The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985)
After five albums with The Police, Sting wanted out, and he wanted to be taken seriously as a musician on his own terms. The band had fractured by the end of their run, so he struck out alone. The result? 1985’s The Dream of the Blue Turtles, is an impressive debut: a fantastic 80’s pop rock record layered with jazz and saxophone, with occasional reaches toward worldbeat that hand the whole thing real variety. Right out of the gate, Sting proves he isn’t afraid to experiment.
The record kicks off with If You Love Somebody Set Them Free, the perfect bridge from The Police to Sting’s solo work, all flurrying keys and sharp saxophone hooks. Love Is the Seventh Wave follows, and you’ve heard it before, whether at a friend’s pool day, a trip to the beach, or over lunch at Bahama Breeze or any vaguely coastal restaurant. It’s a Caribbean-inspired reggae-pop number with steel drums and easy, relaxing harmonies.
The back half of Children’s Crusade goes full epic, and this record’s reworking of Shadows in the Rain buries the original. First cut as a Police track on Zenyatta Mondatta, the new arrangement leans into complex jazz and lands with a quality the original never had.
Moon Over Bourbon Street is Sting’s 40s-and-50s crooner turn, filtered through 80s Sting. It’s classic easy-listening jazz reworked into something haunting, and it’s impossible not to love.
The album closes on Fortress Around Your Heart, Sting’s big hit, and it earns the label. It checks every box for a commercial, chart-topping 80s pop rock single while sitting at the very top tier of the form. Very specific, I know. It’s timeless, and it should be loved by every generation. If you don’t shake your ass to this one, you’re too uptight about who knows what. Let loose and listen to some Sting, dammit!
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Highlight Songs:
If You Love Somebody Set Them Free
Fortress Around Your Heart
Shadows In The Rain
Moon Over Bourbon Street
Children’s Crusade
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Own it, Stream it, Forget about it?
A debut worth owning. Start to finish, this plays in almost any setting. A couple of middle-of-the-road songs keep it from NSA territory, but it’s still a great record. Own it, dance to it, and play it for the people you love.
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Overall Rating:
4.5 Stars
