The Police - Regatta de Blanc (Music Monday)
The Bold Follow-Up That Proved The Police Were No Flukes
So you've been bingeing the newly-reissued Outlandos d'Amour and having your mind melted by just how uncompromising and ahead-of-its-time The Police's punk-reggae-jazz freakout of a debut was, eh? Good, that album's cult brilliance can never be overstated. But just wait'll you get a load of where Sting, Andy, and Stewart took things just one year later with their equally essential sophomore punch, Reggatta de Blanc.
If Outlandos was the spastic art-school statement of purpose, then Reggatta is where the trio truly synthesized their myriad influences into one of the most unique and invigorating sounds in rock. Forget those easy comparisons to The Clash or the punks - this record bares little resemblance to their so-called contemporaries. From its iconic Duran Duran-esque cover art to the sophisticated songwriting and adventurous genre mashups within, Reggatta de Blanc blazed a strange new trail.
This time it takes them just under 8 seconds to get to the vocals, with the killer leadoff “Message In A Bottle.” Then the “it’s actually filler” of "Reggatta de Blanc" (formerly a jam they used to drag “Can’t Stand Losing You” out to be ten minutes long when they didn’t have enough songs to fill a concert) and woozy rocker "It's Alright For You," you're dropped into a sonic landscape distinct from both the "punk" and standard "rock" camps. Those squiggling, worldbeat-inspired guitar tones, the liquid reggae grooves, Sting's increasingly literary lyricism - it all gelled into The Police's very own trademark aesthetic. One that pulled from punk's energy, rock's tunefulness, reggae's hypnotic sway, and downtown New York's avant-garde artiness without sounding too indebted to any one style.
That singularity is all over standouts like the metallic grind of "Deathwish" (has a more menacing rocker ever climbed the charts?), the oceanic dub rapture of "The Bed's Too Big Without You," and of course the mega-hit "Message In A Bottle" and the spacy “Waling On The Moon.”
And can we talk about that rhythm section for a second? The sheer pocketed mastery of Sting's fretless basslines and Stewart Copeland's polyrhythmic jazz-reggae fusion drumming is enough to make most contemporary rock bands hang their heads in shame. These guys were truly operating at a higher level, elevating simple pop/rock compositions into a dizzying high-wire act of offbeat time signatures and contrapuntal grooves. Many have tried, few have replicated.
“Bring On The Night” found new life with Sting’s solo band in 1985 (we’ll get to that), which has moved up in the Police pantheon over the years - interesting Andy Summers also plays it in his shows.
And the album rocks out to close with “No Time This Time” - a very Policey Police song with the band being vaguely punky for the final time (unless I am forgetting something)