When we Dance Sting

It is hard to believe that it has been 35 years since Sting started as a member of The Police. But it is his solo work that remains as timeless and simplistic and melodic as the singer himself. When We Dance is definitely a really great example…

Early in his solo career, Sting defined himself as a man of taste, choosing to work with jazz musicians instead of rockers. Inevitably, this meant he walked the thin line between sophisticated pop and adult contemporary, but he did it with grace from 1985's Dream of the Blue Turtles to 1993's Ten Summoner's Tales. Unfortunately, Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting doesn't illustrate what a deft trick he pulled off with that quartet of albums. Naturally, Fields of Gold concentrates on his hit singles, just like any other greatest-hits collection, but Sting's material sounds surprisingly tame in this context. Sure, there is a number of great songs here – enough to state his case as a fine songwriter or to satisfy his casual fans.

On the day that the second live album of Sting's illustrious solo career (and third if you count the Police's 1995 Live! set) was to be recorded in Tuscany, Italy, the widely respected singer/songwriter/bassist was beset with one of the world's worst horrors of all time. The show was to be recorded and broadcast live on the Web on September 11, 2001, the day of the World Trade Center tragedy. Instead of canceling it altogether, Sting went on with the recording (although the Web broadcast was scrapped except for a single song), resulting in the release of the 15-song All This Time, just two short months later. Featured are a trio of Police-era classics inventively rearranged ("Roxanne," "Don't Stand So Close to Me," and "Every Breath You Take") and renditions of many solo selections: an expansive "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free," "Brand New Day," "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," and the poignant folk-like ballad "Fields of Gold."

Stin is a British musician, activist, actor and philanthropist. Prior to starting his solo career, he was the principal songwriter, lead singer and bassist of the rock music band The Police. As a solo musician and member of The Police, Sting has received sixteen Grammy Awards for his work, receiving his first Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1981, and receiving an Oscar nomination for best song. He is a member of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In the summer of 1997, Puff Daddy took "I'll Be Missing You," a sappy reworking of "Every Breath You Take," to the top of the charts across the world; it became the biggest rap single in history. The success of "I'll Be Missing You" had the bizarre byproduct of making the Police hip again among both rock and rap artists. So, what better way to celebrate the occasion – as well as the 20th anniversary of the Police's first album – than to release another compilation, this time combining highlights from the Police and Sting's solo career? The Very Best of Sting & the Police does just that, combining 14 songs – not necessarily his biggest hits, either – in a seemingly random chronological order…

The Studio Collection vinyl LP box set featuring all of Sting's solo studio albums on A&M Records in one collection for the very first time. Included are eight studio albums across eleven 180-gram heavyweight vinyl LPs in exact replicas of the original release artwork plus two albums that are previously unreleased on vinyl namely Brand New Day and Sacred Love all housed in a high-quality two-part slipcase box package. New vinyl masters for all were cut at the legendary Abbey Road studios to ensure exceptional audio quality throughout.

The Studio Collection vinyl LP box set featuring all of Sting's solo studio albums on A&M Records in one collection for the very first time. Included are eight studio albums across eleven 180-gram heavyweight vinyl LPs in exact replicas of the original release artwork plus two albums that are previously unreleased on vinyl namely Brand New Day and Sacred Love all housed in a high-quality two-part slipcase box package. New vinyl masters for all were cut at the legendary Abbey Road studios to ensure exceptional audio quality throughout.

It's an open secret that Sting's interest in songwriting waned after 2003's Sacred Love, an undistinguished collection of mature pop that passed with barely a ripple despite winning a Grammy for its Mary J. Blige duet "Whenever I Say Your Name." Sting spent the next decade wandering – writing classical albums for lute, recording the frostiest Christmas album in memory, rearranging his old hits for symphony, then finally, inevitably, reuniting the Police – before finding inspiration within the confines of a musical. The Last Ship tells the tale of a British shipyard in the '80s, one laid low by changing times, so there's naturally an elegiac undertow to Sting's originals, a sensibility underscored by his decision to ground nearly all these songs in the folk of the British Isles.