The Turtles enjoyed eighteen US hit singles between 1965 and 1970, three of which (“Happy Together”, “She’d Rather Be With Me” and “Elenore”) were also huge hits in the UK. From their original incarnation as surf band The Crossfires, all the way to their final single, the Turtles traversed several different musical paths during their career. It is precisely this power through diversity that makes the Turtles’ body of work one of the most rewarding and enjoyable of the 1960’s – they never met a genre they didn’t like. Edsel Records is proud to present the band’s six albums, each as a 2 CD digipak set.
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 and number two on the US Billboard 200. An expanded edition will be released on 11 July 2025 to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of The Dream of The Blue Turtles. The version includes B-sides such as "Another Day" and "The Ballad of Mac the Knife", as well as remixes of "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free", "Love Is The Seventh Wave", "Moon Over Bourbon Street" and "Fortress Around Your Heart".
Another live oldies live band release that I wasn't even aware of - until I looked for a live Turtles release. I give 'Captured Live' a five-star rating for it's fun factor alone. Show was recorded on New Year's Eve 1991 at the Bottom Line in New York. Original Turtles front men (wouldn't have it any other way, would we?) Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan lead up - as usual lead the festivities to give us true patrons and followers nearly an hour's worth of pure solid gold goodness to thoroughly take in. I was maybe ten when these guys first appeared on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
The Police never really broke up, they just stopped working together – largely because they just couldn't stand playing together anymore and partially because Sting was itching to establish himself as a serious musician/songwriter on his own terms. Anxious to shed the mantle of pop star, he camped out at Eddy Grant's studio, picked up the guitar, and raided Wynton Marsalis' band for his new combo – thereby instantly consigning his solo debut, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, to the critical shorthand of Sting's jazz record…
The Turtles are an American pop and folk rock band led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, who became notable for numerous Top 40 hits beginning with their cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" (1965), and "Happy Together" (1967). The band, originally a surf-rock group called the Crossfires from the Planet Mars, was formed in 1965 in Westchester, California (a neighborhood of Los Angeles' west side) by Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. With the help of DJ and club owner Reb Foster, the Crossfires signed to White Whale Records and, adhering to the prevailing musical trend, re-branded themselves as a folk rock group called "The Tyrtles", the intentional misspelling inspired by The Byrds. more .. Wikipedia
The Dream of the Blue Turtles is the first solo album by English musician Sting, released in the United States on 1 June 1985. The album reached number three on the UK Albums Chart. It reached number two on the Billboard 200. In the US the album spawned four singles, "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free", "Fortress Around Your Heart", "Russians" and "Love Is the Seventh Wave". The album earned Grammy nominations for Album of the Year, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Best Jazz Instrumental Performance and Best Engineered Recording.
The Turtles' third original album (and their highest charting, peaking at number 25) was also their most rewarding, filled with mostly first-rate songs beautifully executed. The hits singles "Happy Together" and "She'd Rather Be with Me" (both authored by Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon of the East Coast band the Magicians) helped propel the LP's sales, but there was a cornucopia of superb music surrounding them…