“Outlandos D’Amour” by The Police - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1978Album Chart of the Decade: 1970s

TJR says

Just as well they called it “Outlandos d'Amour” coz “Outlaws of Love” just sounds naff! Cheap japes aside, this decent debut arrived in November '78, the London trio lining up: Gordon 'Sting' Sumner (27, bass guitar, vocals, harmonica), Andy Summers (35, guitar, backing vocals, spoken word, piano), Stewart Copeland (26, drums, percussion, backing vocals). It has three excellent singles to recommend it, all of which eventually became big UK hits, despite facing airplay challenges due to the controversial subject matter. Reggae rockers one and all, “Roxanne” (#12) sung about a French prostitute, “Can’t Stand Losing You” (#2) referenced teenage suicide and “So Lonely” (#6) talked about isolation and depression. They did well to get all that lot out there! Explaining a little about their brilliant reggae-rock fusion Sting later commented: “People thrashing out three chords didn't really interest us musically. Reggae was accepted in punk circles and musically more sophisticated, and we could play it, so we veered off in that direction. I mean let's be honest here, 'So Lonely' was unabashedly culled from 'No Woman No Cry' by Bob Marley & The Wailers. Same chorus. What we invented was this thing of going back and forth between thrash punk and reggae. That was the little niche we created for ourselves.” I nod my head in approval at this honesty and the modus operandi is rebel-approved; I only wish there was more of it.

The Jukebox Rebel
14–Jul–2016

Tracklist
A1 [02:55] 5.5.png The Police - Next To You (Gordon Sumner) Proto-Punk
A2 [04:50] 9.5.png The Police - So Lonely (Gordon Sumner) New Wave
A3 [03:12] 8.8.png The Police - Roxanne (Gordon Sumner) New Wave
A4 [04:55] 5.1.png The Police - Hole In My Life (Gordon Sumner) New Wave
A5 [04:02] 5.8.png The Police - Peanuts (Gordon Sumner, Stewart Copeland) Punk
B1 [02:59] 8.8.png The Police - Can’t Stand Losing You (Gordon Sumner) New Wave
B2 [02:55] 5.5.png The Police - Truth Hits Everybody (Gordon Sumner) Punk
B3 [03:45] 4.6.png The Police - Born In The ’50s (Gordon Sumner) Proto-Punk
B4 [03:24] 4.1.png The Police - Be My Girl / Sally (Gordon Sumner - Andy Summers) Novelty
B5 [05:42] 5.7.png The Police - Masoko Tanga (Gordon Sumner) New Wave

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