The Dream of the Blue Turtles

Last updated

The Dream of the Blue Turtles
Sting The Dream of the Blue Turtles CD cover.JPG
Studio album by
Sting
Released17 June 1985 [1]
RecordedNovember 1984 – March 1985
StudioBlue Wave Studio, Saint Philip, Barbados and Le Studio, Morin-Heights, Quebec, Canada
Genre
Length41:40
Label A&M
Producer Sting and Pete Smith
Sting chronology
The Dream of the Blue Turtles
(1985)		 Bring On the Night
(1986)
Singles from The Dream of the Blue Turtles
  1. "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free"
    Released: May 1985 [4]
  2. "Love Is the Seventh Wave"
    Released: August 1985 (UK) [5]
  3. "Fortress Around Your Heart"
    Released: August 1985 (US) [6]
  4. "Russians"
    Released: November 1985 [7]
  5. "Moon Over Bourbon Street"
    Released: February 1986 [8]
  6. "We Work the Black Seam"
    Released: June 1986
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Orlando Sentinel Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [12]
Record Mirror 4/5 [13]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [15]
The Sacramento Bee Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [16]
Smash Hits 6/10 [17]
The Village Voice C+ [18]

The Dream of the Blue Turtles is the debut solo album by English musician Sting, released on 17 June 1985. The album reached number three on the UK Albums Chart [19] and number two on the US Billboard 200.

Contents

Five singles were released from the album: "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free", "Fortress Around Your Heart", "Russians", "Moon Over Bourbon Street", and "Love Is the Seventh Wave". The album earned Grammy nominations for Album of the Year, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and Best Engineered Recording; the instrumental title track was nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance.

Background and release

The album is named after a dream that Sting had. [20] He initially worked on tracks for his debut solo album with producers Torch Song: William Orbit, Laurie Mayer and Grant Gilbert. [21] These sessions were more synth-driven and 'electrofunk' in nature than what eventually was recorded and released; Sting eventually decided against this direction, and instead decided to pursue more jazz-oriented music. The initial 1984 Torch Song sessions remain unreleased.[ citation needed ]

Although the single "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" reached No. 3 in the US, it only reached 26 in the UK, where the album's track "Russians" (about Cold War nuclear anxieties, which had peaked in the 1980s) proved more popular.[ citation needed ]

In the UK the album was kept off No. 1 in the week of its release by Marillion's Misplaced Childhood and Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen occupying the top two places. In the US, the album reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200.[ citation needed ]

The film Bring On the Night documents some of the recording work that produced this album, as well as the subsequent tour.[ citation needed ]

Songs

The songs include "Children's Crusade" (paralleling the destruction of the younger generation in World War I to the devastation brought about by heroin addiction in modern-day London); [22] a new, re-recorded version of the Police song "Shadows in the Rain" (featuring the original uptempo arrangement); "We Work the Black Seam" (about the UK miners' strike of 1984–85, and musically based on "Savage Beast", a song dating back to Sting's days in Last Exit); and "Moon Over Bourbon Street", a song inspired by Anne Rice's novel Interview with the Vampire and on which he plays double bass. [23] "Consider Me Gone" references the first quatrain of Shakespeare's Sonnet 35.

Accolades

Grammy Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResult
Grammy Award nominations for The Dream of the Blue Turtles
1986 The Dream of the Blue Turtles Album of the Year [24] Nominated
Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male [25] Nominated

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sting, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" 4:16
2."Love Is the Seventh Wave" 3:32
3."Russians"Sting / Sergei Prokofiev3:58
4."Children's Crusade" 5:02
5."Shadows in the Rain" 4:50
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."We Work the Black Seam"5:42
7."Consider Me Gone"4:20
8."The Dream of the Blue Turtles"1:18
9."Moon Over Bourbon Street"4:00
10."Fortress Around Your Heart"4:40

Singles

Personnel

Additional personnel

Production

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for The Dream of the Blue Turtles
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia—200,000 [47]
Canada (Music Canada) [48] Platinum100,000^
France (SNEP) [49] Platinum300,000*
Germany (BVMI) [50] Platinum500,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [51] Gold10,000*
Italy (FIMI) [49] Platinum500,000 [49]
New Zealand (RMNZ) [52] Platinum15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [53] Gold50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [54] 2× Platinum600,000^
United States (RIAA) [55] 3× Platinum3,000,000^
Yugoslavia—50,000 [56]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>Zenyatta Mondatta</i> 1980 studio album by the Police

Zenyatta Mondatta is the third studio album by British rock band the Police, released on 3 October 1980 by A&M Records. It was co-produced by the band and Nigel Gray.

<i>Every Breath You Take: The Singles</i> 1986 greatest hits album by The Police

Every Breath You Take: The Singles is the first compilation album by the Police, released in 1986. In 1990, the album was repackaged in New Zealand, Australia and Spain as Their Greatest Hits with a different cover.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (The Cars album) 1985 greatest hits album by the Cars

Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by American rock band the Cars, released on October 25, 1985, by Elektra Records. "Tonight She Comes", a previously unreleased song, and a remix of "I'm Not the One" were issued as singles to support the album. It was a commercial success, going six-times platinum.

<i>Colour by Numbers</i> 1983 studio album by Culture Club

Colour by Numbers is the second album by the British new wave group Culture Club, released in October 1983. Preceded by the hit single "Karma Chameleon", which reached number one in several countries, the album reached number one in the UK and has sold 10 million copies. It has been certified triple platinum in the UK and quadruple platinum in the US. It was ranked number 96 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Best Albums of the 1980s.

<i>Waking Up with the House on Fire</i> 1984 studio album by Culture Club

Waking Up with the House on Fire is the third album by the English new wave group Culture Club, released on 22 October 1984. The album peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the band's third top five album.

<i>Nothing Like the Sun</i> (Sting album) 1987 studio album by Sting

Nothing Like the Sun is the second solo studio album by English musician Sting. The album was originally released on 16 October 1987 on A&M (worldwide) as a double LP and single CD. The album explores the genres of pop rock, soft rock, jazz, reggae, world, acoustic rock, dance-rock, and funk rock. The songs were recorded in March–August 1987 at AIR Studios, in Montserrat, assisted by record producers Hugh Padgham, Bryan Loren, and Neil Dorfsman. It features high-profile guest guitarists, including former Police member Andy Summers, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, and Hiram Bullock, and is generally regarded as the culmination of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of Sting's early work.

<i>Ice on Fire</i> 1985 studio album by Elton John

Ice on Fire is the nineteenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1985. It was recorded at Sol Studios and his first album since Blue Moves produced by his original long-time producer, Gus Dudgeon. David Paton and Charlie Morgan appear for the first time on bass and drums respectively, replacing original Elton John Band members Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson. Fred Mandel, who had played with John during the Breaking Hearts Tour, also contributed guitar and keyboards.

<i>Breaking Hearts</i> 1984 studio album by Elton John

Breaking Hearts is the eighteenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1984. It features the quartet of John, Davey Johnstone, Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson. There were four top-40 singles from the album: "Sad Songs ", "Who Wears These Shoes", "In Neon", and the UK No. 5 hit "Passengers".

<i>Picture Book</i> (Simply Red album) 1985 studio album by Simply Red

Picture Book is the debut album by British pop and soul group Simply Red, released in October 1985. It contains the US number-one single "Holding Back the Years", and covers of The Valentine Brothers' "Money's Too Tight " and Talking Heads’ “Heaven”. Three more singles were released from the album: "Come to My Aid", "Jericho", and "Open Up the Red Box".

<i>Bring On the Night</i> 1986 live album by Sting

Bring On the Night is the first live album by Sting recorded over the course of several live shows in 1985 and released in 1986. The title is taken from a song by the Police from their 1979 album Reggatta de Blanc. The songs performed include Sting's early solo material from the studio album The Dream of the Blue Turtles, and from his time with The Police, with a few of the performances played as medleys of the two. The touring band features the prominent jazz musicians Branford Marsalis on tenor and soprano saxophones, Darryl Jones on bass guitar, Kenny Kirkland on keyboards and synthesizer, and Omar Hakim on drums. Also appearing are backing vocalists Janice Pendarvis and Dolette McDonald.

<i>Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984–1994</i> 1994 greatest hits album by Sting

Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984–1994 is the first greatest hits album by English musician Sting. Released in 1994, it features hit singles from his first four studio albums The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985), ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987), The Soul Cages (1991), and Ten Summoner's Tales (1993), plus two new tracks. A companion music video compilation was released on LaserDisc and VHS.

<i>Mercury Falling</i> 1996 studio album by Sting

Mercury Falling is the fifth studio album by English musician Sting. It was released on 8 March 1996 through A&M Records and was produced by Sting alongside longtime producer Hugh Padgham. The album features many tracks which see elements of soul and country music integrated to a greater extent than on past releases. Supporting musicians on the album include frequent collaborators Dominic Miller on guitar, Kenny Kirkland on keyboards, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, and Branford Marsalis on tenor and soprano saxophone.

<i>The Woman in Red</i> (soundtrack) 1984 soundtrack album by Stevie Wonder and Dionne Warwick

The Woman in Red: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the second soundtrack album released by American musician Stevie Wonder on the Motown label. Also featuring Dionne Warwick, the album was released in 1984 for the film of the same name. It features Wonder's biggest hit, "I Just Called to Say I Love You", which hit number one internationally and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and also features the follow-up hit, "Love Light in Flight" and "Don't Drive Drunk", the song and the accompanying music video for which were used in the Ad Council and the US Department of Transportation's Drunk Driving Prevention public service announcement the following year.

<i>In Square Circle</i> 1985 studio album by Stevie Wonder

In Square Circle is the twentieth studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, released in September 1985 on Tamla Records. In Square Circle spent 12 weeks at number one on the US Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. The album also made the top five on the US Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 5 on the UK Pop Albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Bush discography</span>

The discography of English singer-songwriter Kate Bush consists of 10 studio albums, two live albums, two compilation albums, six video albums, four box sets, five extended plays, 40 singles, seven promotional singles, and 39 music videos.

<i>Dream into Action</i> 1985 studio album by Howard Jones

Dream into Action is the second studio album by British pop musician Howard Jones. It was released in March 1985 and reached No. 2 in the UK Album Charts. The album also reached the top ten in the U.S. The album achieved a gold certification in the UK and platinum status in the US and Canada.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (The Police album) 1992 greatest hits album by the Police

Greatest Hits is the second greatest hits album by the Police, released in September 1992 by A&M Records. It is the band's second compilation album following Every Breath You Take: The Singles. In contrast with its predecessor, it features all 14 original UK top 20 chart singles and five UK number-ones released by the band from 1978 to 1984, including the two missing singles from the previous 1986 compilation, "Synchronicity II" and the original version of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" which had been replaced with the 1986 re-recording. The album also includes two bonus album tracks, "The Bed's Too Big Without You" and "Tea in the Sahara". The cover photograph was by Duane Michals and it was taken at the time of the Synchronicity album. The inner sleeve featured a collage of pictures of the band shot by different photographers during their career, including Miles Copeland, Peter Baylis, Adrian Boot, Akihiro Takayama, Anton Corbijn, Danny Quatrochi, Gabor Scott, Janette Beckman, Kim Turner, Michael Ross, Watal Asanuma and Andy Summers.

<i>Simple Dreams</i> 1977 studio album by Linda Ronstadt

Simple Dreams is the eighth studio album by the American singer Linda Ronstadt, released in 1977 by Asylum Records. It includes several of her best-known songs, including her cover of the Rolling Stones song "Tumbling Dice" and her version of the Roy Orbison song "Blue Bayou", which earned her a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year. The album also contains covers of the Buddy Holly song "It's So Easy!" and the Warren Zevon songs "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" and "Carmelita".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sting discography</span>

The discography of British singer Sting. Born Gordon Sumner in 1951, he was a member of the jazz group Last Exit, who released a cassette album in 1975. With The Police, Sting sold over 100 million records and singles. As a solo performer, he has released 15 albums between 1985 and 2021, most of which have sold millions of copies worldwide.

<i>Give Me the Night</i> (album) 1980 studio album by George Benson

Give Me the Night is a 1980 album by American jazz guitarist and singer George Benson.

References

  1. ↑ "Brit certifications for Sting".
  2. ↑ Pareles, John (17 June 1997). "The Dream of the Blue Turtles". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 7 November 2007. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  3. ↑ Larkin, Colin (1999). All-Time Top 1000 Albums. Virgin Books. p. 101. ISBN   0-7535-0354-9. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021.
  4. ↑ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 791. ISBN   9780862415419.
  5. ↑ "Sting singles".
  6. ↑ "Sting singles".
  7. ↑ "Sting singles".
  8. ↑ "Sting singles".
  9. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Dream of the Blue Turtles – Sting". AllMusic . Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  10. ↑ Kot, Greg (7 March 1993). "Feeling A Sting". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  11. ↑ Atkinson, Terry; Damsker, Matt; Hilburn, Robert; Hochman, Steve; Hunt, Dennis; Johnson, Connie; Matsumoto, Jon; Pike, Lori E.; Pond, Steve; Strauss, Duncan; Sullivan, Dan; Willman, Chris (8 December 1985). "Stylish Cops, Urgent Pop – Shopper's Guide to the Top 40". Los Angeles Times .
  12. ↑ Defendorf, Richard (30 June 1985). "Sting". Orlando Sentinel .
  13. ↑ Levy, Eleanor (22 June 1985). "Sting: The Dream of the Blue Turtles". Record Mirror . p. 16.
  14. ↑ Pareles, Jon (18 July – 1 August 1985). "Sting: The Dream Of The Blue Turtles". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 7 November 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  15. ↑ Considine, J. D. (2004). "Sting". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  783–784. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  16. ↑ Macias, Chris; Barton, David (30 July 2000). "On the Sting beat: The Police and beyond". The Sacramento Bee .
  17. ↑ Cranna, Ian (19 June – 2 July 1985). "Sting: The Dream of the Blue Turtles". Smash Hits . Vol. 7, no. 13. p. 20.
  18. ↑ Christgau, Robert (25 June 1985). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sting in the UK Charts Archived 15 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine , The Official Charts.
  20. ↑ "Sting: The Dream of the Blue Turtles". Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2012. The title of the album came from a dream that woke me up on my first night in Barbados. I dreamed I was sitting in the walled garden behind my house in Hampstead, under a lilac tree on a well manicured lawn, surrounded by beautiful rosebushes. Suddenly the bricks from the wall exploded into the garden and I turned to see the head of an enormous turtle emerging from the darkness, followed by four or five others. They were not only the size of a man, they were also blue and had an air of being immensely cool, like hepcats, insouciant and fearless. They didn't harm me but with an almost casual violence commenced to destroy my genteel English garden, digging up the lawn with their claws, chomping at the rosebushes, bulldozing the lilac tree. Total mayhem. I woke up to the sound of Branford in the room upstairs, riffing wildly on his tenor sax, followed by his unmistakeable laughter.
  21. ↑ Connelly, Christopher: Random Notes, Rolling Stone Issue 433, 25 October 1984.
  22. ↑ "sting-the-police-the-dream-of-the-blue-turtles-july-1985-cover-story/". 1 August 2021.
  23. ↑ "Sting | Discography | Moon over Bourbon Street, 12-inch".
  24. ↑ "GRAMMYs' Best Albums 1980–1989". grammy.org. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  25. ↑ "Picking The Grammy Nominees Of 1986". Los Angeles Times . 5 January 1986. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  26. 1 2 3 4 "Sting | Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  27. 1 2 3 4 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  28. ↑ "austriancharts.at Sting – The Dream of the Blue Turtles" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  29. ↑ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2011-10-20
  30. ↑ "dutchcharts.nl Sting – The Dream of the Blue Turtles" (ASP). Hung Medien. MegaCharts . Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  31. ↑ "Sting: The Dream Of The Blue Turtles" (in German). BVMI . Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  32. 1 2 Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  33. ↑ "charts.nz Sting – The Dream of the Blue Turtles" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand . Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  34. ↑ "norwegiancharts.com Sting – The Dream of the Blue Turtles" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  35. ↑ "swedishcharts.com Sting – The Dream of the Blue Turtles" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  36. ↑ "Sting – The Dream of the Blue Turtles – hitparade.ch" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  37. ↑ "The Official Charts Company – Sting – The Dream of the Blue Turtles" (PHP). Official Charts Company . Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  38. ↑ "Sting Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard . Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  39. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1985". RPM . Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  40. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1985 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand . Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  41. ↑ "Hitparade.ch – Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1988". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  42. 1 2 "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  43. ↑ "Billboard.BIZ – Year-end Charts – Billboard 200 – 1985". Billboard. Retrieved 24 October 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  44. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1986". RPM . Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  45. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1986 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand . Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  46. ↑ "Billboard.BIZ – Year-end Charts – Billboard 200 – 1986". Billboard. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  47. ↑ Baker, Glenn A. (15 November 1985). "Pacing the Majors..." Billboard. p. A-6. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  48. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Sting – The Dream of the Blue Turtles". Music Canada.
  49. 1 2 3 "European Gold & Platinum Awards 1986" (PDF). Music & Media . 27 December 1986. p. 33. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  50. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Sting; 'The Dream of the Blue Turtles')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  51. ↑ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1988". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  52. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Sting – The Dream of the Blue Turtles". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  53. ↑ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 920. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  54. ↑ "British album certifications – Sting – The Dream of the Blue Turtles". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  55. ↑ "American album certifications – Sting – The Dream of the Blue Turtles". Recording Industry Association of America.
  56. ↑ "Yugoslavia - Small Labels Emerging In Major-Dominated Market" (PDF). Billboard . 24 November 1990. p. 69. Retrieved 18 November 2020– via World Radio History.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.