Syn's #AOTM July

[Brian Haner Sr.]

Syn’s AOTM pick for July is “Ten Summoner’s Tales” by Sting. (Syn made the pick a while back, but was extraordinarily busy this past week and asked me to weigh in).
So I'm excited about this pick because I'm a huge Sting fan. His solo work is as impressive as his work with The Police (and that's saying a lot).

This was Sting’s 4th solo album after leaving The Police. The album that preceded this was “Soul Cages” which was a dark eulogy to his father who had just died. “Ten Summoner’s Tales” was a return to pop – albeit very sophisticated pop. Every song on this album has at least one incredible hook - and some have several.
The musicianship is stellar. As always, Sting hired the heaviest session cats available to play with him.
It was released in 1993 - but still holds up.

Most people are familiar with the nostalgic, melancholy of “Fields of Gold”, but every song on this album is a gem.

My favs are:

“Love is Stronger Than Justice” – It’s in 7/4 but somehow feels very natural.
“Seven Days” – This one is in 5/4 and Vinnie Coiauta’s drumming is nothing short of amazing.
Same with “Saint Augustine in Hell”. How they manage to make you forget they’re in 7/4 is a rare artform. Such a great groove. Always makes me smile.
Not every song is in an odd time. Lol
“Heavy Cloud, No Rain” has a simple strutting groove and “She’s too Good For Me” is just a great roadhouse shuffle.
For pure pop, it’s hard to beat “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You”.
“It’s Probably Me”- BEST. CHORD. CHANGES. EVER.

And if his remarkable melodies and complex chord changes aren’t enough for you - Sting is a deep thinker and even his pop lyrics manage to get one thinking about philosophy, existentialism., etc.

I could go on, but I’ll let you form your own conclusions. This is an adult album for sure, and the pinnacle of what happens when jazz meets pop in the hands of a master.

ENJOY! And if you dig this album, go back and check out “Dream of The Blue Turtles”, “Soul Cages” and (my personal favorite) “Nothing Like The Sun”.

Cheers!
PG

 

[Batbia]

Nice! Gonna take a listen tomorrow, can't wait! Thank you for posting it for us, PG

 

[Aquamandy]

Oooh nice! I was expecting this album since Syn mentioned it in last month's discussion, but I didn't know it would be in this month
Gonna hear it this week and I hope to come back with my thoughts soon too, thank you PG and thank you Syn for another AOTM

 

[Gabby Heafy]

incredible choice PG! I will give a listen to the whole album and leave my thoughts! ❤ Thank you for the all details you shared!

 

[Matt Wildcat]

Very excited to go and give this a listen tomorrow morning! Cheers, PG!

 

[redlipsofdeceit]

Thank you, PG! Definitely gonna listen to it carefully, and then come back later to share my notes with you all.
See you later!

 

[Jamie London]

Ohhhh yeah, a grown up album for sure! Need to give it a fresh listen before dropping a more in-depth response. On another note, It's been added to the AOTM playlist for anyone looking to give it a listen! (Open the playlist on Spotify to view the full playlist)

 

[ari.mac]

Ooh yeah!! I really like Sting! Since it's is 1.50 AM here, I'm going to have a proper listen to this album tomorrow and then come back with my thoughts and favs!
Thanks PG (..and Syn!)

 

[The Trash God]

Have never heard this before, so definitely excited to check this out! Definitely one I'm looking forward to listening to since my dad is a massive Sting fan.

 

[Ed Seith]

Oh GOD, Sting - WHAT A SONGWRITER. Gonna give this a solid listen!

 

[Anna.VG]

Oh this seems interesting, goign to give it a listen and come back tomorrow to leave my thoughts
Thank you, PG!

 

[Syn Gates]

Syn’s AOTM pick for July is “Ten Summoner’s Tales” by Sting. (Syn made the pick a while back, but was extraordinarily busy this past week and asked me to weigh in).
So I'm excited about this pick because I'm a huge Sting fan. His solo work is as impressive as his work with The Police (and that's saying a lot).

This was Sting’s 4th solo album after leaving The Police. The album that preceded this was “Soul Cages” which was a dark eulogy to his father who had just died. “Ten Summoner’s Tales” was a return to pop – albeit very sophisticated pop. Every song on this album has at least one incredible hook - and some have several.
The musicianship is stellar. As always, Sting hired the heaviest session cats available to play with him.
It was released in 1993 - but still holds up.

Most people are familiar with the nostalgic, melancholy of “Fields of Gold”, but every song on this album is a gem.

My favs are:

“Love is Stronger Than Justice” – It’s in 7/4 but somehow feels very natural.
“Seven Days” – This one is in 5/4 and Vinnie Coiauta’s drumming is nothing short of amazing.
Same with “Saint Augustine in Hell”. How they manage to make you forget they’re in 7/4 is a rare artform. Such a great groove. Always makes me smile.
Not every song is in an odd time. Lol
“Heavy Cloud, No Rain” has a simple strutting groove and “She’s too Good For Me” is just a great roadhouse shuffle.
For pure pop, it’s hard to beat “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You”.
“It’s Probably Me”- BEST. CHORD. CHANGES. EVER.

And if his remarkable melodies and complex chord changes aren’t enough for you - Sting is a deep thinker and even his pop lyrics manage to get one thinking about philosophy, existentialism., etc.

I could go on, but I’ll let you form your own conclusions. This is an adult album for sure, and the pinnacle of what happens when jazz meets pop in the hands of a master.

ENJOY! And if you dig this album, go back and check out “Dream of The Blue Turtles”, “Soul Cages” and (my personal favorite) “Nothing Like The Sun”.

Cheers!
PG

Thanks for handling this one, felt you’d be the better deliverer of the Sting sermon. My only initial addition would be that Shape of my Heart is one of the greatest ballads of all time. Simply stunning. Seven Days is hands down my fav song on the record. Can’t wait to hear everyone’s thoughts!

 

[pekigirl]

Shape Of My Heart is a must, even here in Portugal. Some Radio stations still play it every once in a while. Such a relaxing song.

 

[ari.mac]

"The Summoner's Tales" , what an album!! I already knew some Sting songs here and there, as well as some of his work with The Police ... his songwriting is next level for sure!!
I know there are a lot of things to talk about on a technical level here ( like those crazy time signatures PG mentioned), but unfortunately I'm not on that level just yet. So these are just my feelings and thoughts as I listen to this album.

My favorites:

"Fields of Gold". Such a beautiful classic. And one of the two songs I already knew (who doesn't know this song, really?) Love the lyrics and the melody. I listened to this after ages of not listening and the feeling it gave me was so bittersweet. I actually cried at this, and don't really know why but maybe some emotions you just can't explain...not even to yourself.

"Seven Days" incredible drumming for sure. Love the groove in this and the storytelling! Amazing song!!

"Love is Stronger than Justice" . This track is so much fun, what a crazy story! Love the rhythm. Again, insane drumming!

"It's probably me", as I was searching for this track I found out that there are two versions. A 1992 one with Eric Clapton and a 1993 one without E.C. , which should be this album's version if the infos are correct. I honestly loved both versions, I can't pick one over the other really. Music wise it's absolutely beautiful and the lyrics are so clever; it might seem like he is talking about two friends but I think what he is really talking about is just the loneliness of a person that has nobody but himself...at least that's how I interpreted this.

"Shape of My Heart". Talking about "Fields of Gold", I mentioned that I knew two songs from this album, and this is the other one. I love a damn good ballad, and this is one for sure!!! Simply amazing!

I really enjoyed "She's Too Good for Me" and "Saint Augustine in Hell" as well ...ok, I guess 3/4 of the songs are on the favorites list at this point....oh well

In conclusion, love Sting's voice and the way he writes! All of the musicians in this album were amazing, going to do a bit of reaserch on them!
Also, I am really impressed how in some live videos he manages to perfectly play bass to those time signatures while singing. Crazy!

As always, thanks for this recommendation @Syn Gates and @Brian Haner Sr. !!
Have a wonderful week fam

 

[Gabby Heafy]

In my family we listened a lot to The Police and Sting. My favorite ballad is "Every Breath you take" the Police, I've listened to it for years.... it's unique and beautiful, from the lyrics to the melody. the intro at the beginning of the song I love it! It brings back so many beautiful memories

Here are my thoughts to this amazing solo album by Sting.

My Favorites:

If I Ever Lose My Faith In You: This song is amazing, it has very deep lyrics and a beautiful message, it’s very symbolic and powerful of the golden 90's!

Fields of Gold: This one makes me feel too nostalgic and brings me some sadness. Sting's voice is very soothing, very peaceful to listen to.

Seven Days: It’s very Beautiful. This is such a well written song and I have to say the drumming is phenominal.

Saint Augustine in Hell : Loving this song, the bassline and the keyboard's solo.... is all you want to hear. And Sting's voice sounds fabulous on this song.

It's Probably Me: Love his jazzy version. It's a unique and very relaxing song.

Everybody Laughed but you: Absolutely stunning. I love Dominic’s solo on this one.

Shape of my heart: I have listened to this song thousands of times and every time I listen to it I feel a little sadness. It's very beautiful, Sting's voice gives me chills, the melody that is created, the atmosphere and the lyrics... it's a masterpiece, totally an immortal song through the years.

Nothing About Me: Powerful Song! So elegant, so classy, so Sting!

A brilliant recommendation, Sting is a legend, he is a great musician. I have looked for other albums and also want to listen to the classics like Roxanne!

Thanks @Brian Haner Sr. and @Syn Gates You always bring awesome music and great recommendations!!! Love ya!

 

[RoaringRowanThunderBender]

Quite honestly, I’m not familiar with the entire album, but “Shape of My Heart” always had me hooked as soon as I heard it. That was years ago now. Just love it so much and that love has continually persisted throughout the years.
Overall, I like Sting’s music and the way he writes. And this song isn’t on this particular album, but “Desert Rose” is another absolute favorite. I’ve actually added that one to a playlist so I can write for my original fiction I’m working on.

 

[Syn Gates]

Syn’s AOTM pick for July is “Ten Summoner’s Tales” by Sting. (Syn made the pick a while back, but was extraordinarily busy this past week and asked me to weigh in).
So I'm excited about this pick because I'm a huge Sting fan. His solo work is as impressive as his work with The Police (and that's saying a lot).

This was Sting’s 4th solo album after leaving The Police. The album that preceded this was “Soul Cages” which was a dark eulogy to his father who had just died. “Ten Summoner’s Tales” was a return to pop – albeit very sophisticated pop. Every song on this album has at least one incredible hook - and some have several.
The musicianship is stellar. As always, Sting hired the heaviest session cats available to play with him.
It was released in 1993 - but still holds up.

Most people are familiar with the nostalgic, melancholy of “Fields of Gold”, but every song on this album is a gem.

My favs are:

“Love is Stronger Than Justice” – It’s in 7/4 but somehow feels very natural.
“Seven Days” – This one is in 5/4 and Vinnie Coiauta’s drumming is nothing short of amazing.
Same with “Saint Augustine in Hell”. How they manage to make you forget they’re in 7/4 is a rare artform. Such a great groove. Always makes me smile.
Not every song is in an odd time. Lol
“Heavy Cloud, No Rain” has a simple strutting groove and “She’s too Good For Me” is just a great roadhouse shuffle.
For pure pop, it’s hard to beat “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You”.
“It’s Probably Me”- BEST. CHORD. CHANGES. EVER.

And if his remarkable melodies and complex chord changes aren’t enough for you - Sting is a deep thinker and even his pop lyrics manage to get one thinking about philosophy, existentialism., etc.

I could go on, but I’ll let you form your own conclusions. This is an adult album for sure, and the pinnacle of what happens when jazz meets pop in the hands of a master.

ENJOY! And if you dig this album, go back and check out “Dream of The Blue Turtles”, “Soul Cages” and (my personal favorite) “Nothing Like The Sun”.

Cheers!
PG

So right about Turtles and Soul Cages. Russians and eponymous track?? Wtf. I hadn’t heard Russians since you played for me as a small child. Prolly when it came out and I haven’t heard since. He shares songwriting credit w Prokofiev.

I will say, the cast of Ten Summoners is unreal. Omar Hakim is such a stud but I gotta go with Vinnie for finesse. Btw, Matt and I used Vinnies snare on Ten Summoners as reference for The Stage.

See if you can hear what songs on The Stage closely resemble that brilliant crack and high tuned snappy goodness of Vinnies

 

[idssdi]

Oeh, I read incredible hooks and great musicianship, sounds like this is the record I'll be listening to in the train tomorrow!

 

[Chris Johnston]

Just listened to the whole thing on my commute today and - wow!

Sting is an artist I've been quite ignorant to my whole life so this was a great ice-breaker.

My fave song has to be St Augustine. The vocal harmonies in the hook were amazing and I love that they were in 7!

Definitely some great Dorian & Melodic Minor jams in this album

Looking forward to re-listening!

 

[idssdi]

I'm typing this as I'm listening to it again

If I ever Lose My Faith in Your - love the synth pad(I think that's what it's called) in the beginning and how elements are added to it to the point that you don't really notice the pads anymore while they are actually still there. Great song!

Love is stronger than justice - love the groove, really nice hook too! I also find the guitar riff in the intro very cool!

Fields Off Gold - ooh, this is beautiful! So much cool instrumental stuff in this too! For some reason I dig snares like this and it kinda reminds me of the snare in Higher tbh

Heavy cloud No Rain - This one is Awesome! Such a nice relaxed vibe! Really nice guitar solo too! No shredding and fits the song perfectly!

She's too good for me - love the tempo and groove in this! Sounds like one of those songs you can dance to on a party(if you can actually dance or are drunk enough that is ). It also has a perfect slow down bit to refill your drinks

Seven days - nice! Love how all the instruments work together!

Saint Augustine in Hell - another really nice groove! Love the hook too! The addition of the organ solo is awesome too!

Everybody laughed but you - love how the synth and the guitar work together! Really great song with a really nice hook too!

Shape of my heart - ooh, this is beautiful! Really beautiful lyrics too!

Something the boy said - just a nice song really

Epilogue - oeh, funky. Really dig this one! Cool piano solo too. I also got a bit of a day in the life vibe from the outro


Overall really nice record! It made me realize I probably listen to the police way less than I probably should (but that also holds for a bunch of other bands like Led zeppelin for example ) shame, I made the wishlist for my birthday a couple weeks ago already otherwise this would surely be on it