Sting – The Dream Of The Blue Turtles (1985)

After an incredibly successful career with his band ‘The Police’ Sting decided to go solo.  I think the three band members felt the group had run it’s course (about ten years) and were growing stale, despite having almost their greatest success with ‘Every Breath You Take’ in 1982.  Anyway Sting also changed direction again as he took on a more jazz infused sound with a new band composed of jazz musicians.   The album was an instant success, reaching Number Three in the UK and Number 2 in America.  It hasn’t really dated too much either with several of the songs still sounding fresh.  Sting would go on to worldwide fame as a solo artist and has released 15 studio albums, though I have only a few; he has also released a few strange diversions (lute music and almost spoken word).  He was also one of those artists that many seem to dislike, like Phil Collins and Bono – he has been quite outspoken over the years.  His last studio album was three years ago, but he is preparing another World Tour as I write this, so who knows when his story will end.  Best songs on this Brilliant debut are ‘If You Love Somebody (set them free)’, Russians’ (which is still relevant today of course) and ‘We Work The Black Seam’.