You can get off to a fast start. You can sustain your opener with the main course, not filler. But can you end on a high note? Sometimes I wonder if recording a strong closer is the most difficult thing to pull off when it comes to album rock. When it comes to the cream of the crop in music, I can think of more strong openers than strong closers. Nonetheless, I still have my favorites which I’ll be featuring on Mental Jukebox all month.
The Dream of the Blue Turtles was my first experience hearing a former frontman turn solo, and it didn’t disappoint. Sting’s musicianship and songwriting, in fact, took a big step forward here. Sting’s debut solo album is full of varied themes, genres and personalities. and my favorite track was always “Fortress Around Your Heart”. I first discovered it on MTV and was instantly mesmerized by the music and lyrics. Then I got my Dream of the Blue Turtles cassette – and was blown away by its presence as the final track to an exceptional album.
It’s a love song written like an epic war story. This wouldn’t be the only time Sting would use a metaphor to describe the heart. Later, on Ten Summoner’s Tales, he would revisit the subject with a different metaphor, featuring a card player in “Shape Of My Heart”. Here, the imagery is epic – consisting of bridges, crumbling towers and battles. The melody is infectious, yet utterly unique, and contains one of Sting’s self-proclaimed finest choruses. and the instrumentation is impeccable, with the calculating guitar picking, prodding bass line and Branford Marsalis’ sly sax solo marching in sync.
“I RECOGNIZED THE FIELDS WHERE I'D ONCE PLAYED. HAD TO STOP IN MY TRACKS FOR FEAR OF WALKING ON THE MINES I'D LAID.”