Retro Spins: Sting - The Dream Of The Blue Turtles

Sting broke out in a big way in the 80's to become this contemporary guru of hits which broke the mold of the traditional 80's sound. However, this could be because the artist never really appeared to embrace the world of rock 'n roll or pop. He seemed to always be on the quest for a sound that was almost spiritual in a way.

This sound is apparent in his 1985 album, The Dream Of The Blue Turtles. It's all over the map in terms of styles to its sound. It starts out with the pop track, If You Love Someone Set Them Free, then shifts to an island style ditty in Love Is The Seventh Wave. You then get the eerily sounding Russians, which paints a dreadful painting of reality for many people in the 80's fearing the verge of nuclear war between the USA and Russia.

It's these ever changing styles which make it a little difficult to find a footing in the album as a listener. Just as I'm getting used to a song and its style, I'm quickly whisked away in a different direction. It's kind of messy in a way. It's also somewhat confusing, leaving the album feeling like there's no theme to it, and as the audience I'm left asking, "What are you trying to convey here?"

Once again, I reflect back to the premise of an album title, which I first noted in my review of Kim Carnes Mistaken Identity. The album title is supposed to convey the premise for the album. Here, The Dream Of The Blue Turtles is an instrumental jazz style song, and not one of great length either. At just a hair over one minute, and ending in a bunch of laughing and gibberish, it does nothing to help set the tone for the album. Again, Sting, "What are you trying to convey here?"

The album wraps up with at least one of my favorites from the singer, Fortress Around Your Heart. In fact, it's also the reason I bought The Dream Of The Blue Turtles. Overall though, it's just an okay album, and one which leaves me asking, "How on Earth did this record become such a big deal in the 80's?" It's just not that good.

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