Since September 2010, this blog has recorded the journey of this music junkie as I attempt to listen to all the music in my CD collection. CDs revisited in their entirety from start to finish - no skipping tracks, no shuffle. Compact Discs only - no vinyl, no tapes, no files.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Sting - Ten Summoner's Tales (1993)


NUMBERS WEEK (MARCH 14-20, 2011)

Sting's last consistently good album and, overall, his best solo album. After two maudlin, downbeat releases, this was an unabashed upbeat pop release, with only a touch of Sting's usual arrogance.

Press of the time:
  • Rolling Stone (★★★★): "loose and swinging; the joy in the playing is palpable"
  • Billboard: "attains an enviable new plateau"
  • CashBox: "does not fail to please or amaze"
  • Stereo Review: "the most purely enjoyable work Sting has done since leaving the Police force"

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #2 (March 27, 1993)

Tracks: 9 of the 11 tracks are good. It also starts off with my favorite Sting single, If I Ever Lose My Faith In You. Other favorites include Heavy Cloud No Rain, She's Too Good For Me, and Seven Days. I'm usually not a fan of pop ballads, but Fields of Gold and Shape Of My Heart are well done. If you're wondering which two tracks I could do without, they're Saint Augustine In Hell and Something The Boy Said.


Personal Memory Associated with this CD: in my mind, this disc is associated with Simple Minds' Glittering Prize, so they share the same memory: this reminds me of the spring of 1993. I was married, but this was before children. We were in our first house which had a large living area which had been converted from a garage. I had my stereo in there and listened to this CD while sunlight poured into that room during spring break.

No comments:

Post a Comment