King of Sunset Town

O, it is excellent
To have a giant's strength; but it is tyrannous
to use it like a giant

         -Shakespeare

Watch a big wheel turning round
Some go up and some go down
Some go thirsty some just drown
"That's the law round here"
Said the king of sunset town

And in the night he comes to me
And the square becomes a battlefield
Of staring eyes that can't explain
The insanity and the greater game

         - Marillion, The King of Sunset Town, from Seasons End, 1989

Today Russia announced that Poland is now a nuclear target and cut off official ties to NATO, and we replied that we would be more than happy to defend Poland militarily. Not exactly the 21st century we might have hoped to live in. We have been antagonizing Russia since we promised not to expand NATO past Germany. Of course, countries like Poland deserve the protection of NATO, after their experience in WWII and the Soviet-era. But our expansion into Asia and countries like Georgia shows an aggressive determination to continue "containment." This strategy seems to me a bit late. Perhaps if reality was closer to Reagan's vision of nuclear disarmament by 1996, we would be in a safer position today. Or if we had rapidly expanded NATO in the 1990's while Russia was still wounded and our military was still at a Cold War strength. But we had such a rapid drawdown of our forces, our actual strength of influence was less than it could have been. And, continued nuclear disarmament did not proceed as forcefully it should have. People were quick to dismiss the Cold War as history, quickly receeding in time, without realizing its future implications and continued dangers.

Now, we have a return to the 1970s - the American economy in ruins, and the Russian economy experiencing a a resurgence because of revenue from higher hydro-carbon prices. So, now Russia has the means to make itself heard. As I noted earlier, Rice had to warn Russia about their bomber patrols off of Alaska. It wants to be taken seriously in global politics. For over fifteen years we have clearly not been taking Russia seriously, even though they never lost their means as a strategic power. But rather than reach compromises with them, we are still treating them as losers, and acting like the victors of the war.

One possible outcome from this month's events is the reinvestment in conventional forces. We have been reminded that there still are dangers out there, ones more scary than angry mobs with IEDs. There are still several strategic-level potential adversaries (i.e. China, India) that are investing in fifth-generation technology. Russia has become a premium-weapons supplier, and should they choose to deploy that equipment, their conventional forces could once again be a formidable threat. It would be wise to assume their threats are not just idle ones. There may be a realization that we still need progams like the F-22 in greater numbers. And, I would think we would be wise to invest in upgrading our current fleets of F-15 and F-16 to newer versions (block 60, for instance) in order to save money by buying proven and economical technology and fill the gap so we don't need to rush the unproven programs like the F-35. I've noted over at the Viper Lounge how we have been drastically reducing our capability while others increase theirs, such as Iran's new SA-20 missile.

Another issue here is one of credibility. We have told Russia that it is inappropriate for nations to invade other soverign nations in the 21st century. Yet, why should anyone take our moral high-ground seriously after the 2003 invasion of Iraq? For the first time in our 200 year history, we invaded another nation without specifically being provoked. This must have done serious damage to the perception of America trying to do the good thing. I would think our lectures would be taken as pure hippocracy.

Like the strategy of detente, there are those who wish to stabalize and therefore prolong continued antangonism. Certainly the faster we get the neo-cons from Washington, the safer we will be. Perhaps in the 22nd century we can get along with Russia.

Popular Music

This article reveals the latest trend in concerts - playing full albums. For some artist this isn't new, particularly Marillion, who has been doing this for years at their "Marillion Weekend" conventions, including Brave, Afraid of Sunlight, Marbles and 2009 will showcase Season's End for its 20th anniversary. In fairness, Pink Floyd did this back in 94 with Dark Side of the Moon. I think this is a great idea, and one that all artists should engage in. I commend Marillion for their effort to not lose songs along the way. Their weekends involve three shows and besides playing a complete album and usually a large selection of new stuff from their newest release, they also play quite a few rarities.

It seems to me that this isn't a "gimmick," its a way to fully realize the artistic vision of the original albums and songs. Too many times, a tour for a new release will include a handful of new tracks and then the really old material that people know all too well. The remaining tracks never get performed,- and get their own life- they just become forgotten album cuts. Some may get played for the new tour but are then quickly discarded, never to return. Popular artists that have a massive catalog often fall into this category, such as Sting and Rush. Sting himself has said that the songs recorded on the album are just "blueprints" and that he revises them for the better while playing them on the tour. I would like to see what he could do with some of the songs he has never really performed. For other artists some of the songs may just be filler to try to produce a full album. In this case, if the songs don't stand up to being played live and they can't be reworked then they probably can't be classified as good art. Of course, this might reveal much about record companies and their "artists" in the last ten years. But, for the good musicians, hopefully this trend will continue to spread and many amazing songs that have not been heard in a long time will be resurrected.

Seventeen Years Ago Today . . . Sting

August 3rd, 1991 - Alpine Valley, Wisconsin.
My first live experience with Sting. I only mention this now, as opposed to say a 20 year retrospective, because of its relevance to the recent Police tour. Sting had at that point been long removed from the Police, never to return. He had taken his music into a farther orbit from the world of rock- more jazz, more classical. He had created this persona of a "rock star", even though he didn't play all that much rock. So, given the years of jazz bands and the melancholy feel of The Soul Cages, along with the intimate small-club settings that had begun the tour, one could have expected more of the same low-key approach. That night Sting stepped out onto the amphitheater stage - and he rocked! The sound was the closest I'd heard to the original Police sound. The Soul Cages was a rebirth for Sting. The growing size of his bands, although quite elegant and grand, had grown too large, along with his attitude of arrogance. Here we had Sting as a musician, stripped down, with the genius previously found in the studio now brought out to the stage. The hair was cut and the attitude diminished. He was back on bass and his playing was much more complex, more improvisational, and the songs came alive. He had found a band that was the equal of The Police. Dominic Miller brought back a less-is-more approach to guitar, in the tradition of Andy Summers. Its obvious his style created a unique sound that helped Sting write the best songs of his career. It is unlikely that we will ever hear another SC again. Vinnie Colaiuta was another top class drummer - showing a proficiency with poly-rythmic complexity that is rarely matched. And David Sancious brought the keyboards into the rock universe - raw, powerful and fluid. The four of them bonded into one single element: solid, but dynamic; stripped down but expansive and immensely layered. The energy of this band was uncontainable even in the polarized material from the etheral Soul Cages. And the elegance and grandeur were still there, as heard on MTV Unplugged and at the Montreaux 91 Jazz Festival. It was the best band he ever had. The tour was fairly well reproduced on The Soul Cages Live video (when will there be an expanded DVD version of this?)

But, after 1995 Sting (& Dominic) played with less capable bands for a mediocre decade, never nearing their previous achievements. There was another rebirth in 2005 when they were joined by Josh Freese and Lyle Workman for a very limited Broken Music tour. Once again a 4-piece band, this time with two guitars. More Police tunes were resurrected and Dominic got to rock harder than ever. This was obviously the catalyst for the Police reunion and these songs were given a new life. Now, it seems that the final chapter of The Police has been written. Sting's only commitments now are more lute performances, and we can only hope that like the Broadway shows of 1989, these "distractions" are the calm before the storm. Another rebirth is not needed, only a continuation of the momentum and a return to the previous band. I remember that after the 1993 show I kept thinking that the best was over, it would never be that good again. I was right in one sense - that particular band was done. Fortunately in the more general sense I was wrong, and fifteen years later everything would come full circle with The Police. But, now I think it may be true. Even though we are far from the peak of Sting's career in the 1980s, I have seen him live 4 times in the last 5 years, and it would have been 5/5 if the Broken Music tour had come closer. I can only hope that says something about a continued presence and that 2009/2010 brings some new Sting material of high quality that "rocks."