January 11, 2017

Sting - ...Nothing Like The Sun (1987)

Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Pop Rock
Label Number: CD 6402

© 1987 A&M Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
If Dream of the Blue Turtles was an unabashedly pretentious affair, it looks positively lighthearted in comparison to Sting's sophomore effort, Nothing Like the Sun, one of the most doggedly serious pop albums ever recorded. This is an album where the only up-tempo track, the only trifle -- the cheerfully stiff white-funk "We'll Be Together" -- was added at the insistence of the label because they believed there wasn't a cut on the record that could be pulled as a single, one that would break down the doors to mainstream radio. And they were right, since everything else here is too measured, calm, and deliberately subtle to be immediate (including the intentional throwaway, "Rock Steady"). So, why is it a better album than its predecessor? Because Sting doesn't seem to be trying so hard. It flows naturally, largely because this isn't trying to explicitly be a jazz-rock record (thank the presence of a new rhythm section of Sting and drummer Manu Katche for that) and because the melodies are insinuating, slowly working their way into memory, while the entire record plays like a mood piece -- playing equally well as background music or as intensive, serious listening. Sting's words can still grate -- the stifling pompousness of "History Will Teach Us Nothing" the clearest example, yet calls of "Hey Mr. Pinochet" also strike an uneasy chord -- but his lyricism shines on "The Lazarus Heart," "Be Still My Beating Heart," "They Dance Alone," and "Fragile," a quartet of his very finest songs. If Nothing Like the Sun runs a little too long, with only his Gil Evans-assisted cover of "Little Wing" standing out in the final quarter, it still maintains its tone until the end and, since it's buoyed by those previously mentioned stunners, it's one of his better albums.

 tags: sting, nothing like the sun, 1987, flac,

7 comments:

  1. The Flac link is down

    ReplyDelete
  2. updated but empty folder...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You better check again. I downloaded the files myself. Everything is there. You can't make an empty folder with actual MB size.

      Delete
    2. Yor the ElderJune 20, 2020

      I have the same problem: the folder extracted from the Rar file is empty… I'm working on a Mac: could it possibly be this the problem?

      Delete
    3. Once again, this has bee addressed numerous times already. The files were made using Win RAR version 5.70 beta 2. Downloading this version or simply the most current version will solve the extraction. This information is in the disclaimer. This information is the FAQ's section. Here's 2 screenshots:

      https://imgur.com/dxHCW15

      https://imgur.com/FrXn4RV

      If I've said this once, I've said this a thousand times, if you are using Peazip, 7z, WinZip or any thing other than Win Rar you are going to get extraction errors. You are using an incompatible software to extract a file made by something else. Just update Win Rar and you'll be fine. Refrain from asking question which are clearly answered in 2 different sections of the website.

      Delete
  3. Yor the ElderJune 21, 2020

    You're right, I'm sorry

    ReplyDelete

Comments as "Anonymous" have been restored. Please keep the comments civilized. We do not accept requests.