Andy Summers "XYZ" (1987)

XYZ [debut]
release date: Dec. 1987
format: vinyl (254 783-1) / digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Andy Summers, David Hentschel
label: MCA Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Love Is the Strangest Way" - 2. "How Many Days?" - 3. "Almost There" - 4. "Eyes of a Stranger" - 6. "Scary Voices" - 7. "Nowhere" - 10. "Hold Me"

Solo studio album debut by former The Police guitarist, Andy Summers (aka Andrew James Somers) who had previously released two collaboration albums with Robert Fripp: I Advance Masked (1982) and Bewitched (1984), and contributed on soundtracks for films: The Wild Life (1984), 2010 (1984) and for the TV-series "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" (1986). Aside from being primary songwriter and composer - four tracks (tracks #2, #7, #8, and #10) are co-composed with producer Hentschel, who also provides keyboards and drum programming - Summers is credited as vocalist, which actually works more than just Okay, however, it's nevertheless his first and only album on which he provides lead vocals.

Musically, this isn't closely linked to the music by The Police. In fact, it has more in common with music by John Cale and Peter Gabriel with its bolder fusion rock and jazz fusion elements and a more obvious art rock approach. Yes, you can easily detect the guitar-sound of Summers, which has always made me wonder why he was never credited the music by The Police, 'cause how could Sting have written and arranged the songs telling Andy how to play the guitar?!

"Love Is the Strangest Thing" is the only single taken from an album, which wasn't exactly met by positive reviews, and it was basically seen as a commercial failure, which didn't have MCA invest further in Summers' career.

Personally, I purchased the album only to hear what the great guitarist of The Police could do on his own. Had I listened to it first, I may not have used money on it but I'm glad I did. No, it didn't sell and it wasn't met by acclaim, but in retrospect, I do think it's much better than rumour has it. Summers may have givin up singing after this, and because of this - the following tour and the sales numbers from the album didn't exactly encourage him to persue a career as vocalist, which I think is a shame. On this, he actually comes close to the sonic of Peter Gabriel. The music is close to that - perhaps too close - which may have had critics reject it as an original work.

XYZ is Summers' first solo album. It didn't turn out as intended - the music industry leeds its own unpredictable life. Overall, I think it's worth much more than a listen or two. It's flaw isn't because of the production sound, the mixing, nor in the song material but may likely be a result of missing personnel. A featuring artist (say Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, John Cale) here and there could likely have lifted this album from obscurity and brought it into the starlight. I do believe this very album is an example of how there's only a thin line between failure and success. "How Many Days" and "Nowhere" are both strong enough to make it to popular radio choices, but they weren't chosen as singles. The album is more than a decent first one out. It could arguably have been better arranged but the song material is there.

[ 👎allmusic.com 2 / 5 stars ]

The Police "Every Breath You Take - The Singles" (1986)

Every Breath You Take - The Singles (compilation)
release date: Oct. 25, 1986
format: vinyl / cd
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: various
label: A&M Records - nationality: England, UK

Compilation album by The Police containing twelve A-side singles listed in chronological order and spanning all of the band's five studio albums from 1978 to '83. This is the band's first official compilation. The first three albums are each represented with two singles, whereas three singles stem from each of the last two studio albums. Only "Don't Stand so Close to Me '86" (track #6) is a new recording with a different arrangement from the original 1980 single.
Since the first issue, this album has been re-issued, re-packaged and remastered in various editions with new titles by A&M Records. An identical repackaged version was released as Their Greatest Hits in 1990, which appears as the blue-print for the expanded Greatest Hits (1992) - a 16-track release with four additional non-singles thrown in here and there, and then Every Breath You Take - The Classics (1995), where the original '86 release was expanded to a 14-track single cd, only adding two tracks to the original tracklist. In '96 that very same issue became Greatest Hits (of course: a 'new' title requires a new cover... but they are identical). The curious thing is that the two 'Greatest Hits' issues ('92 and '96) were released by the same label (A&M, who have released all official albums by The Police) but these two albums have different tracklistings, whereas the 'The Classics' (95) and the 'Greatest Hits' ('96 version) appear as identical issues with different titles and covers. Well, profit in the making.
Personally, I like the idea of releasing all singles in chronological order, regardless sales numbers and popularity. As often is the case with this kind of releases, the money men of record companies soon focus on how you attract most customers, and you may not do that by putting the band's most popular songs at the end or by including songs that wasn't big hits, but in this case the various reissues are quite close to the original idea - and then of course: there's only one version of an A-side singles' issue.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

4 other similar issues from A&M

Their Greatest Hits (1990) (new title, new cover but identical tracklist)	Greatest Hits (1992) (expanded to 16-tracks, 4 additional tracks thrown in here and there)	Every Breath You Take - The Classics (1995) (remastered & expanded to 14-tracks with 2 additional tracks apperaring at the end)	Greatest Hits (1996) (new title, new cover but identical to '95 compilation 'The Classics')

The Police "Synchronicity" (1983)

Synchronicity
release date: Jun. 17, 1983
format: vinyl / cd / cd (2003 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,73]
producer: The Police & Hugh Padgham
label: A&M Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: A) 2. "Walking in Your Footsteps" - 3. "O My God" - 4. "Mother" - 6. "Synchronicity II" (4,5 / 5) - - B) 1. "Every Breath You Take" (4 / 5) - 2. "King of Pain" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" (4 / 5) - 4. "Tea in the Sahara" (4 / 5)

5th and final studio album by The Police follows 1½ years after their most recent album, Ghost in the Machine (Oct. 1981). What remains intact is the choice of co-producer Hugh Padgham - and the songwriting credits are (as usual) reserved Sting as exclusive name on eigth out of ten tracks with Copeland alone being resposible for "Miss Gradenko" (track #A5) and Summers having his only second exclusive song (track #A4) in the band's discography.
Here, the band utilize all their stylistic sources of inspiration for the better. Most tracks all contain elements of jazz, synthpop, fusion rock and more contemporary pop / rock but still maintaining a quite homogeneous output - much contrary to what didn't succeed on the predecessor.
The album is the band's number 1, best-selling, and best-awarded album. In my mind, that has to do with chosing what the people want. It's a fine example of knowing what most of their fans enjoy, which makes me think of Coldplay (from a contemporary perspective), although, I find The Police a more substantial band, but that's also ultimately the reason that it's not one of my favourite The Police albums. I simply find it too slick, too sweet, and a bit boring in the long run. It seems they have given in trying to progress artistically. Yes, it contains great pop songs, and "Mother" is a nice funny and daring ingredient but the colour remains the same. "Every Breath You Take" is possibly the bands most popular song ever. I just find that the title track (track #6) together with "King of Pain" are the best on this album.
Synchronicity won the 1984 Grammy Award for Best Album of The Year, Best Song ("Every Breath.."), and just as the band's previous three albums, it made it to number #1 on the UK albums chart list, just as it did in a number of other countries. It's the only album by the band to top the chart on the US Billboard 200 in USA.
After touring with the new album, the band was found disputing internally, and they officially took a break from one another. Sting threw himself into the project that would be released as his first solo album, and both Copeland and Summers became occupied with solo projects. After what should have been a get-together and a projected new album in '86, the band only managed to re-record the single "Don't Stand so Close to Me '86" after which The Police officially disbanded in 1986 while releasing their first compilation album Every Breath You Take: The Singles (Oct. 1986).
Synchronicity is the second album by The Police to be included in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 4,5 / 5 stars ]

The Police "Ghost in the Machine" (1981)

Ghost in the Machine
release date: Oct. 2, 1981
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,43]
producer: The Police & Hugh Padgham
label: A&M Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: A) 1. "Spirits in the Material World" (4 / 5) - 2. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (5 / 5) - 3. "Invisible Sun" - 4. "Hungry for You (J'aurais toujours faim de toi)" - - B) 2. "Rehumanize Yourself" - 3. "One World (Not Three)"

4th studio album by The Police follows the schedule of releasing a new album after one year. As replacement for Nigel Gray, the band here introduces Hugh Padgham as co-producer. As on Zenyatta Mondatta Sting maintains the role as primary songwriter. He is once again sole songwriter and composer of eigth out of eleven compositions with Andy Summers being limited as provider of one song only (track #B4) and Copeland as co-composer (with Sting) on one track (track #B2) and solely credited one song (track #B6).
A new style is introduced with the strong opening track, the keyboard-driven "Spirits in the Material World". The track really opens the album in a way that makes you curious for the rest of the album, but it quickly turns out as the band's least coherent, imho. The following track "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" is the album's strongest hit but with only two great tracks, the album as a whole remains a bit of a disappointing affair.
Ghost in the Machine has been lauded as great, as a daring and fine artistic work by great musicians, but aside from the first two tracks, I find it a difficult listen, throughout. As was the case with the band's previous two albums, this also topped the albums chart list in the UK, Australia, France, and in a number of other countries, thus being a highly successful release. Altogether, the album demonstrates a huge change of style with synthpop, experimental jazz, and fusion rock, but as a whole, and despite fine work on the production aspect, I find it... of only little interest and also the band's weakest album.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 ]

The Police "Zenyattà Mondatta" (1980)

Zenyattà Mondatta
release date: Oct. 3, 1980
format: vinyl / cd (reissue) / cd (2014 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,98]
producer: The Police, Nigel Gray
label: A&M Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: A) 1. "Don't Stand so Close to Me" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Driven to Tears" - 3. "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around" - 4. "Canary in a Coalmine" (4 / 5) - - B) 1. "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Behind My Camel" (4 / 5) - 3. "Man in a Suitcase" (4,5 / 5) - 4. "Shadows in the Rain"

3rd studio album by The Police follows one year after Reggatta de blanc, and like that it includes Nigel Gray as co-producer. Sting is here back as undisputed songswriter being credited eigth out of eleven tracks. Summers provides one song only (track #B2), and Copeland is credited two songs (tracks #A6 and #B5).

Again, the band has changed style, although this time it's more of a subtle turn. The strong jazz and fusion element is more subdued and the album appears as less experimental with a bolder mainstream pop / rock profile. Fans all over the world immediately embraced the album, it won them several awards, however, critics were less enthusiastic about the broader appeal and a turn to "easy" money. But it goes down as the band's confirmation of their breakthrough on both sides of the Atlantic with Reggatta de blanc.

I have always thought of their first three albums as a trilogy, and it makes sense in more than one way. These three have all been given strange or non-English titles. They're all founded on basically the three instruments the trio handles: bass, guitar, and drums / percussion, and they all include tracks of fast, short new wave tracks, whereas the last two studio albums have much more complex orchestration with keyboards, horns and strings, aside from having less reggae-inspired compositions.

Anyway, this album plays a major part of my youth and the music I listened to just before throwing myself over punk rock. So in that sense this is a fine link between traditional pop / rock of the 1970s and new musical styles. Just like their previous album, Zenyattà ended up on top of the UK albums chart list, a position it also made in Australia and in France.

In my book, this is their second-best album overall, and definitely one to know of.

[ allmusic.com 5 / 5, Rolling Stone Album Guide 4,5 / 5 stars ]

The Police "Reggatta de blanc" (1979)

Reggatta de blanc
release date: Oct. 2, 1979
format: vinyl / cd (1991 reissue) / cd (2013 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,07]
producer: The Police, Nigel Gray
label: A&M Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) 1. "Message in a Bottle" (5 / 5) - 2. "Reggatta de blanc" - 3. "It's Alright for You" (4 / 5) - 4. "Bring on the Night" (4 / 5) - 5. "Deathwish" - - B) 1. "Walking on the Moon" (4 / 5) - 2. "On Any Other Day" (4 / 5) - 3. "The Bed's Too Big Without You" (5 / 5) - 4. "Contact" - 5. "Does Everyone Stare" - 6. "No Time This Time" (3,5 / 5)

2nd studio album by The Police following 11 months after the debut and it introduces Nigel Gray as co-producer of the first of two albums by the band.
The album introduces a change of style, which I initially, and for the first months, experienced as disappointing. Gone are the fast and simple new wave 3-chord compositions with lots of rock-energy. Instead, the album is packed with complexity, jazz chords and effect pedals en mass but also with a broader repertoire of percussions and cymbals. The strong "It's Alright for You" is the only track that appears to continue the classic rock style found on the debut. The style is not clear or the same throughout the album but it does feel quite tight - perhaps aided by the amount of complexity and brilliant use of a founding rhythm section despite being reggae, jazz, or new wave-oriented compositions. Sting is still primary songwriter but it turns out as the album by the band to have most songs written and composed by Summers and Copeland. Sting is alone credited five out of a total of eleven compositions. Summer is credited as co-composer of two (the title track and #A5), and Copeland is both co-composer on two tracks (the title track and #A5) but also exclusively credited three tracks (#B2, #B4 and #B5).
Regatta de blanc was their first to reach number #1 on the UK album chart list as it also did in The Netherlands, and in Australia, thanks to the strong singles "Message in a Bottle", "Walking on the Moon", and "The Bed's Too Big Without You".
The album is deservedly enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" and it's definitely one of their two best studio releases, but also an album for listeners, I think.
Forced to pick just one of their studio albums, I would go with this one, as it really contains no fillers.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, Rolling Stone Album Guide 4 / 5 stars ]

The Police "Outlandos d'Amour" (1978)

Outlandos d'Amour [debut]
release date: Nov. 2, 1978
format: vinyl (AMLH 68502) / cd (2008 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,91]
producer: The Police
label: A&M Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: A) 1. "Next to You" (4 / 5) - 2. "So Lonely" (4 / 5) - 3. "Roxanne" (5 / 5) - 4. "Hole in My Life" - 5. "Peanuts" (4 / 5) - - B) 1. "Can't Stand Losing You" (4 / 5) - 2. "Truth Hits Everybody" - 3. "Born in the 50s" (4 / 5) - 5. "Masoko Tanga"

Studio debut album by The Police - a trio that remained the same throughout its career with the two British members, Sting (aka Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner) on bass and lead vocal, and Andy Summers (aka Andrew James Somers) on lead guitar and backing vocals, together with American drummer and percussionist Stewart (Armstrong) Copeland, also providing backing vocals. All but two songs are exclusively credited Sting - the two others co-composed by either Copeland (track #A5) or Summers (track #B4).
The debut was noticed by critics, some reviews were luke-warm but most found it positive, and although, it didn't top the charts, it fared quite well. The timing and promotion of the album could have been better. Popular music was going through fast changes at this time and of course nobody really knew how things would progress but punk rock peaked and with post-punk and new wave artists taking up airtime on radio stations everywhere, a band playing skilfully new wave variation with reggae and bold pop / rock wasn't exactly the avant-garde that the media thought people asked for. Bands like Talking Heads, Pretenders, Blondie, and The Clash were more direct and on time with their styles, either art punk- punk rock-based, or new wave-oriented, and these artists only played with reggae as a smaller ingredient without taking it to artistic extremes by fusioning several styles and influences, which may likely have been the biggest hurdle for the band. The Police was a band of skilled instrumentalists, at least when thinking Summers and Copeland, and that capability simply bonded with the established world of progressive, fusion rock, and pop / rock bands of the mid-70s and not within a context of opposition to the establishment. In the discussion of being part of a new generation or sharing music and therefore ideas with already established artists, The Police involuntarily put themselves much on their own with a broad appeal, and exactly that alone made them less attractive in new wave and punk rock circles where a more forward perspective was the only option.
Outlandos d'Amour has always been one of my favourite The Police albums because of its energy and simple rock attitude. Stylistically, it has much in common with The Knack, another fine band who didn't play pure punk rock but also found it hard to compete with the new popular waves. The album is simple, highly original, and it contains a bunch of great tracks. I always wished that Sting would have dared being this direct and aggressive as he later found himself wrapped up in political correctness 'saving the rain forests', and seemingly being more preoccupied about personal image.
This is a very strong and fine debut album.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]