Reviews (page 2 of 13)
I really struggled to rate this one. These guys can certainly play, are competent songwriters, and have written some great tracks but, other than Message In A Bottle, nothing here was particularly memorable. I suppose the reason I struggled to rate this is simply because The Police is a band whose name carries a lot of weight. They have some great singles, are incredibly popular, but this album didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
I’ll be generous and give this album a 4. I doubt I’ll ever intentionally seek out this album, but something about it hit just right for whatever headspace I was in.
Eh. A little better than other Police albums but still just so-so.
I almost gave this a 2. But it’s not THAT bad.
7/10 - perfect length of an album, not much filler here, I didn't expect much from The Police apart from their known songs so this was nice
The Police's combination of New Wave and Reggae is not a sound that particularly interests me, even after listening to "Synchronicity" and quite liking it. My feelings towards this album are actually very similar, which surprised me because I expected to not really dig it, but I guess starting with "Message in a Bottle" quickly broke that illusion of being a mediocre record, being a super catchy track with incredibly playful instruments and super clean production, with the last two aspects being very common throughout the whole project. Unfortunately, the fact that the highest point of the album is the very beginning I think is a big inconvenience, as from there, nothing is as interesting nor as hard hitting, as there is a lot of tracks that a very "loose", meaning that they lack of anything to hold on to, like a melody, hook or groove, making these pieces to easily pass by like almost nothing happened, if it wasn't because the very soft production creates a decent vibe. The best examples I can think of are "Reggatta de Blanc" and "Deathwish". Another two aspects I dislike about the album are the sometimes very forced voice and the occasional repetitive parts, and when they are combined together they can create some really tedious parts, like the ending of "Does Everyone Stare". Before finishing, I want to reiterate how great the instruments are. The playing is surprisingly technical for the genre, particularly the drums which can adapt incredibly well to the most relaxing and energetic parts. The bass also has a spectacular sound that enhances the grooves. Overall, I think it is a decent album that starts very strong, has some very playful performances and nice vibes, yet gets a bit derivative in the end.
It was good
Love this album, not their best but I still pull this one out every so often.
2.5
Don’t have much to say. I enjoy it but not loving it. Think this album is a grower and could see me loving it more in future. Definitely makes me want to listen to more of The Police Highlights were “Bring On The Night” and “Walking On The Moon” Think 3 but will round up to 3.5 as I feel as stated above this is a grower which usually means higher rating in future
Es ou es
I thought this was going to be the first album I hadn't heard to earn 5 stars, but then it dragged toward the end. Still a solid 4 star album though, and I might listen again!
It’s a shame the Police broke up so soon into their time together, cause man are they excellent musicians. Like Rush, it’s crazy how just three people can make such full, intricate songs. A great album. 5/5
After synchronicity I was full of dread. Less brontosaurus on this album but still.. A few are decent but the rest is absolute shit. The song reggatta de blanc is like a bad joke. The songs vary between some sort of "white reggae" mixed with something I cant even describe. Feel violated.
Just because you can doesn't mean you should, Gordon.
The strength of the first half of this album is formidable. Unfortunately gets undone through the back half a little bit, including a song that would surely not be well received in modern times (On Any Other Day). Fortunately it closes strong with No Time This Time. I’m happy to carry some of this album’s water.
The big takeaways from this one are Message In A Bottle and Walking On The Moon. The rest was honestly a bit forgettable for me. Seems like I might be into the hits from The Police but the rest is only ok.
Redder seg så vidt inn til 2 stjerner på grunn av enkeltlåter/enkeltdeler av låter
S'alright. Not sure what Copeland did to get so many songs on the album, as there is a massive quality drop off with his
I thought I would've liked this more, solely given the popularity of the group and my familiarity with their hits. After realizing how this album falls into the new wave/post-punk category, my unenjoyment made some more sense. I kind of like Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon, but not enough to bump up the overall album to a 3.
What a fun album to revisit. The drumming and rhythms are incredible. I need to add this higher in my rotation of things to listen to. You need to listen to the albums for The Police because if you just relegate yourself to the singles, you miss so much.
I was not expecting to like this album as much as I did and be as impressed as I was. I obviously know a lot of songs by The Police, but this album really had some amazing songs I don't remember hearing before and felt much more like a solid progressive album. I am in love with "Contact," but I also felt that even the singles fit in and felt more substantial than on a greatest hits.
One of their best.
White reggae indeed
Härlig energi på denna. Lite poppunkig baktaktsmusik. Två hits med Message in a bottle och Walking on the moon. Men samtidigt fler andra riktigt bra låtar.
I just can’t get on with Sting, or his voice. Never have, never will. Some decent enough musicianship but nothing that has me feeling blown away.
very nice one
4/5
'White Reggae' is a hilarious title in retrospect, but at least having a lead bassist singer/songwriter takes some of the sting out of it (and puts the Sting back in presumably). There's definitely a level of rhythm focus with taking the bass/drums out of the pocket and into the front that's marred by the album being an otherwise very safe New Wave album. Very impressive playing here from the whole team though, especially Sting, whose voice does a decent UB40-esque white-Brit vocal delivery with some serious style. 'Message In A Bottle' is an obvious standout but the whole tracklist is pretty consistent. They're clearly playing to their strengths, which is worth some credit, and 1979 must have been pretty early considering the sound, but it's also just standard-issue New Wave. You get the impression that it would sound much better live, with a trio of long-haired lanky white men swinging their heads around and attacking their guitars with pizzazz. But I'd rather listen to, say, a band like XTC that has more of a punk sensibility and more to say. Fav tracks: Message In A Bottle, Bring On The Night, Contact
SCRAM!!! IT'S THE PO-PO!!! This is a low 4
You know a Police song is about to end when they start saying the same line over and over again
Sting yet again bringing my average score down a decimal...
cazzo spacca, che groove
This did not hit. I have a friend that hates the Police. And now I’m wondering if it’s because this is the only album he listened to. Two tracks took off in the US and I’ll stand behind them as great songs. But the rest of the album feels like it’s held together with gum and tape. A little “white reggae,” a touch of jazz, hints of new wave, and some punk sensibilities; the album never coalesces into something more than the whole. And some of the actual sounds created are less than musical. Those that do blend together are a bit boring. Message In A Bottle Walking On The Moon
Rhythm section is definitely the highlight across this record. Personally feel like Sting's vocal performance is quite distracting and feels a little appropriative.
Sting's voice, melodies, and musical style is something that pretty much just annoys me.
groovy and funky and fun!
One hit and the rest is an attempt to replicate it
Average album lifted by the two hit songs.
Other than the opening track, I found this whole album rather weird and disjointed at times bordering on what felt like a reggae hint in some of the lyrics, but I may have been mistaken. Won’t find it as I doubt I’ll listen again.
I really like the singles that the Police are known for, but the rest of the album is just okay.
It's such a dumb album title. Inoffensive post-punk that is mostly bland particularly the reggae numbers. White reggae indeed. The filler tracks are bad. 2.5 rounded up. Heard before? Some Owned: No, 105/400 (26%) Will I get: No
Love this era of the police, polished enough to produce a song like walking on the moon, but still has that local ska/reggae/punk sound. Doesn’t get a 5 as there are not enough iconic songs and there is a skip or 2.
mr sting
This is one of the first albums that I sort of got into on my own and listen to a lot there’s a lot. There’s an adult kind of annoys me about the police like the fake Reggae the fake punk of it all but I like these songs and I really do think that Andy Summers is an underrated guitarist. He’s very good. This is maybe their strongest one until synchronicity. I really like this record.
Just here for the Copeland ad libs 🥁
Way better than Synchronisity Best Song: Walking on the Moon Rating: 7.5/10 Stars: 4
Putting aside the stinker of a song in "On Any Other Day", it's easily their 2nd best album for me. I'll never get tired of the Stewart Copeland's drumming on songs like "Deathwish" and "Walking On The Moon", and the chorus steeped guitar and bass tie everything together nicely. I can take or leave Sting's voice but can see why alot of people might hate it; his often cheesy lyricism doesn't help lol. 8.5/10.
I guess it’s harmless, but I was just unimpressed by this. I get that it’s “white reggae”, but does it have to be so repetitive and dull to the point of being grating? I can appreciate the band’s confidence in their musical ability and some unconventional, yet decent musical ideas, but I’m not really into the hazy, droning vibe this tries to set.
“Message in a Bottle” is probably their best song, and the instrumentation on this record is often beautiful but I still can’t tolerate Sting.
Love it
Again needs to be taken in the context of when it came out and the excellent musicianship along with sting’s writing ability a very good album. These were the notes for the previous day’s suggestion, the ABBA Arrival that somehow were not posted there but posted here: This album was huge in the 70s, maybe it was the comprehensive studio production sound that made it sound so accomplished in the 70s - and became so ingrained in the collective musical experience - but now? A good 70s pop album but maybe more of an historical landmark than a great record
It was very popular but I never saw why. Cheesy pastiche of styles
This album reminded me why greatest hits compilations exist. There are many songs on the real albums I really enjoy, they got released as singles. There are also many that are trying too hard to be clever or funny and don’t hold my interest. It’s good. I prefer the greatest hits.
Tirando a clássica Message in a Bottle, não achei nada muito diferente do padrão.. Tem seu valor de acordo com a época, mas pelo menos pra mim não é algo marcante.
Message In A Bottle is a legitimate bop, but the rest of the songs on the album are a bit lackluster for me. Not sure how I feel about white reggae.
I love how on Police albums you can easily tell if Sting DIDN’T write one of the songs as it’s so totally different. Anyway, I like the Police more when they are faster and punkier rather than reggae, and this album has a lot of the former so it’s pretty good in my book. 3.5 but will round up
Jedinica iz principa. // Ne treba dati bijelcima koji imaju veze s obavještajnim službama da sviraju reggae. Isto tako, treba biti barem neko da nije bijelac u bendu da bi ličilo na muziku. Ovo je 2-4 minute identične melodije i onda 20-30 sekundi fade outa u apsolutno svakoj pjesmi. Ima smisla, cia nikad nije bila kreativna. Ali dala bih albumu nešto između 2 i 3. Da ne mrzim cia-u.
Favourite Tracks: N/A
I really like message in a bottle. Title track Regetta de Blanc is not good. They tried to be creative but failed. This sounds like The police in maybe two songs. Overall they lose it at times, and I dont really need to listen to it again.
As a musical genre “British Reggae” is very difficult to pull off and The Police mostly fail here, producing an album that is mostly just weird and dull but the formula does somehow magically work on Message in a Bottle.
Not the Police album I would have picked, they have better. Message in a Bottle doesn't hold a candle to Roxanne. But these guys are kind of a band that you listen to the greatest hits of instead of whole albums. Message in a Bottle is kind of a wild song to open an album on, has no intro at all. Just BAM straight in to the melody. And aside from that classic, this album is milquetoast.
7/10
Pretty good as always
Coincidentally, about two hours before this album showed up, I just finished listening to Ghost in the Machine. Five stars on that one, btw. If you've ever heard a Police song before, they're instantly recognizable for the rest of your life, and they manage to stay fresh; never boring. For me, these guys are about as perfect a band as it gets. Stewart Copeland is a wizard, Sting is a great bassist and lyricist, and there is some other guy with a guitar fills the space between between those two giants with ease I thought I'd be rating this five stars before I even listened this morning, but there were a couple weaker tracks that brought it down to a bit below 4.5. Still great to have listened this morning, and this album already is and will certainly stay in my library ⭐⭐⭐⭐.49
A few great songs and a lot of filler. However, the musicianship even makes the filler sound good.
Good album but The Police have better.
I heard Sting live when I was still a kid, without really knowing much about him at the time. I think this album is super, super cool - you can really feel how great they must have been back then. 7/10
Dad rock
There are some real jams on here and I thought this was going to be an unexpected 4 or 5 But then there was some crap that knocked it back down
Nicht schlecht aber nicht so mein Stil. “Bring On the Night” ist aber gut.
Mushy fusion of reggae, power pop and punk. The hits are alright, but radio has played them to death. No thanks.
I never really got the Police. They have some absolute classics but the rest seems like filler or weird art school guff
Trots att message in a bottle är en superhit så hamnar den i skuggan av stewart copelands high-hats när man ska summera detta annars rätt trötta album. Han är ett unikum till high-hat-trummis och tack vare hans handleder blir varje låt 4 gånger så bra. Bortsett ett fåtal riktigt bra låtar skriva av sting (antar jag?) är the police framgång copelands high-hats förtjänst.
Bra! Men inte fem stjärnor
Sjukt bra, speciellt låtarna med reggae-inslag. Skivan hade gärna fått vara lite råare, då hade den varit 5/5.
BANGER första låt såklart!! Aldrig lyssnat på resterande men det var över lag bra, 4/5
I’m sendenesoestoyou
Musically, unbelievable. Focusing on each instrument separately while listening to this band is so rewarding. The songs may not always mesh perfectly, but the pieces are so strong that it results in plenty of awesome moments. It's Alright for You and Walking on the Moon are the highlights for me.
One of the (many) bands where, for me, the hits don't really show their true quality. On this release Message In A Bottle is not the standout track, although being one of The Police biggest hits. Tracks like Bring On The Night, Deathwish (and after that Walking On The Moon) shows how great this musicians can be. 4/5
God, all three of these guys are absolutely cooking on their instruments, which makes it doubly frustrating that half the album is underwritten. When you hear Stuart Copeland’s compositions, it’s completely understandable why Sting went solo. It's a shame because the musical chemistry of the band is insane and their sound, despite being derivative ('white reggae'), feels extremely fresh. It's clean, tight and propulsive, technically masterful (Copeland in particular) yet emotionally potent. Sting's compositions bring out the best in the band, creating textures and ridiculously complicated rhythmic counterpoints to what otherwise might be straightforward pop songs. But I guess that's the problem with capturing lightning in a bottle- it comes together too quickly to actually craft something timeless.
Cuantos albumes existen q tengan 2 hitazos como este?
I’ve never listened to anything beyond the hits, and now I understand why. It’s perfectly average.
Can't go wrong with some Police (band). 4.5 bumped down to 4.
I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5. It’s just a fun album, really. Yeah, I wish some of these tracks had a bit more lyrical depth to them (especially in the back half of the album where they practically wrote half a track & then just doubled the runtime), but I can mostly forgive it due to the musicianship at hand here. Sting’s vocals are good, and his delivery manages to carry some relatively basic lyrics to a slightly elevated point. His bass work is really good too, and it occasionally steals the show on a few tracks. Andy Summers nails it on guitar, with a lot of his solos & lead melodies being easy to rock out to. Stewart Copeland’s drumming is fantastic throughout & it’s probably the special sauce to the entire album; every time he sets a tempo or does a quick fill, there’s just a natural lifting energy to it. It’s an album where musical style wins out a bit over lyrical substance, and while mileage will vary on just how strongly executed that musical style is (especially with Sting occasionally breaking out a rather awkward faux-Jamaican voice), I think it’s executed pretty well. I have some minor complaints towards the album. “Deathwish” doesn’t lean enough into the sinister vibe of the lyrics, “Walking on the Moon” gets really repetitive in its back half, “The Bed’s Too Big Without You” loops its instrumental a bit much (somewhat befitting for an insomnia-based track), & “Contact” just doesn’t feel super satisfying once it hits its own point of repetition. Overall, they could’ve all done a little bit more to sell those tracks, but they’re still good, & enjoyable to listen to if you don’t mind it. I don't have anything for the rest of the album, with “Bring on the Night” & “It’s Alright for You” probably tied as my favorite ones here. The former just has a good pleading tone to it & the latter is goofy in a fun way & reminds me a little bit of Spyro at the end. As a whole, I’d say it’s good. If you can let go & just take this album as the well-produced fun it’s trying to be, you’ll probably enjoy a good chunk of this. Is it better than “Synchronicity”? Honestly, probably. “Synchronicity” has the biggest hit in “Every Breath You Take”, but the rest of that album doesn’t carry the same consistency outside of its other big singles. This album, for whatever reason, just does (at least to my ears). Its minor complaints are enough to pull it down to a 4.5 for me, but I just had enough fun with this that I feel good bumping it up to a 5. I’m glad it’s on the list. P.S.: Whenever we finish up, I’m considering adding Sting’s solo album, “Ten Summoner's Tales” to the user list. It’s got two of my favorite tracks in “Fields of Gold” & “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You”, it has a well-known track in “Shape of My Heart” (which Juice WRLD sampled years later), and to appeal directly to Mr. Dimery & his love for the Mercury Prize, it was nominated for the award in 1993. I genuinely think it’s a good album, and one of the best of Sting’s solo career, which isn’t represented at all here. It feels like one that could've made the original list. I’m vacillating between it & several other picks ("Face Value" by Phil Collins, "Yourself or Someone Like You" by Matchbox 20, the Jet Set Radio OST, "Songs About Jane" by Maroon 5, "Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded" by Rihanna, "Yours Truly" by Ariana Grande, "Horizons" by Surfaces, "An Evening with Silk Sonic", etc), but it's one of the frontrunners in my mind.
I enjoyed this more than the later Police album (Synchronicity) the generator has served to me. I can see the more elemental appeal of the band’s sound here even if as an album it doesn’t feel like it contains any real progression. The sonic landscape is enjoyable.
I hate the police! The band is sort of ok though. Message in a bottle is one of my least favorite individual tracks ever put to sound, but the deeper cuts here are ok. Overall not a huge fan of the Reggae-rock thing.
For such a popular group I think this album is just ok.
I've always loved The Police. Having said that, Message In A Bottle and Walking On The Moon are amazing, and Bring On The Night is ok. The rest is filler in my opinion. 3.5 just for the 2 singles.
I did not like white people doing Reggae Favorite Song: Message in a Bottle
Sickk definitely will listen again
Fantastic. So much talent on display. I think Zenyatta Mondatta, or Ghost in the Machine are better. Are they on the list, too?🤞
Not a fan
Fabulous album. A must listen.
I've never heard this whole album before somehow. It has some really strong tracks for sure, but others that should have never made the album.
I just wanted to thank whoever had the brilliant idea of putting Message In a Bottle on the stereo at that boring party. You introduced me to a great band. This album might surprise people. If you're expecting 41 minutes of Message In A Bottle, turn around. The Police don't follow any rules, despite the name. 5 stars.
I’d be embarrassed by this record if I were a member of this band. After the obvious hit single starts the album, it quickly devolves into what I can only generously call buffoonery. From the cocaine anthem title track, to the super self-conscious, dub inflected, white boy reggae that borders on the fringe of ska, to the preposterously silly punky bits toward the end, it’s all just kinda dumb. And isn’t Sting supposed to be Mr Enlightened Modern Man?! There’s a song here where they put finding out your usually okay son is gay on par with being bitten by a dog. Not a great look and not so far in our pasts. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that the assholes who would get in fist fights with each other during interviews are actually assholes.
White Reggae music, Or is it New Wave music? Either way: not great.
I love this album. Brilliant musicians.
Synchronicity viel me wat tegen, dit album bevalt me gelukkig wat beter. Om maar gewoon helemaal open en eerlijk te zijn moet ik wel zeggen dat het openingsnummer veruit m'n favoriete nummer van dit album is, maar ook de rest van het album luistert lekker weg. Een compilatie-album zou een hele dikke 5 krijgen. Dit album krijgt 4 sterren, een puntje hoger dan Synchronicity. Als 'So Lonely' bijvoorbeeld ook nog hierop had gestaan was ik denk ik al voor de 5 sterren gegaan.
Classic and great. More reggae influences than I would have expected, which was fun!
not my style the first song was the only goodish one
Yea, it’s white guy reggae. And very repetitive.
Didn't expect to enjoy, enjoyed! Hooray!
cool music. the lyrics on "On any other day" had me laughing lol. gets repetitive very soon imo. "Message In A Bottle" is soooo good.
Stuart Copeland is amazing, he's always pushing, ahead of the beat. I hadn't really listened before but he is legit. Enjoy far more than I thought I would, just listen for the drums.
This is another album that takes me back to my college days. The Police were huge then. I got the chance to see them, and it was an excellent show. Great energy. I love Stewart Copeland's drumming and style. Sting, in my opinion, is one of the musical geniuses of our time. This album illustrates all of those points. It's creative, dynamic, makes you want to move, and also makes you think. Absolutely excellent.
The Police were never a great albums band. The singles are superb however and the band just gel so tightly. Should be 3 stars but Message In A Bottle is one of the greatest singles ever so an extra star given
I think the Police are not entirely my vibe, a little too ska-adjacent
Classic album, steward Copeland's drumming is the highlight, super innovative and tasteful. Walking on the moon, that guitar tone and drumming is iconic!
Pretty solid. Surprised of all the reggae and ska influences.
I went into this album bias, Sting irritates me. This was my first time listening to a full album by The Police. I like a couple of tracks, especially “Reggatta de Blanc” and “Bring on the Night,” and I can appreciate the musicianship. But Sting still irritates me. I’d enjoy this album more if it were instrumental.
(Light 7/10) A band of white dudes named after an oppressive force of systemic racism and class control, made a career of combining Reggae and Pop Rock together... lmao So once we get past the irony of that, this album is okay! lol. I prefer Outlandos D'Amour to this one truth be told, this record has a couple very standout songs. "Message in a bottle" for one is of course an incredible track. That guitar chord progression is iconic, the subtle bluesy guitar embellishments, the loud verses and quiet choruses, and of course Copeland's incredible drumming skills on full display. This track is pop perfection. I wouldn't even be upset if this was the only song by The Police you ever listened to, it's that good. The other great track on this record is the song "walking on the moon". An atmospheric and nocturnal song with a light and airy feel to it, thanks to the effects heavy guitar chords and Sting's smooth bass line. Copeland's drums are absolutely brilliant on this track, especially his expert use of staccato cymbal runs during the bridge add a ton to the song's overall effect. It's a great albeit low-key number. This album though is pretty inconsistent in quality tuneage for me though. The title track is a mostly-instrumental jam with some interesting stuff going on, but it lacks a kind of substance. "It's alright for you", "Bring on the night" and "Deathwish" are all fine as well, but don't really rise to the same level as "Message on a bottle" for me. Side B is also a bit lacking, aside from "Walking on the moon" the songs don't feel like they were taken very seriously and suffer as a result. I found myself utterly detached from "The Bed's Too Big" and "On any other day" was just really bonkers to a point where it felt like it shouldn't have been included in the track list. "Does Everyone Stare" felt like it was missing something, and even though instrumentally I really like what was happening with "No Time This Time", Sting's singing sort of ruins it for me a little. I think what this album does very well is provide interesting backdrops to otherwise inane musical ideas. Copeland and Summers alone are fantastic musicians that add a lot of flair and flavor to these songs. Stewart's inventive use of rhythm and Summers' fantastic guitar tone and phrasing are well worth paying attention to, but I think this record could've done better with stronger songs at the core. Sting has never really been my favorite Frontman in any rock band, I find his voice to be an acquired taste I do find it distractingly formulaic how every song repeats the final hook over and over ad nauseam. It's cute for a few songs but you realize this is The Police's writing formula when it comes to hooks. So yeah idk, I know I sound very negative about a lot of the aspects of this record, but I think it's just that I felt like as a follow-up to a great debut, this could have been a lot better than the final result. The Reggae crossover is also kind of weird for me, just knowing that this musical trend has a lot of colonialism and appropriation behind it, I can't help but feel that the historical context of that does mar my overall appreciation for this as well. Still, despite my reservations it's a pretty decent listen. The two singles are the best of the bunch, but aside from a couple songs on the second side nothing here is actually bad or unlistenable even. Worth checking out or spinning a few times. Synchronicity blows this out of the water though, just sayin'.
This is just a really funny line from the wikipedia: "In 2014, Spin cited it as one of the major moments in the history of white reggae" The wikipedia also specifies how songwriting was a struggle at times during this album and honestly, listening to On Any Other Day? I get it. The album started out fairly strong but the last half is dragging badly. Message in a Bottle is a banger but as an album I just didn't dig this. The last half feels really phoned in to me.
New Wave music sucks...I can't say it enough times. Message In A Bottle is a terrible song, it highlights everything that is awful about the Police. Bring On The Night, is super ska influenced which normally pisses me off, but as far as Police songs go, it's pretty alright. Walking On The Moon sucks too...the hits are the worst songs on the album. You aren't Jamaican, quit singing like that! I spoke too soon, On Any Other Day is far worse, one of the worst songs I've ever heard.
I was already familiar with Regatta de Blanc. I've listened to all of The Police's albums before, with Synchronicity always being "my" Police album. What made this experience different was listening with complete intention. "Message in a Bottle" has long been my favorite Police song, so the album already had a head start. Beyond that, I came away with a much deeper appreciation for how naturally The Police blended punk, new wave, reggae, and rock into a sound that was unmistakably their own. The reggae influence ebbs and flows throughout the album without ever taking over. It's an ingredient, not the whole recipe. I also appreciated how cohesive the band sounded at this stage of their career. Every member contributes something essential, and it was fun hearing Stewart Copeland step out from behind the drums to sing lead on a couple of tracks. The chemistry between the three musicians was undeniable. I found myself enjoying several deep cuts just as much as the singles, especially "Deathwish," "It's Alright for You," "On Any Other Day," and "No Time This Time." There were a couple of songs that didn't stand out as much, but they didn't take away from the overall experience. This project is already teaching me that there's a big difference between hearing an album and truly listening to one. I'd played Regatta de Blanc before. This was the first time I really listened.
The more I listen to The Police, the more confused I get about how they got so popular. Like, this music gets kinda weird; it's great but at times leans a little too much into the reggae sound
Decent - the 3 hits are really good and I thought the rest was very listenable - enough to get a 4 for me
I thought the police was for angsty teens, but this is a lot more hippie and alternative and funky and fun than I thought it was going to be. I would actually play a lot of these songs on repeat and I wish I had listened to the sooner! Great album.
Enjoyed this one!
"Message In A Bottle" is really good. The rest of the songs are just so-so, and I don't even remember any of them.
Pop rock. A few good tracks and riffs looped a billion times. One extra star because message in a bottle is such an earworm
I don't know what to say.... I feel neutral about this album, but I don't think I'll listen to it ever again.
Tämä on löytynyt omasta hyllystä jo vuodesta -88 saakka. Hyvä levy, hyviä biisejä, vaikka tämä ei mielestäni oli edes bändin paras levy.
Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: Bring On The Night Do people actually like The Police? This album was extra boring, and extra repetitive to boot. No less than 20 "Sendin' out an SOS" at the end of Message In A Bottle. Between that and the constant track fade-outs... This album is meh. If you take away the singles, what are you left with? Not much.
Plenty here I like. Message in a bottle is a great start. All the songs on here have great bass and drums throughout. The Bed’s Too Big Without You has a sick baseline which just engraves itself instantly in your brain. Deathwish and Walking on the Moon are another couple of songs that I really enjoyed back to back. I will be back to this for certain
Starts off strong, ends a little weaker. Still an enjoyable album though! Best: Message In A Bottle Worst: The Bed's Too Big Without You
Nostalgie en veel hits
I liked Sting’s basslines back then; they were pretty cool. The music itself wasn't exactly the style I primarily listened to, of course, but "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon" were played constantly at the time—you simply couldn't avoid them. In fact, I listened to the album in its entirety today. The sound has a bit of a reggae-meets-New Wave vibe. I hadn't really noticed that before, as I only knew the hit singles—the ones that got played in every club. There are a few instrumental passages that sound very experimental. That is precisely why I came to love Sting's albums later on, as well as his commitment to humanitarian and political causes. He began advocating for human rights early on, supported Amnesty International, and was eventually part of the "Human Rights Now!" tour. All in all, it’s a good album with hints of jazz; when you view it within the timeline of his career—it is the second Police album—it becomes clear how and why Sting evolved into such a deeply humane musician.
The Police in their punk/new wave/reggae period were awesome, and this and its follow-up were the cream of the crop before Sting took them, and then his solo career, down pretentious, self-indulgent jazz pop. But man when he puts his mind to it he can write a pop tune, and this band could really deliver them.
The other of the two Police albums on this list. Synchronicity is more pop and this record sounds a bit more like their trying to figure out what they are doing. There are a few well played hits on the album, but I was more interested in hearing the other stuff. It’s quite good most of it. They show their instrumentship a little more than necessary, though it is enjoyable all through the record. Favourites: Bring On The Night, Walking On The Moon
Album 272. Reggatta De Blanc — The Police (1979) Really good. Despite a couple of hits, it's pretty flat for me. 3/5 Liked: — Message In A Bottle — Reggatta De Blanc
I wanted to really like this -- when it's good, it's great. But there's a lot I wish I didn't have to endure
Excited to listen to this. Message In A Bottle is one of the greatest songs ever written. Did not know the title track (track 2) but Copeland's drums rule. Onto track 5. This album rules. I enjoy the songs I knew from The Police but this is groovy. A little punky, a little new-wavey, definitely some reggae in it (track 6 especially) my favorite of the three albums so far. One I would legitimately listen to on some regularity, and I'm just starting side two. Side two wasn't quite as strong and I thought No Time This Time was a weird song to end with. The Bed's Too Big Without You was a single for a reason. Still a really great album.
Strange and tight songs that draw you in without an understanding. Catchy with a mysterious twist
pretty good and even fun
i mean, Sting is Sting... nothing really stood out to me except a few songs in this album but some of them also made it clear the Sting&Shaggy collaborations I've listened to. the man has range
Damn just giving me another one of my all time favorite records, hell yeah. I did forget how good bring on the night is I love that song
UNA LOCURA DE GRUPO
Found myself enjoying a good majority of the songs. Not a big reggae fan, though, so that took away from it a bit. Feel like there were parts in each song that I really enjoyed and pieces that brought each one down just a little for me. Whatcha gonna do. Rating: 7.6 Faves: Reggatta De Blanc, Contact
Listened previously. Expectations: High - Verdict: Great - Message In A Bottle sums up everything The Police were about. Wonderful songwriting with an urgency akin to punk and yet a groove and sleek sheen that made it incredibly accessible. Walking On The Moon, The Bed's Too Big Without You and the title track are other highlights on an album full of highlights.
3/5. The two big singles off this album “Message in a Bottle” and “Walking on the Moon” are both very good as well as a few of the deep cuts like “No Time This Time” but there were also a number of tracks on this one that didn’t do a whole lot for me. Maybe it’s just that I had Synchronicity before this one, but I preferred the weird, adventurousness of that album over this one which plays it mostly straight with its reggae-ish rock.
I was wary going in given how much I don't like white guy Reggae, or even regular Reggae. But I liked this fine. Some of the more straight Reggae songs bring it down, like that moon song, but throughout the playing is stellar. I think this had an outside chance of getting a 4 from me, if only the songs had accentuated the parts I liked rather than leaving those as fleeting moments. There are moments of brilliance, but they remain moments and as a whole the songs were not memorable to me.
I’ve always found the Police to be a bit corny. Listening to this today, that opinion still checks out.
The way the album started I was thinking how is this reggae. Was an easy listen. Some good, some meh.
For about the first 6 tracks, I was ready to give this a 4/5. I was skeptical about the prospect of a white band making a reggae-rock album, but I found they did a good job at taking the skeletal rhythms of reggae and fleshing them out with more diverse instrumentation and eclectic song structures. Songs like Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon are obviously classics, but I was also impressed by deep cuts like It's Alright For You and Bring on the Night. However, by the second half, the cracks were starting to show. Some of the tracks felt like they were bringing diminishing returns with the reggae-rock concept, and Sting's bizarre quasi-Jamaican accent was starting to lose any charm in previously had. There are a lot of strong moments here, but the quality varies too much for me to fully get behind.
pretty good on the flow
0.5 stars for message in a bottle
The policee amor Tiene canciones tipo reggae?
Good
I don’t like Sting’s singing if I’m being honest, but I do give a ton of credit to this album for the excellent bass and drumming on every track here.
I was surprised at how much I liked the first part half, but it really lost me in the second half of the album
everything that helped me get through packing my entire apartment is getting minimum 4 stars from me
The only Police I like. Sad that Sting lost the sauce.
it’s fine
I liked playing message in a bottle on guitar hero ngl
Don’t like
odkrywcze za sprawą groovów Copelanda, topka Policjantów
Finally! Some white guys who actually know how to do reggae! I thoroughly enjoyed this album. Going in, I’d known a decent chunk about The Police and had listened to another one of their albums, Ghost In The Machine, but never this one. After listening to it, I can definitely say that it holds up to the rest of the band’s catalog. All three members of the group share in creating the album’s unique sound. Sting’s vocal performances really sell a lot of these songs, including Deathwish and Message In A Bottle, two of my standouts, and the latter really feeling like a collaborative effort between the whole band, with Andy Summers iconic riff and Stewart Copeland’s unique drum groove helping to drive the song. Speaking of, Andy Summers’ guitar playing is one of my favorite things about this record. He utilizes effects and a very angular playing style to great effect. However, he can also play more warm and melodic, such as on Bring On The Night, another standout track. Finally, Stewart Copeland’s drumming is also enjoyable, it feels like it really locks in with the guitar parts on songs like Walking On The Moon, my final standout track. Overall, I think this is a very solid new wave album, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to get into The Police or people who are just interested in their sound.
Surprised by this one. I don't love it but this a real, uh, oxtail soup? of different sounds, some of which work better than others. The playing is tight, it's not bombastic like Synchronicity is, and there are some interesting things happening here. Unfortunately, as with a lot of reggae, a lot of it overstays its welcome and that's really the worst part of it. I would like a little less reggae and a little more new wave.
reggae jazz rock with some mix ups thrown in there + a classic GOATed opening track.
There's two good songs here: Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon. This is a good introduction to the Police, but they have stronger albums.
Can’t believe the guy who made the end credits song for Emperor’s New Groove had a whole ass band making music and the like. This music has a real Sting to it.
I like the Police’s sound for like a song or two, but this was just too much for me. The first couple tracks were great. Message in a bottle is a classic and the second track got really good. After a while though it turns into more of the same for me. Caterwauling singing with syncopated guitar riffs all day long.
Listened on repeat while vacuuming out my cobweb-filled, asbestos-lined basement (fucking mask ON). Not sure I'd choose this to soundtrack taking years off my life, but hey, it's poppy, it's punky, it's dance-y, and the band has great interplay. Call me a fan.
I wasn't a huge fan and it didn't stock out to me
More upbeat and sometimes nice. But can't objectively listen to this.. I'm just hearing the same songs over and over at this point Review - 6/10
Great album, high energy start to finish, plus two greatest hits in their original context.
I've listened only around 150 albums, and this is already the second The Police album so I was rightfully prepared for "Fuck The Police" -type of a review. But to be fair, this wasn't that bad.
I’m putting this into temporary rotation. I’ve had it for decades but I don’t think I’ve paid it enough attention. I want to further absorb the great stuff outside of the huge singles which open each side the album. “Message in a Bottle” and “Walking on the Moon” are of course sublime, but unlike a few albums I’ve had generated lately, they don’t leave the rest of the material in their shadows. The band don’t to seem have been too precious about recording it, returning to the same studio and producer of their first album and bashed it out even though they were short of material. The devil-may-care attitude is far from apparent because the album sounds amazing. Not only am I going to spend some more quality time with this album, I think I need a Police marathon in case there is more gold I’ve forgotten about.
Classic rock album Fave track: Message in a Bottle
Man these guys grate after a while. Stings vocals genuinely get annoying. 2.5/5
Love the police. But didn't care too much for this album.
Two big hits with other strong songs. Surprised me how good some of it was.
Listening session: july 16th, while going grocery shopping Listened to before: heard one song before Thoughts: Message In A Bottle is a great classic and I like that this album has reggae/ska influences, but after a few songs You’ve heard enough Favourite tracks: Message In A Bottle & Reggatta De Blanc
Love the police and love sting. Amazing album!
Kind of reggae laid back summer
cool album, great band.
White reggae is more fun than it has any right to be
Normalito, un par de buenos temas. Pero muy normalito. No es lo mejor de The Police sin dudas, pero es agradable al oído. 7/10
I’ve never sat down with the Police, aside from hearing the hits on the radio. I already had Synchronicity and enjoyed it more than expected. Did not enjoy this one nearly as much.
Ain't half bad, just not my cup of tea.
20/1001 Talvez o trabalho mais fraco deles, conseguindo ter uma das melhores músicas da carreira e outros sons bem esquecíveis Message in a Bottle - 100 Reggatta de Blanc - 70 It's Alright for You - 70 Bring On the Night - 80 Deathwish - 75 Walking on the Moon - 80 On Any Other Day - 70 The Bed's Too Big Without You - 80 Contact - 70 Does Everyone Stare - 70 No Time This Time - 65 Media: 75.4
Pretty good, although the fake Jamaican accent is distracting in a few songs. And there's only one really great song ("Message in a bottle").
I would say there was only a couple songs that were ok. And message in a bottle is a banger.
The Police are great....Stuart Copeland is a tomekeeper.
Pretty decent.
I liked the music it was cool to listening to but it wasn't really my type so i git it a 3/5
Hmmm, I don't wish to bee too waspish, but I'm going to have to find the insect repellent, Mr Sting! Anyway, all together now, lads..."Massage in a brothel!" (14-year-old boy humour...).
Not sure I know too much about The Police, Message In a Bottle is a banger but beyond that interested to listen to this album. Not bad, not sure I would ever put this album on but it's pretty catchy.
Warning: don't let the title narrow your listening experience. This music is beyond "white reggae appropriation." Energetic and quirky, their punk roots help push the unique styling that can only be described as The Police.
Dunno if this is what I would call reggae, exactly, but it's good. 4/5
My previous experience here with The Police was of confusion and disappointment that Every Breath You Take turned out to be almost the only redeeming feature of Synchronicity. So I was concerned when this kicked off with Message In A Bottle, which was a personal favourite from a very young age. Thankfully Reggatta De Blanc was a much more coherent and accessible listen to me. The bass is the star once again, along with Sting's performances. It also has a darkness and swagger that pull you along with it and I enjoyed it enough to listen through a few times this week.
8 - GOOD
The Bed’s Too Big Without You is an awesome deep cut, but the other deep cuts are mostly just alright
I once said that The Police were overrated. I take that back. A joyous album.
The Police's interpretation of white reggae never achieved the critical accalim of The Clash. Perhaps that's because the latter was better at it, or that Joe Strummer was deemed more cool than Sting. I liked both interpretations. This is a great collection of pop songs and probably The Police at their peak.
Definitely one of their better ones but still not my thing
Great to hear this stuff again. The early Police work (often) had a punk-ish edge that kept it the right side of boring. The singles are stellar. But this list is about the overall body of work, not the singles. And the album tracks just aren't up to the same standard. 3*
It's fine - couple of great classic rock tracks but mostly very similar.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever listened to a studio album by The Police before. Compilation albums, sure, certainly had a greatest hits album in the collection at some point. Never listened to them much though. This was ok, but the two hits on it are definitely the best tracks. Doesn’t make me want to go and listen to more of their extended catalog though.
I only knew the singles but I quite liked this. Might try their other albums on the strength of this.
Didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did - it almost got a 5 but not quite
Not my jam at all Viele songs sind fast gut aber gefallen mir schlussendlich doch nicht. Manche fühlen sich unfertig an und manchmal ist die Identität des Albums schwer zu erkennen. Bsp: „on any other day“ Fav: message in the bottle
Solide, classique et toujours reconnaissable ! La Police quoi!
#994. Even though I'm intentionally listening for it, I can't hear what this has to do with reggae. 3/5: pretty mid
I've never cared for Sting or The Police. This album does nothing to change my opinion. "Message In A Bottle" is solid but everything was kind of forgettable.
Very nostalgic for this album. One of the first I bought and probably the most listened to vinyl in my collection. Copeland is a great drummer. Love the diversity of the songs. They can be so serious and then so wacky. A band doing their own thing and doing it well.
nwm nawet mnie nie zainteresowalo jakos batdzo
popcito
The singles are so strong the rest of the album could be amplified fart sounds and it would still be a stone cold classic. And to be clear, some of them are.
Faves: Message in a Bottle Walking on the Moon
Impecable sin mas, completamente disfrutable, bailable, cantable, divertido y emocionante por donde lo veas. Message in a bottle, es solo una pieza más en este gran disco en el cual terminé descubriendo nuevas canciones que desde el lado más mainstream de la música pop/rock de los 70/80 no iba a encontrar, pero ahí están, en este gran álbum. Las guitarras toman la batuta y se llevan el álbum, que si, las demás partes de la banda hacen una labor igualmente de increíble pero las guitarras tienen un algo que las hacen destacar por sobre los demás instrumentos, te ambientaliza todo el álbum de pe a pa, me fascinaron. Lo escucharé una y otra vez.
XTC’s “Black Sea” but with less imagination and clever lyrics.
Couple of iconic The Police songs on here, mixed with some fairly weird ones.
Pretty good album, but yeah it is white guys experimenting with reggae. Sometimes the blend worked perfectly such as Message In A Bottle, but other times it could be kinda cringe. Favorite Track - Message In A Bottle Least Favorite Track - Walking On The Moon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tässä oli ihan kivaa kamaa ja sitten oli ei niin kivaa kamaa. Lauleskelu, monotonista tai semmoista ei niin vetoavaa poikamaista ja yhdistettynä vielä reggaeen. Ei jatkoon siltä saralta. Tai sitten pitäis keskittyä enemmän, jotain huumorikulmaa nuista voisi löytää. Miellyttävintä oli jostain syystä bassoraidat, juutuin kuuntelemaan niitä. Päräyttävää basson peukuttelua.
Klassinen ROCKS. Hämärä sekotus reggaeta ja rokkia, mutta jollain tavalla toimii. Hittibiisit alussa ja lopussa niin jää hyvä viba
I like Sting but I'm not extensively familiar with his work solo or with The Police. I had only heard message in a bottle before. It's obvious why this was popular and the band had some staying power, however after some of these other albums I can't give this a 5
Quite alright, a chill album. Shows its age a bit. The final two songs were surprisingly bouncy, very different vibe from the rest of the album.
Not bad, especially the guitar work from Andy Summers is on top, love his usage of effects.
The only good Police song is So Lonely, which is not on this record. Booooooooo.
The Police are a band that have realyl grown on me over the years. I think this is actually their weakest album--they only had five!--but this is still soldi listening, showing their penchant for fun pop beats and chiller material. Top tracks: "Message in a Bottle," "Walking on the Moon," "Bring On the Night"
--Message in a Bottle...classic groove --Reggatta de Blanc...instrumental that builds nicely --It's Alright for You...fun but generic rocker --Bring On the Night...Summers is providing great texture here --Deathwish...very tight band. they lock it in. not really sure what that means but they're doing it --Walking on the Moon...love that guitar tone --On Any Other Day...dafuq is this? --The Bed's Too Big Without You...Sting's bass shines here --Contact...funky and weird. my kind of weird --Does Everyone Stare...it's certainly different. not in a particularly entertaining way --No Time This Time...some speed punk! not sure Sting's voice is right for this type of song
Why did I need to listen to this? 3/10
Yeah not bad.
Chill and groovy
A solid sophomore effort. 3 great songs and some nice musical numbers.
Fun and energetic ska and reggae. Interesting guitar riffs and beefy bass lines. Sting's punchy vocals compliment the crisp, plucky guitar sounds. 5/5
sting's pretty solid and there's some good ideas but the instrumental writing is more of a danceable repetitive than a listenable interesting.
Reggatta de Blanc translates literally as "white reggae," which is either an act of disarming self-awareness or considerable audacity depending on your generosity toward three very talented British musicians appropriating a Jamaican genre and making it their own. The honest answer is probably both, and the record is good enough that the argument becomes academic fairly quickly. The singles are the reason this earns its four. "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon" are two of the strongest things the Police ever made — propulsive, melodically generous, built on Copeland's genuinely inventive drumming in a way that gives both tracks more rhythmic interest than their radio ubiquity might suggest. "Beds Too Big Without You" is the hidden gem, warmer and more vulnerable than the band's usual cool precision, the kind of track that elevates a record by showing a different register entirely. The honest limitation is that the material between those peaks is middling in a way that a stronger record wouldn't tolerate. The filler is competent without being compelling, and there's enough of it to keep this from the conversation that Synchronicity earned on the strength of its more consistent songwriting. What tips it to four rather than three is a specific quality that's hard to quantify and easy to feel — a kitsch charm particular to the Police's reggae-punk hybrid that operates somewhere between nostalgia and genuine affection. The record is fun in a way that the respect-don't-love threes simply aren't, and fun earns its place in the rating when it's this consistent at its peaks.
🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 (rounded up because I can see several of these songs growing on me) Obviously I'd heard Message in a Bottle, but was surprised at how consistent the rest of the album was. Really uptempo, really distinct voice, really enthusiastic and complex instrumentation. There were some reggae parts I was like, huh, I don't know if I can get into this, but Emily so kindly pointed out the title is "White Reggae" and then that cleared it up. Will definitely relisten—if this is this good, I'm so excited to see what Synchronicity's got. 1: Bad | 2: Okay, No Desire to Revisit | 3: Good, Conditionally (OR Inconsistent Mix of Qualities) | 4: Great (OR Technically amazing but missing the sauce emotionally) | 5: Amazing
I LOVE Sting's voice and was just okay with the reggae vibe of this album. I'd listen to several songs again, so it's almost a 4, but I'm rounding down.
Interesting early work. The non-Sting vocals were weak as was some of the song writing. The good songs were great. Fun to contrast this with Sting’s later solo efforts.
Some rock, some reggae, and some songs that combine elements from both. As you guys probably know, I love music that blends or "fuses" styles together. Also, like I've said before, it's nice to be able to contextualize some of these really famous songs that everyone knows, like Rock Lobster. I could not have told you it was by the police. I'm finding that I like them quite a bit. There are some weaker tracks, but some very catchy ones as well. Feeling a light 4
This one, for me, is VERY close between a 4 and a 5. (Technical question: would we agree that everything between 3.50 and 4.49 is a 4, and everything 4.5 to 5 is a 5? Or, on a 100 scale, 5 = 90 to 100, 4 = 70 to 89, 3 = 50 to 69, 2 = 30 to 49 . . . but then 1 is everything from 0 to 29? I guess an alternative -- somewhat neater, but maybe problematic - is 1 = 0 to 20, and 5 = 81 to 100; or 1 = 1 to 19, and adjust accordingly. I say problematic, because I don't think of an 81 - for example - as a '5'.) ANYWAY . . . the Police were very big when I was in college (late 80 to early 83), and a bit before and after, too, and/but were one of the few really popular acts of the time that I liked quite a lot, *despite* hearing them on the radio a lot. And I think their music has held up pretty well. All 3 musicians are topnotch, as are most of the songs (though there are, IMO, a few lesser songs -- maybe 3 out of 11, say tracks 5, 9, and 11 -- most of the songs are very good to excellent), and the album as a whole. The Police took elements of reggae and combined those with new wave/pop/rock, and made something new, and distinctive, and I think it worked, and still holds up. So, 4 or 5? If 5 is 81 to 100, it's clearly a 5, for me; if 5 is 90 to 100, it's a closer call. I think I'll give it a VERY high 4, thinking of 5 as a 90 to 100.
I don't agree with using that "r" word to describe this album. They're just another rock band. At times closer to the Beach Boys than Bombaclaat. That said, it's a very solid album with songs in a variety of styles. They're good at structuring songs and there are plenty of good ideas. I think "Walking On the Moon" is my favorite. Maybe just because I knew it before, but not too well like "Message." I like the Dub influence. I like "The Bed's Too Big" for the same reason Really nice drumming, especially the hi-hat work
TREMENDAMENTE mid. Es impresionante lo que me aburre the police. Ya sabiendo que el primer tema era message in a bottle, me imaginaba el resto. Mamita querida lo más bland del mundo. Lo único que aprecio es el sonido reggae de fondo, que no había notado en general. Pero por lo demás, no me genera nada. 5/10
i liked it but i prefer zenyatta mondatta. it felt slower and not as catchy but some of my faves were contact and does everyone stare. i enjoyed the slow surf vibes of this one
I've never really listened to the Police beyond the singles on the radio. Reggae-influenced pop. I'm not sure I'm a big fan. I like the chorus-y guitar. Sting's a great singer. "On Any Other Day" is a good song. There are some tunes I just don't like here. There's a real repetitivity here that while I like songs like that, I find here annoying. They just seem to really go after a chorus over and over again in their songs. It feels like that's their weakest point, songwriting. 3.
Ok but kind of a miss. There are a few good songs here and others that are pretty mediocre to me.
I like the reggae new wave punk fusion they created. All very good musicians and for a 3-piece they rock. Great songwriting to go along with the killer drums and bass. I can dig it
I found this far more accessible than Synchronicity. The album has a great vibe and the individuals in the band are more than the sum of their parts. Really enjoyable album
不是很兴的new wave
I really enjoyed this album. I knew the singles but nothing else apart from 'The Bed's Too Big Without You'. I had one of those aha moments when I realised I knew the song but not this version. The version I know is by k-os but had no idea that it was a cover. Fun, catchy songs. 5 stars.
Two hits on this album and the other songs are not ones I'd be likely to listen to again.
2.5
It was okay
Previously a punky little group feeling out their sound, Reggatta de Blanc is when this trio comes together as a cohesive whole. Their humor and verve are still on full display as each member of the team flexes what they do best in the prime of their lives. For fans of the Police, this vital album represents the turning point of a hobby band backed by the father of the drummer into the force that the world would remember as "The Police".
another great greatest hits band. this is pretty decent, but their live albums are where it's at.
Pop pop easy easy groovy tho
I like Regetta change at 2:00, same with deathwish. not sure i love the vocals, but love the instrumental compositions. not exactly my taste, but honestly quite close. I want to come back to this, I think it will be an album that grows on me.
Copeland is an insanely good drummer, and he shows his versatility here too. Message In A Bottle is the best song here, though I'm left pondering if Sting repeats Sending out an SOS over and over for the last minute and a half because he's run out of ideas or because he's twigged that's the best refrain in the song and will lodge in the listeners brain anytime it comes on the radio. I remember asking my Dad as an innocent 10 year old what Roxanne was about, and how and why she put on the red light? He told me that my friend Liam would know. I don't think Liam was much more world wise than me and it was probably a few years later until my curiousity was sated. Liam's Dad was a chemist though so he perhaps had experience of selling protection to young men more acquainted to ladies like Roxanne, but it's not really something you'd have the chat with your pee teen son about. It was a more innocent time. Nowadays you would be the laughing stock of the playground, not just for not knowing what Roxanne does but if you hadn't already seen her Only Fans.
Better than I was expecting but someone should have told Sting that he doesn’t have to do the accent when performing reggae songs. I will definitely revisit.
I have liked The Police and also Sting since I was a child. I am not sure what it is about Gordon Sumner that I like. He is a strange vocalist. The only person to have both a Geordie and Jamaican accent at the same time. But somehow that works. This album has two very big hits "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon". I feel like both of these are underplayed and I am quite happy to listen to them again as part of this album. "Bring on the Night" has a touch of "Edge of Seventeen" in the intro. But like a lot of these tracks it moves into a latin or Portuguese guitar melody. I enjoyed this album and would listen to it again. (3.500)
Initial post listing ranking: 7/10 Type of music / Reminds me of: More Four String typea music, kinda like raygay pretty often, Thoughts: DEF GOOD, I LIKE DA POLICE (caps lock was on lol). I do think this would be higher but there are some shitters in there. Definitly a solid 7 bam right on it. Closer to a 4 stars Favorite Track: Walking On The Moon I hope MAAA leg wont break
Honestly this was exactly what I need to start Monday off. Some catchy songs I knew, some inoffensive background for the songs I didn't know. It doesn't blow my mind but its still better than so many albums on here.
Now I’m going to be singing Message in a Bottle to myself for the rest of the day.
The white reggae fast rock vibes were surely groundbreaking back then. If you take away the hits there are some unusual songs and structures but it all sounds dated when relistening this today. The musicians are great, though.
Un classique ! C’était plutôt sympa ! L’occasion de découvrir tout l’album !
3 mostly for message in a bottle, but the album isn't too bad either.
3 out of 5. Eh, The Police have better albums, hits aside.
good album
The Police are a bit of a mystery to me. I love all their hits and feel how the sound bleeds into the rest of the album, but also sometimes get this feeling that I've been tricked into thinking they are deeper than they are. Similar for U2. I found myself entirely surprised and impressed by Synchronicity earlier in the project and gave it a 5, but never felt sure about it. This is a 3.5 or 4 for similar reasons.
10/10 this is fire
I'm a big Police fan so I come in with some "good feels" here. And it's good. You can hear the musicianship starting to really cook, three guys who are genuinely exceptional at what they do and starting to figure out how far they can push it. The reggae-pop thing works more than it probably should. Synchronicity is the peak though, and honestly everything before it feels like the band getting there. This one has some great deep cuts. The Bed's Too Big Without You is legitimately excellent. No Time This Time is a blast. Good record. Just not their best.
"Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon" were the two singles I was already familiar with and are probably the two Police songs that I still enjoy the most. They are solid songs that aren't played into the ground like some of their other hits. The rest of the album wasn't really my thing though.
Message in a Bottle, Walking on the Moon and Bring on the Night are simply great songs. Stewart Copeland has to be one of the most inventive drummers. The Police sounded like no one else.
Good album. Better than Synchronicity - for my money, apex Police.
Y’all mind if a white boy speaks a little Jamaican?
This is my first time listening to a full Police album. I’m taken with Stewart Copeland’s drumming. Wow! The band’s rhythms and syncopations are so dynamic and intricate (to my not-musically-trained ear). They really light up my brain in a new, exciting way. The vocals are nice and the songwriting is good, but I am so bowled over by the sonic landscape that I feel like I could enjoy the album fully instrumental. I could give this album a 5 rating for the drumming alone. I’m on a quest for more Copeland now!
'Message in a Bottle' being a big hit is hard to follow, but there's good stuff still to be had in this album. 'Walking on the Moon' was one of the stand-outs for me. I enjoyed the sharp twangs and reggae inspired guitar playing spread throughout the album. "Contact" also feels similar in sound to some other Police hits, makes me think of "Don't stand so close to me". A couple funky tracks i'd call "experimental". A good listening experience.
Fantastic Album. 4.5
Agradable. el primer tema es el mejor.
It's alright. Some catchy songs.
Songs occasionally drag on but show a lot of variety and have lots of fun qualities. Experimental AND fun? D: Highlights: "Walking On The Moon", "On Any Other Day", "Does Everyone Stare"
The Police were so different and fun with their reggae infused post punkish rock. Infectious rhythms and creative song writing.
Strong start, weak 2nd half.
Album #122, The Police, Regatta de Blanc ⭐⭐ I’ve never really given The Police a fair shake. I’m only really familiar with the big singles, which I actually quite like. But they’ve never been a band I’ve had much interest in, even though they come from a period of music that I usually love. That late 80s intersection of new wave, post-punk and alternative rock tends to produce a lot of music that really clicks with me. This, unfortunately, didn’t. I feel like I just don’t get this album. There’s a lot about it that doesn’t work for me, but the main issue is that almost every song feels like it’s stuck in second gear. I don’t know whether that’s down to the performances, the songwriting, or a combination of both, but everything feels like it’s building towards something that never arrives. There’s no real payoff. There’s no euphoric chorus. No huge crescendo. No moment where a song suddenly takes flight. Most of the tracks have a decent groove and there were definitely moments where I found myself nodding along, but they rarely develop beyond that. They just sort of circle the same idea for three or four minutes and then end. For me, the combination of reggae and rock is where the problem lies. I love reggae. I love rock. But I don’t think the two are helping each other here. The reggae elements seem to strangle the energy of the rock songs, while the rock elements stop the reggae grooves from really settling into themselves. Both styles end up constraining each other. To my ears, it’s a failed experiment. I know plenty of people would disagree, but it just doesn’t work for me. That’s not to say there aren’t positives. Stuart Copeland is fantastic throughout. The drumming is easily my favourite aspect of the album. There are also some lovely guitar textures scattered across the record. Sting, on the other hand, doesn’t do much for me as a vocalist. I also find a lot of his lyrics pretty silly. Then there are a couple of tracks that I actively disliked. On Any Other Day, which is actually one of the more straightforward rock songs on the album, there’s a vocal performance that sounds like a Frank Zappa parody. I’m assuming it’s Stewart Copeland. Maybe it’s intentionally goofy, maybe that’s the joke, but I thought it was dreadful. So yeah, this is a brutal two stars from me. I didn’t hate every second of it. There are moments of good musicianship and a handful of decent grooves, but the songs themselves just don’t go anywhere interesting enough for me. I know The Police have other albums on this list, and I’m hoping one of those clicks a bit more than this one did, because based on Regatta de Blanc alone, I don’t really have much desire to seek out more of their music.
I own three albums by the Police, and am familiar enough with them in a general sense and would even say I mostly enjoy them, but this is one I haven't heard until now. I listened to this, and it's okay - I'd say even very good at times - but it's got me wondering if I like this band as an album band or more as a greatest hits band. Every Police album has some stupid shit and weird decisions on it, and this is no exception. A one-dimensional instrumental as the second song stops the album in its tracks right as it begins, and whatever's going on with "Does Everybody Stare" falls flat. That said, there are some songs that are absolute bangers that channel the punk-adjacent energy of the debut, with "It's Alright For You" and "No Time This Time" being highlights. I dunno, kind of a mixed bag on this one. A record that showcases The Police at both their scrappiest AND starting to show off the cliches and heavy-handedness that would form the worst stereotypes for haters of this band.
Garbage
The two songs you already know are good. The rest exists on a scale from dull to awful
Pretty good.
I dunno, I have tried. I like Walking on the Moon and Message in a Bottle but the rest is forgettable. Holding out now for Outlandos D’Amour to be the one that turns it round for me.
I like The Police, but I've always been a little skeptical of them. What do I mean by that? I think they're great, they're all amazing musicians, the write great songs, they're unique and have their own style... but that's where the problem comes in. As much as I like their style I can't help but have this nagging thought always in the back of my head that they're kind of a rip off. Sacrilege, I know. But I just think that sometimes they lean on the Jamaican/Reggae sound a little too much. Even to the point of it sounding like Sting is singing with a fake Jamaican accent. Maybe I'm crazy, but that's the one thing about this band that always nags me. Otherwise, great. This particular album is good, but aside from the hits nothing else stands out the way I wished it would. Still a really good album though.
I really liked!
Whoop whoop that's the sound of the police
This album kicks off with a cracking track, super lively, nice riff, driving bass. I get the feeling listening to this that the drum and bass are so focused on each other that it gives Andy Summer space to flit around them. It works in parts. By into each other i dont think ‘in the pocket’ or sympatico, I think competing for attention. Copeland’s drum are the star of this dish i feel. Now it isnt The Police’s fault but Aus Crawl put in such an effort to sound lile them and i dislike Aus Crawl that much, it drags the rating down here.
I am really disappointed with this album. Starting off with the great Message in A Bottle, and then… nothing until Walking on The Moon. And then nothing again. Bring on The Night and The Bed’s too Big are okay, but the rest are simply not good songs.
Andy Summers is criminally underrated in the mainstream.
tis gud, easy to listen to, nice vibes. Always loved Message in a Bottle
poliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice
Decent songs, really ruined by excessive ads from trying a different platform for listening. Familiar with a few already, not wanting to go back to
This is a pretty solid album. I’m not the biggest fan of The Police, but I think this is a very good representation of their work
I remember hearing this album when it came out when I was a freshman in college. My across the hall neighbor in the dorm had this album as well as their first album. 5 for the memories alone!
3.5 Message in a bottle is obviously great and a few of the other songs were pretty good but overall didn't quite hit for me
It's definitely appropriation, feels a bit uncomfortable listening to him sing in a weird fake Jamaican accent. Disregarding all that, every song slaps and I way prefer this mix of genres than standard reggae.
I've never listened to a police record apart from hearing the obvious hits on the radio. This is OK, at times it is a bit too quirky and frantic to properly enjoy. Great musicianship all round. Is it really reggae? Not for me to say. Bit cheeky calling it white reggae as if they own that genre but then again its not for me to say. Anyway, I'm fascinated by this band despite not really knowing their music. The drama and politics in the band would make for a great documentary. Maybe there is one, I haven't checked.
The Police put out 5 albums and honestly any of them could fit here. Not bad for a band that must have been impossible to properly promote. Oh yeah, the police are gonna be there? I'll pass. Anyway, I guess this is as good a second choice as any. I'd probably have gone Ghost in the Machine tho. We all know what the first choice is. The singles themselves are, well, singular. Message in a Bottle captures isolation and desperation beautifully alongside that iconic guitar line. Walking on the Moon FEELS like it's shimmering through zero-g and no oxygen. It's airy and bouncy and just haunted enough. Both of these would be fair competition for the best songs of the 80s if they weren't released in 1979. Flawless tracks and those alone set this up for a favorable rating. It's an unenviable task to be the rest of the album, then, and try to live up to that. And like, nothing is bad of course, but I think someone could tell what the singles were even if they heard this on random with no further context. For my money the best of the rest would probably be “Deathwish” but even the worst of the rest is still interesting. I do disagree with the concept of “the bed's too big without you” though. No such thing as a too big bed, lonely or not. I feel like this is a 3.5, maybe a bit higher, but I don't think it quite nears a 4, so i'll give it 3* in the generator.
Bring on the Night might be my favorite Police song of all time. There's a number of other great tracks on here too, but there are also a few that I don't care for. It's definitely an album worth revisiting.