The Police: Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)

OK, I will admit it: I thought that the Police were done when I heard De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da. I mean, WFT? The record was redeemed in my mind when I heard the whole thing. I resisted buying it, but when I did, it grew on me quickly. I think my fav tune on the LP is Driven to Tears. 

But, here is something astounding: I had never seen the video for Don't Stand So Close to Me before today! 

I still don't really like De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da.

The Police: Reggatta de Blanc (1979)

This was the first Police record I bought. When it came out, there were no record stores in my home town. Occasionally, I would hitch a ride with my sister to a larger urban center to pick up records while she shopped for shoes and clothes. But, sometimes, I just asked her to stop at the record store to get me what I wanted. That's how I got this one, probably for $6 or $7.

Unbelievably, after I opened the record, I was disappointed to see that parts of the record were covered in some sort of while gluey material. An audible noise was present on each revolution on the platter. Who knew when she would be going back? Who knew where the receipt ended up? I tried to clean it, but nothing worked. I stuck with that copy for years, and I finally replaced it with a much better copy. 

Allmusic, a site I read frequently, awarded 4.5 stars to the first record by the Police. The same reviewer gave this record only three stars. That's pure insanity and the review offers no explanation about what is so wrong with the record. The subsequent record is probably my favourite record by the band, but this would be a close second. 

By the way, I once read this article some time ago: There’s A Scientific Reason You Love The First Album You Heard From A Band The Most. Since I read that article, I have often thought about this and I find that this does not hold true for me. I'll just give a few of examples.

First Police record I heard: Reggatta de Blanc
Fav Police record: Zenyatta Mondatta

First Bob Dylan record I heard: Highway 61
Fav Dylan record: Blonde on Blonde

First Leonard Cohen record I heard: The Best of Leonard Cohen
Fav Cohen record: The Songs of Leonard Cohen

First Robert Palmer record I heard: Secrets
Fav Robert Palmer record: Riptide

First Genesis record I heard: Duke
Fav Genesis record: Selling England by the Pound

First Led Zeppelin record I heard: IV
Fav Zeppelin record: III

First XTC record I heard: Drums and Wires
Fav XTC record: Skylarking

First Black Sabbath record I heard: self-titled debut
Fav Black Sabbath record: Paranoid

First Smiths record I heard: self-titled debut
Fav Smiths record: The Queen is Dead

First Supertramp record I heard: Breakfast in America
Fav Supertamp record: Crime of the Century

First Tom Petty record I heard: Damn the Torpedoes
Fav Tom Petty record: Full Moon Fever

I could go on and on. In some cases, the two match up. I'm thinking about The Clash and Kate Bush here, but that's because my favs from those two are also their best.

By the way, I once had an argument about Stewart Copeland in which I argued that he should be listed on any definite list of top ten drummers. The other person disagreed, but this is the truth. He is an excellent drummer.

The Police: Outlandos D'Amour (1978)

"The Police became globally popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s and are generally regarded as one of the first new-wave groups to achieve mainstream success, playing a style of rock influenced by punk, reggae, and jazz. They are also considered one of the leaders of the Second British Invasion of the U.S." [source]

Outlaws of Love? Is that the correct translation? Who knows for sure? I think the first Police song I ever heard was Message in a Bottle. The first Police record I owned was Reggatta de Blanc, an album I like better than this one. I might have heard Roxanne before Message in a Bottle, but I honestly cannot remember. Of course, Roxanne was used to great effect in 48 Hrs.

The only song I don't really like on this LP is Be My Girl - Sally. I liked it the first few times I heard it, but then it got boring. On the other hand, the rest of the tracks are top notch.

The Police were a very interesting band. With the fourth record, a change in sound is obvious but that didn't diminish my love for the the band. Stewart Copeland remains one of my favourite drummers of all time, after John Bonham.

Polaris Cover Sessions No. 3: Hannah Georgas / Les Sœurs Boulay / Little Scream (2017)

From 2017, on red vinyl, we have three more cover versions:

Hannah Georges - Crown of Love
Originally by Arcade Fire from the 2005 album Funeral, a 2016 Slaight Family Heritage Prize winner.
Recorded at The Woodshed, Toronto, April 26, 2017.
Hannah Georgas appears courtesy of Dine Alone Records.

Les Sœurs Boulay - Complainte pour Sainte-Catherine
Originally recorded by Kate and Anna McGarrigle on the 1976 album Kate and Anna McGarrigle, a 2016 Slaight Family Heritage Prize winner.
Réalisation, prise de son ("Studio PM"), mixage (Studio de l'Est)
Les Sœurs Boulay appears courtesy of Dare To Care Records.

Little Scream - Anew Day
Originally by Mary Margaret O'Hara from the 1988 album Miss America, a 2016 Slaight Family Heritage Prize winner.
Produced [...] at Fixed Hinge in Stittsville, Ontario, April 28, 2017.

I like the Mary Margaret O'Hara cover the best.

Polaris Cover Sessions No. 2: Arkells / Joel Plaskett / Zaki Ibrahim (2016)

Number 2, from 2016, has:

"I'm Not Afraid"

Originally recorded by Owen Pallett from the 2014 Short List album In Conflict.
Recorded September 7 and 9, 2015 at Revolution Recording, Toronto, Ontario.
Arkells appear courtesy of Universal Music Canada.

"Bittersweet Memories"
Originally recorded by Feist on the 2012 Polaris winning album Metals.
Recorded January 19, 2016 at New Scotland Yard, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Mastered... at Archive Mastering, Mineville, nova Scotia.
Joel Plaskett appears coutesy of New Scotland Yard / Pheromone Recordings.

"Show Me The Place"
Originally recorded by Leonard Cohen from the 2012 Long List album Old Ideas.
Produced May 16, 2016... at The Hive, Toronto, Ontario.

This one is also a 10" record on blue vinyl. The best track, IMHO, is the last, the cover of Leonard Cohen's Show Me the Place.

Polaris Cover Sessions No. 1: Whitehorse / Sarah Harmer / Great Lake Swimmers (2015)

"The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label." So, the Polaris Cover Sessions are a series of cover records."

This one is as 10" record, containing three cover versions:

1) Whitehorse covering Bones Of An Idol, originally recorded by the New Pornographers;

2) Great Lake Swimmers covering I'm A Mountain, originally recorded by Sarah Harmer;

3) Sarah Harmer covering Odessa, originally recorded by Caribou.

Here are the details from Discogs:

"Bones of An Idol" originally by The New Pornographers from the 2006 Short List album 'Twin Cinema.'
Recorded July 9, 2014 at Revolution Recording, Toronto.
Whitehorse appear courtesy of Six Shooter Records.

"I'm A Mountain" originally by Sarah Harmer from the 2006 Short List album 'I'm A Mountain.'
Recorded July 9, 2014 at Revolution Recording, Toronto.
Great Lake Swimmers appear courtesy of Nettwerk Productions Inc.

"Odessa" originally by Caribou from the 2010 Short List album 'Swim.'
Recorded July 22, 2014 at Revolution Recording, Toronto.
Sarah Harmer appears courtesy of Cold Snap Records.

By the way, this 10" record was pressed on orange vinyl. Many were given away free in local records stores. In some cases, you had to purchase a shortlisted records; in other cases, any purchase would do. I think my copy was free with no strings attached. I cannot find any of these cover versions on Youtube. 

The Pogues: Peace And Love (1989)

I recall being a little disappointed when I first heard this record. As Wikipedia notes, "Peace and Love continued the band's gradual departure from traditional Irish music." [source] That's the truth. This is arguably also true:

Shane MacGowan's potent appetite for alcohol was evident from the time the Pogues cut their first album, but by the time they got to work on Peace and Love in 1989, it was evident that he'd gone far past the point of enjoying a few pints (or many pints) and had sunk deep into drug and alcohol dependence. [source]

It's not bad, but I think I like the following record better.

The Pogues: Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah (1988)

On this 12" single, released after If I should Fall from Grace With God, contains two versions of Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah and a tune called The Limerick Rake, a traditional tune. Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah is a pretty good tune, though it sounds less Irish, if you ask me. That trend would continue on the next record. 

The Pogues: If I Should Fall From Grace With God (1988)

They faked their way through 'Fairytale of New York'.
When the band stopped playing we howled out for more.

- Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night, The Hold Steady

I remember painting the living room in a condo I once lived in with this Pogues record (I mean CD) blasting from the speakers. The frenetic pace of this record is a good compliment to the act of painting. I felt that I could never tire, but I did, eventually, when the CD was over and I had to find something else to play.

Oddly, the first track I heard from this record is not on it! South Australia appears on the CD but not on the LP. I have both versions, so that's OK. I really liked that song, but I now view it as one of the weaker tracks on the album.

This record contains the greatest Christmas song ever. If you have never heard Fairytale of New York, do yourself a favour. Yes, yes, I know of the much later woke reactions to this song. Get over it!

Finally, Allmusic says this: "Brilliantly mixing passion, street smarts, and musical ambition, If I Should Fall from Grace with God is the best album the Pogues would ever make." [source] Agreed!

The Pogues: Poguetry in Motion (1986)

Poguetry in Motion, a four-track EP, was released February 24th, 1986. If you've seen The Wire, you've heard Body of an American, more than once. By the way, all four tracks from this EP were later added as bonus tracks on the expanded CD edition of Rum, Sodomy & the Lash. 

The Pogues: Haunted (1986)

Cait O'Riordan, the band's bass player and Elvis Costello's ex-wife, sings lead on Haunted. It's a good track. Shane takes lead vocals on Hot Dogs With Everything. The last track -- Junk Theme -- is an instrumental. 

The Pogues: Rum Sodomy & the Lash (1985)

That's quite the title. I just discovered that there was a reissue in 2005 with bonus tracks. I have never heard those tunes. Here is something else I didn't know:

The album's title is taken from a quotation attributed[3] to Winston Churchill: "Don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy, and the lash." The title was suggested by drummer Andrew Ranken, who said "it seemed to sum up life in our band". [source]

I had no idea. This is a great record.

The Pogues: Red Roses for Me (1984)

From Wikipedia;

The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic póg mo thóin, meaning "kiss my arse".[18] The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s, recording several hit albums and singles. MacGowan left the band in 1991 owing to drinking problems, but the band continued – first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals – before breaking up in 1996. The Pogues re-formed in late 2001, and played regularly across the UK and Ireland and on the US East Coast, until dissolving again in 2014. The group did not record any new material during this second incarnation.

Their politically tinged music was informed by MacGowan and Stacy's punk backgrounds, yet used traditional Irish instruments such as the tin whistle, banjo, cittern, mandolin and accordion. [source]

I love this band, though I did not follow them after Shane was replaced with Joe Strummer, despite being a massive fan of the Clash. Why Allmusic only awarded this record 3.5 stars is baffling. 

Platoon: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (various) (1986)

I saw this film! I am certain that this record came for a thrift shop, meaning that I paid about $2 for it. That's a good deal. It as some classic tracks, such as: Smokey Robinson - Tracks Of My Tears, The Doors - Hello, I Love You, Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit, Aretha Franklin - Respect, Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay, The Rascals - Groovin' and others.

I like it.

Platinum Blonde: Alien Shores (1985)

In my mind, this is a lesser album than the first, but it sold well and charted here and there. I have not heard this in ages.