The Police:I Can't, I Can't, I Can't Stand Losing You, Roxanne...
Written: Feb 06 '04 (Updated Feb 24 '04)
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Pros: 3 talented musicians create something new from an odd blend of sounds, styles and rhythms
Cons: those running from The Police - y'all just need to give up right now
The Bottom Line: If you're under twenty-five years old, I have news for you - Sting used to be in a band called The Police... one of the greatest bands ever
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| bob_tomato's Full Review: Outlandos d'Amour by The Police |
I loved you since I knew you...
Let's get the inevitable bad pun out of the way: I distinctly remember the first time I was arrested by The Police. It was the summer of 1979 and my best friend bought a copy of their second single A) Roxanne B) Peanuts - the single had hit #23 in the US charts in May. We tried to outdo each other in our impersonations of Sting's distinctive wail "RAHHHHHHXanne..." We should have been arrested for the crimes committed upon the ears of our families.
Though my early fascination with The Police would eventually grow into a serious obsession with Sting's solo career, I have always considered The Police to be one of the best bands ever formed, and one of my personal favorites. The Police were:
Sting: bass, lead vocal
Stewart Copeland: drums
Andy Summers: guitars
All three contributed their skills to songwriting and arranging, but Sting's compositions quickly became the primary focus of the group. Each of the band members had an extensive background with less-than-mainstream rock and jazz prior to the formation of The Police. Stewart was responsible for the creation of the band - it would be his first project after leaving the somewhat famous jazz/rock group Curved Air. Stewart had heard good things about a regionally popular band named Last Exit, and while attending their farewell concert, Stewart was impressed with Sting's skills with the bass and vocal ability. Sting had performed with many local jazz bands, including The Ronnie Pierson Trio, Earthrise, the Phoenix Jazz Band, the River City Jazz Band, the Newcastle Big Band, and finally, Last Exit. At first, guitar duties were handled by Henry Padovani, but it wasn't long before his shortcomings got him thrown out of the band, and replaced by the infinitely more capable Andy Summers. Summers had played with New Animals, and Zoot Money's Big Roll Band; the latter (later named Dantalion's Chariot) being one of the first bands a teenaged Sting saw performing live...
you don't care if it's wrong or if it's right...
In the late 1970's, punk rock was beginning to rear it's partially shaven head in the underground music scenes of London, Berlin and New York; punk was the best fit for the irrepressible energy of Stewart's manic rhythms - Sting commented in his recent memoir that Stewart always seemed to want to play everything as fast as possible. Punk was the best fit for Stewart's style, but Sting's jazz leanings and Andy's distinctive guitar style were anything but typical for the punk scene. Punk bands had latched onto reggae as a strong influence; reggae was seen as the similarly rebellious (though more laid back) cousin of punk. Reggae's vocal styles suited Sting's unique voice, and Andy managed to throw in strange chords and sounds as he chopped his way into the reggae sound - this only lasted until Stewart's overdrive would kick in, and The Police would take off at top speed, sirens wailing. This juxtaposition of styles, speeds and sounds, mixed together by Sting's strong pop songwriting, and played by three great musicians, struck an instant chord with the punk scene but was close enough to pop to be palatable for mainstream audiences. Well, the really big audiences came along with later releases, but their first album, Outlandos D'Amour, is a strong debut effort by anyone's standards.
I have to tell you just how I feel...
Simply stated, Outlandos D'Amour is not my favorite album by the band, and some of their weakest material appears here, but The Police's stripped-down style and enthusiasm elevates several songs into classic Police status. For me, the recording's first six songs follow a pattern - two good songs, followed by a great song - while the final four cuts are hit and miss (mostly miss).
Next To You and So Lonely are intensely frenetic, fabulous songs - the album jumps straight into high gear with these tracks. Stewart starts Next To You with some atypical working of the toms, then shifts into his more familiar hi-hat patterns at the end of the first verse, while Sting and Andy provide basic chords over the wild percussion throughout the song. So Lonely is the first example of the oft-used reggae verse, before the song changes into a straight ahead rocker in the chorus. Sting's voice is perfectly suited to both the reggae and rock sounds, and he reaches some of his highest notes ever in this song, providing backing vocals for himself. Andy gets in a typically strange guitar solo in the middle section, and a lone harmonica makes a quick appearance before the band spends some time improvising on the phrase "so lonely" - their jazz roots are showing even at this early stage. The song closes with the speed dial turned back to "way fast"...
Take a good listen to the first few measures of Roxanne - either someone goofed with the speed setting on the master recording, or The Police wanted to mess with the heads of people like me. The first few seconds of the song are nearly in another key, and the speed of the song is gradually increased until the music comes up to the actual key. Not sure WHY they'd do this on purpose, but it certainly makes for a memorable start to a truly legendary song. With this song, The Police found the perfect blending of reggae, rock, pop and distinctive lyrics - a lot of artists would kill to come up with a song so instantly memorable as Roxanne. I can safely assume that almost everyone over thirty has heard this song, and I can assure the rest of you who are now experimenting with music from this era that, if for no other reason, Roxanne is the reason to own this album. Now dust off that rusty Eddie Murphy/Sting impersonation, and sing along with me:
Roxanne
you don't have to put on the red light
those days are over
you don't have to sell your body to the night
Roxanne
you don't have to wear that dress tonight
walk the streets for money
you don't care if it's wrong or right
I loved you since I knew you
I wouldn't talk down to you
I have to tell you just how I feel
I won't share you with another boy
I know my mind is made up
so put away your make up
told you once I won't tell you again
it's a bad way
I guess it's all true...
Hole In My Life is the first appearance of another Police trademark - Sting's call and response sections. The song plods along in a rock four pattern, tempered by Stewart's syncopations, Andy's wavy chords, and some piano here and there. Sting's bass hadn't really done anything special in the album to this point, until the end of this song, where he takes over in the improvisation at the end of the song. The call and response is a simple "Yeah!" - Sting hadn't yet penned the classic "ee yohhh ee yo yo yo" yet. Peanuts really does showcase Sting's gifts with the bass, as he drives the song at top speed, punk attitude in full sneer. The middle eight contains one of Andy's more inspired guitar solos, and you will either love it or hate it; there is no middle ground with this sort of sound, jumbled notes and chords played almost haphazardly, yet somehow coherent in a strange way. Andy Summers is an acquired taste.
Back to a reggae verse, rock chorus structure for the wonderfully twisted Can't Stand Losing You. Another Police classic, this song is simple through the verse and chorus with another memorable middle section and unforgettable lyrics. Sting loves writing about complicated relationships, and Can't Stand Losing You is the first in a long line of great songs about pitiful characters dealing with rejection. This guy has ISSUES -
I've called you so many times today
And I guess it's all true what your girlfriends say
That you don't ever want to see me again
And your brother's gonna kill me and he's six feet ten...
I see you've sent my letters back
And my LP records and they're all scratched
I can't see the point in another day
When nobody listens to a word I say...
I guess this is our last goodbye
And you don't care so I won't cry
But you'll be sorry when I'm dead
And all this guilt will be on your head...
I can't, I can't
I can't stand losing
I can't stand losing you
I can't see the point...
The final four songs of Outlandos D'Amour are hit and miss - Truth Hits Everybody is a decent fast rocker but it's just another typical rock song for 1978 (there is one really interesting thing about this song - listen for the vocal foreshadowing of Synchronicity II in the middle - Sting is an unashamed recycler of his own material). Born In The 50's is a precursor to Billy Joel's We Didn't Start The Fire - Sting screams his way through a list of references to events in the 50's and 60's, and concludes with a verbal middle finger to the establishment. Born In The 50's is only a marginally better song than ...Fire - ouch.
Be My Girl - Sally starts out like another typical pop rock chorus, all peppy and hopeful sounding:
Won't you be my girl
Won't you be my girl
Won't you be my, be my,
Be my girl (repeat)
Heady stuff there - don't worry, it only lasts for fifty-two seconds... but then it gets, well, weird. You see, this is one of Andy's songs. To the accompaniment of a randomly plunked piano, and in his best "Clockwork Orange" creepy style, Andy reads a special poem about his new "girl" - all she really needs is a breath of fresh air...
Masoko Tanga is another interesting offering from the band - it has "vocals" (actually, it's just nonsensical gibberish), but this is really just an instrumental. The Police had several instrumentals on their albums, and Sting has had a few on his solo albums; usually, these songs allow the band to really stretch their jazz legs and create some very different sounds. I like this one somewhat - it's got the early Police reggae vibe turned up to the next level, and it's a nice groove that shows off their skills on their respective instruments, but it gets repetitive pretty quickly, and at nearly six minutes, it can become a bit much. The Police would do much better with the opening instrumental to their next album, the title track Regatta De Blanc...
mister foreman, have you reached a verdict?
Outlandos D'Amour is a strong debut effort by a truly great band, and you can easily spot the roots of today's punk and alternative styles throughout this recording. My twelve year old daughter is starting to listen to some of my collection, and she's finding that old geezers like Sting, Bowie, Gabriel, and heaven help us, even the lads from Liverpool, are actually fun to listen to. Many people from my generation will probably remember the band more for their later works, primarily Zenyatta Mondata, Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity, but Outlandos deserves more consideration than just a quickie with Roxanne...
move along now...
My Sting reviews
Album - The Dream Of The Blue Turtles
Album - Nothing Like The Sun
Album - The Soul Cages
Album - Ten Summoner's Tales
Album - Mercury Falling
Album - Brand New Day
Album - Sacred Love
Single - All This Time
Single - You Still Touch Me
Single - I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying
Single - Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot
VHS - The Soul Cages Concert
DVD - All This Time...(Sept 11 concert)
DVD - Inside: The Songs of Sacred Love
Book - Broken Music: A Memoir
More reviews of The Police coming soon!
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The Police - Outlandos D'Amour
Originally released in the UK in October 1978 by A&M Records
Track listing (Bold are my favorites)
Next To You / So Lonely / Roxanne / Hole In My Life / Peanuts / Can't Stand Losing You / Truth Hits Everybody / Born In The 50's / Be My Girl - Sally / Masoko Tanga
Total Time 40:38
Recommended:
Yes
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bob_tomato
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Member: Andrew
Location: Dallas Metroplex
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