My Songs

 

While I'm on the subject of Sting, I finally got around to the 2019 My Songs album.  There's probably a quite a bit of criticism about Sting's continual touring of his back catalog (and the re-releases such as this).  However, it could be argued that it shows a lot of dedicated hard work to his art, fans, and legacy (although he could add in some more thorough US tours)  This is an interesting collection of reworked material, a much better idea in my opinion than a greatest hits work. I think this could have been a great opportunity to put  together a definitive collection of his body of work, but as it is it's a little half-baked.  First, the songs that are only remixed really don't belong here. As far as the songs of The Police finally done as solo studio versions, the question might be: what took so long?  It's interesting that while these songs are definitely part of his musical DNA, going back to the beginning, the songs I Can't Stand Losing You, So Lonely and Next To You were all shelved for 25 years, only re-emerging in his sets after the Police reunion. As for Fields of Gold, and Shape of My Heart, there is a nagging question of why these songs needed rerecording?

Despite an intriguing idea, this collection feels a little thrown together.  What I would have like to have seen would have been a one or two volume double-disc collection either studio or live in the studio   recordings with Dom and David Sancious, and Vinnie or Josh. Start disc 1 with the essential Police recordings.  As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'd really love to see his first two solo records re-recorded with Dominic and with him back on bass. This would have been the perfect opportunity.  Just using the live post-1990 arrangements would be satisfying for a Volume 2, perhaps adding highlights of the albums with a few revisits to the forgotten, although significant, tracks: Love is the Seventh Wave, Lazarus Heart, History Will Teach Us Nothing.

Tracks done with this band so far: If Your Love Somebody, Love is the Seventh Wave (rare), Russians, Children's Crusade (rare), We Work the Black Seam (studio only), Consider Me Gone, Moon Over Bourbon street, Fortress Around You Heart (truncated), Be Still My Beating Heart, Englishman in New York, They Dance Alone (somewhat rare), Fragile, We'll Be Together, Straight to My Heart, Rock Steady (rare, excerpt), Little Wing (rare), Sister Moon

Newer songs seem unnecessary for re-recording, although this inclination of Sting's could always be questioned. Perhaps selections from Brand New Day and Sacred Love could use a stripping-down, and brought back to a tight rock-band feel (although live versions would probably suffice).

As it is, the Special Edition with live disc makes the purchase worth it (although, why he can't just release live albums from each tour is beyond me)

Bags of Blood (More Songs About Death and Water)

 "The world has seen enough impatient bags of blood" - Marillion - Be Hard on Yourself

“We are but bags of blood and bone.” - Sting - The Bridge

As we emerge from the morass of 2020/21, one of the first questions to elicit a response is how the pandemic will influence the cultural subconscious and how that will be manifested in artistic constructs, since it certainly could not be avoided.

Of personal interest, both artists of primary significance to me, are releasing albums at the same time, both consisting of themes admittedly motivated by the pandemic event. In an example of synchronicity, both artists (the pre-eminent songwriters about death and water) have converged on the "bag of blood" image of post-pandemic human reflection. 

 

The first "single" release from Marillion's An Hour Before It's Dark - Be Hard on Yourself is a promising track, following FEAR's attention to the larger global threats to civilized stability. Musically this is clearly a continuation of fifth-era [1] Marillion, with structure similar to Sounds that Can't Be Made and FEAR.   But this time there is the feeling of a more dynamic motivation and tension, an ongoing momentum, unlike the tempo slow-downs on FEAR which impeded the flow of the songs, and undermined the critical urgency of the content. Their piece-together-a-bunch-of-musical-bits approach has yielded some great music, although it retains some clunky transitions and could perhaps use some more editing (where a less-is-more attitude might improve the flow). Hearing Hard, along with a snippet of Care, Marillion has seemingly evolved the experiments of the last two records into something that more resembles their essential sound.  As for any water themes, we'll have to wait until March for the full release. 

As a side note regarding the title (and yes I know I do not yet have the full context, but as it is my page here, I'll give my initial thoughts), the titles of this era have seemed a bit . .. awkward.   Returning to something a bit more concise and literary, Before Dark would have seemed sufficient and appropriate, but then I think titling Sounds That Can't Be Made as simply Power, would have exerted ... more power.

As for Sting's record, the pandemic force has seemingly pushed him in the opposite direction.  While The Bridge is a nice collection of songs, the first thing I would say is that this is not a rock record.  It is the most stripped down work he has ever done.  There is acoustic guitar, and presumably some bass, but overall not much electric guitar or drums, and lacking in foreground keyboards (maybe next time we'll see the return of the venerable David Sancious). This is a work of classical, traditional English, and folk music.  While Miller's classical approach to guitar has had a tremendous impact on the direction of  Sting's composition for the last 30 years, this work feels, finally, like a collaboration between the two, with Miller's style merging with Sting as a singer and writer/storyteller.  While there are hints of Ten Summoner's Tales, it is with a post-57th & 9th band and mentality.  There are also a lot of hints of Mercury Falling, both the best and worst results of that session. [2]  Thematically, like Ten Summoner's Tales, Mercury Falling, and Sacred Love, this is collection of tales - morality tales.  There is a lot here about God and redemption, in a quite explicit manner.  Similar to much of Marillion's work, this could be viewed as a religious work, without the religious ideology, ritual, and dogma over-dominating the personal experience found in examining the self as coming-to-terms and living with itself.

[1] Eras: 1- Fish, 2- Classic H (SE through TSE), 3 new sounds (Radiation through Anorak), 4- the 5 discs in 4 years output of cross-session songs (Marbles through Happiness), and 5- the post-near-breakup return with the stitch together method.

[2] Best: traditional maritime "water" style, worst: 70s feel (with horns).  Less apparent on the album is the classic Blue Turtles to Soul Cages feel.

Hope for the Future / Fuck Everyone and Run

The Great Wall of China
What A waste of Time
The Maginot Line
What a waste of time. 

It appears Marillion's new album Fuck Everyone and Run may hit the nail right on the head in terms of the Zeitgeist (more on the album later.) Contrasting this title with their 1997 song Hope for Future, really shows the change in times, clearly for the worst. I'm not optimistic about the future, especially after yesterday, and it would seem the predictions of Marillion, as well as others from Nostradamus to George Friedman [1] are coming to fruition.  We have become so over-reactionary that every little event of violence by someone of Non-Western origin is immediately cast as terrorism. [2] But not every unfortunate incident of potentially intense violence is terrorism [3]. Some are simply violent acts committed by homicidal lunatics, who may or may not be religious.  But, in any case, they are homicidal maniacs first.

It seems certain that whatever conflict arises out of the current tension, there will be those who lose who don't deserve to. Not only the innocent people who happened to be born a different race [4], but those humanitarians that try to de-escalate the tension in order to protect undeserving people on both sides.  As seen, in current online discussions, the hatred for each side is so strong that it will be propelled at anyone who tries to question what is going on.  As we spiral around history, there always has to be the Other - coming to take our joy, one who can't be negotiated with, but is 100% alien and must be eradicated. While ISIS might fall factually into this category, the prevailing opinion is to include all Muslims in this category.   I wonder what would happen if Sting rewrote his 1986 song Russians into "Muslims," something like this: 

In Europe and America, there's a growing feeling of hysteria
Conditioned to respond to all the threats
In the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets
ISIS said we will bury you
I don't subscribe to this point of view
It would be such an ignorant thing to do
If the Muslims love their children too

How can I save my little boy from Oppenheimer's deadly toy
There is no monopoly in common sense
On either side of the political fence
We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Muslims love their children too

There is no historical precedent
To put the words in the mouth of the President
There's no such thing as a winnable war
It's a lie we don't believe anymore
Mr. Trump says we will protect you
I don't subscribe to this point of view
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Muslims love their children too

We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
What might save us, me, and you
Is if the Muslims love their children too

Certainly the message would be the same  -  "the Muslims love their children too," it would be timely and accurate, and I fear, far less acceptable.  The Muslim scare seems deeper rooted than the Red Scare and anti-communist Reagan years.  Which goes to show the "political correctness" of the right.  If you dare to throw out words like Islam, or Marxism, you are immediately shot down, dismissed and discredited as you try to make as serious intellectual point.  They are buzz words used to differentiate the other and cannot be used for any correct point - regardless of the facts of the situation.
The complete alienation of the Other is apparent whenever they try to take a positive position.  If BLM protests, they are told to be peaceful. If they are peaceful during the national anthem, they are told to stop being disrespectful.  If the Somali community doesn't publicly denounce Muslim violence, they are  accused of quietly supporting it.  If they do publicly denounce it, they are told to shut up and go away.  The divide will only get bigger, as the extreme right now has a voice on the public stage, they will continue to expand and veer farther right. They are waiting and hoping for more of the so-called "colossal" attacks, like 9/17, so they can respond with ever more retaliation, and prove their resistance to the Other.   It wasn't that we underestimated Trump. It is that we (and Trump) underestimated his followers.  Perhaps things will get better in 50 days.  But the way things are sliding, that is becoming less and less likely.  At which point the real divide will begin, and we'll all have a better understanding of 1930s Germany. Let's hope we don't have to choose sides and get caught in the middle while trying to take the moral high ground.


[1] STRATFOR's analysis of Russia, Turkey, etc, is increasingly seeming more likely after the last 3 years.

[2] Acts of mass violence, when perpetrated by Whites are not called Christian terrorism, or Western terrorism. Terrorism is limited to the Other. The way "terrorism" is used/understood (not the way it should be defined) is when the Other attacks Us. So, Colored people are terrorists, whites are criminals [see 4A].

[3] Violence- the kind of a homicidal maniac is a necessary quality of a terrorist, but it isn't sufficient.  Terrorism is more - it is ideological, and furthermore has an agenda to achieve.  It is therefore planned, organized and coordinated, to have any effect as terrorism.  If we start to call any violent act by someone who has an ideologically agenda (almost everyone) then the term loses all meaning.  This is a disservice to those in New York, Paris, Israel,/Gaza, etc. There are real terrorists out there- evil people - and we must not dilute that fight by calling every criminal act of a brown person terrorism.

[4] I realize "Muslim" isn't a race, but then race is an artificial construct - we're all the same species [4A].  When we're talking about Muslims,we're not talking about white Westerners that have converted. We mean Arabs, or Africans.  Like Jews, Muslim is a term for a culture that includes attributes of geography, history, and physical features, all united through a religion.  One is born into that religion as a part of their heritage, there isn;t much transfer in and out of such religious thought. Since those in that culture share "family resemblances" of traits, it makes sense to classify them in contrast to Western (mostly Christian) groups, through "race"for lack of a better term.

     [4A] The Irish and Italians used to be non-white, as were some German descents, and if German isn't white, then what is? But, all of these Europeans became white through common use which expanded and changed the definition.  Which culture associated with terrorism has a drink named after them?  The "Irish Car Bomb" has become so normalized that the Irish terrorists aren't terrorists anymore (because they're now white).

I Can't Stop Thinking About You

After a 13 year wait, we finally have the new single from Sting- I Can't Stop Thinking About You.  On the plus side, it's upbeat, it doesn't sound anything like his last two albums, and it's not a sappy love song [1].  The essential band members Dominic and  Vinnie are present, although David's keys are gone. [2] Musically, this seems like a progression of 2005's Broken Music Tour, all done on strings with the addition of a second guitar, now worked into new material.  Given the presence of Josh Freese on the album, I wonder if some of this didn't originate in those sessions. In terms of tempo, Thinking fits alongside Next To You, which Sting rediscovered for the 2005 tour. Lyrically, this track exists along with If I Ever Lose My Faith in You and contains similar imagery to tracks from Mercury Falling, particularly The Hounds of Winter and the style of 25 to Midnight.  Theological considerations similar to All This Time can also be discerned. Sting's music has always struck me as more relevant in the fall and winter (with, perhaps, The Police more compatible with Summer) and here Sting continues his exploration of an existential lack in relation to winter.  Just this week I was, through an event of synchronicity, thinking about the book The Heart of a Lonely Hunter, which gets worked into the lyrics, and always seems to make a good metaphor. This track suggest that the new album will not have the layered sonic complexity of his masterpiece albums (Nothing Like the Sun, The Soul Cages), or their refined lyrics.  But it is a good reboot, ending the overproduced yet flat sound and writing of the last two albums, and the non-rock endeavors of his last four releases.  It is a good indicator of Sting 3.0, and that might be the best thing to come from this return to the world, out of the hyper-esoteric and eccentric desert of the last decade.

[1] Unlike something like Whenever I Say Your Name
[2] The keyboards - particularly David's - were noticeably absent on the 2016.08.31 performance of All This Time.  Hopefully the tour will feature the re-inclusion of David (and Jo and Peter) to fully perform tracks from other albums.  Although, as mentioned, he got by on the Broken Music Tour and might try something different .

Driven to Tears

Sting with Paul Simon @ Xcel Energy Center, St Paul, MN -  2014.02.23

In another one of Sting's experiments, this tour featured the most unusual pairing on such a big name tour.  Early 80s New Wave meets 70s folk.  Many reviews note that Simon exists on another level than Sting in the history of music.  I don't subscribe to that point of view.  Sting maintains a large radio presence beyond Simon's, and while Simon's influence is undeniable, it would seem that Sting's has become just as large (see Maroon 5, Goyte, Bruno Mars, etc.)  Can anyone name a Simon song from the last 25 years?  For Sting, no one can name one from this century, as its seems both artist have fallen into the same trap - revolving around their mythical status rather than moving forward (although a lot of the blame for that rests on society and the industry rather than the artist).  In terms of talent, I think the translation worked better with Sting's version of Simon than Simon's version of Sting (Fragile, for one was very flat and uninspiring), but Simon's most iconic tracks came across well for a responsive crowd.  Personally, those 70s songs just felt out of place to me, while Simon's 80s world-beat influence mixed better with Sting's tracks.  The inclusion of the lackluster song Brand New Day really strikes me as bad choice for a duet, not only because it's boring but because of the lyrical innuendo.   The real disappointment was, of course, the failure of Sting's equipment during Roxanne, which led to omission of They Dance Alone, Desert Rose and Every Breath You Take.  This failure only highlights the pitfalls of an overly elaborate production.  Sting and band should have been able to walk over to the half of the stage that was working and play, but when an artist is this far in to a perfectly choreographed performance, there is just no way to do that.  I would have preferred that they swapped sets at that point, handing over to Simon's band and then resumed playing afterwards (stopping for an intermission to fix the problem if necessary).  The speed with which the show moved on seemed like a cheat.  The loss of Every Breath wasn't a loss at all, but it would have been nice to hear the other two, particularly because this is the first tour (to stop here) that features Sting playing bass for them. These omissions also have more of an impact because after a 21 year wait Sting finally has his best band back together - Dominic Miller, David Sancious on keyboard, and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums.  The addition of Peter Tickell also adds to the band, particularly his fiddle solo on Driven to Tears, and the vocals of Jo Lawry are welcome addition as well. While this band brought a full set to tour in 2013, they unfortunately skipped the Twin Cities (as Sting always does when he is on bass).  The set could have been better, as it originally included Love is the Seventh Wave, which would seem to fit better than Simon than any other song.  Higher energy tunes such as King of Pain or If I Ever Lose My Faith would have helped as well, although they may have drawn a sharper distinction from the low-key Simon numbers.  Sting seemed in top form and the vocals on Message in a Bottle were perhaps the best I've heard him sing, the sustain and impact in this rendition were unmatched.  Now that Sting has his  real band back together, let's hope for more touring and another stop here with a full set, without any gimmicks.


+: Message in a Bottle, Driven to Tears, I Hung My Head, The Hounds of Winter, No Every Breath You Take
-: No Love is the Seventh Wave, They Dance Alone, Desert Rose or King of Pain, If Ever Lose My Faith

Setlist: Brand New Day - Boy in the Bubble(Paul Simon cover) - Fields of Gold - Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - Englishman in New York - I Hung My Head - Driven to Tears - Walking on the Moon - Mother and Child Reunion (Paul Simon cover) - Fragile - America(Simon & Garfunkel cover) - Message in a Bottle - The Hounds of Winter - They Dance Alone (aborted) -Roxanne - Desert Rose (omitted) - The Boxer(Simon & Garfunkel cover)- Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel cover) - Every Breath You Take (omitted) - Late in the Evening (Paul Simon cover)- When Will I Be Loved? (The Everly Brothers cover)

Sting - 25 Years

Now that I've listened to the new box set (no I didn't personally buy it) I am convinced that it is a disappointment and quite a missed opportunity. It seems that no one took this seriously. Besides being a year late, all it amounts to is a 3 CD best of collection for $150. There is also a DVD of a performance cut down to 10 tracks, the only real new material. The Police bo set gave us five complete albums plus all the B-sides for $40, quite a difference.  The only promising material here are the remixes. The Blue Turtles tracks (Fortress, Set Them Free, Love is the Seventh Wave, and Consider Me Gone) show a considerable improvement from the original release, the bass and guitar parts are now clear and accented. The live tracks from that tour, (Driven to Tears and I Burn For You) are also much better, the remix actually making them sound live and not like studio overdubs found on the original Bring on The Night.

A Much better plan would have been something along the lines that U2 did, release a best of with a companion CD of B Side and remixes( here is my proposed tracklist).  This could have been followed up with remastered and remixed releases of each album.  The Entire Dream of the Blue Turtles album would find improvement and Bring on the Night would be a live album again and could use additional songs performed on the tour added back in (Fortress, Set Them Free, Message in a Bottle, etc).  The next three albums are probably good as they are, but his last two rock albums could use a complete makeover (the included remix of Never Coming Home is more interesting than the original release).

Along with that a lot of video could be released on DVD to make a nice overview of this 25 year span including the Tokyo 88 concert, the complete Soul Cages Live (the Peter Gabriel tracks could be included as Easter eggs), The Hollywood Bowl show from 91, a concert from 93 such as the Oslo show, and a full Broken Music show (perhaps with addition songs from other dates as this tour was fairly limited).

Symphonicity

Sting & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Xcel Center, St Paul, MN 2010.06.21

How often do you get to go to a rock concert and hear a clarinet solo?  It wasn't Branford on the soprano sax, but it filled the role. After a two-year tour with The Police, this attempt seems to be an appropriate Sting counterpoint response, and probably more lucrative and less dreadful than his lute/ English folk side career that has consumed much of the past five years.   The strength of Sting's music has always come through the best in the Police and with his 1990 band, being a stripped down less-is-more approach[1]. With only a few great musicians contributing, each instrument and each note takes on a prominent role in the sound.  Here the situation is reversed.  Rather than strip everything to its minimalist components, the songs incorporated every intsrument into a wall of sound.  This is itself is a leap for Sting, who is a control freak and has always been able to control his bands from the lowest bass note to the highest vocal note. The immense amount of scoring and choreographing necessary here completely negates any spontaneous control he might have.  While Dominic Miller provided an important center with his elegant guitar, he could have been allowed a little more electric juice.  Most importantly, the lack of an electric bass was a glaring auditory hole, preferably one played by Mr Sumner himself.  Sting's shows have always suffered when they lost him in that role.  Inverting the rock concert from the rock concert presented a more relaxed environment and allowed Sting to take a Storyteller approach, becoming more more verbose than normal.

There were the usual tracks as expected: Every Breath You Take, Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, Fields of Gold.  Most intersting were the tracks that never made a standard setlist (at least in modern history), When We Dance, End of the Game, Moon Over Bourbon Street and Russians were all given a new dimension by the orchestra, with Russians particularly enhanced by having its Prokofievian themes amplified.  The setlist featured heavily on Sting-2 tracks (1997-) and these changed relatively little, being overproduced to begin with.  The pre-1996 material, particularly the tracks from the 1990 quartet were most noticably reconstructed, however Why Should I Cry was a welcome reactivation [2] and the audience began to react much more enthusiastically after its performance.  Mad About You and Shape of My Heart also received classy and sophisticated renditions.  King of Pain drove the show into high gear, leaving only Sting's lack of a bass holding the show back from hitting a relative 11.

Setlist:
If I Ever Lose My Faith / Englishman in New York / Every Little Thing She Does / Roxanne / When We Dance / Russians / Straight to My Heart / Why Should I Cry / Whenever I Say Your Name / Fields of Gold / Next To You /  A Thousand Years / I Hung My Head /  Shape of My Heart  / Tomorrow We'll See / Moon Over Bourbon Street / Shape of My Heart / End of The Game / My Ain True Love/ All Would Envy / Mad About You / King of Pain / Every Breath You Take /*/ Desert Rose / She's Too Good For Me / Fragile / I Was Brought to My Senses (a capella)

* Freebird 

+: King of Pain / Dominic Miller / 2 Soul Cages songs / Dominic Miller playing Soul Cages songs

-: No bass playing by Sting - you just can't feel cellos like a good electric bass.  Too many Sting-2 tracks, notably Whenever I Say Your Name.


[1] Sting has been playing one-off shows with this band recently, and since he has Dominic, David Sancious and Vinnie Colaiuta working together again, hopefully they can do a full scale tour.

[2] Dominic's guitar sound on The Soul Cages is perhaps the most uniquely interesting guitar tone I've heard.  And it's so specific to that album, I suspect it will never be used again, so after 19 years in obscurity it's great to hear it again, worth the price of admission alone.  Any to chance to hear tracks from that album is a wrothwhile endeavor , perhaps someone can convince Sting to do a 20th anniversary tour and resurrect the 1991 band and setlist.

Sting is lined up to play a one-off show, consisting of Dominic Miller, David Sancious, and Josh Freese. I couldn't ask for a better line-up. We know Dom has been in Italy working with Sting, hopefully they are finishing up work on tracks that have been started over the last five years. This could be the return of something great.

Cool as November

This month we finally see the DVD releases of the three greatest tours of 2007-2008,with performances from The Police, Rush and Dream Theater.

First is Dream Theater's Chaos in Motion. The DVD is not the greatest quality, but it does capture the latest tour of very intense progressive rock. Most notable is Surrounded 07 as it's extended and Marillionized, with a part of Sugar Mice added.

After a year of waiting for the alleged DVD release from The Police, Certifiable shows the band in a new light. The maturity of their musicianship comes out, with each individual contributing more color to the music with subtle variations in fills and accents. Much more dynamic than The Police of 1983. The only thing I could ask for (given that this might really be the final chapter of the legend) is a little more material from the other legs of the tour. It would be nice to see the performances of the rare opener Bring on the Night as wells as Spirits in the Material World, and Demolition Man. Also, the final show would have been a great occasion to be documented, containing the first real cover performances from The Police with Sunshine of Your Love, Down So Long and Purple Haze.

Finally, Rush has released Snakes and Arrows Live. Here, everything has been done perfectly. They held off releasing the DVD along with CD live album to record more performances. The third disc contains the songs that were added to the final leg of the tour (including Ghost of a Chance), so we have a complete record of all the songs from this tour.

The last two releases were also done in Blu-Ray, so this might give me the excuse to finally upgrade.

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."

Once Upon a Daydream (Part II (Part 2))

The Police @ Marcus Amphitheater, Milwaukee, WI, 2008.07.25

Perhaps it was the 80+ degree heat that wore down my energy level, or wore down the band, or just the fact that this was an outdoor theater, but this did not seem like the same Police that performed a year ago. Perhaps the 2007 St Paul show was one of the high points of the tour, but that show was full of energy, a better Police than existed in 1983. Now, the band seems to be running down after a year of touring, and Sting seems like he's trying to be old. Perhaps the biggest disappointment was the shortened setlist. Gone were the powerful songs that propelled the set, Synchronicity II, Truth Hits Everybody & The Bed's Too Big Without You, as well as the poignant Walking in Your Footsteps. We didn't even get the replacement Bring on the Night like other shows, although they added Hole in My Life and Demolition Man to this leg of the tour. There were also some strange reworkings, such as the humorous intro to Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, (apparently not intentional), which destroyed the buildup of the song. But besides these setbacks, this was The Police, and this tour was absolutely historic. Andy can still shred on guitar, Sting is a master of bass, and Stewart is still the kinetic Stewart. By the grace of Fortune I was able to experience this tour twice, and watching these songs come back to life after decades of fearing them fade into history.


Setlist:
Message In A Bottle / Walking On The Moon / Demolition Man / Voices Inside My Head / When The World Is Running Down / Don't Stand So Close To Me / Driven To Tears / Hole In My Life / Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic / Wrapped Around Your Finger / De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da / Invisible Sun / Can't Stand Losing You / Roxanne /King Of Pain / So Lonely / Every Breath You Take / Next To You

Twenty Years Ago Today. . . Steve Winwood

Now my life has changed and now my eyes can see
Now I'm living on the morning side
Now I'm letting all the sunlight into me
Now I'm free

And I know I'll never pass that way again
That dark journey to the morning side
On the morning side I feel my life begin
Let's begin

         -Steve Winwood The Morning Side from Roll With it (1988)

Remember the days when TV was filled with Michelob commercials featuring the likes of Phil Collins, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood? Those were the days when music was ruled by class A musicians, usually associated with the Princes Trust. I first heard Winwood from the 1986 Back in the High Life album (probably with a little help from 21 Jump Street). It was the first complete album I was fascinated with from a musical point of view. So, in the summer of 1988, I was excited by Winwood's next release, Roll With It. I remember being in Chicago the week after the album's release, and Winwood's face was plastered on every block, while the radio constantly played cuts from this masterpiece. I considered going to see his performance at Riverfest on July 15th, while friends suggested I check out Sting on July 11th. I didn't make it to either show - a regret of mine. Only a month later, I would listen to The Police and hear Sting truly for the first time, and my interest in music would not slow down after that.

I often forget about this record, and then I take a listen and I'm always struck by what an awesome work it is. Synth-driven pop, with Winwood's early R&B influence. It's one of those great "night" albums, chronicling a night of celebrating life, with its explicit imagery of night and morning. Holding On and The Morning Side are possibly the best songs of Winwood's career. The album as a whole belongs on any list of classic albums, exemplifying the magic found in what I think was the high point in music history, 1988-1992.

De Do Do Do De Da Da Da

So, for today's post we have yet another Sting entry. Only because Sting is in the news, and its been a long time since he has been. Blender magazine further confirms my assumptions about the media's assault on intelligence. Sting has been voted the worst lyricist. Wait. What? That's right, and Neil Peart comes in second. Seriously?! WTF?! Add Bono, Sarah Maclachlan, and H in there and you'll have my list of best songwriters. Now, Sting is used to being called pompous, arrogant and pretentious. But, I never though anyone with a functioning brain would actually question his lyric writing ability.

His strength lies in the fact that he can discuss complex ideas, put into a simple, three verse structure. Like his musical writing, minimalism is the key, but yet there is serious depth and intensity. His songs are easily accessible, he's not overly verbose or obscure, (with the possible exception of Wrapped Around Your Finger). He also strikes a good balance between intellectual and visceral dimensions of a song. As for the subject matter, Sting's lyrics encompass the whole sphere of the humanities. In the words of Daryl Jones, "I've never heard a Sting song that's a nothing song." So he throws in a little Shakespeare, Chaucer, Nabakov, St Augustine, etc. He was one of the inspirations that led me to pursue degrees in English and Philosophy. "Cloying spirituality"?? Are we listening to the same songs? I assume they don't mean that in a religious sense. (and by the way, by using that phrase they are being pompous themselves - their readers can't understand Sting, but they're going to understand that?). Maybe its in the personal sense, but as for being overly sweet - remember "Every Breath You Take" is NOT a love song - Sting usually focuses on the dark side, or at least the dual side of things. Apparently his lyrics are good enough to be made into book form.

So, basically he's too smart for these people. It's strange that we have constant debate about the failure of our educational system, yet we criticize any attempt to appear smart. We now have people on TV that say they don't know, or care, if the world is flat. Who would have thought we would get this stupid? The media wants to retard people so they can tell them how to think. Then its easier to sell Britney, Justin, and any rap to people. Smart people aren't going to stand there and eat crap that they paid for just because that's what they are told to do. This is a magazine that had Kanye West on their latest cover - that shows where Blender's IQ level is at (and thanks Kanye, for ruining the Police performance at Live Earth).

Luckily for me, I usually consider these polls to be the opposite of reality - there's usually too much Bon Jovi and GNR to be taken seriously. As for Sting, he gets free publicity, which coincidentally happens right before his Lyrics book is released. And what about Neil? I dare anybody to listen to "The Pass", and then tell me Neil is a bad songwriter - talk about depth and intensity!

Princes of the Universe

Advanced Theory I

Check out the Advanced Theory Blog for an interesting cultural theory. I'm not sure it makes coherent sense, or if it is even supposed to. It may be as esoteric as many other post-modern theories, or it may just be a pseudo-intellectual way to criticize and make fun of modern culture. Either way, it seems worthy of some consideration. Every post he makes regarding Sting (no pun intended - really), contains a statement to the effect of "I don't know if Sting is advanced or not", which I find quite amusing. It seems Sting is so super-Advanced, he has confused the founder of Advancement theory, but I'll have more to say about that later.

Once Upon a Daydream (Part II)

So, after a 24 year absence, The Police returned to the Twin Cities last night. What can be said about their performance?

Fucking incredible!

Sorry, but that's the best way to describe it. There has been a lot of criticism about the early part of the tour (including some from Stewart himself.) The main problems seemed to be Andy getting lost and an overall lack of energy. Not so in St Paul. These guys were right on. Not only were they able to get to together and play their songs again, but they did it better than last time! They have obviously matured since 1984, but they've also become much better musicians. Stewart has always been on the top of his game and still is, what is really obvious is how much better of a bass player Sting has become. He adss more fills and there are a lot more nuances and punctuation to the musical phrases. And Andy shredded on his guitar far beyond what I would expect from a 64 year-old mostly-jazz player. There was certainly no lack of energy - these guys burned from the first note. This was not a Fragile/Fields-of-Gold-esque Sting, this was the Rock Star Sting. I can't wait for the DVD of this tour, this one's going to get played real loud!

The new arrangement of Truth Hits Everybody rocked much more than people have claimed. Don't Stand So Close to Me has been the most problematic song. Many people don't like the new arrangement, and Stewart has hinted at dropping it- apparently they can't get the new version to work well, and for some unknown reason they can't do they original arrangement. Nevertheless, it seemed to me this version worked just fine. It may have been the most low-key song out of the 19 song set, it was still well worth performing. The only noticeable mistakes were from Sting, who missed a line or two from King of Pain, and failed to project a few vocal notes. Otherwise, beside a few strange guitar harmonics, the show was flawless.

Personally I was disappointed that they have already dropped Spirits in the Material World, as this is one of the few songs I have not yet heard live. Why does Sting always do this? On both the 88 and 91 tours he started including Spirits but dropped it within a few shows. Technologically speaking I was not on for this show. I forgot the memory card for my camera, and if I hadn't I would have tried to video most of the show to document the stage lighting and image projections. As for my attempt at an audio recording, I am really out of practice (I quit after my failed attempt at Sting's 07.2000 show). Once again I screwed up -twice! Stupid pause button! So, I only ended up with half of the show, on what would have been my best recording ever. I really hope someone else out there distributes one.

Setlist: Message In a Bottle/ Synchronicity II / Walking on the Moon / Voices Inside My Head/ When the World is Running Down / Don't Stand So Close to Me / Driven to Tears / Truth Hits Everybody / The Bed's Too Big Without You / Every Little Thing She Does is Magic / Wrapped Around Your Finger / De Do Do Do De Da Da Da / Invisible Sun / Walking In Your Footsteps / Can't Stand Losing You / Roxanne / King Of Pain / So Lonely / Every Breath You take / Next To You

The Soul Cages

One Little Victory - I finally found the video for The Soul Cages. Thanks to the incompetence of the media (MTV) and the recording industry (A&M - which never released this on home video), it took me over 16 years to finally see Sting's best video. I also found Games Without Frontiers, performed with Peter Gabriel at a charity concert on The Soul Cages tour. While I'm taking the time to "thank God for the internet", here's a link to a video by How We Live, Steve Hogarth's former band, and one I would consider to be the perfection of 80s pop.

Once Upon a Daydream

Well, from the icy depths of Hell comes the most significant annoucement in the history of contemporary music: The Police are reforming for a 2007 World Tour after a 23 year absence. So far they have been elusive on the subject of new material.