From just one spin of Sting’s “The Dream of the Blue Turtles”, Sting’s first solo release; it was evident that there was life beyond The Police. Many still believe that Sting has not surpassed this debut solo album. Earlier with The Police (his Reggae-Rock Outfit) he had churned out many hit numbers like ‘Message In A Bottle’, ‘Roxanne’ or maybe the eternal favourite ‘Every Breath You Take’.
Released in 1985, “The Dream…” is an interesting synthesis of mid 80’s Police genre (which is to say more mainstream and less of the endearingly outlandish style of The Police) and modern Jazz which indeed was truly unique. In fact he performs with many Jazz musicians on this album namely Omar Hakim (Drums), Darryl Jones (Bass), Branford Marsalis (sax) and Kenny Kirkland (Piano) and also with Miles Davis; all of who contributed greatly to the whole feel of the album. Teamed with such an exceptionally talented bunch, he presents his musical visions that had gone unrealized while he was still constrained by his former ensemble.
In style and subject matter, it’s a decidedly diverse collection of songs and the playing is excellent throughout. He explores many emotions and does so masterfully. The love songs are brilliantly written and Sting’s lyrical abilities come to the fore here especially in sombre tracks like ‘If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free’ and the peppy reggae-ish ‘Love Is The Seventh Wave’ (creative inspiration for the jingle of an award winning Indian advertisement). His love songs border on endings and escapes (aforementioned) and it is quite possible to interpret much of the imagery as a reference to the bitter breakup of The Police.
The ‘Jazz’ feel of the album captures some of the energy and exuberance of the early Police, like “Regatta de Blanc”, but also maintains some of the sombre, serious tones of “Synchronicity”. However “The Dream…” is considered to be a serious foray by Sting in the area of Jazz-Pop and not mere experimentation sake (this is confirmed later by his later albums).
Sting’s concern with history and politics is in evidence: he makes a father’s plea for sanity and restraint in the nuclear age, takes up for the U.K.’s much-abused coal miners, and relates the savage stupidity of World War I to the destructive effects of adolescent heroin addiction. Songs that seem elaborately constructed and recorded contrast with others that are presented as one-take jams. Seen as a whole, “The Dream of the Blue Turtles” is eclectic, ambitious--sometimes pretentious--but altogether worth owning. An interesting addition to any collection.