So Lonely?
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 21 April 2017 19:42 (seven years ago) link
A singles compilation is all one really needs from this band - they weren't really a band that had a wealth of killer deep cuts.
― ...so music and chicken have become intertwined (Turrican), Friday, 21 April 2017 19:48 (seven years ago) link
Feel kind of cheated that sting hasn't given us an album of lute reggae yet
― del esdichado (NickB), Friday, 21 April 2017 19:49 (seven years ago) link
Yeah, maybe a singles comp and then another disc with Gradenko, Darkness and other faves from this thread
― calstars, Friday, 21 April 2017 19:57 (seven years ago) link
I like Synchronicity but it might be just because I remember my parents playing it when I was a kid
― calstars, Friday, 21 April 2017 19:58 (seven years ago) link
My fave Police review might be Xgau on that album, since he calls out the lyrics of Mother and Gradenko as high points.
Yeah, I don't exactly what Copeland was getting at re: reggae. He talks about it here around 3 minutes in:
http://www.thetrapset.net/bns-stewart-copeland-answers-listener-questions/
Basically something like "there are only one or two Police songs that are reggae as they might be played by Jamaicans." He calls Bed's Too Big a shuffle with a reggae-ish guitar, for example. I guess I understand, that minus the formal structure of reggae it's not reggae, just reggae-ish.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 21 April 2017 20:01 (seven years ago) link
sting has taken up the lutehe always was a stupid coothe plucks a dowland air while his wife plays fluteyou've gotta humanise yourself
― del esdichado (NickB), Friday, 21 April 2017 21:23 (seven years ago) link
Sometimes the less I know about a musician's personal life the easier it is to enjoy their music
― calstars, Friday, 21 April 2017 21:50 (seven years ago) link
right thread this time!
as someone who hates the Police, I give Stewart credit for being accurate about the reggae elements in their material (ie "only a couple songs" bearing any real similarity to reggae)
― Οὖτις, Friday, 21 April 2017 22:13 (seven years ago) link
he's smart/literate enough to know that just moving the downbeat in the drum part around or having a strummed guitar chord on the offbeat doesn't make your song reggae
Trump is such an asshole he thinks becoming president betters him, when in fact him becoming president lessens the office.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 21 April 2017 22:27 (seven years ago) link
not you too
― Οὖτις, Friday, 21 April 2017 22:31 (seven years ago) link
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/flashback-the-police-pass-torch-to-u2-20130924
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 21 April 2017 22:48 (seven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvGpWksgEI8
How embarrassing for all involved
― calstars, Friday, 21 April 2017 22:53 (seven years ago) link
At least Edge didn't try to play.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 21 April 2017 23:03 (seven years ago) link
Preach it, Edge:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ELpJqa4PaY
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 21 April 2017 23:11 (seven years ago) link
Page: "gosh not sure if I can figure out how to play those two notes or not. Whoof"
― Οὖτις, Friday, 21 April 2017 23:13 (seven years ago) link
Stink n' Boner
― calstars, Saturday, 22 April 2017 00:14 (seven years ago) link
The video is cringeworthy as hell, but it's worth it perhaps to see Paul glance and smirk at Gordon at one point when they're sharing the mic, but G doesn't return the look, not willing to foresake the gravitas of the moment.
― calstars, Saturday, 22 April 2017 00:24 (seven years ago) link
And in the almost as difficult to watch Jimmy / David interaction, I wonder if there were any latent English / Irish musings in their heads
― calstars, Saturday, 22 April 2017 00:27 (seven years ago) link
His worst songs.
https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2017/07/10/i-dont-subscribe-to-this-point-of-view-the-worst-of-sting-and-the-police/
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 12 July 2017 02:07 (seven years ago) link
v glad i saw them live before Synchronicity
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 12 July 2017 02:23 (seven years ago) link
"Synchronicity I"???????
― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 12 July 2017 11:07 (seven years ago) link
'Synchronicity I' is excellent, as is the brilliantly unhinged 'Mother', which is one of my many personal highlights on that LP.
'Saint Augustine in Hell' has the hilarious part about music critics, too.
― The Anti-Climax Blues Band (Turrican), Wednesday, 12 July 2017 12:25 (seven years ago) link
I actually like synchronicity a lot as a whole except for brontosaurus/lesson for us
― or at night (Jon not Jon), Wednesday, 12 July 2017 12:42 (seven years ago) link
I used to love "Mother," now I wish Sting had sung it. Or, better, Andy's mom.
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 12 July 2017 12:43 (seven years ago) link
I actually like synchronicity a lot as a whole except for brontosaurus/lesson for us― or at night (Jon not Jon), Wednesday, July 12, 2017 12:42 PM (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― or at night (Jon not Jon), Wednesday, July 12, 2017 12:42 PM (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Ha, yes!!
― The Anti-Climax Blues Band (Turrican), Wednesday, 12 July 2017 12:45 (seven years ago) link
Let's rank their albums.
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 19 September 2018 18:38 (six years ago) link
I would do something like
1. Reggatta2. Ghost3. Zenyatta4. Synchronicity5. Outlandos
damn, they're all good!!
― frogbs, Wednesday, 19 September 2018 18:41 (six years ago) link
Not canon, but disc 1 of the live album is pretty great too.
― dinnerboat, Wednesday, 19 September 2018 19:37 (six years ago) link
yea and the first few tracks of disc 2 are pretty decent too
always bothered me how the volume suddenly increases a 30 seconds or so into the first disc. such an obvious glitch, I don't get how it wasn't fixed
― frogbs, Wednesday, 19 September 2018 19:38 (six years ago) link
Their logic ties me up and rapes me!
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 22 May 2019 01:03 (five years ago) link
I'd forgotten about 'Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot' which is indeed garbage.
'If I Ever Lose My Faith In You' is one of his best ever songs, though, as is 'Synchronicity II' ...
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Wednesday, 22 May 2019 01:21 (five years ago) link
I wish the Toby Keith version of "I'm So Happy.." had charted.
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 22 May 2019 01:25 (five years ago) link
Ok, rating Don’t Stand so Close to Me ‘86 over the original is bananas!
― Darin, Wednesday, 22 May 2019 05:11 (five years ago) link
Seconded. That ‘86 version destroys the chorus and in general just has all the life drained out of it. To this day I feel shortchanged for its inclusion on that year’s singles compilation.
― dorsalstop, Wednesday, 22 May 2019 08:57 (five years ago) link
"Every Breath You Take" make my friend hilariously angry, because he can't hear it without hearing this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=837k74c4rHQ
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 22 May 2019 11:52 (five years ago) link
A+
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Wednesday, 22 May 2019 13:15 (five years ago) link
where do the Shaggy singles fit in here
― frogbs, Wednesday, 22 May 2019 13:33 (five years ago) link
it wasn't me
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 22 May 2019 13:40 (five years ago) link
Ok, rating Don’t Stand so Close to Me ‘86 over the original is bananas!― Darin, Wednesday, May 22, 2019 5:11 AM (eight hours ago)Bookmark Flag Post PermalinkSeconded. That ‘86 version destroys the chorus and in general just has all the life drained out of it. To this day I feel shortchanged for its inclusion on that year’s singles compilation.― dorsalstop, Wednesday, May 22, 2019 8:57 AM (four hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― Darin, Wednesday, May 22, 2019 5:11 AM (eight hours ago)Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― dorsalstop, Wednesday, May 22, 2019 8:57 AM (four hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Thirded. One of the most pointless recordings Sting has been involved in, and this is Sting we're talking about.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Wednesday, 22 May 2019 13:41 (five years ago) link
Didn't realize "Next To You" wasn't a single! Manifestly belongs in the classic pile.
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Wednesday, 22 May 2019 15:01 (five years ago) link
It's pointless, yeah. It needn't exist. Yet the fadeout in the original allows the tension to leak out of the song. I prefer how sinister Sting sounds in the original.
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 22 May 2019 15:03 (five years ago) link
you guys know there's an album of re-recorded Sting songs out in two days right
― frogbs, Wednesday, 22 May 2019 15:04 (five years ago) link
As Tom Ewing wrote, "It’s not that 'Don’t Stand' needs to resolve its story – in fact it works better for not doing so – but it doesn’t need to hang around either."
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 22 May 2019 15:05 (five years ago) link
aww, i've always loved 'spirits in the material world'. had no idea what it was about obv and if i tried to unpick it now i would probably find it totally ludicrous (hey it's sting), but i suppose i was a sucker for quasi-mystical nonsense in my early teens (too much time spent watching 'monkey' instead of doing my homework); 'secret journey' off the same album tickled the same part of my brain. that sax blort at the start of the song sort of fools you into thinking it's a sort of odd ska that they're going for but it's some weird eastern european folk fusion thing isn't it? the synth standing in for an accordian, and then that zithery balalaika thing on the third verse. the drums are fantastic (hey it's stewart) - the crispness of the snare when it comes in is soo good! solid 7.5/10. still sad that sting isn't actually signng about the reykjavik of failure though.
― Br. Des Shadows (NickB), Wednesday, 22 May 2019 16:23 (five years ago) link
'Spirits in the Material World' is a better song than 'Invisible Sun', IMO, the energy level of the former is one of many points in its favour over the trudge of the latter.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Wednesday, 22 May 2019 16:27 (five years ago) link
As Tom Ewing wrote, "It’s not that 'Don’t Stand' needs to resolve its story – in fact it works better for not doing so – but it doesn’t need to hang around either."― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, May 22, 2019 5:05 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, May 22, 2019 5:05 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― dorsalstop, Wednesday, 22 May 2019 16:28 (five years ago) link
Oh I had another possible misheard lyric in ‘Spirits’. Does Sting really say ‘grow testes and survive’? Actually nervous about googling that one
― Br. Des Shadows (NickB), Wednesday, 22 May 2019 16:48 (five years ago) link