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The Police - Outlandos D'Amour UHD (1978 - Rock) [Flac 24-192 SACD RIP]
In 1977 punk is at its peak: hard rock and prog, the bombastic genres that have dominated the last years of music, suddenly seem to be remnants of a bygone era, relegated to the status of old-fashioned by ferocious nihilism and outspoken simplicity of the groups of the moment. At the same time, many musicians who had made a name for themselves with that music that now seems good only for aging dinosaurs are suddenly forced to invent something new; one of these, the American Stewart Copeland, who had played with Curved Air and acquired a particularly eclectic style, decides to go directly to the enemy by forming a punk group, calling with him the guitarist Henry Padovani and a skilled singer he met in a club. named Gordon Matthews Thomas Sumner, better known as Sting; after the first shows, characterized by contrasts with punks who consider them fundamentally sinister opportunists, but also by a considerable energy, the group begins to write songs in view of a recording debut: if initially the main composer is the drummer, slowly Sting's compositions take over and the band, initially called Strontium 90 and then The Police, begins to move away from punk to embrace a curious hybrid between the energy of punk, the incisiveness of rock 'n' roll and reggae melodies. The hybrid in question attracts a guitarist ten years older than the three members of the group, a professional with a wealth of experience behind him, whom Copeland welcomes with enthusiasm; his name is Andy Summers and, shortly thereafter, the other guitarist Henry Padovani leaves the group, realizing that it is impossible to keep up from a technical point of view.
The classic three-man line-up of The Police, one of the most famous rock bands of the 80s, is therefore complete and the three, without any kind of restraint, shape their first album, Outlandos d'Amour, which sees the light in 1978 . The full-length, despite being only the debut and although the band has, on balance, been active for only a year, already presents a group of extraordinary skill and maturity, capable as mentioned of wisely mixing the winning elements of a group of musical genres to give life to a very special punk-reggae. Next to You, incipit of the album, is by far the most exquisitely punk track on Outlandos d'Amour, but it combines the disruptive force of the genre with arrangements not necessarily reduced to the bone, complete with a solo, simple but effective, by Summers ; in short, the album has just started and the band has already composed a classic! So Lonely, another song that sticks in the brain and does not come out even after an eviction injunction, it is vice versa the first that explicitly reveals the influence of reggae: the upbeat rhythm and the bass in evidence, always played by the singer, they are the most immediately recognizable elements, but Summers, instead of limiting himself to accompanying the rhythm section, decides to have fun by unleashing a solo that this time has little or nothing simple. Does this blend work, what do you think? And, just to avoid mistakes, we also put a humming chorus in the shower with a catchy melody and here is Roxanne, the first big hit of the band: the song, a perfect combination of the elements analyzed so far, encountered numerous problems at the time by way of of his text, which talks about love for a prostitute (to make a metalhead comparison, we could define her as The Police's Charlotte the Harlot) and remains one of the most famous, as well as one of the most beautiful ever to come out of Sting's prolific pen. Hole in My Life focuses on the repetitiveness of the vocal lines, almost obsessive and in truth it is appreciated more for its exquisitely rock instrumental part, which highlights a rhythm section still in great shape and a Summers that brushes here and there with the its six strings. Peanuts takes us back to faster and more light-hearted rhythms, borrowed from punk, but without that aggression that distinguishes Next to You itself, with bass and drums in the foreground up to about a minute and thirty seconds from the start, when the guitar , hitherto absolutely in shadow, explodes in all its power. This punk didn't do it… also because, in many cases, punk guitarists weren't able to do it! To season everything, to never forget the group's desire to experiment and amaze, in the second half of the song we also find a nice trumpet graft. Can't Stand Losing You dusts off the reggae of Roxanne and So Lonely, adding a pleasant Queen-style choral bridge; it is a song of incredible simplicity, without a trace of that virtuosity that even at times the members of the band have already demonstrated several times, yet it works wonderfully.
The duo Truth Hits Everybody / Born in the 50s still brings us back to the dear, old rock 'n' roll veiled in punk frankness and focuses on the easy listening refrain, although in the second Sting he allows himself some vocal lines more biting and harsh than usual . The album ends first with Be my Girl - Sally, a discreet pop rock song with a very long interlude recited and then with Masoko Tanga, a song where Sting's voice remains in the background for once, overwhelmed by instruments, tribal drums above all.
Although it was not immediately appreciated at the time of its publication, Outlandos d'Amour largely deserves a re-evaluation: perhaps it does not present the refinement, taste and perfection of the later Reggatta de Blanc, but its energy and its relatively immature being. they make an equally fascinating album, I would say essential for those who love The Police and for those who in general do not disdain to discover all the nuances that the wonderful music called rock, which we all love so much, can possess. Furthermore, wanting to be even more simplistic, Outlandos d’Amour presents a series of songs that cannot fail to fascinate the listener. Basically, make it yours and undoubtedly you will not regret it!
Tracklist:
1. The Police - Next To You
2. The Police - So Lonely
3. The Police - Roxanne
4. The Police - Hole In My Life
5. The Police - Peanuts
6. The Police - Can't Stand Losing You
7. The Police - Truth Hits Everybody
8. The Police - Born In The 50's
9. The Police - Be My Girl - Sally
10. The Police - Masoko Tanga
Playing Time.........: 38:11
Total Size...........: 1366,62 MB
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