I don’t get it and never will. It’s fine to not like the direction he took with his solo music but the same people probably would have complained that he was just “trying to copy the police with Andy and Stuart” if he went that route.
I got off after Brand New Day, but share the same sentiment. When All This Time came out (the live album), it felt incredibly weak and unnecessary. Then when Sacred Love came out, I realized there was something wrong. The well had gone dry and he wasn’t all there. The Police reunion was a good idea and I think we all hoped more might come from it.
I remember going to the music store to check out Mercury Falling when it came out. I had everything of his prior to that, including the Message in a Box set. The shop had a station you could listen to music before buying it. I figured I’d listen first, but really, I was probably gonna buy it regardless, right? Listened, skipping through some songs. And decided not to buy it after all. Other than maybe one song, it was just dreary and depressing. I did think Brand New Day had some decent stuff at the time. My ex had that one. Never found it necessary to buy a copy for myself after we split.
Just relistening to Sacred Love on Vinyl - don't understand why that album gets such a bad rap! It is actually really strong - lots of good songwriting and performances. I guess it suffers from the overly long fashion of filling cds to their limits in the 90s and 00s - which lots of albums suffered from in those days - a lack of editing and keeping it down to 9/10 tracks. If it was 44 minutes long, it would be considered a classic, or should be!
Never lost it. But 'eclectic' doesn't necessarily mean 'straight to the listener's heart'. Admittedly, this is a very personal observation. Sting is more of a cerebral musician, IMO.
Ten Summoners Tales would also be the last good album for me, but I don’t own it or anything after so maybe it’s not as good as I remember?
Old Pompous Ass lost me when he did a version of “Gabriel’s Message” on the “A Very Special Christmas” CD way back in the late 80s. I was never a huge fan of him or The Police, but I thought he had a few decent tunes. This song killed it for me. It just had a condescending tone that got under my skin.
I'm still convinced that Brand New Day marks the moment that Sting went to the dogs. Literally. I've had a question that's been preying on my mind for some time I won't be wagging my tail for one good reason It has to be a crime This dog house never was the place for me, Runner up and second best just ain't my pedigree I was so happy, just the two of us Until this alpha male Turned up in the January sale He won't love you Like I love you It won't be long now before that puppy goes astray And what I like about this guy the most He'd be my favourite lamp post Devil take the hindmost Je sais que c'est dur, mais il faut se faire au changement, tu vois J'ai négligé le primordial pendant trop longtemps crois moi Je suis consciente, je vois bien que tu souffres, mais ça s'attenuera Car c'est d'un homme plus d'un chien dont j'ai besoin près de moi Cesse donc de grogner, mon choix est fait c'est comme ça N'en fait pas trop, ton attitude risque de t'éloigner de moi Faut que tu comprennes, puisque tu dis m'aimer tant que ça Désormais nous sommes trois, lui toi et moi It's a shaggy kind of story Would I tell you if I thought it was a lie? But when the cat's away the mouse will play, I wouldn't dish around here There's something fishy 'round here I howl all night and I sleep all day It takes more than biscuit, baby, to chase these blues away I've got a long enough leash I could almost hang myself It's a dogs life loving you baby But you love someone else Now he's moved by basket I'd like to put him in a casket I'll wear my best collar to his funeral Ta mauvaise foi, j'aimerais bien que ça s'arrête Me séparer de toi, aujourd'hui ça trotte dans ma tête Moi non, j'en peux plus, tu n'est qu'un chien, c'est trop bête La situation m'avait pourtant l'air d'être des plus nettes C'est clair, que je l'aime c'est un fait, ton egoïsme m'inquiète Après toutes ces soirées passées seuls en tête à tête Chaque chose a une fin, et c'est la fin de la fête Pour toi, car bientôt il n'y aura plus que lui et moi, lui et moi. To have found this perfect life And a perfect love so strong Well there can't be nothing worse Than a perfect love gone wrong You said I wasn't just your Christmas toy I'd always be your boy I'd be your faithful companion And I would follow you through every thick and thin Don't need nobody else And we don't need him
He lost it when he left The Police. His first solo album had two okay songs (just okay, certainly not good and definitely not great). All down hill from there.
I like about 1/2 of Mercury Falling and 1/3 of BND after really enjoying his first four solo albums. Definitely diminishing returns for me from mid 90s on.
Long story short, Brand New Day was the beginning of the end, and his latest effort with Shaggy is utter garbage.
I've bought ...Nothing, Soul Cages & Summoners, so far I've been enjoying his work. I don't think he quite "lost it", he went into a less energetic more mellow direction after the Police split. Maybe some people are disappointed he didn't have that Rock edge to his music
I think he started to lose in with Ten Sumner's Tales. There's good stuff on there, but it also features some of the first real weak stuff I heard from him. Mercury Falling was better. Much better. In fact, almost a return to form. Then, a big fall with Brand New Day. Followed by a total crash with Sacred Love, which I thought was just horrid.
I have never been able to find it again, but I'm sure I read an interview once where Sting said "My musical ability ends at my wrists."
I fell off after...Nothing Like The Sun. After that, whatever I heard on the radio or saw on VH1 was all I was exposed to. I get the feeling Denis Leary had something to do with it, but I don’t want to give him that much credit.
In 1984 when he embarked on that worthless, steaming turd of a solo career. He can take it and shove it up his a55 sideways. I still hate him still for ruining the greatest band of that time to go and play schlock for horny housewives. Go to hell and take the blue turtles with you ya bastard.
I think Sting had his head up his own azz dating back to the 70s.... As his head has swelled, so has the place he has it inserted. I prefer rock, but what I've heard of his solo music, I think is good if that's what your into.
Mercury Falling is last one of his releases that I still listen to. I actually like Mercury more than TST. My fav solo Sting albums are The Soul Cages and ...Nothing Like The Sun.
As soon as he left the Police. Compare Synchronicity with anything he wrote afterwards. Aaaa yeah. No comparison. The Police needed each other. Separately, they're just 3 musicians adrift in a sea of blandness.
Stopped listening to him really after Nothing but did get into Soul Cages later on which is a great album. really though he jumped the shark at Brand New Day. We had that album on constant rotation when I worked at Borders. Dreck.
I have no idea what Sting has done since the Brand New Day album in the late 90s, but my SO and GenX aged friends thoroughly enjoyed his albums from the 80s and 90s. While it wasn't a groundbreaking album, and I can understand how it could be deemed as boring by some, Ten Summoners Tales was a fantastic release, a truly great solo album from start to finish. Wouldn't say he lost it, he just got older.
