30 years Of Sting The Great & Really Bad

Listened to "Ten Summoner's Tales" again the other night.

I still really like that album.

 

Sting did a 'stripped down' tour sometime around 2003-ish that was really good. Just 4 musicians on stage... rockin' arrangements of solo and Police material.

 

Masterpiece imo.

Back to Bass tour and a dvd from that was included in 25 comp mentioned earlier (not complete gig unfortunately).

 

It shocks me there isn’t a b-sides collection. The ones from Soul Cages were strong but so were many others.

 

Looks like I’m not alone:

(Watch Amazing Interview) Paul McCartney Says Sting’s “Fields of Gold” One Song He Wished He’d Written — Stevie Wonder Best Musician Other than Beatles

 

Never understood how major artists overlook their b-sides when there’s another optiOn to sell music to fans. Peter Gabriel I have the same problem with.

 

Hate him for going Yoko Ono on the E Street Band...

 

My wife and I saw this tour and it was excellent.

 

I concur. One of my favorite songs of all time....and one of my favorite artists. Unlike most on here I really enjoyed Brand New Day.....was the first tour I got to see him live though so a little bias.....after that I agree it’s been mostly miss. Still great live though. Loved the tour he did that was basically like a storytellers show.

And I still love all the albums through BMD....liked the most recent but was hoping for better

 

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Like Sting Police and his first solo album.


The Dream of the Blue Turtles


Nothing Like The Sun was a solid offering.

…Nothing Like the Sun

 

Huge fan, obviously .i.e. tensummoner .
do i feel the need to list his good or bad? nope
that would be like criticizing nature for not always being perfect,oddly its perfect even when its "not"
Sting has a philosophy in his music i can and do identify with .

chapter 38- Te Tao ching
"

The highest virtue is not virtuous.

Therefore it has virtue.

The lowest virtue holds on to virtue.

Therefore it has no virtue.


The highest virtue does nothing.

Yet, nothing needs to be done.

The lowest virtue does everything.

Yet, much remains to be done.


The highest benevolence acts without purpose.

The highest righteousness acts with purpose.

The highest ritual acts, but since no one cares,

It raises its arms and uses force.


Therefore, when the Way is lost there is virtue.

When virtue is lost there is benevolence.

When benevolence is lost there is righteousness.

When righteousness is lost there are rituals.

Rituals are the end of fidelity and honesty,

And the beginning of confusion.


Knowing the future is the flower of the Way,

And the beginning of folly.

Therefore,

The truly great ones rely on substance,

And not on surface,

Hold on to the fruit,

And not to the flower.

They reject the latter and receive the former."

 

I like his work up thru Brand New Day, then I lost track. Why there’s not been a Deluxe or Super Deluxe Edition Of Blue Turtles is beyond me.

Disc 1: Album and b-side Another Day, 12” mix of Set Them Free, etc.
Discs 2 and 3: Complete live show (several were multitracked)
Disc 4: hi-res stereo, 5.1, etc.

 

I also really like the Sting and Shaggy album. It’s just fun....it’s not an artistic statement, it has cheesy lyrics ...but fun listen, especially driving on a nice day with the windows down....and anyone who has accused Sting of taking himself so damn seriously (although sometimes I think people take him too serious) should appreciate that he isn’t here.

The first single was awful though

 

It matters not what you think of him. He's one of the boys...

 

I have four Sting albums in my collection. The Dream Of The Blue Turtles and Nothing Like The Sun I like a lot. The Soul Cages and Ten Summoner's Tales are okay but I got off the train at that point.

 

Good: Police
Bad (or should I say atrocious) : Everything else about him

 

His early solo albums had some still good songs
We work the black seam
Children's crusade
They Dance alone
Soul cages

The hits don't hold up as well for me
The song of I ever lose my faith in you is an all time favorite still

 

LOL!!!!!!

 

All I need is his Fields of Gold Comp (track list below) + Brand New Day single and I'm good.

1. "When We Dance" – 5:59
   • New song (1994)
2. "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" – 4:15
   • Originally released on the album The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985).
3. "Fields of Gold" – 3:39
   • Originally released on the album Ten Summoner's Tales (1993).
4. "All This Time" – 4:55
   • Originally released on the album The Soul Cages (1991).
5. "Fortress Around Your Heart" – 4:35
   • Remixed version of track originally released on the album The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985).
6. "Be Still My Beating Heart" – 5:32
   • Originally released on the album ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987).
7. "They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)" – 7:10
   • Originally released on the album ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987).
8. "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" – 4:31
   • Originally released on the album Ten Summoner's Tales (1993).
9. "Fragile" – 3:53
   • Originally released on the album ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987).
10. "Why Should I Cry for You?" – 4:50
    • Remixed version of track originally released on the album The Soul Cages.
11. "Englishman in New York" – 4:27
    • Originally released on the album ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987).
12. "We'll Be Together" – 3:51
    • Previously unreleased version of track originally released on the album ...Nothing Like the Sun.
13. "Russians" – 3:58
    • Originally released on the album The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985).
14. "This Cowboy Song" – 5:00
    • New song (1994)

 

I'm like most of you all. I loved the Police in the early to mid 80's. I liked Sting's early solo work and then about the time he did Mercury Falling, he lost me.
But, there is one song that I have always appreciated from him (Police). That song is, Oh My God, with awesome lyrics:
"Everyone I know is lonely
With God so far away
And my heart belongs to no one
So now sometimes I pray."
It's a song that is overlooked on Synchronicity. In high school, I wrote a paper on Abortion and included those lyrics in my paper. My English teacher, Gerard Nejman, loved rock and roll music and loved that I referenced The Police. Incidentally, I had to deliver a speech based on my paper the morning after seeing Springsteen at the Spectrum 9/18/84 (final night of six shows), and I had no voice. I stood up in front of the class and my voice cracked and the teacher busted out laughing. Sigh, I miss high school.

 

The Police = Great
Early solo Sting = Great
Later solo Sting = meh

My wife and I saw him a while back when Annie Lennox opened for him. Annie absolutely killed it and had the audience all revved up. Sting came out and put the audience to sleep. These folks were there to hear the hits, especially The Police hits and he wasn't playing them.
About half way through Sting's set Annie Lennox came out and got the crowd going again. I've never been to a concert where that happened before. I actually felt a little sorry for the guy.

 

He had Lyle Workman (a spectacular guitarist) on his last album.

 

Yeah, I think Bruce let too many people get into his head.
Sting took a lot of inspiration in writing the Soul Cages from the song Walk Like a Man on Tunnel of Love. I don't think many fans know that.

 

I'd like him more if he got fat and took a vow of silence.