This Day in Music
Michael Fitzgibbon
A Darwinian dream, an acid-trip dream, and Elvis is a dream, all in-sync on this day in music.
Synchronicity
1983: Legendary British post-punk rockers The Police release their fifth and final studio album, the near-perfect “Synchronicity.” The LP includes the enduring and fantastic song about obsession, “Every Breath You Take,” reputed to be the most-played song on radio and stream in pop music history.
Like the prior album, “Ghost in the Machine,” it was recorded at AIR Studios in Salem, Monserrat with overdubs and mixing done at Le Studio in Morin Heights, Quebec, famous for hosting legendary Rush recording sessions. Sadly, both AIR and Le Studio are long gone. AIR was devastated by Hurricane Hugo, along with most of Monserrat in September of 1989, and Le Studio fell into disrepair after it was no longer commercially viable in 2003, ultimately suffering a total loss by fire in 2017.
I don’t dislike the song “Mother,” by Andy Summers, but the non-album single “Murder By Numbers” is much better and would have made the LP perfect. “Mother” should have been released as the B-Side of one of the singles. The group was prone to constant infighting and inclusion of Summer’s song was likely a means of settling an argument. As Stewart Copeland would remark years later, “We all wrote songs. It’s just that Sting’s were the best.” It’s too bad they didn’t have that wisdom at the time of recording.
A number of hit songs appear on the album, including five official singles: The aforementioned “Every Breath You Take,” released about a month before the record and making the Top-10 everywhere, and No. 1 in many markets, with “Murder By Numbers” making up the B-Side; “Wrapped Around Your Finger;” “King of Pain;” “Synchronicity I;” and “Synchronicity II.”
All of the singles and the remaining tracks on the record are excellent. They had frequent play on AM and FM radio, plus the videos for “Every Breath You Take,” “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” “Synchronicity II,” and “King of Pain” were popular. The first three of those videos were black and white productions made by Godley & Creme that became staples of MTV rotation.
With so many great songs, it’s no surprise that “Synchronicity” had tremendous chart success. It was No. 1 on the Billboard 200, No. 1 on the Canada RPM 100, No. 1 on the U.K. Albums list, and No. 1 in Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and Spain. Where it didn’t hit number, it still made the Top-10 and usually the Top-5.
Certified sales of the LP top 15 million, with total estimated worldwide sales of as many as 20 million copies. It is 8x Platinum in the U.S., and Platinum in Canada, the U.K., France, Italy, and New Zealand.
Critics embraced the album, with AllMusic and Rolling Stone rating it just under 5-Stars. Q rates it 4-Stars and Smash Hits ranks it 9/10. It has a grade of B+ at The Village Voice. However, in my heart, it’s a 5-Star record even without “Murder by Numbers,” though I’ve always been a huge fan of The Police and of Sting.
Obviously, I’ll be spinning this vinyl classic today!
Misplaced Childhood
1985: Marillion, the English neo-prog band with the legendary Scottish lead singer, release their fantastic third studio album, “Misplaced Childhood.” It was recorded at Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin for EMI.
The band’s first fully-conceived concept album, it reflects frontman and lyricist Fish’s musings on his childhood while tripping on LSD shortly after his long-time girlfriend, Kay Lee, left him. Hence the track, “Kayleigh.”
Other tracks on the record are also autobiographical in nature, including the anthemic “Heart of Lothian,” referencing Fish’s home region of Midlothian in Scotland. It’s also a play on the title of the stone mosaic, The Heart of Midlothian, an attraction paved into the Royal Mile, the main thoroughfare in Edinburgh’s Old Town district.
Each side of the vinyl LP is one continuous piece of music, sub-divided by the specific songs, sometimes further broken down into constituent parts of a suite. As eluded to above, the themes reflect lost loves, sudden success, loss of childhood innocence, acceptance, and end on a positive note with the great track, “White Feather.”
“Misplaced Childhood” was a hit in the U.K., reaching No. 1 on the U.K. Albums list, but only peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard 200. That’s quite a divergence and can only be explained as U.S. audiences simply not knowing about the album. Otherwise, I’m sure it would have been No. 1.
That disparity became a pattern, where it hit high up in some regions, like No. 3 in Germany, No. 6 in Switzerland, and No. 11 in Italy, but lower elsewhere, exemplified by its positions of No. 88 in Canada and No. 29 in Finland. It has earned Platinum certification in the U.K. and Germany, and Gold in Switzerland.
The album spun-out three official singles, “Kayleigh” and “Heart of Lothian” as previously noted, plus “Lavender.” However, every track is fantastic and they should be enjoyed in one sitting, start to finish. Highlights for me include the two longer suites, “Bitter Suite” and “Blind Curve,” but I’m a huge fan of the entire album.
The Dream of the Blue Turtles
1985: “The Dream of the Blue Turtles,” the stunning debut solo studio album by Sting is released to high praise from critics and audiences alike. Named after an actual dream had by Sting, the record is a sophisticated collection of jazz-influenced Rock and Roll.
The style is reflected by the talented musicians appearing on the LP, including future Rolling Stones bassist Darryl Jones, Kenny Kirkland on keyboards, the legendary Branford Marsalis on saxophones, and Omar Hakim on drums, all cats with jazz experience. Dolette McDonald and Janice Pendarvis provide prominent backing vocals. Also appearing on the album were three of Sting’s children, Joe, Kate, and Mickey Sumner, plus a long list of additional background vocalists.
Sting and the group performed three live concerts at The Ritz Club in New York before recording began, as a means of rehearsing and becoming well-familiarized with the material. They went into Eddy Grant’s Blue Wave Studio in Barbados in March of 1985 and spent seven weeks recording the album. It was mixed at Le Studio in Quebec, where Sting had previously worked while with The Police.
After recording, but before releasing the album, the band went back out on the road, with a concert on May 29, 1985 at Théâtre Mogador in Paris becoming one of the shows from which the live album “Bring on the Night” was produced. Issued on June 20, 1986, it flew somewhat under the radar, but is a spectacular release.
“The Dream of the Blue Turtles” is loaded with hits and some of Sting’s most famous songs. Six were released as singles:
If You Love Somebody Set Them Free - Released on May 28, 1985 and going all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart;
Love Is the Seventh Wave - Released August 9, 1985 and peaking at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100;
Fortress Around Your Heart - Also released in August of 1985, it too topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart;
Russians - A November 29, 1985 release that hit No. 1 on the Billboard European Hot 100 singles chart;
Moon Over Bourbon Street - Peaking at No. 44 on the U.K. Singles list, it was released in February of 1986; and
We Work the Black Seam - Released in June, 1986 in Europe and Australia, it’s a protest song in support of striking British coal miners.
All six singles are fabulous songs, as are the remaining four tracks on the LP, which is the reason for its chart success. It went to No. 2 on the Billboard 200, No. 4 on the Canada RPM 100, No. 3 on the U.K. Albums chart, and No. 1 in Australia and Netherlands.
“The Dream of the Blue Turtles” earned significant sales certifications, including 3x Platinum in the U.S., 2x Platinum in the U.K., and Platinum in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and Australia. It is estimated that the LP has sold between four and five million copies worldwide.
I adore this album, and will be listening to it today for sure!
The Daily Elvis
1968: At NBC Television Studios in Burbank, CA, Elvis continues preparations and rehearsals for his legendary ’68 Comeback Special, officially titled Elvis: NBC TV Special, to be aired December 3, 1968 on, you guessed it, NBC TV.
Good one
Saw them in Norman, OK on March 26, 1982. Damn that was a long time ago.