Reggatta De Blanc

The hits are good, but they did some weird shit in between

Weird. But not weird enough. Didn't grip me.

Starts off strong with the first two songs and then kind of tails off...It was alright.

Solid album, I don't have much to say about it. 3 stars Favourite songs: - It's Alright For You - Does Everyone Stare - No Time This Time

My parents are big Sting fans, so I was ready for an album by The Police. The big hits were ones I already knew and grew up listening to and just for nostalgia’s sake those are still my favorites from the album. I appreciate what they were going for on the album with the combination of new wave and reggae and I think they succeeded in blending the sounds together, but I’m not a huge fan of either genre.

When I was little my cousin had this album and insisted on playing it over and over. He also had a Kool and the Gang album, so his taste was dubious at best. I always enjoyed the two hits and drifted over the rest of the material. Having not heard this in 40 years, it was a pleasant musical journey. The band are tighter than I realised back then. The same two tracks still stand out, but I also enjoyed the laid back vibe of the whole package. It's not a great album, but it's not half bad.

That was a bop with hits

What a journey.

I quite like The Police! Don't hate me!

Classics: Message in a Bottle, Walking on the Moon, Greats: It's Alright for You, On Any Other Day, Contact Others: Reggatta de Blanc, Bring on the Night (Top 10 in France), No Time This Time, The Bed's Too Big Without You, Does Everyone Stare. 4.5

3.5

Maybe not as strong as the other 2 in their first 3 albums, but still good. S/o Copeland (3.5/5)

Remind me of papa

I really like every Police album, mainly the later ones. I went into this thinking it was one of my least favorites but I think I mainly get stuck on the second song, that one is my least favorite. Really enjoy the energy that is in It's Alright For You. On Any Other Day is just really fun in a not so fun way, a good break from Sting (I'm sorry). Message in a Bottle doesn't need an explanation, it's popular already, good song. Favorites: Message in a Bottle It's Alright For You On Any Other Day

The big hits off this album still hold up today, but the rest of it was just so-so for me.

I have a love-hate relationship with The Police. A more clever writer would insert a joke here playing off of the name of the band The Police and the institution of the police. Today I am not that writer, instead I can only offer that while I enjoy the blend of punk, reggae and pop music I always felt like The Police never quite fully delivered on the potential of their best material on the one hand while simultaneously being one of the greatest pop bands of their time on the other. Reggatta De Blanc is indicative of that tension. Message In A Bottle, Walking on the Moon, Bring on the Night, and The Bed's Too Big Without You are all memorable songs that merge different styles into something wholly their own. Meanwhile, Does Everyone Stare, On Any Other Day, No Time This Time, Deathwish, Contact, and the titular track Reggatta De Blanc are largely unforgettable filler. For me, The Police are far superior to The Eagles but they suffer similarly in that both bands are frankly better when only viewed through the "best of" lens and yet that is not what we are here to do. The best songs from this record absolutely carry the others.

I love The Police and Message in a Bottle is a banger, but the rest of the album is a little weak

Más allá de las canciones más conocidas, todas sonaban medio parecidas.

Not a bad song on here. I had only been familiar with their singles but I liked pretty much every song. I had never realized that the Police had a reggae sound, but it's pretty obvious once it's pointed out

My favorite power trio. My favorite Police album (ok, maybe equally with Synchronicity). With that out of the way, it was refreshing as I hadn't listened to the full album in at least 10 years, probably before Spotify. I was reminded why this was in such regular listening rotation when I fully appreciated it in my college years, a good 12 years after it came out. I barely was able to appreciate the hits when it first came out. They had the essence of the time's punk energy while instilling a great mix of reggae syncopation and melodic complexity, but also having a super tight sound. Sting's lyrics, Stewart's brilliant drumming, and Andy's (truly underappreciated) stellar playing - watch anything he's done live--they just had a magic mix. Message in a Bottle is such an all around good, rocking song with smart lyrics. Walking On the Moon is a great exploration of minimalism and space (I did tire of it easily in the early days of listening to it and tended to skip over it frequently, but it was wonderful hearing it in the full album context again). To me, It's Alright for You and Deathwish are just evergreen rocking tunes. Bring on the Night and Bed's Too Big Without You are probably my true favorite songs on the album. Regatta De Blanc is just a fun rocker that you sing along with the scatting. And then there are the more quirky more "filler" songs: Does everyone Stare, Any Other Day, Contact. I still love them. Fight me. Rounding out the album is the frenzy called No Time This Time, one of my most favorite lyrics: If I could I'd stop the whole world down I'd bring it to it's knees I'd stop it spinning it round But as it is I'm climbing an endless wall Just brilliant.

bello 3 stelle e mezzo dai

I love the Police so much man

Leave Reggatta to its original owners pls

Definitely unique for its time. It gets pretty repetitive and old quickly, though. Digging the drums.

So crap

It’s ok, heard most of it. Wouldn’t rush back or repeat.

Summary: A really great album. Spiky, punky, semi-reggae emblazoned with Sting's signature (and sometimes unhinged) vocal. There are a couple of hits in here, mixed in with high-energy instrumentally-focused tracks and a few oddities thrown in for good luck (On Any Other Day). Shoutout to the snazzy album cover! Message In A Bottle: a fast-paced thumper. Sting's vocals are the centre of entertainment, but the guitar, bass, and drums are all given chances to shine. The guitar riff is excellent and the chorus is laden with memorable vocal hooks. The outro could be cut down significantly, or have a guitar solo replace the repetitive four-word vocal. Reggatta De Blanc: Has an almost reggae-ish feel, but much more energetic. The texture is high-frequency-heavy (hope you have good headphones), giving a "windy", outdoorsy atmosphere. Incomprehensible lyrics. A fun jam session. It's Alright For You: The standout of this track was the short guitar solo at around 1:45. Strange "alien" inflections that bring life to an otherwise pretty generic pop-rock song. Also, the outro is fire. Bring On The Night: Whew. What a freaking amazing intro, and some killer guitar arpeggios to follow. I usually condemn octave harmonies, and this is one of those circumstances. These kinds of harmonies require much lower-energy instrumental accompaniment to not sound overblown. That being said, the vocal in the higher register is great. Whatever's going on in the instrumental before 3:00 is cool, and the outro is similarly very strong. Deathwish: A wacky track with an adventurous bassline, but only sometimes. The rest of the time, it plays one repeated note in a syncopated rhythm. The lyrics are enunciated weirdly and a little difficult to make out. Walking On The Moon: Possibly the most "stylish" instrumental so far, on par with Roxanne from their previous album. The melody is really funny and unpredictable. The bridge is odd, and the drumming in the following mini-instrumental is stellar. Lunar, even. On Any Other Day: Mostly entertaining lyrics (though the line "my fine young son has turned out gay" is a bit sus). The singers have American accents - does this mean something? Commentary on the gun-blazin bacon nation? Nah, probably not. The Bed's Too Big Without You: I'm noticing a bit of fuzziness over some of the louder notes and beats here - production quality drop? Sting's singing is top-notch. Interestingly, the production quality suddenly improves at the 3-minute mark. Fun percussion and bass; actually, hang on, that bass lick is fire. Contact: I could see this being a Bowie song from the same time period. A great, cosmic track that surely deserves more Spotify streams than it has (2.6 million). Some very high-level playing on all instruments. Does Everyone Stare: The first track to heavily feature piano instead of guitar, and the band pulls it off. The repeating, deceptively simple instrumental is insanely catchy, and the vocals are on point. The gradual addition of harmonies seem to represent an increasing paranoia (also demonstrated through the lyrics themselves). One of my favourite tracks on the album. No Time This Time: Okay, now here's some serious instrumental prowess. The vocal filter makes Sting sound a little unhinged.

started off strang as I knew the first song, but all sounded similar in a way that just was not my cup of tea. Would not re-listen.

The Police liefert einfach immer! - zwischen '78 und '83 haben Sting, Stewart Copeland und Andy Summers konstant jedes Jahr ein großartiges Album nach dem Nächsten rausgehauen (so auch hier) - enthält zwei der besten Songs aller Zeiten (Message in a Bottle, Walking on the Moon) - macht aber auch sonst einfach Spaß! - kreativ und abwechslungsreich (teils atmosphärisch, teils schneller und treibender) - Krank guter Sound Rating: 4,75/5

- Stewart fucking Copeland!!!!!! - mMn beste Platte von the Police - Absolutes Prog- und Crossover Gewitter aber in seiner exzentrik und lebendigkeit auch irgendwie einheitlich - So viele gute Ideen, so viele tolle Einflüsse - Textlich nicht immer absolut aifm Punkt, ist aber auch irgendwie egal - 4,75/5

- Puh.. ich war (und bin durch das Album auch nicht dazu geworden) kein The Police Fan - Ja Songs wie Roxanne hört man mal - aber das Album fühlt sich für mich nicht rund an, es wird viel probiert und nur wenig trifft meinen Geschmack

Big highs and low lows - overall I did enjoy this album, but wouldn't consider it MUST LISTEN.

I don't really understand the love for The Police. Message in a Bottle does get stuck in my head though.

Great album. Went by really fast.

Forgettable outside of MioB

Message in a Bottle- 4.1/5 Reggatta de blanc- 3.3/5 It's Alright for You- 3.6/5 Bring On the Night- 3.4/5 Deathwish- 3.3/5 Walking on the Moon- 3.7/5 On Any Other Day- 4/5 The Bed's Too Big Without You- 3.4/5 Contact- 3.5/5 Does Everyone Stare- 3.7/5 No Time This Time- 3.4/5 Total- 3.6/5

One of the The Police’s classic. Raggatta De Blanc (white people reggae, if not mistaken) is a peculiar album. It has the typical the police sound, but it’s like underdone, to my criteria. This is specially noticed on the side B. I know some people love this album, but if I were the producer, which I am far, really far from being, I would have made some minor changes. But, overall, it is a good work.

Innovative for its time, this album is awesome. Does every track hit it out of the park? No. Are those tracks better than half the albums on this 1001 list? Yes. This album has aged well, but should be judged on the merits of when it was released.

Mkt av the Police är riktigt bra. Inte bara de mest kända hitsen. Men denna skiva innehåller bara två-tre bra låtar. Jag börjar tvivla på begreppet album som fenomen. Denna skiva är en god illustration på varför det förr i tiden fanns singlar.

Orkar inte motivera.

Hoppas det blir bra! #1 klassiker - mycket bra #2 nja, vette fan. Det finns nåt bra i botten. Men rätt jobbig låt. #3 rockig, men jobbig "synt"? Som tjuter då och då. #4 sådär #5 mellanbra #6 här kommer det klassiska ska-ljudet fram. #7 nej. Gör om, gör rätt. #8 mer ska... #9 nej #10 nej #11 en D eller E-sida? "Kul" experiment. Men bör kanske begravas djupare i deras katalog. Nästan alla låtar har element som är bra. Men kompositionen verkar brista.

Stings fejkdialekt irriterar.

Svag trea. Lyssnat mycket på deras best of och det finns en anledning till att bara Message in a bottle och Walking on the moon kvalificerar sig där. Ett par bra låtar till, men rätt svajig kvalitet i övrigt. 3-4 bra låtar dras ned av ett par rätt kassa.

Some good enough tracks from before they became properly creepy.

Recognised more of this than I expected - good one Police

joke band

Nice and good.

I'm not sure I've ever had so much trouble having an opinion about anything. The musicianship is competent and the music isn't bad necessarily, but it just doesn't elicit any feeling in me whatsoever, which I guess is a complaint? Is art bad if it makes you feel like an emotionless robot?

Good solid album! Better on vinyl

First half was a 5, second was a 2.5, so I guess its a 3.5

The weird caribbean-inspired singing actually grew on me a bit. The 2 hits Message In A Bottle and Walking On The Moon were amazing of course. I dug the 'punky' tracks Any Other Day and No Time This Time and It's Alright For You but actually the rest of the record kind of felt like a waste of tape. Not bad just not interesting. Maybe I expected more?

Definitely an interesting choice for this list. I wish I liked this album more, as 2-tone and the English Ska movement has some of my favorite sounds in music and I was excited to hear more from The Police. My excitement quickly faded as I heard the most repetitive, bland, derivative music I've ever heard. I could easily find every sound, tone, and melodic progression in other Ska/Reggae music from the 1st and 2nd wave movements that sound much better than they do here. Not a terrible album, but I think it's a bit of a waste when there is much better 2 tone out there like Madness or The Specials. Definitely not something I'd recommend to anyone trying to get into 2-Tone/Ska/Reggae. Also "White Reggae"?! Come the fuck on lmao, just focus on getting the reggae part down first before trying to make it about your Skin color man.

There’s a reason Message in a Bottle and walking on the moon are famous. The rest of it leaves a lot to be desired tbh.

didn't expect so much reggae influence! Sting was such a babey making this album! I liked it sm and will be returning 4.2*

DOUBLE TROUBLE BABYYYYYY this is yet another banger Play Walking on the Moon for my funeral pls 5*, perfection

8/10

I got the energy of mid 1960s greasers, but in Hawaiian shirts Honestly, the only track on this album with its own distinct sound was of course message in a bottle; the rest all sort of just blended together in a mash of rock and reggae. While listening to this one I thought of it at least as a good entry point if someone was just getting into reggae, and then felt kind of stupid because the album title translated is literally "white reggae" Best Track: Message in a Bottle

Not bad but not my cup of tea.

Solid album. Enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

An interesting fusion. I tried to determine why Message In A Bottle is so much better than everything else but I can't, brain too small ACAB, BLM, LGBTQQIP2SAA

First song sets a tone that the rest of the album can't deliver on interesting that you can hear the Caribbean influence idk 2 maybe, no real opinions but it wasn't bad, mid enough for me to forget it was on nor good for me to enjoy it

Wow this is like proper old British rock .. kinda fun but not my vibe

Police er sgu fint. Ikke min favorit men solidt, stor 3er

Some absolute bangers. Some forgettable songs. I think their singles are a much better way to listen to The Police than any album.

it insists upon itself

Ha ha, know this and think it is too evocative of middle school but, ok, here i go......

Very cool sound especially for the time. Elements of reggae, pop, rock. Very cool harmonies. Big sound for a trio. Unique tracks and nice preamble to the 80s. Vox were exceptional. 4.5/5

Message in a bottle and Walking on the moon? Sublime - it ought to be a solid 5 star album, but then it also has some fillers (though on third play, I'm getting to like them too). I was a big Police fan and they produced alot of brilliant stuff, but suffered fron inconsistency. This really good and growing on me.

4.0 a great one from the police (although it's not my fave fave). Fave songs: on any other day, message in a bottle, walking on the moon, Reggatta de blanc

Ayayayaya

Pretty solid, the guitar in particular is crazy on nearly every song. I think my favorite song was contact, because it also had some fun wordplay 😜

this album listening experience sucked - felt like torture lowkey

Yeah ngl i found most of this album aggravating as hell. Will probably never listen again. Message in a bottle is alright i suppose

Like the singles

It makes sense that a lot of people has a favorable memory of this album. The opening track is super strong, and I guess the album appeals to the youthful feeling of hearing new sounding music and finding your own aesthetics. Walking on The Moon has some good parts, but is boring overall. The way the sting sings is embarassing when you take a break from accepting sting as an internationally lauded phenomenon. The sting is and will forever be boring parent music to me.

7/10

Good album with room to grow Gonna say just on the cusp of a 4.

"Message in a bottle" and "walking on the moon" are great tracks but the rest of the album is pretty forgettable. Still alright

The Police has never really been my jam. This album didn't do anything to make me think different.

Simon, you warned me: The Police were pretty good. Sting cringe more than offset by really rather interesting instrumental work around a solid set of songs, lots of offbeat syncopation, strange echo and entwining riffs. Deathwish was the song that overcame my prejudice.

Spiky and quirky new-wave elements reggaefied through the nascent trustafarian vocals of everyone's favorite tantric prick. A friend in college used to try to convince me this was a masterpiece - it's certainly enjoyably weird, not derivative at all, and probably their most interesting album as the tension between post-punk, reggae and sophisticated '80s pop is the tightest here. But.... Greatest Hits, if you must. It's fucking Sting after all

twooo

Ok, not my cup of tea, but message in a bottle is a classic

Cheesy, didn't vibe

2.5

This album wasn’t my favorite. It bounces between well put together songs (like “Message In A Bottle”, which is a great song) and songs that feel like they were haphazardly thrown together. The album is somewhat high-energy, and maybe it would be a good “driving” album, but overall I don’t think I’d listen to it in its entirety again.

Never cared for The Police. Still don't. Pass.

Raggae, punk rock. Vibrante, frenetico, scattante. Basi veloci e ritmate, grazie all'importantissimo ruolo dei piatti, chitarre avvolgenti e voci scatenate. Apprezzato molto, alcune canzoni aggiunte nella playlist.

Couple classics. Poppy and sunny. Except for one song - I guess Sting was in the bathroom when they recorded that one - terrible.

When I was a teenager, listening to The Police could not be escaped. They dominated commercial radio, MTV, high school dances, house parties, and mix-tapes. As such, I have had a long moratorium on their music due to the ability to appreciate the band had been burnt out of me. Forty years later I enjoyed listening to this album again very much.

Assez disparate mais étonnant et cool, les morceaux les plus connus que j'ai pas mal écouté m'ont saoulé à force mais il y a 3 très bonnes découvertes : - Bring on the night ❤ - Deathwish - Does everyone stare ❤ Le reste est moins bien C'est pas vraiment un album concept ou quoi, juste une "compile" Donc l'album en soit est moyen mais certains morceaux excellents

A few hit singles which have not stood the test of time and some filler.

I’ve never listened to the police besides the song you hear on the radio. Not bad and more reggae than I was expecting

Not really a fan, but didn't hate this. The entire album felt like it was all the same song.

Great album. Super varied.

Message in bottle straight 🔥 some strange songs 4.5/5

The quintessential Police album, my childhood was surrounded by these songs and I did not like them one bit. My next door neighbor's older brother admitted that he was a huge Police fan (early 90s) and my friend & I mocked him for this constantly. Joke's on me, as usual.

Bought this album aged 11 years soon after its release. I still have the album in my loft somewhere and love it as much today, 44 years later, as the day I bought it and first listened to it.

The hits on this are great, regular tracks not so much.

Els cinc discos d’estudi de The Police són imprescindibles tots ells. Cada un té les seves particularitats i tots comparteixen una mateixa solvència sonora i artística. ‘Regatta de Blanc’ és la casa de dos dels seus millors singles, que destaquen una mica massa sobre la resta. Però tot el disc es torna interessant amb les escoltes i al final s’acaba agraïnt que els altres temes no siguin tan instantanis, per poder assaborir-los millor amb les repeticions i les escoltes al llarg dels anys

Didn't really do anything for me

It was a real treat getting to see the police growing up. Obviously Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon are great, but there's a wide breadth of influences combining the three musicians origins and the music scene at the time: most notably punk, ska, and rock. The album has a lot of character and personality to it because of all of these influences and it works well.

Meh

C'est un peu moins bien que moyen

c simple tout ce qui devait sortir de cet album est devenu un hit

Phenomenal drum mix, guitar tone was very clean and made for a fun album!

Very good album- Message in a bottle classic

Never been my favorite. Sting’s super high vocals aren’t the most pleasant. I liked Sting’s later solo stuff better.

Some great tunes added to beach playlist. Some misses that almost seemed to touch on Zappa at times. Felt musically consistent but not thematically.

Nice one, somewhat melancholic, enough pep to not be too background

Ehh it's fine. Not a huge fan of The Police. Some good songs but most is kinda blah. White boy reggae.

Way more Ska and reggae influence then I expected. On any other day is v modern and I really liked it tbh. Didn't expect to only know one song off it. 3.75?

not bad

Another lp I bought for $1 at a swap meet back in the late 80's. There is some classic stuff on here for sure. I think The Police are one of the biggest 'what could've been' bands. I remember hearing they broke up on the radio. I never liked any Sting music half as much as I liked his Police stuff.

kinda boring. On Any Other Day was fun tho

Some may say, that something is wrong with me! Ok.

KAMI OF, OF THE CRESCENT MOON

Other than the popular hits (walking on the moon and message in a bottle), I can't say that I enjoyed this album. It felt much of the same the whole way through and I found Sting's voice annoying after a while and someone whining in the background. I really tried to enjoy it but didn't at all. The further down the track list I went the worse it sounded.

solid 7, enjoyed it for the most part

Holy shit the Police were talented musicians. Stewart Copeland is just an astonishing drummer to me, so subtle, so articulate. They had a great sensibility but for me the drumming makes this album. Truly. Like a lot of bands on this list, I’m only familiar with the greatest hits. Listening to the album cuts, I was surprised by the “talk singing” style Sting used on a few of the tracks. Good for variation but not good in and of itself. It was like they were channeling Talking Heads. The new wave and punk elements are also more prominent on the album cuts. This is the first album presented to me so far that I would voluntarily revisit and a welcome respite from the cocaine-infused bloat of ELO I got yesterday. My daughter loved it too, rocking out in her high chair while she munched on cheerios. The best thing about the Police is that they can appear straightforward but the wonderful pop hooks belie a sophistication and artistry that rewards further listening. Great album.

I really don’t like the vocals of the Police. It’s ok for one song at a time, but over the course of an entire album, it gets grating

Great album that not only delivered on the classics but also unveiled some lesser-known songs that I enjoyed. I loved the fusion of punk, alternative rock and subtle reggae influences. While it may not rank as my top choice among The Police albums, its slightly cold vibe seems fitting for a rainy day like today.

Album had one great song, a couple good ones, and the rest were alright. The best song was "Message in a Bottle" and the worst was "On Another Day" Pretty good rock album.

Wacky stuff

Pretty good, feels like it inspired future rock in a lot of ways. Side note: homophobia :( Fav song- No Time This Time

Some awesome tracks on here

Sweet

A couple of standout tracks bump this up, otherwise the album sits a comfortable "pretty alright vibe" throughout.

Classic, this album cannot go under 5/5

The first full-length Police album that I've listened to. Not as poppy as I would like because I really like their hits. That being said, it is clear why these guys are the legends they are.

A band about to take over the world that doesn't quite reach it's full potential here tho the singles and some album tracks slap, the back half drags a bit.

Ez 2 besides Message in a Bottle. They insist upon themselves.

message in a bottle only

A mixed bag but there's some classics. 3.5

Not particularly my cup of tea, but very great musicianship that perfectly fits the genre at the time makes it a worthwhile listen.

Outstanding!

Some songs are pretty good some are meh

I'll send an SOS to the world: this album is criminally underrated. At least underrated by music nerds. Maybe because it has the band’s first two no 1 singles? I don’t know. It seems to be getting more love these days, but that might be because as the years pass and more time is put between this album and us, we’re able to appreciate it apart from the hype. It’s not a perfect album by any means, but it’s got its own charm, especially considering the band had complete artistic control, anemic as it may be in spots. There was no meddling by the label.

Top five favorite of mine already!!

I find Sting's fake Jamaican accent very uncomfortable which distracts me from the music I think!

I had high hopes for this album. There are some good songs but overall every song seems quite similar. Each song sounds like a Police song I've heard before but I definitely haven't heard some of these deeper cuts on this record. I was also hoping for some tastier drum parts from Stewart Copeland after hearing so much about him, but maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention.

Here for the dynamic rather than the clunking lyrics.

Best album ever!

Fine. Some good ones some bad ones. Some really really dumb lyrics on the deeper cuts.

Album #40 Post-punk white reggae that knows exactly what it is. Good stuff here. 4*

Took a few attempts to listen to this. It starts and finishes quite strong but felt a bit boring to listen all the way through. Probably won’t be revisiting

Man, I just don't get The Police. On paper, they seem like they're right up my alley. I love reggae, I love post-punk. The musicality is undeniable. But I can't imagine ever just wanting to put on a Police album. First time listening to this one. Message in a Bottle is a great song I guess, but it's one of those songs that's so completely burned into my brain that it's hard to listen to it objectively. The songs I'd never heard fared a little better. I dug On Any Other Day because it sounds like a Weird Al parody of a Police song.

Fun classic rock, with the Police twist

p428. 1979. 4.5 stars Quality Brit New Wave. Definitive proof that Sting can knock out a tune with the best of them, and that Stewart Copeland was a surprisingly decent songwriter. Half a point deducted for Sting's annoying cod-Caribbean vocals.

Couple of really great ones on here but it was difficult to decide whether to go to 3 or 4

the police with some weirdness about burning eggs

I (begrudgingly) liked this more than I thought I would!

One of dad's faves. I know most of the songs.

Outside of message in a bottle, wasn't feeling it.

Banger

reminds me of riding in the car with my uncle brian listening to 106.9 the lake.

Meh

Really good early Police. 4/5

Great example of a band transitioning from early days to it’s later days.

Unpretentious fun.

I'd heard of the Police and I'd heard Message in a Bottle before. Message in a Bottle is my favorite off the album and besides a few others, the rest were just kinda alright to me. I do get why people love the Police now though.

Took some time to grow on me, and even then - there are definitely some fun songs on here and fun elements, but I just don’t think it’s my thing. I can see why people like this album, and it’s not bad by any means, but I don’t think it’s for me.

Solid album. Really like Walking on the Moon. Good 3.5 at least.

Never listened to The Police beyond a few of the big hits. This is surprisingly good - very catchy New Wave pop-rock. I find Sting's vocal delivery a little bit annoying, but it's not a deal breaker. i cannot for the life of me work out why the album is called "white reggae". It has the very lightest of Jamaican influence in the rhythmic use of guitar. The songs are fairly consistently good, but the album doesn't seem to hang together. It takes a couple of weird turns in tone and genre which make it feel miscellaneous. I'm not rushing out to recommend this but it is pretty decent, so 3.5*

It's a measure of how great the Police were that this album isn't even in their top three albums, as far as my own personal preferences. Zenyatta Mondatta, Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity are all better records... which is kind of wild, it's got to be one of the most consistent outputs of any band ever -- in that sense, the relatively early breakup kind of preserved their legacy (cough, cough, looking at you, U2).

Ok - couple of heavy hitters, lots of dogs

Favourite Song: Message in a Bottle

Message in a bottle is such a banger it immediately makes the album a 10/10, but every song after is worse On any other Day is either really great or fucking terrible A Fleetwood mac song started playing after the album ended and I was about to rave about this album closing strong until I recognized it, but no it was all downhill after song one.

meh, not for me really

Decent album to play in the background. The forced Jamaican accent in some of the songs is strange considering they are three white boys from the UK.

a classic

Kind boring and too long

You can’t ignore the brilliance of Message in a Bottle, or Walking on the Moon. They were immense singles and drove this album to be huge. Andy Summers guitar is brilliant, for me he brings the colour to the songs. An excellent rock album, not quite a fiver but a strong four.

I’m lukewarm on this band. I liked a few songs on this album, but could take or leave the rest.

8/10 pretty fun! I’m not a huge fan of The Police (ACAB, lmao) but I still thought this was a pretty neat album, even with its kitschy quirks

Singles are obviously solid hits, but also liked Brin On The Night. Not a huge fan of the album as a whole, some songs on it feel rushed and frankly are not my cup of tea. Very happy I listened to its entirety, though, I feel like I gained something today.

Liked it a lot first listen, liked it a little less on second listen of liked songs. Still good, I’m biased towards white reggae. Fav song deathwish

80s vibes

Bangers and mush.

998

Iconic gibt nit mehr zu sagen

Not quite an all timer, but still very strong, but then again, I like most of the Police’s stuff. In any case the record does what it says on the tin (whether it’s cultural appropriation or not is for others to decide or be offended by). ‘Message In A Bottle’ is a snappy, jerky, urgent opener that sets the tone, and the rest of the album follows suit in largely the same manner. ‘Walking On The Moon’ is of course the other big hit, but ‘Deathwish’, ‘This Bed’s Too Big Without You’ and ‘Does Everyone Stare’ are the other standouts. Probably their most consistent album overall.

C+ Message in a Bottle 4 Reggatta de Blanc 3 It's Alright for You 2 Bring On the Night 4 Deathwish 2 Walking on the Moon 4 On Any Other Day 2 The Bed's Too Big Without You 3 Contact 2 Does Everyone Stare 3 No Time This Time 3 This guy Nikos Casivant has been chatting up The Police for years. He forget to mention that every non-Sting song is mid af. At least the Sting songs are good.

This for me epitomizes how hard it is to put out a great album. The Police in peak flow... two great songs (Message In A Bottle & Walking On The Moon). And still most of the tracks are just a bit middling.

Weeding the back garden listening to and enjoying The Police really makes a guy realise they are no longer a young man.

This goes harder than I imagined it would. Message In a Bottle is great. Drums sounded brilliant throughout. Not sure about the reggae but at least they owned it with the name of the album

Loved "On any Other Day"

Alright album, enjoyed the hits that I recognized but the rest of the album was okay. Maybe not enough of a police fan yet.

What a classic. Lots of amazing tracks on here. Not their best album, but very very solid.

Reggatta de Blanc offers the first true stirrings of the potential The Police had when it comes to their turn at world domination. Straddling the worlds of reggae and new wave (not a new prospect), the trio showcase different approaches to instrumentation and songwriting that would soon flesh out and materialize in eventual outings. While not their best album, it is a sign of bigger things to come. Favorites: Message in a Bottle, Reggatta de Blanc, Bring on the Night, Walking on the Moon, On Any Other Day, This Bed's Too Big Without You, Does Everyone Stare.

I Should've listened to them earlier fuck. Great fucking drums and grooves, great bass lines and tone. Overall great album, can't think I was missing out.

Meh

pretty cool topics covered in the songs- including mental health. My favorite of the album- message in a bottle, contact, does everyone stare, and no time this time

Ik heb een totaal ongefundeerd vooroordeel tegen deze lui en Sting in het bijzonder, maar ik moet toch toegeven dat dit een prima plaatje was. 3 dun aangezette sterretjes dan maar... bah!

Cool!

Lekkah!

Bring on the night is toch een heerlijk nummer.

how nostalgic, i used to listen to this album all the time who knows how long ago. "walking on the moon" is just as good as i remember it being, and "no time at all" is way better than i remembered it being. everything else is also quite good!

Best Song: Message In A Bottle. It's the most iconic for a reason. Especially like the rhythm of "Sending out an SOS". Worst Song: On Any Other Day. I was just beginning to think that Sting's voice was starting to grate on me when this song came on and proved me wrong. Without Sting, there's nothing here. This is bunk. Overall: One hit song and a bunch of otherwise boring tracks. Hard to believe that the same band who brought that energy in the beginning of the album just rested on their laurels for the remainder.

Eeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooooo! Love this album to set the tone on a Friday going into a long weekend! I dig the Police, something about their whole sound and vibe is hypnotically listenable. Is this the best they've ever been? Probably not. Is this the most groundbreaking record of their career? Definitely not. But it's fun and I like it. Nice break from the tremendous run of crappy albums I've had lately.

Pretty good, do wonder if the faux accent was necessary, but different times, I guess.

30th August 2023 Listened during morning mainly with Dusty on the bed. Seb in the evening, steak at the falcon. Sting mixes reggae and world music beats into conventional rock and roll to great effect. 3.5 if I could.

On Any Other Day & Does Everyone Stare best songs, Message in a Bottle you've heard a million times... several others were a big swing and a miss.

My second favourite Police album.

Album decente-bom. 3 stars

Despite coming out of the gate with what is arguably The Police's biggest hit, this album is a bust. I can't with the constant fauxrasta wailing. I get that it was their schtick but it gets hella old, hella fast. And they don't even stick to the formula that they're leaning into! Instead of being a fake reggae song, "On Any Other Day" is fake punk song. And the rest of the album just kinda... drifts off course after that. It's a mess. The only reason this didn't get a 1-star from me is because "Message in a Bottle" is still a great track.

Like the guitar work but Police never really 'got' me either.

Frankly uncomfortable. Sting should be embarrassed by his fake Jamaican accent.

Jams!

Ashley geyser pricing I’ve enjoyed that album wasn’t I was expecting from the police something a bit more like a London New Age W.A. give me 40×5

Listened to the first 2 songs. I hate The Police.

Starts strong, drags by the end.

Good! I enjoyed the instrumentals especially.

The balance of technical prowess and listenability is a fine one.

Wow, “on any other day” was a shitty song before the lyric, “and my fine young son has turned out gay” registered. Oof. So far, it seems like there’s a very good reason why “message in a bottle” is the only song on this album that I’m familiar with. No Place This Time is fun — kind of surprised this isn’t a more currently well known one.

Any Police album could be here. They are all good. This one has always been one of my favorites.

Lots of repetition Mid 3/5

A few good songs but forgettable.

-The first song that played was "Message in A Bottle" I was surprise that I have heard this song before. -"Its Alright For You"- fun light rock and roll m catchy sing along hook, up beat. - "Walking on the Moon" got a little more soulful I like it for the evening time right now -"Contact" made me pay attention again and I turned it up a little -Overall a good clean rock pop album to listen to while working on stuff. Probably better in the daytime mood.

Enjoyed the album and will definitely listen to it again

2 The unfortunate situation where the number one hit on an album is really the only track worth revisiting. The rest isn't really worth the time

You know "The Police" aren't a real band, right? They were conjured up by A&E records to cash in on the new wave craze but literally no band wanted to sign on, so they had to get three guys from marketing to record whatever they thought new wave was. One of them did a weird Carribean accent for the vocals, it was a whole thing. Anyway turns out they've got some serious chops. Like, they can play. The police have always been a singles band in my eyes, but listening to their instrumental stuff has me impressed. It just gets increasingly less impressive as the album continues. By the time I hit Does Everyone Stare, I am often asking what the hell is going on. What an album. What a group.

Okay, not my favorite. The Policecwere still doing a lot of mock reggae.

Not an official police fan here. But two of my favorite hits an this album plus two great singles and interesting, sometimes quirky album tracks

It’s hard to review albums that sound so familiar without being biased to nostalgia

3.5

I didn’t give this the attention it deserved, but 1 1/2 rounds in the car as background while I chatted with Leo makes me confident that it’s a solid three. I hope to return to it on some future day and listen more closely.

A little inconsistent, if I'm honest. Does not compare favorably with e.g. Synchronicity. A few tracks are awesome though: Bed's Too Big, Walking on the Moon, and of course Message.

Regatta de blanc and message in a bottle pretty good tunes, I think there's definitely better reggae style albums but it's OK 5/10

Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s my pleasure to welcome you to the Second Annual Roast of The Police! Last year, we “honored” The Police’s 1983 record, “Synchronicity” with a track by track takedown. Our guest of honor this year is 1979’s “Regatta de Blanc”, the album that spawned a genre that is still going strong nearly 45 years later…“White Reggae”. Seriously, folks, where would all the dreadlocked trustafarians that follow Phish be without this record? ...OK, enough about Phish, let’s get on with the show! -90 seconds in and *I’m* getting ready to send an SOS to the world. Please, someone…anyone…put an end to this. -Imagine being so entitled that the British colonization of Jamaica wasn’t enough for you…you need to appropriate the music of their people, a citizenry that your country had already marginalized for centuries, and make your own “white” version of it. To top it off, you do it as a band called “The Police”. -I guess when people call The Police a “punk” band they’re referring to tracks like “It’s Alright for You”, which is about as punk as eating a bowl of muesli for breakfast and heading off to your accounting job at Halliburton. -Yes, please “Bring on the Night”, because I can’t stand another minute of this record this morning. -I’m going to reboot the Death Wish movie franchise, but this time, Charles Bronson’s character will be spurred to commit violent acts of vigilante justice after being forced to listen to The Police’s entire discography. -“Some may say” you shouldn’t affect a Jamaican accent when you’re the palest white person on earth. Sting, clearly, isn’t one of them. -Speaking of complete bullshit, here’s “On Any Other Day”… (It’s great, some of these jokes write themselves) -I’m sorry the Bed is Too Big now, Sting, but no one forced you to buy a California King mattress. -If not having a raincoat is the only thing keeping Sting from coming over, I’m going to start praying for rain. -“I only stare this way at you”…”I’ll be watching you”…if there was a spate of unsolved Peeping Tom incidents in England in the late 70’s, this man, Gordon “Sting” Sumner, should be the primary suspect. -“Ain’t nobody got No Time This Time for that.” Well, that was fun wasn’t it? I’m glad you could join us and we look forward to seeing you again next… …one second, folks… …I’ve just been informed by our producers that, sadly, this will be our final Roast of The Police. I’m being told that there “just isn’t enough material” to cover and that, like the clam chowder we served tonight, “the soup is just too thin” when it comes to this band. So with that in mind, I’d like thank you for your time and for joining us here at the Friar’s Club tonight. In closing, I’d like to leave you with two very important messages: Firstly, ACAB. …and second, BOOM! ROASTED!

Amazing music.

The drummer did the music for Spyro The Dragon

Awful.

first impression: nice vibe, have heard it before, second song is a bit weird overall: simple lyrics, nice vibes

The police are something else. It's incredible how they put out two banger albums as their first two.

good stuff, reggae vibes, few big hits, a bit uneven

The Police is one of my favourite bands and Reggatta de Blanc is such a good album. This was a mid career album where they still play lean new wave reggae music without adding the pop flourishes that you get on later albums. So remarkable that they can be so lean and tight as a power trio. Sting is the charismatic frontman but to me the real star is Stewart Copeland’s tight drumming and groovy fills. But everything fits together perfectly here. Favourites: Message in a Bottle, Walking on the Moon, Reggatta de Blanc.

some bangers. some sting. regretta for the most part

Used to put this CD on in my basement as a 5-8 year old while hitting balls off the tee :,)

The hits are good, but the rest.......... no......

Not the one filled with chart-toppers, but still love the reggae-infused sound and Sting's vocals.

A pretty solid listen. Guess I'm more of a Sting/Police fan than I thought.

Not really a fan of The Police and this manages to be annoyingly 80s even though it was 1979. Message In A Bottle is a saving grace but Walking On The Moon's unnecessary reggae influence from a bunch of white guys didn't really resonate with me that well.

Message In A Bottle is obviously a classic, Walking On The Moon also good, but not a huge fan of the Police when they get too reggae. On the plus side, this is mostly less creepy than our previous Police album, but I think the places where it gets full on white reggae are a bit much for me. 3/5, Message In A Bottle elevates it.

Influential. Some harder listening. I liked it.

Some well known songs on this album. Not fantastic but a good listen. Message in a Bottle is the best song on the album

4.0

truly great album!!

There was a lot of weirdness I didn’t expect in these songs

Message In a Bottle is a great choice for an album opener. Immediate energy with that snare kick + guitar riff combo. Great song start to finish with a somewhat unusual structure. Goes back and forth between energy and spacey sections. Jammy by nature with a catchy chorus and meaty bassline to sink into, not to mention the drum fills on the outro. Reggatta De Blanc picks up where Message In a Bottle left off with a long-winded intro to the namesake of the album. What an absolute jam -- did I mention I love slow builds... This thing feels like it was ready-made to open concerts through a sea of fog. Absolutely propelled by Copeland's drum work and Sting's vocal work. It's Alright for You brings us back to a more-standard rock song. Carries the same energy, but adopts a more common structure. Not bad, but not as interesting. Still love the way they play with momentum here. I love Walking on The Moon... top 5 Police songs for me. However, the juxtaposition with On Any Other Day is rough. Weird choice in both lyrics and delivery IMO. Low point in my mind. The Bed's Too Big Without You is another dud to me. Contact makes up for lost ground with a meaty, uncomfortable bass line well balanced by Copeland's drum work and Sting doing Sting things. I'm into this one. Does Everyone Stare almost sounds like a misplaced Beatles song out of the gate. Lyrically, kind of continues to fit in with the creepy stalker Sting vibes conjured on Every Breath You Take. That said, the instrumental opens up into a drum and bass jam by minute 3. Knowing that Copeland plays with Oysterhead definitely sways me, but the man may very well be the most talented member of the band. No Time This Time does nothing to change my last statement. Copeland is playing like his hair is on fire straight out of the gate and never eases up. Surf-punk guitar riff accompaniment is a nice touch. Gotta love the symmetry -- album starts and finishes with equal energy. All things said, I'm into the overall dubby vibe that this album puts forth. The Police own it and put together some awesome jams (see Reggatta De Blank, Message In a Bottle, and Walking On The Moon as examples). On the other hand, I'm not fully bought into The Police hype and find some of the songs to miss (see On Any Other Day and The Bed's Too Big Without You). I am a soft 4 on this album mainly swayed by the fire that it closes on and the strength of the hits. Couples of duds, but man could these guys jam.

I didn't really like The Police before listening to this album. Not much has changed since listening to it. The title track was pretty good, as well as the chorus in Walking On The Moon. Besides that I find this album (and The Police) to be a pretty boring, uninspired, and nasally listen. I probably had some bias going into this one, but I was never really excited listening to this album.

Never was the biggest fan of Sting's voice, but listening to the whole album changed my mind a good amount. The guitar and bass in Deathwish is awesome I really enjoyed the pop/rock/reggae combo of this album. It is really demonstrated on Walking on the Moon. But then On Any Other Day comes on and weirds me out. I normally like songs like these but this one did not work on this album. The album went downhill after this and took it from a 4 to a 3 for me. No Time This Time sounded like it was going to save it with the nice guitar, but then Stings annoying voice came back.

Obviously know Message in a Bottle and love it. Some of these songs sound pretty improvisational, but that may just be me. Love Walking on the Moon Hate On Any Other Day I like Contact but the lyrics just are so silly to me. Sting is strange. Highs and lows throughout. 2.5 but I'll round out because Walking On the Moon rocks.

Energetic and fun. Not only presenting two big hits but through them the sound that would define them and be felt in all of pop during the 80’s.

Gordon's pulsing bass guitar, Andy's jangling guitar and Stuart's throbbing. snapping drums pulse and jangle and throb and snap excellently throughout the record. I've only ever really listened to the singles, so it was nice to sit down and hear the album tracks too for a change. 3 / 5 stars.

Message in a bottle 👌

Classic

I'll keep this one brief. This grated on me, the affected vocals, cherry white guy reggae, boring songs. Even the weird stuff was corny not interesting 3/10

'Message In A Bottle' & 'Walking on the Moon' are classics, they rest of the album is a good listen too.

Aside from message in a bottle this album was pretty bland which surprises me. For how many hits the police have and how big they were, I thought they’d have stronger albums than a one hit wonder, soft cell type band.

Great

Egentligen bara singlarna som sticker ut.

it’s alright

Some classic Police! This and Outlandes d'amour are my favourites of theirs

I’m just not a fan of The Police. Entertaining enough, but I could live without it.

police, tout comme Sting Solo, est intemporel. Pas beaucoup d'artistes de ces années pourraient sortir un albums aujourd'hui et quand même être un mega hits. je pense que police est une exception à cela. 5+

sting seems like a goof but you can’t deny these tunes, there’s something airless about it but i like that

I ALREADY RATED THIS YOU IDIOTS

A modern pop classic. 7 stars.

Nice

"Message In A Bottle" is a certified all time banger. The rest of the album falls a little flat though.

I came to this album thinking, "I really don't like the Police, they're shit", and I'm glad I got the opportunity to give it a listen now, because it confirmed my suspicion. I was right, they're shit.

Good album with some big hits but I didn't love every song.

Much more reggae-lite than I recalled, but still very catchy. The controlled pacing of Walking On The Moon never fails to impress - such a good groove. All the singles are so impressive - Message in a Bottle is fabulous. Great bite, pop hooks and tight playing. The Police hardly put a foot wrong with their five albums.

Good

huhuhu it didn't grab me

This shit slaps wtf

Message is great, rest of the album wasn't

no stand out songs but a good album through and through

Great album. Iconic

Started off great but kind of tailed off

Cool and kinetic, with a handful of top-shelf cuts ("Message" and "Walking on the Moon") and more intricate guitar work, plus strong bass work throughout. Not hard to see how they got so big so fast.

3-4. Two outstanding songs, rest is mediocre.

AJ: Sting’s funny. They’re so good. Fuckin a.

Track notes: 1- Classic song, never realized the guitar harmonies were so oddly dissonant at the beginning, really adds a lot of character to the mix. Gets stuck in your head easily. 2- This one is okay, kind of forgettable with the wailing going on. Not all that interesting IMO. 3- Reminiscent of their punkier stuff, with a good hook. Some of the B parts are a little post-punk adjacent, which is a cool touch. 6- Great reggae-style track. Bass groove is steady, ambient synth warble effects make for good psychedelic ear candy, and the drumming is stellar. 7-Lol at the intro sample on this. Actually fits well with the subsequent, kinda deadpan vocal delivery. This one feels new wavey to me.

1.5 pretty dull

Honestly a great album top to bottom, didn't expect to jive with all of the non-hits this way

If every reggae album would sound like "Reggatta De Blanc", then I would be a much bigger fan of this genre. Second record by The Police on this list and coincidentally also second in their discography. I'm 100% sure that "Message in The Bottle" is the best song they have ever produced, including Sting's stuff later in his career. Whole album was flowing quite nicely, every song had something unique, but at the same time fitted into the concept. Just a very solid album in general.

He’s such a dick but this is pretty solid.

The singles are fantastic, songs for the ages, but the rest of the album is just rhythmic filler. Surprising that one of the greatest rock bands ever could write so many blah songs as well as those masterpieces.

Not my favorite band and not my favorite style of 'rock' or 'pop'. The persistent echo on Sting's voice takes away the contrast I look for from song-to-song and the drumming does little to excite my ears. I really enjoyed a few licks, the keys and synths add to this era's sound, and some silliness is sprinkled throughout! I have always been 'meh' on The Police and unfortunately this album did little to change that as I regularly found myself waiting for the next song.

J'aime beaucoup les rythmes jazzés, j'ai l'impression que ça aide l'album à prendre son envol au-delà des emprunts au reggae. La voix de Sting toujours aussi puissante. Par contre, les textes sur l'insécurité masculine, ça vieillit mal

This is a great album but its not their best work (Synchronicity is). Anyway, it does indeed deserve to be on a list of albums that everyone should hear and its got a shitload of replay-ability and some great stand out single tracks. 4/5

God

awesome

Idk

Really tight and together, but where are they going?? Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon are hits for a reason

I'm not sure why this Police album. Don't The Police have better songs than this? This is another album that made the list solely on reputation of the artist and not on merit for the work itself. At least this album brought about the awareness that The Police also made bad songs.

i like the police

Mye kult, mye halvt. 3,5 stjerner