Album Essentials: Sting - "The Dream of the Blue Turtles"
By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor
By the end of 1983, The Police were, quite simply, the biggest band in the world. Their fifth album, 'Synchronicity,' was a huge hit, spawning a handful of massive hit singles, and ultimately selling multi-platinum. After being active non-stop since forming in 1977, they decided that, following a world tour, they would take a break. It was in that time frame that Sting decided to record his first solo album.
Released in June of 1985, 'The Dream Of The Blue Turtles' presented Sting in a new and different light. Gone were any signature styles of The Police and, for the most part, stripped of any actual rock and roll, replaced by a jazz based aesthetic and approach that suited his voice quite well. "In reality, the first rock band I ever played in was The Police," Sting told a reporter at a press conference for the album. "Before that, I'd worked extensively in different kinds of jazz groups. My first band was a Dixieland trad group where I played double bass, so I feel in many ways at home with jazz players."
Wanting to stretch his musical muscle, Sting gathered an all-star group of players to back him on the album including saxophonist Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland on piano, and drummer Omar Hakim. The collective resume reads like a who's who of jazz stars including Miles Davis, Weather Report, Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, and more. Bassist Daryl Jones would, of course, go on to play with the Rolling Stones to this day. “This band has a musical impact that I haven’t seen in pop music in a long long time,” said Branford Marsalis about his then new gig. “Everybody can just play their instruments and cream all the other bands!”
“Yes the record company were perturbed, yes my management were perturbed, the general public were probably perturbed when they heard this word jazz mentioned,” said Sting in an interview surrounding the album. All parties needn’t have worried, as once released, it took on a life of its own.
The album's first single, the catchy jazz inflected pop of 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free,' shot up the charts right off, reaching No. 3 on Billboard, and making Top10 elsewhere around the world. Sting was on to something it seemed. 'Fortress Around Your Heart,' 'Love Is The Seventh Wave,' and 'Russians' all followed suit, and though not charting as high, still made a huge impact, driving the album near the top of the charts worldwide and selling into the millions. The album, while a huge success, ultimately signaled the end of The Police. The band tried to start up once again, but various issues prevented it from taking flight. What was supposed to be a stop gap during their time off turned into the first step on a highly successful solo journey, one that stands strong to this day.