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Sting - THE DREAM OF THE BLUE TURTLES (1985)

Tom Benton | North Springfield, VT USA | 08/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The extraodinary success of 1983's SYNCHRONICITY convinced Sting to go solo, resulting in the end of The Police, but also in this: THE DREAM OF THE BLUE TURTLES, his stellar solo debut. It's a terrific blend of jazz and rock, which may come as a surprise to those who are familiar only with Sting's more recent work. Sting's lyrics are as grand as ever, and while the songs may not be quite as memorable as those penned during Sting's time with The Police, they're very fun AND intelligent - a rarity with pop music. BLUE TURTLES contains two hit singles, "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" and the heavy "Russians", as well as a superior remake of The Police's "Shadows In The Rain", along with many other greats including "We Work The Black Seam" (about the destruction of the planet at humanity's hands), "Children's Crusade" (about the stupidity of World War I), and the strong finale, "Fortress Around Your Heart" (written about Sting's seperation from his first wife, which also served as the inspiration for the Police hits "Every Breath You Take" and "King Of Pain"). Though the songs aren't musically as dense as those on Sting's subsequent releases, THE DREAM OF THE BLUE TURTLES holds up as one of his very finest albums, as well as one of the best albums to come out of the 1980s."