THE POLICE - Outlandos D'Amour (1978-2003) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

While their subsequent chart-topping albums would contain far more ambitious songwriting and musicianship, the Police's 1978 debut, Outlandos d'Amour (translation: Outlaws of Love) is by far their most direct and straightforward release. Although Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland were all superb instrumentalists with jazz backgrounds, it was much easier to get a record contract in late-'70s England if you were a punk/new wave artist, so the band decided to mask their instrumental prowess with a set of strong, adrenaline-charged rock, albeit with a reggae tinge. Some of it may have been simplistic ("Be My Girl-Sally," "Born in the '50s"), but Sting was already an ace songwriter, as evidenced by all-time classics like the good-girl-gone-bad tale of "Roxanne," and a pair of brokenhearted reggae-rock ditties, "Can't Stand Losing You" and "So Lonely." But like all other Police albums, the lesser-known album cuts are often highlights themselves -- the frenzied rockers "Next to You," "Peanuts," and "Truth Hits Everybody," as well as more exotic fare like the groovy album closer "Masoko Tanga" and the lonesome "Hole in My Life." Outlandos d'Amour is unquestionably one of the finest debuts to come out of the '70s punk/new wave movement. by Greg Prato
Tracklist :
1    Next To You    2:51
2    So Lonely    4:48
3    Roxanne    3:13
4    Hole In My Life    4:48
5    Peanuts    3:54
6    Can't Stand Losing You    3:02
7    Truth Hits Everybody    2:53
8    Born In The 50's    3:42
9    Be My Girl - Sally 3:24
10    Masoko Tanga    5:41
Credits :
Stewart Copeland - Composer, Drums, Producer, Vocals
The Police - Arranger, Producer
Sting - Bass, Composer, Producer, Vocals
Andy Summers - Arranger, Composer, Guitar, Producer, Vocals

THE POLICE - Reggatta de Blanc (1979-2003) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

By 1979's Reggatta de Blanc (translation: White Reggae), nonstop touring had sharpened the Police's original blend of reggae-rock to perfection, resulting in breakthrough success. Containing a pair of massive hit singles -- the inspirational anthem "Message in a Bottle" and the spacious "Walking on the Moon" -- the album also signaled a change in the band's sound. Whereas their debut got its point across with raw, energetic performances, Reggatta de Blanc was much more polished production-wise and fully developed from a songwriting standpoint. While vigorous rockers did crop up from time to time ("It's Alright for You," "Deathwish," "No Time This Time," and the Grammy-winning instrumental title track), the material was overall much more sedate than the debut -- "Bring on the Night," "The Bed's Too Big Without You," and "Does Everyone Stare." Also included was one of Stewart Copeland's two lead vocal appearances on a Police album, the witty "On Any Other Day," as well as one of the band's most eerie tracks, "Contact." With Reggatta de Blanc, many picked Sting and company to be the superstar band of the '80s, and the Police would prove them correct on the band's next release. by Greg Prato  
Tracklist :
1    Message In A Bottle    4:51
2    Reggatta De Blanc    3:07
3    It's Alright For You    3:13
4    Bring On The Night    4:16
5    Deathwish    4:14
6    Walking On The Moon    5:02
7    On Any Other Day    2:58
8    The Bed's Too Big Without You    4:26
9    Contact    2:39
10    Does Everyone Stare    3:52
11    No Time This Time    3:18
Credits :
Stewart Copeland - Arranger, Composer, Drums, Producer, Vocals
The Police - Arranger, Composer, Noise, Producer
Sting - Arranger, Bass, Composer, Producer, Vocals
Andy Summers - Arranger, Composer, Guitar, Producer, Vocals

THE POLICE - Zenyatta Mondatta (1980-2003) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The stage was set for the Police to become one of the biggest acts of the '80s, and the band delivered with the 1980 classic Zenyatta Mondatta. The album proved to be the trio's second straight number one album in the U.K., while peaking at number three in the U.S. Arguably the best Police album, Zenyatta contains perhaps the quintessential new wave anthem, the haunting "Don't Stand So Close to Me," the story of an older teacher lusting after one of his students. While other tracks follow in the same spooky path (their second Grammy-winning instrumental "Behind My Camel" and "Shadows in the Rain"), most of the material is upbeat, such as the carefree U.S./U.K. Top Ten "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da," "Canary in a Coalmine," and "Man in a Suitcase." Sting includes his first set of politically charged lyrics in "Driven to Tears," "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around," and "Bombs Away," which all observe the declining state of the world. While Sting would later criticize the album as not all it could have been (the band was rushed to complete the album in order to begin another tour), Zenyatta Mondatta remains one of the finest rock albums of all time. by Greg Prato  
Tracklist :
1    Don't Stand So Close To Me    4:04
Sting
2    Driven To Tears    3:20
Sting
3    When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What's Still Around    3:38
Sting
4    Canary In A Coalmine    2:26
Sting
5    Voices Inside My Head    3:56
Sting
6    Bombs Away    3:09
Stewart Copeland
7    De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da    4:09
Sting
8    Behind My Camel    2:54
Andy Summers
9    Man In A Suitcase    2:19
Sting
10    Shadows In The Rain    5:02
Sting
11    The Other Way Of Stopping    3:22
Stewart Copeland
Credits :
Stewart Copeland - Drums, Vocals
The Police - Producer
Sting - Bass, Vocals
Andy Summers - Guitar, Vocals

THE POLICE - Ghost In The Machine (1981-2003) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For their fourth album, 1981's Ghost in the Machine, the Police had streamlined their sound to focus more on their pop side and less on their trademark reggae-rock. Their jazz influence had become more prominent, as evidenced by the appearance of saxophones on several tracks. The production has more of a contemporary '80s sound to it (courtesy of Hugh Padgham, who took over for Nigel Gray), and Sting proved once and for all to be a master of the pop songwriting format. The album spawned several hits, such as the energetic "Spirits in the Material World" (notice how the central rhythms are played by synthesizer instead of guitar to mask the reggae connection) and a tribute to those living amid the turmoil and violence in Northern Ireland circa the early '80s, "Invisible Sun." But the best and most renowned of the bunch is undoubtedly the blissful "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," which topped the U.K. singles chart and nearly did the same in the U.S. (number three). Unlike the other Police releases, not all of the tracks are stellar ("Hungry for You," "Omegaman"), but the vicious jazz-rocker "Demolition Man," the barely containable "Rehumanize Yourself," and a pair of album-closing ballads ("Secret Journey," "Darkness") proved otherwise. While it was not a pop masterpiece, Ghost in the Machine did serve as an important stepping stone between their more direct early work and their more ambitious latter direction, resulting in the trio's exceptional blockbuster final album, 1983's Synchronicity. by Greg Prato  
Tracklist :
1    Spirits In The Material World    2:59
Sting
2    Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic 4:20
Sting
Keyboards – Jean Roussel
3    Invisible Sun    3:44
Sting
4    Hungry For You (J'aurais Toujours Faim De Toi)    2:52
Sting
5    Demolition Man    5:57
Sting
6    Too Much Information    3:42
Sting
7    Rehumanize Yourself 3:10
 Stewart Copeland / Sting
8    One World (Not Three)    4:46
Sting
9    Omegaman 2:47
Andy Summers
10    Secret Journey    3:33
Sting
11    Darkness 3:13
Stewart Copeland
Credits :
Stewart Copeland - Drums, Vocals
The Police - Producer
Jean Roussel - Guest Artist, Keyboards
Sting - Bass, Vocals
Andy Summers - Guitar, Vocals 

THE POLICE - Synchronicity (1983-2003) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Simultaneously more pop-oriented and experimental than either Ghost in the Machine or Zenyatta Mondatta, Synchronicity made the Police superstars, generating no less than five hit singles. With the exception of "Synchronicity II," which sounds disarmingly like a crappy Billy Idol song, every one of those singles is a classic. "Every Breath You Take" has a seductive, rolling beat masking its maliciousness, "King of Pain" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" are devilishly infectious new wave singles, and "Tea in the Sahara" is hypnotic in its measured, melancholy choruses. But, like so many other Police albums, these songs are surrounded by utterly inconsequential filler. This time, the group relies heavily on jazzy textures for Sting's songs, which only work on the jumping, marimba-driven "Synchronicity I." Then, as if to prove that the Police were still a band, there's one song apiece from Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers, both of which are awful, as if they're trying to sabotage the album. Since they arrive on the first side, which is devoid of singles, they do, making the album sound like two EPs: one filled with first-rate pop, and one an exercise in self-indulgence. While the hits are among Sting's best, they also illustrate that he was ready to leave the Police behind for a solo career, which is exactly what he did. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine  
Tracklist :
1    Syncronicity I    3:23
Sting
2    Walking In Your Footsteps    3:36
Sting
3    O My God    4:02
Sting
4    Mother    3:05
 Sting / Andy Summers
5    Miss Gradenko    1:59
 Stewart Copeland / Sting
6    Synchronicity II    5:02
Sting
7    Every Breath You Take    4:13
Sting
8    King Of Pain    4:59
Sting
9    Wrapped Around Your Finger    5:13
Sting
10    Tea In The Sahara    4:19
Sting
11    Murder By Numbers    4:36
 Sting / Andy Summers
Credits :
Stewart Copeland - Drums, Vocals
The Police - Noise, Producer
Sting - Bass, Vocals
Andy Summers - Guitar, Vocals 

STING - Dream Of The Blue Turtles (1985-2017) RM / Mini LP SHM-CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The Police never really broke up, they just stopped working together -- largely because they just couldn't stand playing together anymore and partially because Sting was itching to establish himself as a serious musician/songwriter on his own terms. Anxious to shed the mantle of pop star, he camped out at Eddy Grant's studio, picked up the guitar, and raided Wynton Marsalis' band for his new combo -- thereby instantly consigning his solo debut, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, to the critical shorthand of Sting's jazz record. Which is partially true (that's probably the best name for the meandering instrumental title track), but that gives the impression that this is really risky music, when he did, after all, rely on musicians who, at that stage, were revivalists just developing their own style, and then had them jam on mock-jazz grooves -- or, in the case of Branford Marsalis, layer soprano sax lines on top of pop songs. This, however, is just the beginning of the pretensions layered throughout The Dream of the Blue Turtles. Only twice does he delve into straightforward love songs -- the lovely measured "Consider Me Gone" and the mournful closer, "Fortress Around Your Heart" -- preferring to consider love in the abstract ("If You Love Somebody Set Them Free," one of his greatest solo singles, and the childish, faux-reggae singalong "Love Is the Seventh Wave"), write about children in war and in coal mines, revive a Police tune about heroin, ponder whether "Russians love their children too," and wander the streets of New Orleans as the vampire Lestat. This is a serious-minded album, but it's undercut by its very approach -- the glossy fusion that coats the entire album, the occasional grabs at worldbeat, and studious lyrics seem less pretentious largely because they're overshadowed by such bewilderingly showy moves as adapting Prokofiev for "Russians" and calling upon Anne Rice for inspiration. And that's the problem with the record: with every measure, every verse, Sting cries out for the respect of a composer, not a pop star, and it gets to be a little overwhelming when taken as a whole. As a handful of individual cuts -- "Fortress," "Consider Me Gone," "If You Love Somebody," "Children's Crusade" -- he proves that he's subtler and craftier than his peers, but only when he reins in his desire to show the class how much he's learned. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1    If You Love Somebody Set Them Free    4:14
Sting
2    Love Is The Seventh Wave 3:30
Sting
Trombone – Frank Opolko
3    Russians    3:57
Sting
4    Children's Crusade    5:00
Sting
5    Shadows In The Rain    4:56
Sting
6    We Work The Black Seam    5:40
Sting
7    Consider Me Gone 4:21
Sting
Congas – Eddy
8    The Dream Of The Blue Turtles    1:15
Sting
9    Moon Over Bourbon Street 3:59
Sting
Arranged By [Assistance] – Dominic Muldowney
Double Bass – Sting
10    Fortress Around Your Heart    4:48
Sting
Credits :
Backing Vocals – Dolette McDonald, Janice Pendarvis
Backing Vocals [Additional] – Danny Q, Elliot Jones, Jane Alexander, Joe Sumner, Kate Sumner, Michael Sumner, Rosemary Purt, Stephanie Crewdson, The Nannies Chorus, Vic Garbarini
Bass – Darryl Jones
Composed By [I Borrowed This Theme For The Russians] – Segei Prokofiev (faixas: 3)
Drums – Omar Hakim
Keyboards – Kenny Kirkland
Saxophone, Percussion [Miscellaneous] – Branford Marsalis
Vocals [Sang], Guitar, Synthesizer [Synclavier], Backing Vocals [Additional] – Sting

STING - Bring On The Night (1986-2017) RM / 2 Mini LP SHM-CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Sting really got carried away with the idea that his supporting crew for Dream of the Blue Turtles was a real jazz band, and technically, he was kind of right. He did pluck them straight out of Wynton Marsalis' backing band (thereby angering Wynton and emboldening his anti-rock stance, while flaring up a sibling rivalry between the trumpeter and his saxophonist brother Branford -- a veritable hat trick, that), and since he was initially a jazz bassist, it seemed like a good fit. At the very least, it seemed like a monumental occasion because he documented the entire development of the band and making of Dream with a documentary called Bring on the Night, releasing a double live album as its soundtrack just a year after the debut hit the stores. This could be called hubris (and it will be called that here), especially because the appearance of the live album feels like a way of showcasing Sting's jazz band and jazz chops. Most of the songs run around five minutes long and there are no less than three medleys, two of which marry an old Police number with a tune from Dream. Arriving as a second solo album, it can't help but feel a little unnecessary, even if the loose, rather infectious performances show what Sting was trying to achieve with his debut. Even so, this is a record for the cult, and while it will satisfy them, to others it will seem like, well, hubris. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine  
Tracklist 1 :
1    Bring On The Night / When The World Is Running Down You Make The Best Of What's Still Around    11:42
2    Consider Me Gone    4:55
3    Low Life    4:06
4    We Work The Black Seam    6:59
5    Driven To Tears    7:00
6    The Dream Of The Blue Turtles / Demolition Man    5:55
Tracklist 2 :
1    One World (Not Three) / Love Is The Seventh Wave    11:08
2    Moon Over Bourbon Street    4:19
3    I Burn For You    5:24
4    Another Day    4:47
5    Children's Crusade    5:26
6    Down So Long    4:38
7    Tea In The Sahara    6:25
Credits :
Backing Vocals – Dolette McDonald, Janice Pendarvis
Bass – Darryl Jones
Drums – Omar Hakim
Keyboards – Kenny Kirkland
Saxophone – Branford Marsalis
Technician [Bass, Keyboards] – Tam Fairgrieve
Technician [Drum] – Billy Thompson
Technician [Guitar] – Danny Quatrochi
Written-By – A. Atkins (faixas: 2-6), J.B. Lenoir (faixas: 2-6), Sting (faixas: 1-1 to 2-5, 2-7) 

STING - ... Nothing Like The Sun (1987-2017) RM / Mini LP SHM-CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

If Dream of the Blue Turtles was an unabashedly pretentious affair, it looks positively lighthearted in comparison to Sting's sophomore effort, Nothing Like the Sun, one of the most doggedly serious pop albums ever recorded. This is an album where the only up-tempo track, the only trifle -- the cheerfully stiff white-funk "We'll Be Together" -- was added at the insistence of the label because they believed there wasn't a cut on the record that could be pulled as a single, one that would break down the doors to mainstream radio. And they were right, since everything else here is too measured, calm, and deliberately subtle to be immediate (including the intentional throwaway, "Rock Steady"). So, why is it a better album than its predecessor? Because Sting doesn't seem to be trying so hard. It flows naturally, largely because this isn't trying to explicitly be a jazz-rock record (thank the presence of a new rhythm section of Sting and drummer Manu Katche for that) and because the melodies are insinuating, slowly working their way into memory, while the entire record plays like a mood piece -- playing equally well as background music or as intensive, serious listening. Sting's words can still grate -- the stifling pompousness of "History Will Teach Us Nothing" the clearest example, yet calls of "Hey Mr. Pinochet" also strike an uneasy chord -- but his lyricism shines on "The Lazarus Heart," "Be Still My Beating Heart," "They Dance Alone," and "Fragile," a quartet of his very finest songs. If Nothing Like the Sun runs a little too long, with only his Gil Evans-assisted cover of "Little Wing" standing out in the final quarter, it still maintains its tone until the end and, since it's buoyed by those previously mentioned stunners, it's one of his better albums. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1    The Lazarus Heart 4:34
Guitar – Andy Summers
2    Be Still My Beating Heart 5:32
Guitar – Andy Summers
3    Englishman In New York    4:25
4    History Will Teach Us Nothing 4:58
Guitar – Sting
5    They Dance Alone (Gueca Solo) 7:16
Guitar – Eric Clapton, Fareed Haque, Mark Knopfler
Vocals [Spanish] – Ruben Blades
6    Fragile 3:54
Guitar – Sting
7    We'll Be Together 4:52
Mixed By – Paul McKenna
Mixed By [Assistant] – John Hegedes
Producer – Bryan Loren, Sting
8    Straight To My Heart    3:54
9    Rock Steady    4:27
10    Sister Moon    3:46
11    Little Wing 5:04
Bass – Mark Egan
Drums – Kenwood Dennard
Guitar – Hiram Bullock
Orchestra – Gil Evans And His Orchestra
Written-By – Jimi Hendrix
12    The Secret Marriage 2:03
Piano – Ken Helman
Credits :
Backing Vocals – Dollette McDonald, Janice Pendarvis, René Gayer, Vesta Williams
Drums – Manu Katché
Drums [Additional Drums] – Andy Newmark
Keyboards – Kenny Kirkland
Percussion, Vocoder – Mino Cinelu
Saxophone – Branford Marsalis
Vocals, Bass [Basses], Liner Notes – Sting
Written-By, Arranged By – Sting (faixas: 1 to 10, 12)

STING - The Soul Cages (1991-2017) RM / Mini LP SHM-CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Emboldened by the enthusiastic response to the muted Nothing Like the Sun and reeling from the loss of his parents, Sting constructed The Soul Cages as a hushed mediation on mortality, loss, grief, and father/son relationships (the album is dedicated, in part, to his father; its predecessor was dedicated to his mother). Using the same basic band as Nothing Like the Sun, the album has the same supple, luxurious tone, stretching out leisurely over nine tracks, almost all of them layered mid-tempo tunes (the exception being grinding guitars of the title track). Within this setting, Sting hits a few remarkable peaks, such as the elegant waltz "Mad About You" and "All This Time," a deceptively skipping pop tune that hides a moving tribute to his father. If the entirety of The Soul Cages was as nimbly melodic and urgently emotional as these two cuts, it would have been a quiet masterpiece. Instead, it turns inward -- not just lyrically, but musically -- and plays as a diary entry, perhaps interesting to those willing to spend hours immersing themselves within Sting's loss, finding parallels within their own life. This may be too much effort for anyone outside of the devoted, since apart from those two singles (and perhaps "Why Should I Cry for You"), there are few entry points into The Soul Cages -- and, once you get in there, it only rewards if your emotional state mirrors Sting's. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine  
Tracklist :
1    Island Of Souls 6:43
2    All This Time 4:55
3    Mad About You 3:53
4    Jeremiah Blues (Part 1) 4:55
5    Why Should I Cry For You 4:47
6    Saint Agnes And The Burning Train 2:43
7    The Wild Wild Sea 6:42
8    The Soul Cages 5:52
9    When The Angels Fall 7:49
Video        All This Time
Credits :
Bagpipes [Northumbrian] – Kathryn Tickell
Drums – Manu Katché
Guitar – Dominic Miller
Keyboards – David Sancious, Kenny Kirkland
Oboe – Paola Paparelle
Percussion – Bill Summers, Munyungo Jackson, Ray Cooper, Skip Burney, Tony Vacca, Vinx
Saxophone – Branford Marsalis
Vocals, Bass, Synthesizer [Synclavier], Mandolin – Sting

STING - Ten Summoner's Tales (1993-2017) RM / Mini LP SHM-CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

After two albums of muted, mature jazz-inflected pop, the last being an explicit album about death, Sting created his first unapologetically pop album since the Police with Ten Summoner's Tales. The title, a rather awkward pun on his given last name, is significant, since it emphasizes that this album is a collection of songs, without any musical conceits or lyrical concepts tying it together. And, frankly, that's a bit of a relief after the oppressively somber The Soul Cages and the hushed though lovely, Nothing Like the Sun. Sting even loosens up enough to crack jokes, both clever (the winking litany of celebrity pains of "Epilogue [Nothing 'Bout Me]") and condescending (the sneeringly catchy cowboy tale "Love Is Stronger Than Justice [The Munificent Seven]"), and the result is his best solo record. In places, it's easily as pretentious as his earlier work, but that's undercut by writing that hasn't been this sharp and melodic since the Police, plus his most varied set of songs since Synchronicity. True, there isn't a preponderance of flat-out classics -- only the surging opener "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," the understated swing of "It's Probably Me," and the peaceful ballad "Fields of Gold" rank as classics -- but, as an album, Ten Summoner's Tales is more consistently satisfying than anything else in his catalog. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine  
Tracklist :
1    If I Ever Lose My Faith In You 4:29
Written-By – Sting
2    Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven) 5:09
Written-By – Sting
3    Fields Of Gold 3:40
Written-By – Sting
4    Heavy Cloud No Rain 3:46
Written-By – Sting
5    She's Too Good For Me 2:30
Written-By – Sting
6    Seven Days 4:39
Written-By – Sting
7    Saint Augustine In Hell 5:17
Written-By – Sting
8    It's Probably Me 5:08
Written-By – Eric Clapton, Michael Kamen, Sting
9    Shape Of My Heart 4:38
Written-By – Dominic Miller, Sting
10    Something The Boy Said 5:28
Written-By – Sting
11    Epilogue (Nothing 'Bout Me) 3:41
Written-By – Sting
Credits :
Bagpipes [Northumbrian Pipes], Fiddle – Kathryn Tickell
Cello – Sian Bell
Drums – Vinnie Colaiuta
Flute – Dave Heath
Guitar – Dominic Miller
Harmonica [Chromatic Harmonica] – Brendan Power, Larry Adler
Keyboards – David Sancious
Pedal Steel Guitar – Paul Franklin
Trombone – Mark Nightingale, Richard Edwards
Trumpet – Guy Barker, John Barclay
Viola – James Boyd
Violin – Kathryn Greeley, Simon Fischer
Vocals, Bass, Harmonica, Saxophone – Sting

STING - Mercury Falling (1996-2017) RM / Mini LP SHM-CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Falling somewhere between the pop sensibilities of Ten Summoner's Tales and the searching ambition of The Soul Cages, Mercury Falling is one of Sting's tighter records, even if it fails to compel as much as his previous solo albums. Though he doesn't flaunt his jazz aspirations as he did in the mid-'80s, Mercury Falling feels more serious than The Dream of the Blue Turtles, primarily because of its reserved, high-class production and execution. Building from surprisingly simple, memorable melodies, Sting creates multi-layered, vaguely soul-influenced arrangements that carry all of the hallmarks of someone who has studied music, not lived it. Of course, there are many pleasures in the record -- for all of his pretensions, Sting remains an engaging melodicist, as well as a clever lyricist. There just happens to be a distinct lack of energy, stemming from the suffocating layers of synthesizers. Mercury Falling is a record of modest pleasures; it's just not an infectious, compulsive listen. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1    The Hounds Of Winter    5:27
2    I Hung My Head 4:40
Saxophone [The Memphis Horns] – Andrew Love
Trumpet [The Memphis Horns] – Wayne Jackson
3    Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot 6:41
Choir [Additional Vocals, Featuring The East London Gospel Choir] – Lance Ellington, Monica Reed Price, Shirley Lewis, Tony Walters
Organ [Additional Hammond Organ] – Gerry Richardson
Saxophone – Branford Marsalis
Saxophone [The Memphis Horns] – Andrew Love
Trumpet [The Memphis Horns] – Wayne Jackson
4    I Was Brought To My Senses 5:48
Choir [Additional Vocals, Featuring The East London Gospel Choir] – Lance Ellington, Monica Reed Price, Shirley Lewis, Tony Walters
Fiddle – Katherine Tickell
Saxophone – Branford Marsalis
5    You Still Touch Me 3:46
Saxophone [The Memphis Horns] – Andrew Love
Trumpet [The Memphis Horns] – Wayne Jackson
6    I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying 3:56
Pedal Steel Guitar – B.J. Cole
7    All Four Seasons 4:28
Saxophone [The Memphis Horns] – Andrew Love
Trumpet [The Memphis Horns] – Wayne Jackson
8    Twenty Five To Midnight 4:07
Saxophone [The Memphis Horns] – Andrew Love
Trumpet [The Memphis Horns] – Wayne Jackson
9    La Belle Dame Sans Regrets 5:17
Written-By – Dominic Miller, Sting
10    Valparaiso 5:27
Bagpipes [Northumbrian Pipes] – Katherine Tickell
11    Lithium Sunset 2:38
Pedal Steel Guitar – B.J. Cole
Credits :
Drums – Vinnie Colaiuta
Guitar – Dominic Miller
Keyboards – Kenny Kirkland
Vocals, Bass – Sting
Written-By, Arranged By, Composed By, Producer – Sting

STING – ... Nothing Like The Sun (1987-1991) RM | 24 kt GOLD | Original Master Recording | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

If Dream of the Blue Turtles was an unabashedly pretentious affair, it looks positively lighthearted in comparison to Sting's sophomore effort, Nothing Like the Sun, one of the most doggedly serious pop albums ever recorded. This is an album where the only up-tempo track, the only trifle -- the cheerfully stiff white-funk "We'll Be Together" -- was added at the insistence of the label because they believed there wasn't a cut on the record that could be pulled as a single, one that would break down the doors to mainstream radio. And they were right, since everything else here is too measured, calm, and deliberately subtle to be immediate (including the intentional throwaway, "Rock Steady"). So, why is it a better album than its predecessor? Because Sting doesn't seem to be trying so hard. It flows naturally, largely because this isn't trying to explicitly be a jazz-rock record (thank the presence of a new rhythm section of Sting and drummer Manu Katche for that) and because the melodies are insinuating, slowly working their way into memory, while the entire record plays like a mood piece -- playing equally well as background music or as intensive, serious listening. Sting's words can still grate -- the stifling pompousness of "History Will Teach Us Nothing" the clearest example, yet calls of "Hey Mr. Pinochet" also strike an uneasy chord -- but his lyricism shines on "The Lazarus Heart," "Be Still My Beating Heart," "They Dance Alone," and "Fragile," a quartet of his very finest songs. If Nothing Like the Sun runs a little too long, with only his Gil Evans-assisted cover of "Little Wing" standing out in the final quarter, it still maintains its tone until the end and, since it's buoyed by those previously mentioned stunners, it's one of his better albums. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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