Welcome to “Punky Reggae Party” a special audio documentary series of the Ska Boom podcast that focuses on the historical origins and impact of reggae on popular music that will explore the phenomenon of punk and post-punk bands adopting the sounds of reggae. So it was only a matter of time before I got around to talking about The Police and their embrace of reggae. If you are of a certain age -- I’m looking at all of my fellow Gen X-ers – then the band’s early records Outlandos D'Amour and Reggatta de Blanc were likely the soundtrack of your middle school and high school years  – they most definitely were for me. The Police took inspiration from Bob Marley, whose accessible reggae mixed with rock influences had established itself widely by the late 70s. It was this Marley influence that The Police synthesized into their sound and which set them apart from many of their contemporaries. And while they were riding the sounds of reggae to success, reggae artists in Jamaica took notice and in one case, the singer Sheila Hylton recorded a better version of "Beds Too Big Without You." Ska Boom is hosted/co-produced by Marc Wasserman & co-produced/engineered by Rob George. Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act. The law allows for use of music clips for purposes of criticism, comment, and news reporting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices