Reggatta de Blanc by The Police...Episode #25 - Classic Rock Album Olympics | Lyssna här

In episode #25 of Classic Rock Album Olympics music historians Gary Wenstrup and Robert Rodriguez sail with Reggatta de Blanc by The Police and award their gold, silver and bronze medals for their favorite songs.

Released October 1979, Reggatta de Blanc was the second album by The Police and the record that transformed the trio from promising new-wave outsiders into stars. Produced by Nigel Gray along with the band, the album expanded the reggae-rock and post-punk sound introduced on Outlandos d’Amour.

The title – Reggatta de Blanc - loosely translates to “white reggae,” reflecting the group’s fusion of punk energy, reggae rhythms, jazz textures, and pop songwriting.

The album featured the classic Police lineup: Sting on bass and lead vocals, Andy Summers on guitar and Stewart Copeland on drums. Together they created a sparse but highly rhythmic sound built around Summers’ atmospheric guitar work, Sting’s melodic bass lines, and Copeland’s inventive drumming.

Reggatta de Blanc became the band’s first UK No. 1 album. In the United States it reached No. 25 on the Billboard album chart, helping establish the band’s growing American audience.

The singles “Message in a Bottle” and “Walking on the Moon” both reached No. 1 in the UK. The singles did not fare as well in the US. “Message” hit #74 and "Moon" did not chart. The instrumental title track earned the band its first Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

The album captured the restless energy of the late-1970s post-punk era while proving that reggae influences could coexist with mainstream rock radio. The Police stood apart from both traditional punk and arena rock by emphasizing space, rhythm, and sophistication over heavy guitar excess.

Many critics and fans view Reggatta de Blanc as the album where the band honed its signature sound, paving the way for later classics like Zenyatta Mondatta and Synchronicity. Follow-up Note: As speculated in the podcast, The Police did not perform at Live Aid. Sting however did play a few Police hits with outside musicians.

Medal Winners

No Time This Time

Message In A Bottle

The Bed’s Too Big Without You

Bring On The Night

Reggatta de Blanc

Bonus Tracks

Roxanne

Next To You

Nothing Achieving

Truth Hits Everyone

So Lonely

Visions Of The Night

Fall Out

Behind The Camel

Be My Girl/Sally

Mirror In The Bathroom – English Beat