Tuesday, November 16, 2004
We all have those uncool albums in the backs of our closets, the ones that we inexplicably love, no matter what the critics, or our friends, say/think about them. Some may eventually be saved by critical re-evaluation (many non-rockists, for example, are starting to come around on Shania Twain), and some fairly clearly never will (Rush, please pick up the white courtesy phone). I’ve got one of the latter lurking behind the outdated clothes in my wardrobe, and I’m coming out of the closet about it.
I L-O-V-E love Sting’s Bring on the Night, his double live album released in 1986. This was a document of his Dream of the Blue Turtles tour, when he befuddled many, many of his fans by embarking on a solo career which essentially involved him fronting a jazz-fusion combo led by Branford Marsalis. Night is nearly never obvious; alongside a handful of Turtles tracks (none of which were singles), he takes on a number of unheard gems from the Police catalog. The best-known track prior to its inclusion here is likely "Demolition Man" (here medleyed with "The Dream of the Blue Turtles") – and that may be due more to the fact that Grace Jones covered it than by any recording involving Sting.
Some critics at the time loved it, especially the rockists who got to look broad-minded, and pretend to care about jazz, thanks to der Stingle. [I think Parke Puterbaugh reviewed it for Rolling Stone.] But especially since its initial release was Europe-only, it was largely ignored in the U.S. And for every critic who liked the set, there was another who went back to the "Sting’s a pretentious twat" well, generally suggesting "now he thinks he’s a jazzbo? Fuck that, man. When’s the new Ornette coming out?" [Conversely/perversely, I seem to recall the folks at Down Beat loving it, if only for the attention it brought to jazz (and Branford in particular, at the time one of the brightest new stars of jazz in nigh on 2 decades, alongside his brother Wynton).] I mean, c’mon – Night was at least as jazz-cred-deserving as anything Miles was releasing at the time (which largely consisted of covers of Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper songs; if you don’t recall, let’s just say that it was a somewhat fallow period for Mr. Davis).
Frankly, it’s just not cool to express love for Sting’s work these days. He’s seen as the epitome of yuppie music, making pop records just world music-touched enough to seem "exotic" to 30- and 40-something professional couples. His tour this year with Annie Lennox was a boring Caucasian wet dream. And also frankly, Sting’s work these days isn’t worth much expression of love; by and large, it’s tepid by-the-numbers songcraft he’s already done so much better, decades ago. While I liked parts of Brand New Day (particularly the ambient pop of "A Thousand Years," made even better by an astounding ambient-dubby remix done by Bill Laswell - hunt it down), his last great album was, what? The Soul Cages, maybe, well over 10 years ago? So it may be hard to recall that in the ‘80s, honestly, Sting was largely unstoppable.
Not only were the Police firing on all cylinders at the decade’s outset (and yes, I do think their swansong, 1983’s Synchronicity, is also their artistic peak), but Sting’s first two solo albums, were widely and justifiably praised. 1987’s ...Nothing Like the Sun was artsy without seeming arty, intelligent, mature pop/rock which effortlessly blended literary drop-ins and Hendrix covers alongside Sting’s masterful pop instincts ("We’ll Be Together") to craft a superb whole. But that came after this Night; what preceded it was 1985’s The Dream of the Blue Turtles, a record which caught almost everyone off guard upon its release. Jazzy where Police records had been reggae-influenced, Turtles was a natural extension of his songwriting in the Police, but much more explicit in its geopolitical worldview ("Children’s Crusade," "Russians") than Sting had been before. And while it was jazzy, and while Sting's band was jazzy, it was jazz via Steely Dan, not Coltrane.
And what of this Night? It swings, man. Even Police songs like "When the World Is Running Down You Make the Best of What's Still Around" and "Another Day" swing in the hands of Sting and this band - so different from the Police, but in so many ways, not. Just as tight, but able to get looser than Sting's former trio-mates, they imbue Sting's songs with a lightness that you don't expect to hear. And Sting himself has got a certain joie de vivre going on, so thrilled is he to be playing with this bunch of new turks. It was recorded mostly in Paris, and you can tell; the crowds are much more receptive to these (relatively) new sounds (for Sting) than they would've been in the UK or US at the time.
There are only 13 tracks here spread across two discs, including an 11-minute-plus opener on each one, and no song clocks in under 4 minutes. There's also not a single clunker here. The most expansive, most free album Sting ever made is also his best, ever. A
I L-O-V-E love Sting’s Bring on the Night, his double live album released in 1986. This was a document of his Dream of the Blue Turtles tour, when he befuddled many, many of his fans by embarking on a solo career which essentially involved him fronting a jazz-fusion combo led by Branford Marsalis. Night is nearly never obvious; alongside a handful of Turtles tracks (none of which were singles), he takes on a number of unheard gems from the Police catalog. The best-known track prior to its inclusion here is likely "Demolition Man" (here medleyed with "The Dream of the Blue Turtles") – and that may be due more to the fact that Grace Jones covered it than by any recording involving Sting.
Some critics at the time loved it, especially the rockists who got to look broad-minded, and pretend to care about jazz, thanks to der Stingle. [I think Parke Puterbaugh reviewed it for Rolling Stone.] But especially since its initial release was Europe-only, it was largely ignored in the U.S. And for every critic who liked the set, there was another who went back to the "Sting’s a pretentious twat" well, generally suggesting "now he thinks he’s a jazzbo? Fuck that, man. When’s the new Ornette coming out?" [Conversely/perversely, I seem to recall the folks at Down Beat loving it, if only for the attention it brought to jazz (and Branford in particular, at the time one of the brightest new stars of jazz in nigh on 2 decades, alongside his brother Wynton).] I mean, c’mon – Night was at least as jazz-cred-deserving as anything Miles was releasing at the time (which largely consisted of covers of Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper songs; if you don’t recall, let’s just say that it was a somewhat fallow period for Mr. Davis).
Frankly, it’s just not cool to express love for Sting’s work these days. He’s seen as the epitome of yuppie music, making pop records just world music-touched enough to seem "exotic" to 30- and 40-something professional couples. His tour this year with Annie Lennox was a boring Caucasian wet dream. And also frankly, Sting’s work these days isn’t worth much expression of love; by and large, it’s tepid by-the-numbers songcraft he’s already done so much better, decades ago. While I liked parts of Brand New Day (particularly the ambient pop of "A Thousand Years," made even better by an astounding ambient-dubby remix done by Bill Laswell - hunt it down), his last great album was, what? The Soul Cages, maybe, well over 10 years ago? So it may be hard to recall that in the ‘80s, honestly, Sting was largely unstoppable.
Not only were the Police firing on all cylinders at the decade’s outset (and yes, I do think their swansong, 1983’s Synchronicity, is also their artistic peak), but Sting’s first two solo albums, were widely and justifiably praised. 1987’s ...Nothing Like the Sun was artsy without seeming arty, intelligent, mature pop/rock which effortlessly blended literary drop-ins and Hendrix covers alongside Sting’s masterful pop instincts ("We’ll Be Together") to craft a superb whole. But that came after this Night; what preceded it was 1985’s The Dream of the Blue Turtles, a record which caught almost everyone off guard upon its release. Jazzy where Police records had been reggae-influenced, Turtles was a natural extension of his songwriting in the Police, but much more explicit in its geopolitical worldview ("Children’s Crusade," "Russians") than Sting had been before. And while it was jazzy, and while Sting's band was jazzy, it was jazz via Steely Dan, not Coltrane.
And what of this Night? It swings, man. Even Police songs like "When the World Is Running Down You Make the Best of What's Still Around" and "Another Day" swing in the hands of Sting and this band - so different from the Police, but in so many ways, not. Just as tight, but able to get looser than Sting's former trio-mates, they imbue Sting's songs with a lightness that you don't expect to hear. And Sting himself has got a certain joie de vivre going on, so thrilled is he to be playing with this bunch of new turks. It was recorded mostly in Paris, and you can tell; the crowds are much more receptive to these (relatively) new sounds (for Sting) than they would've been in the UK or US at the time.
There are only 13 tracks here spread across two discs, including an 11-minute-plus opener on each one, and no song clocks in under 4 minutes. There's also not a single clunker here. The most expansive, most free album Sting ever made is also his best, ever. A
# posted by Thomas : 8:50 PM
