The Police – Live 1979
Introduction
In 1979 I was still a Queen fan, but the ska-revival would soon end that permanently. A short while before that there was another new band I really liked: The Police. Their debut album was good, but it was the second album, Reggatta De Blanc, I liked even more.
The Police
The Police was made up of singer/bass player Sting (real name Gordon Sumner), drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers and was active from 1977 to 1986. In 2007 and 2008 they reunited for a world tour.
In January 1977 Copeland and Sting jammed for the first time and they liked what they heard. With guitarist Henry Padovani The Police was founded. They played their very first show on March 1, 1977 and on May 1 their debut single Fall Out was released. During a short intermezzo under the moniker Strontium 90, Copeland and Sting met guitarist Andy Summers. Padovani’s days were numbered. Quickly, the band enlisted Summers.
On August 18, 1977, the definite 3 man version of The Police performed for the very first time. Copeland in particular was very interested in the punk scene that was in full bloom all over London. In the beginning Copeland wrote a lot of the band’s songs, which fit the punk templates, but it was obviously clear the band didn’t have much in common with the current punk bands. The energy most certainly was there, but the band was way more adventurous musically. The Police wasn’t taken seriously by the punk scene.
The Police – Outlandos d’Amour
In February 1978 the band was asked to do a commercial. The condition was they bleached their hair, which they did. It would become an important trademark for the band. Copeland’s older brother Miles agreed to manage the band and paid for the recording costs for their debut album, Outlandos d’Amour. When the band came up with Roxanne a record deal was reached with record company A&M Records. Roxanne was released as a single on April 7, 1978, when the band was still working on their debut album. Despite high hopes, the single wasn’t a hit.
On November 17, 1978, Outlandos d’Amour was released. The album was successful in the UK and Europe and even mildly popular in the US. The Police quickly turned into a name to follow, so a successor to the debut had to materialize as quickly as possible. Just three months after the release of their debut album, the band was in the studio again (from February 13 to 24, 1979), followed by a tour, followed by a second stint in the studio (July 16 to August, 1979). The band did have some material, but not too much. Yet, the recording process went fairly smooth. In a December 1979 interview with Trouser Press drummer Stewart Copeland said: “It was a real easy album for us to record; it only took three or four weeks. ‘Outlandos’ was recorded over a six-month period in bits and pieces. On ‘Reggatta’ we actually cancelled two weeks of studio time. This time the material wasn’t rehearsed but the band was. We knew each other’s styles because we’d been playing together constantly for eight months, which we hadn’t been doing when we recorded the first album.”
The Police – Reggatta De Blanc
Reggatta De Blanc
On October 2, 1979, the second album by The Police, Reggatta De Blanc, was released. The title continues the ‘language’ of their first album, which combines English and French into a non-existent term. “Reggatta de blanc” can be translated to “reggae of whites” or “white reggae”. The album was recorded at the same studio with the same producer as their debut, very much against the wishes of record company A&M.
The album was a compilation of older work, music played at live concerts (Reggatta De Blanc) and new material, which clearly showed Sting’s development as a composer. The album was lauded by critics all over the world and the album sold really well, also in the US. The album was generally regarded as the professional, grown-up version of their debut album. The band themselves were very pleased with the result. Sting cites the album as the start of his trust in his abilities as a composer, Stewart Copeland calls it his favorite Police album. Sources say that Andy Summers shares this opinion (although I haven’t been able to confirm that).
The opener Message In A Bottle starts the album off beautifully. A great, perfect pop song, as Sting would write a lot of in the years to come. The title song is vintage Police, open chords, genius drums (including perfectly times echo effects) and an exciting rocking end. Bring On The Night introduces world music and mixes it with reggae. Second single Walking On the Moon was a huge worldwide hit and is one of the most well-known Police songs. On Any Other Day (one of three songs written by Stewart Copeland) is an ironic song about minor setbacks in and around the house. The Bed’s Too Big Without You is part of the Breakups, 25 songs about the end of a relationship list. Supposedly, the song is based on Sting’s first girlfriend who committed suicide after the breakup. The Copeland song Does Everyone Stare, again, is vintage Police. The album is closed by Not Time At All, the B-side to the 1978 So Lonely single.
The Police – Cooling down after the Pinkpop show – 06/04/1979
The Police in The Netherlands
In The Netherlands The Police were a resounding success. Outlandos d’Amour was well received, but following the sensational performance at the Dutch festival Pinkpop at Geleen on June 4, 1979, The Police, for a while at least, were the biggest band in the land, especially among music lovers. At the Pinkpop show The Police debuted their latest song Message In A Bottle. The closing coda of Can’t Stand Losing You was the precursor to the song Reggatta De Blanc. See the recordings of Roxanne during the first big show by The Police in the sub article The Police at Pinkpop 1979. The bravado, nerves and eventual euphoria are great and moving.
Following the release of the Reggatta De Blanc album it stormed to the first position of the Dutch album charts and remained there for 8 consecutive weeks. An unprecedented achievement, especially for a new band. No other Police album would be as popular ever again. The only other Police album that would end up on the first position of the Dutch charts was Ghost In The Machine, but that lasted for ‘just’ 1 week.
The ‘serious’ press was genuinely excited as well. On October 16, 1979, Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant published a large article titled “Class by The Police reaches Stones-level”. It inspired the Dutch satirical duo Koot and Bie to broadcast an item in their weekly television program. See sub article The Police and Dutch satire by Koot and Bie in 1979. The role Sting played in the 1979 movie Quadrophenia (derived from the rock album by The Who), only enlarged the band’s status.
The Police – 1979
Liner notes
On Sting‘s website the following liner notes can be found with the entry about the Reggatta De Blanc album.
A brief three months after their debut album ‘Outlandos d’Amour’ was released, The Police were back in Surrey Sound Studios recording tracks for their second album. This time there was a distinct air of confidence about the sessions. Whereas the debut was recorded piecemeal over six months or so, ‘Reggatta de Blanc’ came together very quickly, with the band actually cancelling two weeks of studio time that they did not require. Stewart Copeland recalled, “This time the material wasn’t rehearsed but the band was. We knew each other’s styles because we’d been playing together constantly for eight months, which we hadn’t been doing when we recorded the first album. ‘Reggatta’ took us three weeks to record. We just went into the studio and said ‘right, who’s got the first song!'”
Sting was equally positive about the recording, “That was where it all clicked. There was so much happening in my writing and singing, Stewart’s and Andy’s playing, and suddenly it all meshed together. We had reggae influences in our vocabulary and they became synthesised into our infrastructure until it was utterly part of our sound and you couldn’t really call it reggae anymore. It was just the way we played. I think ‘Reggatta’ was that moment for us.”
A mere week after starting the session, the band were filmed at a one-off show at Hatfield Polytechnic for the BBC series ‘Rock Goes To College’, and they debuted a new song they were working on, ‘Message in a Bottle’. Interrupting the recording for another tour of the States and a short UK tour the Police returned to Surrey Sound in August 1979 to complete the album before headlining the Reading Festival. ‘Reggatta’ was released in early October and certainly lived up to the expectations raised by the release of ‘Message In A Bottle’ a month previously, and stayed at the number one spot for four weeks. The band set off once more for the States before returning to the UK for a sell-out tour of major venues – Police fever had struck, and they were THE band of 1979.
Apart from a further three classic songs in the shape of ‘Message In A Bottle’, ‘Walking On The Moon’ and ‘The Bed’s Too Big Without You’, the album featured several other strong tracks such as ‘Bring On The Night’, ‘Deathwish’ and several of Stewart Copeland’s catchy, quirky tunes.
© sting.com
The Police – Reggatta De Blanc – Poster
Review
I bought the album Outlandos d’Amour in the summer of 1979 and loved it. I especially loved the drums! I was a Stewart Copeland fan, his playing was an integral part of the music and the sound of the band. His contrary rhythms provided an entirely unique feel. In combination with the open chords by Summers and Sting’s voice it created the unique Police experience.
When the second album was released I bought it fairly quickly (I’m not sure whether or not I bought it immediately). The Koot and Bie on The Police item was legendary. It gave the band a kind of flair that wasn’t bestowed on a lot of pop music at the time.
My favorite songs were the title song Reggatta De Blanc (listen to that amazing drums and the attack on the snare by Copeland) and The Bed’s Too Big Without You. That rang true then and it rings true now. The album has one stinker though: Contact. A baffling ugly song (that bass is horrible). But, it’s the only one, all the other songs are exciting and original.
The main difference with Outlandos d’Amour is the sound, that is maybe a little more professional, but I think it’s got more to do with the explosive development the band went through. It wasn’t just Sting who felt more and more secure in his role and abilities, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers felt the same way. The band had grown and experimented organically with familiar and new influences, like the reggae, rock and punk from the debut album, but also jazz and world music.
I am in full accordance with Stewart Copeland: Reggatta De Blanc is my all-time favorite Police album!
The Police – Reggatta De Blanc – Singles
Singles
No less than 4 singles were culled from the Reggatta De Blanc album.
- Message In A Bottle
(released on September 7, 1979) - Walking On The Moon
(released on November 23, 1979) - Bring On The Night
(released in January 1980, US) - The Bed’s Too Big Without You
(released on May 30, 1980, UK)
The Police – Reggatta De Blanc – Back cover
Songs
All songs written by Sting, unless stated otherwise.
- Message In A Bottle
- Reggatta De Blanc (Andy Summers, Sting, Stewart Copeland)
- It’s Alright For You (Sting, Stewart Copeland)
- Bring On The Night
- Deathwish (Andy Summers, Sting, Stewart Copeland)
- Walking On The Moon
- On Any Other Day (Stewart Copeland)
- The Bed’s Too Big Without You
- Contact (Stewart Copeland)
- Does Everyone Stare (Stewart Copeland)
- No Time This Time
The Police – Reggatta De Blanc – Inner sleeve
Musicians
“All noises by the Police. All arrangements by the Police.”
- Sting – bass, vocals
- Andy Summers – guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Stewart Copeland – drums, vocals, guitar and bass on It’s Alright For You and On Any Other Day, piano on No Time This Time
The Police – Reggatta De Tour – Tour program
After Reggatta De Blanc
Reggatta De Blanc‘s title song gave The Police their first Grammy, for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. In March 1980 The Police went out on their first world tour, during which images were shot for a BBC documentary, The Police Around the World, that was broadcast in 1982. In October 1980 the third album, Zenyatta Mondatta, was released. By then I was fully emerged in ska and I was done with The Police. For the rest of the world it actually started around that time. The singles Don’t Stand So Close To Me and De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da turned into global hits.
Soon after Zenyatta Mondatta‘s release Stewart Copeland released a solo album. Using the name Klark Kent, Copeland already had a small hit 1978. In 1980 the EP Klark Kent was released, which wasn’t successful.
On October 2, 1981, two years to the day after Reggatta De Blanc the fourth Police album, Ghost In The Machine, was released, an album that added saxophone and synthesizer to the band’s sound. With Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Invisible Sun and Spirits In The Material World the album contained major hits. After a tour the band went on a break. Sting played in a number of films, including David Lynch’s Dune, Andy Summers recorded an album (his first) with Robert Fripp and Stewart Copeland composed the soundtrack to Francis Ford Coppola’s movie Rumble Fish. The elongated break took its toll on the relationship between Sting and the others, especially Copeland.
Stewart Copeland (1981) ‘Fuck Off You Cunt’ – Message to?
Despite the growing discontent and Sting’s control over the band and its output, the band managed to finish another album. The fifth (and final) studio album by The Police was released on June 17, 1983: Synchronicity. The recording sessions were far from ideal. Every member played their parts individually and overdubs were also done separately. But, the success was equally huge. With Every Breath You Take the album contained an evergreen of epic proportions.
From July 1983 to March 1984 the band toured. While on tour Sting decided he wanted to pursue a solo career. Following the tour the band was on a temporary hiatus. Sting took part in Band Aid and Live Aid, recorded his first solo album (The Dream Of The Blue Turtles) and went out on tour. His solo success equaled The Police’s with ease. In the meantime he also contributed to music by Dire Straits and Phil Collins and worked on the Miles Davis album You’re Under Arrest. In 1985 Stewart Copeland released the great album The Rhythmatist and Andy Summers recorded another album with Robert Fripp.
The Police – The last 3 (studio) albums
In June 1986 The Police reconvened for a number of shows for the Amnesty International A Conspiracy of Hope tour. In July the band went into the studio with the intent on making the next Police album, but nothing came of it. Late 1986 the band split up. In the following years Sting had an extremely successful solo career, Stewart Copeland focused on television and movie soundtracks and Andy Summers started his own career, less visible and successful in comparison with the other two.
Besides some guest roles on each other’s albums, The Police never played together during all those years, with the exception of August 22, 1992, Sting’s wedding day. That didn’t mean that The Police went out of the limelight. Several compilations were put together and released, of which the beautiful 1993 Message In A Box: The Complete Recordings has to be name-checked. In 1995 the album Live! was released, consisting of concert recordings dating from November 27, 1979, during the Reggatta De Blanc tour and November 2, 1983, recorded during the band’s last tour.
The Police 09/14/2007 concert ticket
On March 10, 2003, the band got together for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where they played 3 songs. On January 22, 2007, it was announced that The Police would be playing Roxanne at the 2007 Grammy Awards show. An elaborate tour was also announced, which commenced in May 2007 and it ended in August 2008. I visited the show on September 14, 2007, in Amsterdam, which I found terribly disappointing. While the band was still on the road the band claimed that this tour was all there was ever going to be: “There will be no new album, no big new tour. Once we’re done with our reunion tour, that’s it for The Police.” This wasn’t entirely true, because on November 11, 2008, Certifiable: Live In Buenos Aires was released, a recording from the reunion tour.
In closing
What’s your take on The Police and Reggatta De Blanc? Let me know!
Video/Spotify
This story contains an accompanying video. Click on the following link to see it: Video: The Police release their greatest album in 1979: Reggatta De Blanc. The A Pop Life playlist on Spotify has been updated as well.
