The Dream of the Blue Turtles
Encyclopedia
The Dream of the Blue Turtles is the first solo album by British
pop
singer-songwriter
Sting, released in the United States
on 1 June 1985
, a year after The Police had unofficially disbanded. Though less successful than any of The Police's albums, it managed to reach number 3 in the UK Album Charts.
It includes Sting's first hit after The Police (his first solo hit, "Spread a Little Happiness
", was recorded while still a member of the Police), "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free
". Though the song reached number 3 in the USA, it was a relative flop in the UK, where the album's track "Russians" (about Cold War
nuclear anxieties, which had peaked in the 1980s) proved more popular.
The movie Bring on the Night
documents some of the recording work that produced this album, as well as the subsequent tour.
The album is named after a dream of Sting's.
to the devastation brought about by heroin addiction in modern-day London); the original uptempo arrangement of The Police song "Shadows in the Rain"; "We Work the Black Seam" (about the UK miners' strike (1984-1985)); and "Moon over Bourbon Street
", a song inspired by Anne Rice
's novel Interview with the Vampire
.
| style="width:35px; text-align:center;" rowspan="2"|1986 || rowspan="2"| The Dream of the Blue Turtles || Album of the Year ||
|-
| Best Pop Vocal Performance - Male||
|-
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Sting, released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 1 June 1985
1985 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1985.-January–March:*January 1 - The newest music video channel, VH-1, debuts on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV...
, a year after The Police had unofficially disbanded. Though less successful than any of The Police's albums, it managed to reach number 3 in the UK Album Charts.
It includes Sting's first hit after The Police (his first solo hit, "Spread a Little Happiness
Spread a Little Happiness
Spread a Little Happiness is a song by English musical comedy composer Vivian Ellis from his 1929 musical Mr. Cinders. Ellis was suffering from a fever of 103 degrees when he wrote this song. In the original production it was sung by Bobby Howes as Jim, but Binnie Hale was the singer on the 78...
", was recorded while still a member of the Police), "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free
If You Love Somebody Set Them Free
"If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" is the first single released from Sting's solo debut album The Dream of the Blue Turtles. It is also the opening track of the album, and is featured on Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984-1994 as well as The Very Best of Sting & The Police...
". Though the song reached number 3 in the USA, it was a relative flop in the UK, where the album's track "Russians" (about Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
nuclear anxieties, which had peaked in the 1980s) proved more popular.
The movie Bring on the Night
Bring on the Night (film)
Bring on the Night is a 1985 documentary film, directed by Michael Apted, which focuses on the jazz-inspired project and band led by the British musician Sting during the early stages of his solo career. Some of the songs, whose recording sessions are featured in the film, appeared on his debut...
documents some of the recording work that produced this album, as well as the subsequent tour.
The album is named after a dream of Sting's.
Songs
The songs include "Children's Crusade" (paralleling the destruction of the younger generation in World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
to the devastation brought about by heroin addiction in modern-day London); the original uptempo arrangement of The Police song "Shadows in the Rain"; "We Work the Black Seam" (about the UK miners' strike (1984-1985)); and "Moon over Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street is a famous and historic street that spans the length of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. When founded in 1718, the city was originally centered around the French Quarter...
", a song inspired by Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
's novel Interview with the Vampire
Interview with the Vampire
Interview with the Vampire is a vampire novel by Anne Rice written in 1973 and published in 1976. It was the first novel to feature the enigmatic vampire Lestat, and was followed by several sequels, collectively known as The Vampire Chronicles...
.
Side one
- "If You Love Somebody Set Them FreeIf You Love Somebody Set Them Free"If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" is the first single released from Sting's solo debut album The Dream of the Blue Turtles. It is also the opening track of the album, and is featured on Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984-1994 as well as The Very Best of Sting & The Police...
" – 4:14 - "Love Is the Seventh WaveLove Is the Seventh Wave"Love Is the Seventh Wave" was the second single and second track from Sting's 1985 solo debut album The Dream of the Blue Turtles. The song is supposedly about love being the seventh wave, or the strongest wave in a series of waves, thus wiping out any sort of problems...
" – 3:30 - "Russians" (ProkofievSergei ProkofievSergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
, Sting) – 3:57 - "Children's CrusadeChildren's CrusadeThe Children's Crusade is the name given to a variety of fictional and factual events which happened in 1212 that combine some or all of these elements: visions by a French or German boy; an intention to peacefully convert Muslims in the Holy Land to Christianity; bands of children marching to...
" – 5:00 - "Shadows in the Rain" – 4:56
Side two
- "We Work the Black Seam" – 5:40
- "Consider Me Gone" – 4:21
- "The Dream of the Blue Turtles" – 1:15
- "Moon over Bourbon Street" – 3:59
- "Fortress Around Your HeartFortress Around Your Heart"Fortress Around Your Heart" is a song from Sting's 1985 album The Dream of the Blue Turtles. The song was also released as a single, and reached #8 and #49 on the U.S. and U.K. singles charts, respectively...
" – 4:48
Singles
- "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" (1985) #3 US Hot 100, #26 UK Singles Chart
- "Russians" (1985) #16 US Hot 100, #12 UK Singles Chart
- "Fortress Around Your Heart" (1985) #8 US Hot 100, #49 UK Singles Chart
- "Love Is the Seventh Wave" (1985) #17 US Hot 100, #41 UK Singles Chart
- "Moon Over Bourbon Street" (1986) #44 UK Singles Chart
Personnel
- Sting – lead vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
on "Moon Over Bourbon Street" - Omar HakimOmar HakimOmar Hakim is an American jazz, jazz fusion and pop music drummer.Hakim credits jazz vibraphonist Mike Mainieri with giving him his first break in 1980; Hakim appeared in a video with Mainieri called The Jazz Life and began working with singer Carly Simon through Mainieri...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Darryl JonesDarryl JonesDarryl Jones , also known as "The Munch", is an American bass guitarist. Jones began his notable career as a session musician, where he gained the experience and confidence to play with some of the most highly regarded recording artists, in jazz, blues, and rock music...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Kenny KirklandKenny KirklandKenneth David “Kenny” Kirkland was an American pianist/keyboardist. He is most often associated with Sting, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, and Kenny Garrett....
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Branford MarsalisBranford MarsalisBranford Marsalis is an American saxophonist, composer and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque.-Biography:Marsalis was born...
– saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s, miscellaneous percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Dollette McDonald - backing vocals
- Janice Pendarvis - backing vocals
Additional personnel
- Pete Smith - additional background vocals
- Danny Quatrochi - additional background vocals, synclavier
- Elliot Jones - additional background vocals
- Jane Alexander - additional background vocals
- Vic Garbarini - additional background vocals
- The Nannies Chorus - additional background vocals
- Rosemary Purt - additional background vocals
- Stephanie Crewdson - additional background vocals
- Joe SumnerJoe SumnerJoseph Sumner is the son of actress Frances Tomelty and singer/actor/activist Gordon Sumner . He is the lead singer and bass player in the UK band Fiction Plane....
- additional background vocals - Kate Sumner - additional background vocals
- Michael Sumner - additional background vocals
- Eddy GrantEddy GrantEdmond Montague "Eddy" Grant is a musician, born in Plaisance, Guyana.- Life and career :When he was still a young boy, his parents emigrated to London, UK, where he settled. He lived in Kentish Town and went to school at the Acland Burghley Secondary Modern at Tufnell Park...
- congas (track 7) - Frank Opolko - trombone (track 2)
Production details
- Engineers - Pete Smith and Jim Scott
- Producers - Pete Smith and Sting
- Photography - Max VadukulMax VadukulMax Vadukul is a photographer who has worked mostly in America. He is noted for his fashion photography, portraits published in The New Yorker and many covers for Rolling Stone magazine.-Early life and career:...
and Danny Quatrochi - Art direction and design - Michael Ross and Richard Frankel
- Recorded at Blue Wave Studios, St. Philip, Barbados and Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec
Grammy Awards
|-| style="width:35px; text-align:center;" rowspan="2"|1986 || rowspan="2"| The Dream of the Blue Turtles || Album of the Year ||
|-
| Best Pop Vocal Performance - Male||
|-
Chart positions
| Chart (1985/86) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... |
1 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 13 |
| Canadian Albums Chart RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
4 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 1 |
| French Albums Chart | 4 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 1 |
| Japanese Oricon LP Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
9 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 4 |
| Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
4 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 5 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 6 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
2 |
| West German Albums Chart | 4 |
Certifications
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Year-end charts
| Chart (1985) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 18 |
| Canadian Albums Chart RPM Year-End RPM Year-End charts are a cumulative measure of a single or album's performance in Canada, based upon the RPM magazine charts during any given chart year.-RPM year-end number ones:... |
12 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 2 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 27 |
| UK Albums Chart | 37 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 50 |
| Chart (1986) | Position |
| Australian Albums Chart | 7 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 71 |
| UK Albums Chart | 41 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 33 |
Decade-end charts
| Chart (1980-89) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 32 |