Reggatta de Blanc by
The Police
Reggatta de Blanc is the second album by The Police, released in 1979.
"Message in a Bottle", a Sting-penned song about alienation, opens the album. It is followed by the mostly instrumental "Reggatta de Blanc", (the title being a pseudo-French translation referring to the albums style of "white reggae") one of the few songs written by all members of the Police. The instrumental piece came from the long instrumental break in the live performance of "Can’t Stand Losing You" and earned the band the 1981 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. "It’s Alright For You" is a driving punk-ish song featuring strong guitar and drum parts. The next three tracks, "Bring on the Night", a song about the execution of Gary Gilmore, "Deathwish", and "Walking on the Moon" all have a strong reggae feel to them. "On Any Other Day" features a rare lead vocal from Stewart Copeland, and is a humorous take on a middle-aged man’s mid-life crisis. "The Bed’s Too Big Without You" (later covered by reggae singer Sheila Hilton in 1981, which became a UK chart hit), an empty-feeling return to reggae follows. "Contact" and "Does Everyone Stare" are a pair of songs dealing with the connection, or lack thereof, between two individuals. The frenetic "No Time This Time" closes the album.
The album took only a few weeks (spaced over several months) to record, but unlike its successor Zenyatta Mondatta, there was no pressure on the band. As Stewart Copeland describes it, "We just went into the studio and said, ‘Right, who’s got the first song?’ We hadn’t even rehearsed them before we went in."
The album continued to build on the success of the band’s previous record, Outlandos D’Amour, hitting #1 on the UK charts upon its release in October 1979. "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon" were released as singles and both reached number one in Great Britain. It is the favorite Police album of Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers. In 2003, the album was ranked number 369 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Track listing:
1. Message in a Bottle – 4:51
2. Reggatta de Blanc (Stewart Copeland, Sting, Andy Summers) – 3:06
3. It’s Alright for You (Copeland, Sting) – 3:13
4. Bring on the Night – 4:16
5. Deathwish (Copeland, Sting, Summers) – 4:13
6. Walking on the Moon – 5:02
7. On Any Other Day (Copeland) – 2:57
8. The Bed’s Too Big Without You – 4:26
9. Contact (Copeland) – 2:38
10. Does Everyone Stare (Copeland) – 3:52
11. No Time This Time – 3:17All songs written by Sting unless otherwise indicated. Released: October 5, 1979. Recorded: February-August 1979. Length: 41:51. Label A&M. Producer(s): Stewart Copeland, Sting, Andy Summers, Nigel Gray
Personnel:
* Sting – bass, lead vocals
* Stewart Copeland – drums, vocals
* Andy Summers – guitar, vocals