I remember this being quite a big deal. Sting also made an impact with his vocal on Dire Straits 'Money For Nothing' at around the same time. It's a fair departure from the Police stuff, much easier on the ear. He starts with 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free' which sets the jazzier tone with some saxophone twiddles near the end. It then moves onto the gentle calypso of 'Love Is The Seventh Wave'. It's nice and light and he has his little joke at the end by breaking into Every Breath You Take at the end ('Every cake you bake, Every egg you break' - he's a real card isn't he?). 'Russians' solves the Cold War in 3 minutes 58 seconds. We just have to realize that that they don't want to be blown off the face of the earth either. Pop music went to town on the threat of nuclear Armageddon in the mid-eighties, let's not forget errr.. Frankie's and Culture Club's contributions to the debate. He re-does the Police song 'Shadows In The Rain' which seems a bit lazy for a debut solo album. 'We Work The Black Seam' draws on his extensive experience down a coalmine (sorry - no sarcasm smiley available) to comment on the miner's strike. You do get the impression that he was on the lookout for a cause at the time, thank God he disappeared up the Amazon for a while and got it off his chest. 'Consider Me Gone' is smooth jazz, quite nice but is followed by the rather irritating, but mercifully short modern jazz title track. It ends with some off-mic laughter - glad they enjoyed it. 'Moon Over Bourbon Street' is a bit bland and it finishes with 'Fortress Around Your Heart', which I rather like, especially the little bugle insertions.
You may be under the impression that I find Sting's jazz pretentions to be a bit annoying, and generally speaking you'd be right. In the mid-to-late eighties 'smooth jazz' was the epitome of yuppie sophistication, why else would so many people be taken in by Julia Fordham and Sade? Having said that, on this LP, Sting does get it just about right. 'Englishman in New York' does an excellent job of capturing Quentin Crisp's character in song. ' In general the songs are gentle and pleasant. I always enjoy pan-pipes as featured on 'They Dance Alone', although that falls apart a bit at the end with a confusing mish-mash of different sounds. For 'Fragile' which is a good song that succeeds in conveying the sentiment, didn't he also release it in Spanish? Show-off. We'll Be Together', another single, is an upbeat soulful song although he does repeat his trick of reprising an earlier song (If You Love Somebody..) in the outro. To paraphrase Auric Goldfinger, "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, but three times is an act of war Mr. Sting- If that really IS your name?". The rest is inoffensively bland. 'Rock Steady'? Little and Large did a song with the same title - also showing an unlikely reggae influence. He covers Hendrix's 'Little Wing' along the way and the closing track 'The Secret Marriage' is probably meant to be wistful. All in all, not bad with some flashes of brilliance.
I got to the end of this and noticed that the final track, 'When the Angels Fall', bears more than a passing resemblance to his old mates' Dire Straits 'Brothers in Arms', maybe it's Knopfler returning the favour I thought and got onto Wikipedia. As it turn out it isn't the headbanded one, but the entry did reveal to me that this is a concept album. Now I did spot the shippy theme in the opening Island of Souls (and was pleasantly surprised to hear some Northumbrian Pipes) and 'The Soul Cages' itself, but did not realise it was all part of a narrative about a kid called Billy from a family of dockyard riveters. His latest album (which I haven't ever listened to) is on the same theme so he clearly has a b. in his b. about the subject. On listening to 'All This Time', I finally nailed something that I think has always annoyed me about it, there are sections which sound like another piece of music and I now reckon it must be Trumpet Voluntary. Maybe it's intentional? 'Mad About You' has a gong finish, so it can't be all bad. Jeremiah Blues (Part I) - with no trace of Part II to come later mind - has moments when it all seems to fall apart before picking up again. 'Why Should I Lie to You' is a bit dull but is enlivened at the end by some fun little yipping noises. 'Saint Agnes and The Burning Train' has a misleadingly interesting title, it's just a well executed but non-distinctive bit of Spanish guitar. I haven't focused on the covers for Sting so far, on the first two the art department seemed to believe that his handsome map was enough to sell millions of copies. This one has a simple picture of a ship under construction. Makes a nice change.
It's a play on words you see? His real surname is Sumner and The Summoner's Tale is one of the Canterbury Tales. It would have really worked well if he'd only put 10 tracks on the LP but there are 12. Not sure what's wrong with '12 Summoner's Tales' but there you go, who can hope to unpick his genius mind? I've already said that this is the one album I've got. I think I bought it on the strength of the better known songs, which are all pretty good. 'Fields of Gold' in particular is a genuine classic and about the best purely romantic love song I can think of. I like the parping harmonica in 'If I Ever Lose My Faith In You' and the spoken interlude in Saint Augustine In Hell. I'm sure I recognize the voice, so just a sec while I pop off to Wikipedia..........................it's David Foxxe, never heard of him. Apparently even music critics are present in hell - I wouldn't claim such eminence with my little resumes, but you have to be able to take constructive feedback mate. Love Is Stronger Than Justice is a good story song with plenty of Duane Eddy guitar and a C&W feel. Shape of My Heart always makes me think "Are those what the symbols on playing cards represent - Spades are Swords and Clubs are, well, clubs to be used as weapons", if so it begs the question of whether Swords are weapons of war too - I'd say yes before disappearing in an over analytical puff of smoke. I think this is the best of his I've listened to so far. I know I'm biased because I've actually listed to this one a decent number of times, but the jazz is turned right down and he sings a lot better on it.
I'm beginning to get a bit fed up with him now. Can't wait for the lute, when things will hopefully go off in a new direction. I think his voice is his greatest strength and weakness. It's so distinctive that it can only be him, but that also means everything is a bit samey. This doesn't seem to break any new ground. However, on the positive side, the second track 'I Hung My Head' has a Springsteen-ish feel to it with Clemons-Sax and Bittan-Keyboards noises. He makes us all feel inadequate again by singing in a foreign language - French this time on 'La Belle Dame Sans Regrets'. There's a bit of gospel, country and jazz (natch) along the way. No great breakthroughs with the cover art either. Sting-as-The-Thinker, or maybe he's just having one of his 'bad heads'.
God, haven't I reached the 21st century yet? Actually I'm being unfair. Someone has introduced his Stingness to lamb tagine and couscous and he's taken on a bit of a North African sensibility to good effect. The big hit is 'Desert Rose' which is a bit trancey and very catchy. On 'Perfect Love...Gone Wrong' it starts with what sounds like 'Papa - Nicole' from the Clio ad, then halfway through it breaks into a French rap. Quite good though, nice and punchy. 'Tomorrow We'll See' sounds like it comes from a 1970's French thriller soundtrack, you can imaging Alain Delon creeping around Paris in a raincoat. Then 'Fill Her Up' goes into cheery steel guitar and features James Taylor no less. Then it goes into a bit of gospel and then, you've guessed it, modern effing jazz. Why ruin it? The closer is Brand New Day itself, a decent pop song. Cover - no we haven't forgotten what you look like pal, this time his arms are aloft, probably a Christ complex.
I shouldn't moan about him being on every album cover, Bruce does the same on nearly all of his, but there just seems to be a lack of imagination about Sting's artwork. Head and shoulders shots of the Stingmeister are the norm, this time he looks a bit vulpine. He mixes up the musical styles again on this one. Apparently it's produced, like the previous one, by an individual by the name of 'Kipper'. Now to me, Kipper is a rather cute brown and white dog, friend to Wibbly Pig. Didn't know he sidelined on the old mixing desk. The second track, 'Send Your Love' uses a bit of flamenco against a hi-energy backbeat. It's a bit messy but not awful. He duets with Mary J Blige on 'Whenever I Say Your Name'. Plenty of unnecessary vocal gymnastics ensue. There's a touch of Drum 'n' Bass on 'Never Coming Home'. Next up is 'Stolen Car'. Now, you borrow Bruce's song titles at your peril in my view. This is about as utterly a Stingish song as you could hope. 'This War' is all wailing guitars, and is a bit too high strung for my liking.There's hints of Indian traditional music throughout, notably at the end of 'The Book of My Life' and then the beginning of the last, title track. A bit of lute next I think, and the end is in sight!
Now I could be all sniffy and snarky and tear him off a strip for being so far up his backside that he risks making himself cough with his feathercut, but, you have to admire him for taking a risk on an album of songs by a renaissance England musician using what I assume is not the easiest instrument in the world to master. You have to take it as a piece rather than breaking it down into individual songs I think. The harmonies and round singing are pleasingly effective. It's also probably the first LP I've listened to issued by Deutsche Grammophon - there's highbrow for you. There are a number of spoken interludes which allow Sting to deploy his tried and tested acting skills to the full (who can forget his career defining turn as Feyd-Ruatha Harkonnen in Dune? Not me certainly, I didn't have to look any of THAT up on Wikipedia). I think his strangulated vocal style is a problem with this sort of stuff though. I imagine a late 16th century troubadour would have more honeyed vocal chords. No need to ask about the picture on the sleeve.
Hey, hey, hey! A nice winter snow scene with Sting walking his pooch through the woods on the cover. This is in a similar vein to Annie Lennox's 'A Christmas Cornucopia', and even shares a couple of tunes with it, but is otherwise inferior in nearly every way. There's a number of traditional yuletide/Christmas songs but whereas Lennox gets the balance between tradition and a modern twist just right, Sting seems to be trying too hard. He gets very sonorous on a number of tracks and appears to be attempting a Gregorian chant single handed. In fact, I'd much rather talk about the Lennox album, which is what we put on when we're decorating the tree every year. Perfectly delivered versions of all those second tier, but ultimately superior carols that you half remember from your youth, In The Bleak Midwinter, Coventry Carol, Cherry Tree Carol (both also on the Sting LP but hardly recognizable), Angels from the Realms of Glory, all the hits. Buy it now in preparation for next Christmas. I'll admit that Sting's Soul Cake is nice and festive and incorporates God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (full version on Cornucopia) but he really shouldn't have bothered. One more to go, I'm ignoring Symphonicities - life's too short, so it's "Geordie Heritage Cobblers" next.
I've learned this much about Sting, he's at his best when he's got a bit of focus and has a fair degree of passion about his subject. I really quite enjoyed this. It's almost as if he wanted to write 'Swan Hunter! The Musical'. At the start it sounds a bit like he's putting on a 'reet canny' northeast accent, but we must give him the benefit of the doubt that he is just reverting to his childhood speech patterns. There are a number of tracks in waltz time, including 'The Night The Pugilist Learned How to Dance' which is an interesting story song. Second track, 'Dead Man's Boots' starts with a Last Of the Summer Wine harmonica. 'Language of Birds' makes a number of references to Soul Cages again, but my exhaustive (3 minute) Google search didn't reveal exactly what these are or whether this is just something he's dreamed up and likes the sound of. There are some special guests, including the inevitable Jimmy Nail and the not-so-inevitable Brian Johnson of AC-DC. The first track featuring Nail, 'What Have We Got' is a roister-doistering number that's a lot of fun. On 'Shipyard' Johnson is cast against type as a hard nosed shop-steward giving out Marxist rants. 'Sky Hooks and Tartan Paint' (also featuring Johnson) seems to be all about the kind of wild goose chases the old lags give to the fresh faced recruits in the shipyard - left handed spanners, wire mesh kettles y'know the sort of thing. So he ends on a high for me. My conclusion is that he IS a great songwriter but I think his talents lie more in the folk area. Thanks go to my good friend John - who pointed me toward the Johnny Cash version of 'I Hung My Head' from Mercury Falling, which reveals what a great song it really is - you can even see similarities in the phrasing with 'Don't Stand so Close to Me'. Similarly this last album is more in touch with his working class roots and better for it. I'd better mention the cover, our hero sitting on the hull of a half finished ship (thinker pose again) and looking remarkably happy.
It's easy to mock, what with the tantric sex and the South American native chiefs with extraordinary lower lips, but Sting fills a musical niche that is much needed; tuneful rock troubadour. He's harder-edged than the pasty-faced young men that Mrs Rockodyssey likes (James Bay, James Blunt, James Blake, let's just call them all James Bland), and although this is little more than 10 Summoner's Tales II, that was a great album, so back off haters! Obviously I'm doing this as a way of keeping an old post up to date, but I'd go back to this album anyway I think. He seems confident, relaxed and comfortable with his material. I think my favourites on this are the gently relentless eco-anthem 'One Fine Day', low-key Tom Joadish ballad 'Heading South On The Great North Road' and the reflection on refugees fleeing on inadequate boats, 'Inshallah'. On the cover we see Mr Sumner off for a round of golf in Hell's Kitchen, but I suspect that even there, clubhouse rules ban leather kecks.
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