Best Sting Solo Songs the Police Could Cover?

[New Zealand Promoter]

[quote="phaty"][quote="Divemistress of the Dark"]
I don't mean this as negatively as it may sound, but my guess is they're probably more interested in doing their collaborative material as well as possible, than in having this tour be even more of the Sting Show than it already is.[/quote]

Not sure if we all want to forget - but all the tours from 1977 to 1983 were pretty much Sting Shows. The Reunion Tour is probably the first one that has a touch of democracy in the band, on the stage at least - pretty much because Sting is under pressure to let his buddies shine as well ... [/quote]

See, you are wrong, wrong, wrong. You need to do your research before making these assertions.

Points which prove you are incorrect:

1. Several songs in the present set are arranged very closely to how Sting has performed them solo for many years. Therefore, they closer approximate 'Sting solo' arrangements with Stew and Andy fitting into them.

They are:

Sychronicity II
Voices / World
Driven to Tears
Next to You (yes the ending is different but the chord change in the chorus emerged last year).

2. Sting had yet to write a solo album or rearrange and perform Police songs 'solo' in 1984. All the years before that, with the Police, the sound you hear in those live shows is the product of three highly idiosynchratic players merged to create a singular and distinct sound. Sting may have been vetoing certain songs and introducing horns and shit, but the Police sound was extremely distinct from what they are doing now.

Just because there are more guitar solos this time round does not = a more democratically produced sound. Those guitar solos galore arrangements mirror what Sting Solo was doing.

Your contributions are always welcome Mr Phaty, but here you are clearly mistaken. I would be interested to read a counter argument, though.

A key point to address - you seem to think things are more of a democracy now, and yet you have presented no evidence to support this. In the meantime, one can watch Stewart on the LA Whiskey press conference video saying "i'm just happy to follow Sting's lead". There are many other recent similar examples of Stewart in particular stating that he's having a good time and doesn't want to bicker. he's even specifically said stuff like "and then sting comes in with this new idea, and i'm all like 'man, i liked it how you did it first time,' but his ideas are so great, and we go with it'... etc. sorry i don't have references here but these are the facts, man. There's clear evidence out there to suggest it's even LESS of a democracy now. Andy and Stew are following Sting's lead more than ever now. Just clarifying.

[feralkid]

so what if sting is calling the shots. Every gang needs a leader, a total democracy in a three piece would mean fuck all would be agreed on. Sting is the front man and main song writer/singer therefore it seems obvious he make most decisions. Overall i think he's doing a good job

[cpriddims]

None.

It makes me mad enough it is Stewart's band and Sting won't do ANY of Stew's songs live. If it wasn't for Stew asking, Sting would've never been in the band to start with and therefore probably wouldn't have all the success and riches he has now. So even though some of it is very good, there's a ban on Sting solo work on this tour as far as I'm concerned. Sorry!

Yes, I am bitter about it.

[DirtyMartini]

MTJ and phaty, you guys are a scream.


Don't worry, Dive -- it's only a joke from last night. People will be fine. Conversation happens.


As Sting songs go, I honestly don't know his solo work well enough to know. I might enjoy hearing what the Policified version of Oysterhead sounds like, but I'm not really interested in any Policified Sting solo songs.

If I haven't said this elsewhere, welcome, David!

[feralkid]

Is that not what the music is anyway, Policified Sting songs

[Divemistress of the Dark]

Cool. Thanks DM. Just don't want this to turn into an "in-club"-seeming kind of place where new people won't feel welcome. Not that I think there's a tremendous amount of risk of that.

I join you in your outrage, CP...especially since some of Stewart's songs are the best the band has recorded. Can you imagine how killer "Bombs" would sound at this point?

I admit to a certain amount of enduring disappointment that the setlist appears to be set in stone at this point. Not that it isn't great to get to hear those songs, which are being performed better and better every night, but...part of my original enthusiasm over this tour was the fact that they have five albums of really terrific material. We're looking at their performing maybe 15% of all that stuff for the next few months, it appears.

I know, I know. It's just not possible or probable or whatever, for a few different reasons, but it sure would be nice to go to the venue and wonder if you were going to get to hear "Omegaman" or "Other Way of Stopping" or "Darkness."

I think I'd tend to agree about the Sting Show remarks at this point, not that I think that dynamic stops this tour from being a must-see for any right-thinking music fan. It's not that Andy and Stewart don't have the freedom to just burn the place to the ground night after night - they obviously do - but the solos are part of fairly inflexible arrangements and again, they're during the same songs every night.

Not a huge deal, just a deal. Enjoy the shows, guys....for real. Maybe they'll start mixing things up a ways down the road once they've had a real chance to get used to playing as a touring outfit again.

[Rhianntp]

[quote="phaty"][quote="Rhianntp"][/quote]

Sweet Jesus - you have a Toto Avatar ... !
That is scary ...[/quote]

Haha! Well it's in honor of Jeff Porcaro.. besides, Toto had some awesome tunes...

[English-lion]

I think that the Police should cover Prince songs and Frankie goes to Hollywood songs

[BinaryXtreme]

[quote="English-lion"]I think that the Police should cover Prince songs and Frankie goes to Hollywood songs [/quote]

[English-lion]

Well its just as stupid as asking them to do Sting songs


I don't want to sound mean. welcome David & Max

[Rhianntp]

[quote="English-lion"]Well its just as stupid as asking them to do Sting songs


I don't want to sound mean. welcome Max[/quote]


It's not stupid if they do any sting songs or andy solo songs or even some copeland compositions... why not?.. its who they are...I dont mean a set list of songs... but one or two here and there would be fun and interesting..

[Kalypso]

Just to be really mean...
Ask Sting to sing If I ever lose my faith in You during this tour...

[phaty]

It is just music ... !

[empty]

[quote]Cool. Thanks DM. Just don't want this to turn into an "in-club"-seeming kind of place where new people won't feel welcome. Not that I think there's a tremendous amount of risk of that. [/quote] Dive

No in-joke here! We're equal opportunity. ANYONE can tell weasel to fuck off

Dive, being new myself, I can say it takes a bit to get up on the jokes- but that IS part of the fun. I had to trace back some of the threads to catch up- but it helped me get to know you guys better. How else would I have gotten used to everyone's abnormal sense of humor? I came late to this tube sock show! But I felt very welcome!

[Kalypso]

Hear, hear!!!!