STING-DREAM OF THE BLUE TURTLES(UK)

In 1985, one of the greatest rock groups of all time had run its course. The Police had dominated the pop and rock charts for six years. It seemed as if the experiment was over, the last waltz was finished and people were going home. This did not come as a surprise to some as Andy Summers, Gordon Sumner(Sting) and Stewart Copeland were all working on solo projects and the accompanying strain no doubt was a major factor in the demise of the group. Sting then proceeded to embark on possibly the most ambitious project in pop music history. It could be said that he going insane or that he was so in love with himself that he was overflowing with confidence and ignoring the perceived wants of his listeners. In hindsight, such critics should hang their heads in shame. The Dream of The Blue Turtles is one of the finest albums of the eighties and also of all time. Soon after the breakup of the Police, Sting invited several young, top notch jazz musicians from The United States to play on it and form the Blue Turtles band. Omar Hakim played drums with Weather Report(no introduction needed). Branford Marsalis had played with Art Blakey and his brother Wynton, who(it should be mentioned),was totally against the project. Kenny Kirkland and Darryl Jones played keyboards and bass respectively with Miles Davis. Dollette Mcdonald and Janice Pendarvis were seasoned studio singers. The Dream of the Blue Turtles had arrived.

        The album itself has ten tracks, not including two bonus tunes. In many ways this album is a black sheep. Firstly, jazz had started it's descent as fresh ideas to make the music appeal to a younger audience had all but dried up. So a rock musician, more so a white musician making an album with black, jazz artistes was totally unheard of and sent the worlds of rock and jazz on a collision course. Secondly, this album is much more socially conscious than most other albums of the period. It actually was the first in a series of  albums by Sting culminating in 'Nothing But The Sun'(a review coming on this album soon) in 1987. The album starts off with 'If you love somebody,set them free', an extremely popular song that probably sold the album to the un-indoctrinated. Sting is an exceptional lyricist. as exemplified on 'Children's Crusade', a shadow classic. In poetic language, Sting parallels the literal Children's Crusades of the middle ages to the young men going to fight in World War I to the heroin addiction plaguing London's streets in the 1980s. 'Russians' pleads with leaders of the super powers to halt their march toward Mutual Assured Destruction(MAT) during the final years of the Cold War. Ending every verse with the line "I hope the Russians love their children too", he emphasises the futility of such action as both sides would lose anyway.Musically, these two tracks are extremely different as Children's Crusade features a full ensemble and an extended saxophone solo by Marsalis. Russians however features keyboards synths made to sound like a full symphony and Sting on vocals without backup. 'We Work The Black Seam'  is another socially conscious track which criticises the economic policies of Margaret Thatcher. Sting comes from a working class town which was famous for ship building an industry  which also collapsed with the advent of mass privatisation. 'Consider Me Gone' is about a man who is saying goodbye to all  the troubles plaguing the world today. 'Shadows in the Rain' features an extended keyboard solo from the late Kenny Kirkland. Enough fresh ideas were created on this album to power jazz and rock for the next twenty years. Unfortunately, the purists did not appreciate what took place in a studio in Barbados in 1984/5. Many purists(Wynton Marsalis being the most vocal), said that the project was rubbiish. I have a philosophy about that. I believe that the musician's duty is not only to play music but cover as many forms as possible in one's lifetime, both intellectually and performance-wise. The album concludes with another very popular love song 'Fortress Around Your Heart'. This song is a personal favorite of mine, Sting in this song tries to balance the price of loving a woman while trying not to keep her caged so that she looses her identity and spirit. This album is a masterpiece and should be on a 'must listen' list for any true music lover, any student of history or philosphy and anyone interested in the general future of music.