Review Summary: Reggatta de Blanc stands the test of time as one of the greatest albums of the post-punk and new wave era, improving in almost every way upon The Police's debut album.
The Police’s second album, 1979’s
Reggatta de Blanc, improves in almost every way upon their debut
Outlandos d’Amour with catchy riffs and slick reggae grooves, coupled with superb instrumentation and lyrics. The classic opening guitar line in the single “Message In A Bottle” is enough to draw the listener in and keep them interested for the whole 42 minute album. The Police further mix their punk rock roots with reggae and jazz influences to create an album that has great variety in song structure and feeling while retaining the energy of their previous album.
The instrumentation by The Police is superb on
Reggatta de Blanc. Stewart Copeland brings his drumming to the forefront on this album with his loose yet technically brilliant playing on songs like “Walking On The Moon,” “Contact,” and the title track “Reggatta de Blanc.” The cymbal work on “Contact” and “Walking On The Moon” is nothing short of extraordinary, as Copeland mixes complex rhythms on the cymbals and drum fills with his inherent metronome on the kick and snare drums. “Reggatta de Blanc” won The Police the 1980 Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance and it is easy to see why when listening. Copeland pounds out intricate polyrhythms on the drums while Sting provides the driving bass line and vocal chant, and Andy Summers lays down echoic guitar chords overtop to create an amazing sound collage.
Reggatta de Blanc took a mere four weeks to record, and was entirely financed by profits from The Police’s debut album
Outlandos d’Amour. This gave the band total creative control over the music on the album and it profits as a result. Some have criticized the lack of planning and organization that led to The Police using little new material and using elements of old songs to create new ones, but
Reggatta de Blanc still shines despite the presence of a few filler songs. “On Any Other Day” and the last two songs “Does Everyone Stare” and “No Time This Time” specifically feel like songs that were intended just to fulfil the time requirements of the album, in fact “No Time This Time” was already used as a B-side for the single “So Lonely” off their first album. However these gap-filling songs are forgotten in the presence of fantastic tracks like the single “Walking On The Moon,” a smooth reggae influenced track that became one of The Police’s best known songs, and “The Bed Is Too Big Without You,” which showcases each band member’s unique instrumental style.
Reggatta de Blanc is perhaps the best album by The Police; every song with a few minor time-filling exceptions is catchy and expertly performed. The album was a huge success, reaching number one on the UK charts along with its two main singles “Message In A Bottle” and “Walking On The Moon.” The Police perfected their inimitable blend of reggae, punk rock, and new wave on this album and it was their last power trio album of the 1970’s before synths took over in the 80’s.
Reggatta de Blanc stands the test of time as one of the greatest albums of the post-punk and new wave era, and rewards the listener time and time again.
5/5
