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Starting our fifth full-band discography analysis with The Police, Episode 59 covers the 1978 debut album Outlandos d’Amour. Although Outlandos d’Amour received mixed reviews upon its release, it has since been regarded as one of the strongest debut albums. Rolling Stone ranked it as the 38th best debut album of all time and the 428th greatest album of all time. Mark, Kevin, Alex, and Chris take you on a historical journey surrounding the album as well as share our favorites and not-so favorites from the record. We go on a deep dive track-by-track listen of this rock album as well as share personal stories of discovering The Police’s Outlandos d’Amour. Tune in next week for Episode 60 covering the second Police studio album Reggatta de Blanc.
Subscribe, Rate, and Review:
Quick Reviews
Mark Did they intend this and influence the start of this music or did they happen to follow this sound that became the sound of the early 80s?
Chris Though pop-punk and post-punk are some of my least favorite genres, this just works so well and I can’t get it out of my head. Thinking man’s late 70s DIY attitude.
Alex Incredible debut overall by one of my favorite trio’s. So much diversity and an album that ages extremely well. Not much to get rid of here.
Kevin A breath of fresh air – plenty of energy and drive. Too bad about the last three songs.
Love It or Flush It
| M | C | A | K | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Next to You" | 2:55 | L | L | L | L | |
| 2 | "So Lonely" | 4:50 | B | L | L | L | |
| 3 | "Roxanne" | 3:12 | F | L | L | F | |
| 4 | "Hole in My Life" | 4:55 | L | L | L | L | |
| 5 | "Peanuts" | 4:02 | L | L | L | L | |
| 6 | "Can't Stand Losing You" | 2:59 | L | L | B | L | |
| 7 | "Truth Hits Everybody" | 2:55 | B | B | L | B | |
| 8 | "Born in the '50s" | 3:45 | T | F | L | F | |
| 9 | "Be My Girl—Sally" | 3:24 | F | L | F | T | |
| 10 | "Masoko Tanga" | 5:42 | F | T | T | F |
Love It or Flush It Legend
L = Love. As many as you like.
F = Flush. Must flush at least one track per album.
B = Buy. Purchased for the ultimate LTS “Best Of” playlist for each of us. One per album.
T = Terminate. Should have never even existed. One per album.
The Rules
Each of us must Love, Flush, Buy, and Terminate AT LEAST ONE track on an album, no matter how great or terrible the album is. Whoever wins the “7 for the Buy” section gets an extra Buy or Terminate to use on the album. Because Chris hosts this section and thus cannot win, he gets an extra Buy or Terminate every 4 albums.
Album Information
Outlandos d’Amour is the debut studio album by English rock band the Police, released on 2 November 1978 by A&M Records. Elevated by the success of its lead single, “Roxanne“, Outlandos d’Amour peaked at No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart and at No. 23 on the Billboard 200. The album spawned two additional hit singles: “Can’t Stand Losing You” and “So Lonely“.
Although Outlandos d’Amour received mixed reviews upon its release, it has since been regarded as one of the strongest debut albums. Rolling Stone ranked it as the 38th best debut album of all time and the 428th greatest album of all time.
