The Police
OMMA Catalogue Number
OMMA-0032
Artist
The Police
Title
Fall Out / Nothing Achieving
Release Details
Issued in the United Kingdom in May 1977 by Illegal Records as catalogue number IL 001. The release is a 7-inch, 45 rpm vinyl single, with “Fall Out” on side A and “Nothing Achieving” on side B.
Edition & Variant Identification
First commercial issue, corresponding to the original 1977 Illegal Records pressing. The present copy is identified with the red-label, solid-centre configuration associated with the earliest issue of IL 001. The label on this first pressing features a crudely printed “ILLEGAL” and “Records” in italics. “Made In England” is also printed on the label.
Physical Description
7-inch vinyl single on black vinyl, with red Illegal Records labels and solid centre. The present copy is housed in its original picture sleeve.
Factory-Origin Characteristics
No factory-origin anomalies are observed on the present copy. The red label, solid-centre configuration is consistent with the original 1977 Illegal Records issue.
Condition Report
The present copy is graded Near Mint for both media and sleeve. The vinyl is preserved at a high grade, indicating only minimal evidence of handling or play. The sleeve is likewise graded Near Mint, retaining strong presentation quality with no significant wear recorded.
Provenance
Provenance: Discogs seller Trashpalace; acquired by the Origins of Modern Music Archive, 9 August 2025.
Market Context & Historical Notes
Fall Out / Nothing Achieving is the first commercial single by The Police and the only Police recording to feature the group’s original guitarist, Henry Padovani, predating the arrival of Andy Summers as the permanent guitarist. In discographical terms, the record preserves The Police at their briefest and least settled point: a new London group working within the immediate aftermath of British punk, before the more controlled mixture of reggae, pop, and new wave that would define their later work.
Illegal Records was made a small, improvised operation associated with Stewart Copeland and the band’s immediate circle. Although The Police would become one of the defining international rock groups of the late 1970s and early 1980s, “Fall Out / Nothing Achieving” remains rooted in ecosystem of independent British punk-era singles: small-format vinyl, picture sleeve, sharply limited early circulation, and a pressing history that produced several press variants.
Canonical Status in OMMA
This release is recognized by the Origins of Modern Music Archive as The Police’s canonical debut commercial single.