do enjoy Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon. But ooofff the lyrics in On Any Other Day are...horrible! I'm sure I could go and find a, "That's not what they meant" article out there but I'm tired of that sh*t. Also the rest of it was meh.

Running the gamut of pretty poor to bang average. At one point thought is was sounding great, only to realise the album had finished and Spotify had gone on to play Dexys Midnight Runners.

Message in a Bottle is fun, the rest was meh.

Other than message I’m a bottle it’s meh.

Not the worst 80's album (you can point to the year if you want, but this IS 80's pop), and I liked a couple songs...but this is still not my jam. 2.3

There is something about Sting's voice that never clicked for me, so the Police have never been my bag.

J'ai aucun souvenir genre ni oui ni non ça passe quoi

I remember this from the time, especially message in a bottle. Sort of pleasantly washes over you rather than grabbing you by the throat. An average album