Dream of the Blue Turtle

MacLeod · May 2006

Ive recently been getting into this album and have come to the realization that this is a damn fine recording!

Every song with the exception of "Love is the 7th Wave" is just excellent and "
Childrens Crusade" is jsut a masterpiece!

His band is also top notch with a great drummer.

However the recording, while nice and clean, is a little flat in the bass response area but it still sound pretty good for a mid 80's recording.

I wish Sting had made more albums like this as opposed to his more "pop'ish" stuff.

schwarcw · May 2006

Great album! "I hope the Russioan love their children too" is a haunting song. Kind of lost it's impact over the past twenty years, but still very powerful. This followup CD "Nothing Like the Sun" may be his greatest work. It's also available on multi channel DTS (which can be played in two channel. I saw it in Best Buy tonight for $14.99. Give it a shot!:)

AsSiMiLaTeD · May 2006

Great album - you should check out the DVD of that as well, good stuff.

This was Sting basically trying to prove to the world that he didn't need Stewart and Andy to be a star, that he could make it on his own - I'd say he's accomplished that quite well.

I'm a big fan, even like his pop stuff...

shack · May 2006

I hope you don't mind that I cut and pasted my own post from when we did the Rock and Roll Reminiscing thread from a few years ago. I definitely like "Dream of the Blue Turtles" but he has several more that are equally as good IMO. Verbatim, here is my post from 5-22-03:

Ok...I guess much like The Police...Sting doesn't have a big following here. Since I like his work I will run through what I have. Yes...I know he is a pompus, pretentious, self indulgent, over-opinionated, egotistical, tree-hugger that actually believes that people give a **** about his views on anything and everthing besides music...In otherwords...A Rock Star!

Besides...he is not the first artist that I enjoy in spite of the message they are trying to convey. Jackson Browne falls in this category and he is one of my favorites.

What I like about Sting is that he takes musical chances and is constantly changing his style. His first two solo studio albums are very much jazz oriented (it would be hard not to be since his entire band was made up of jazz muscians including Branford Marsalis). He also has reggae and classical influences mixed in.

Dream Of The Blue Turtle - 1985 - "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" was the big hit, but it is not among my favorites on the album. They would include "Russians", "Children's Crusade", "We Work The Black Seam" and "Fortress Around Your Heart". The first three are very political but are also very nice pieces of music.

Nothing Like The Sun - 1987 - "We'll Be Together" is the best cut IMO followed closely by "Be Still My Beating Heart". These are the most up-tempo tracks on this album. "Fragile" and "Sister Moon" are more more laid back but also very good. "Enlishman In New York" is musically very intersting and thats why I like it. "History Will Teach Us Nothing" goes back to Sting's reggae influences. And lastly, I didn't think I would like it, but his cover of Hendrix's "Little Wing" is a good listen.

The Soul Cages - 1991 - Even though his band was basically the same as the previous album this on takes on a completely different feel. There seems to be almost a Celtic or Irish undertone to his music. Maybe becase this is sort of a tibute to his parents. The album is a nice change of pace with the best cuts being "All This Time" and "The Soul Cages".

Ten Summoner's Tales - 1993 - While the jazz influence is still evident this one takes on more of a Funk/R&B feel...especially on cuts like "Heavy Clouds No Rain". "Fields Of Gold" and "Shape Of My Heart" are very nice ballads. "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You" and "She's Too Good For Me" are definitely Pop/R&B influenced. This is his most diverse album with several different musical styles.

Sting is an artist that is immediately recognizable and there are common traits throughout his work. But he is also very diverse in his approach to his music. His work is not as important as he would like to think it is...but I like his music (at least on these four albums) because it doesn't bore me after a listen or two. I need to pick up his last two albums and see if he has been able to keep it interesting. I seems like the few cuts I heard had lost some of the originality and I passed.

Frank Z · May 2006

Bought it the day it hit the shelves and it's still a favorite. My kids dig it too.

Weird...I was just listening to a few tracks off Ghost in the Machine with my daughter before popping in here.

I knew you guys had class!

polkatese · May 2006

This is the album that I "found" Sting with his Jazzy twist to his songs. I believed he appeared at Grammy in '85 singing "Russians" with a full orchestration. Anyone can confirm?

wallstreet · May 2006

When I originally bought Sting's later stuff, I hated it. I wanted the Police and what I got was something else. Now that I'm older, I love this stuff.

bobman1235 · May 2006

I'm a big fan of Sting too. F unny, when I first got into him, I didn't like Dream of the Blue Turtles as much, but after listening to him for a while, I gave it another shot and loved it. I like a lot of his more popish / mellow stuff too. Surprised no one mentioned Mercury Falling, which is a pretty good album. "You Still Touch Me" and "I Was Brought to My Senses" (minus the lame intro) are great.

I actually saw him at a "free" concert in central park back in 2000. One of the best concerts I've seen. Mostly because it was a beautiful night in Central Park

We got a pretty good spot too :

woodyjacobs · May 2006

For those that like "Dream of the Blue Turtles" and have never seen it, the concert film/documentary "Bring on The Night" is worth watching. It was recently (about a year ago I believe) released for the first time on DVD, and although the remastering isn't too good, at least it isn't my 20 year old VHS copy. There is some interesting documentary footage where he is working with the "Blue Turtles" material before the first gig of that tour...and the band (Sting on guitar, Daryl Jones on bass, Branford Marsalis on sax, Omar Hakim on drums and the late great Kenny Kirkland on keyboard) is simply top notch. Omar Hakim has long been one of my favorite drummers...the DVD is worth it just to watch him tear it up.

MacLeod · May 2006

That is very interesting! Ill definitely look for that. I love behind the scenes stuff.

shack · May 2006

woodyjacobs wrote:

For those that like "Dream of the Blue Turtles" and have never seen it, the concert film/documentary "Bring on The Night" is worth watching. It was recently (about a year ago I believe) released for the first time on DVD, and although the remastering isn't too good, at least it isn't my 20 year old VHS copy. There is some interesting documentary footage where he is working with the "Blue Turtles" material before the first gig of that tour...and the band (Sting on guitar, Daryl Jones on bass, Branford Marsalis on sax, Omar Hakim on drums and the late great Kenny Kirkland on keyboard) is simply top notch. Omar Hakim has long been one of my favorite drummers...the DVD is worth it just to watch him tear it up.

That's the one filmed in Paris, where they are practicing for the concert in a very large rented French Chateau. Nice documentary.

Norm Apter · June 2010

Tonight, I "won" a copy of the 2005 remastered versions of the Bring On The Night live CD on E-bay and then decided what the heck, why not pick up the DVD as well? So I ordered the DVD off Amazon.

Been going through a major Sting phase lately....I haven't heard or seen a second of material on either of these items, but I spent a total of less than 10 bucks (before shipping costs) for the two together, so I figure it won't be a big loss if they're not as great as I'd like.

Sometimes its fun to make "cold" (previously unheard/unseen) purchases like this...hopefully it will pay off.

My favorite Sting touring line-up was the four-piece used on the Soul Cages and Ten Summoners Tales tours ('91-'95):

Sting - bass
Vinnie Colaiuta - drums
David Sancious - keys (love what Sancious in particular brought to the mix)
Dominic Miller - guitar

But maybe that my opinions will change once my orders reach me. Looking forward to hearing/seeing them.

Fongolio · June 2010

Also check out Brand New Day and Mercury Falling. Both excellent Sting albums.

Norm Apter · June 2010

Fongolio wrote: »

Also check out Brand New Day and Mercury Falling. Both excellent Sting albums.

Other than Bring on the Night, I've got everything from Dream of the Blue Turtles through Brand New Day. But I never bothered with Sacred Love... And then what? Didn't he delve in 16th century Celtic tunes and play the lute or something?

I do very much agree with you that Mercury Falling is fantastic. It seems to have been panned by more than a few folk, but I think they're missing out after probably listening to it once or twice and dismissing it out of hand...

Its cool that Sting is always taking chances and changing things up, but his 80s and 90s output may be more my cup of tea.

headrott · June 2010

If you like this album, definately get the MFSL CD version. Much better than the "normal" version of the CD. If you like this CD that much, get it.

Greg

mhardy6647 · June 2010

Well... Sting is Sting (OK, he's really Gordon Sumner); neck-and-neck in the self-obsessivelly narcissistic rock 'n' roller derby with Bono :-)

But, in my book, he earns a place in the pantheon of songwriters for Fields of Gold.
(not on The Dream of the Blue Turtles... it's on Ten Summoner's Tales)

If you've never heard it, listen to the late Eva Cassidy perform it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6n-_LuIzac

bobman1235 · June 2010

Sting may be just as douchy as Bono, but at least he's not QUITE as preachy / public about it.

Norm Apter · June 2010

Rock personalities have never bothered me. I just listen to the music, which I like or dislike.

Back to Mercury Falling. I picked up the import version in China when it came out in 1996. I've since noticed that it seems to have a track not on the U.S. version, "Twenty-Five to Midnight." Happens to be one of my favorite songs on the album. Anybody else familiar with this track?

In fact, I heard that Sting left a bunch of some of the finest songs (according to fans) from the Mercury Falling sessions off of the album. I think many are available on maxi-singles, though I haven't bothered to track them down yet.

Norm Apter · June 2010

By the way, Bob, thanks for sharing that photo. I've actually heard in live trading circles how wonderful that Central Park Show was. Must have been fantastic. Do you remember whether he did his fair share of Police songs or mostly focused on material from Brand New Day? I ask because generally I really like what his various live bands have done with old Police material over the years, really stretching those songs out and giving them quite a different sound.

bobman1235 · June 2010

Norm Apter wrote: »

By the way, Bob, thanks for sharing that photo. I've actually heard in live trading circles how wonderful that Central Park Show was. Must have been fantastic. Do you remember whether he did his fair share of Police songs or mostly focused on material from Brand New Day? I ask because generally I really like what his various live bands have done with old Police material over the years, really stretching those songs out and giving them quite a different sound.

He definitely did a great variety. Most of the songs I remember from that night were actually NOT from Brand New Day, ie. "Moon Over Bourbon Street" and, fittingly, "Englishman in New York."

As far as Police hits, he did quite a few - "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", "Message in a Bottle", Roxanne", "Every Breath." Really a good, well-rounded show.

(I don't actually remember the track list that closely; I found a bootleg of the concert online at one point. Apparently it was aired on the radio in NYC, so it was pretty easy to get a copy.)

ESavinon · June 2010

WPLJ 95.5 fm silmutasted the concert live.

Fongolio · June 2010

I've been looking for Brand New Day on vinyl for almost two years now. Anyone know where I can get it?

Zion21 · June 2010

Sounds great, I will be sure to give this a listen. Thanks!

Dream of the Blue Turtle

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