Ten Summoner's Tales - Sting (CD 1993)

Song List
If I Ever Lose My Faith In You
Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)
Fields Of Gold
Heavy Cloud No Rain
She's Too Good For Me
Seven Days
Saint Augustine In Hell
It's Probably Me
Shape Of My Heart
Something The Boy Said
Epilogue (Nothing 'Bout Me)

Ten Summoner's Tales

"The title is a mild literary joke because my name, Sumner, comes from the medieval name Summoner and a Summoner was someone who summoned you to court or to see the king. The Canterbury Tales, which was written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the fifteenth century, is a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims - there's a nun, a miller, a knight, a summoner, a pardoner and they each tell a story. They each tell a story and their all kinds of stories - romantic stories, funny stories, rude stories and they are all told in different styles. It's a kind of ragbag. So I thought there was a connection, because the album is essentially a ragbag of styles - it comes from everywhere and the only thing that connects it is me. So I thought of my connection with this name Summoner and with the album being an eclectic ragbag of tunes I'll call it 'Ten Summoner's Tales'."

- Sting, from the official Sting website at sting.com

Change of Venue, Change of Pace

In 1993, two years after the release of his darkest recording The Soul Cages, Sting produced a much brighter work in his fourth album Ten Summoner's Tales. This collection of, what essentially amounted to, short stories in song again provided further glimpses into his life and his psyche. The sounds and styles of his music proved again to be flexible and changeable, as Sting presented us with these musical glimpses into his experiences and thoughts.

For this recording, Sting ventured not into the studio, but into his dining room. He cleared the room out, and moved his band and recording equipment in to make this record sound fresh and immediate. Sting said of this new recording process "Everything was done in the same room...communicating ideas between musicians and engineers was easy...It just made us happier" (quoted from sting.com). For the first time since his solo debut The Dream Of The Blue Turtles, the sound of the band had more of a "live" quality to it - evidenced best in songs like She's Too Good For Me, Saint Augustine In Hell and Love Is Stronger Than Justice. Sting has continued this home recording practice ever since - if you would like to see this process in action, I suggest that you check out the Grammy Award winning long-form video Sting - Ten Summoner's Tales, and also the documentary and concert of his performance at his Tuscany villa, recorded 09/11/01, All This Time... (please take time to read ticktockman's absolutely incredible essay - it may be one of the best articles posted on Epinions EVER)

The Tall Man Returns

One of my favorite things about Sting's songwriting is the re-appearance of lyrics and characters from previous albums. Here's the most recognizable example:

At the end of Love is the Seventh Wave on The Dream of the Blue Turtles, Sting begins to riff some lyrics as the recording fades out, spoofing The Police megahit Every Breath You Take:

I say love is the seventh wave
I say love is the seventh wave
(this phrase is repeated ad infinitum as Sting riffs over the top)
Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every cake you bake
Every leg you break

My favorite instance occurs in Ten Summoner's Tales with the resurrection of the "six foot ten" man in Seven Days. He originally appeared in I Can't Stand Losing You, a song on The Police's first album Outlandos D'Amour. The singer is lovesick and suicidal over a girl who barely notices him, but he certainly notices her large brother, as he sings your brother's gonna kill me and he's six feet ten. Apparently, this brother goes on to become the "other man" vying for the affections of the same woman as the much more sane and very intellectual character narrating Seven Days. Here's a taste of Sting's clever lyric:

The fact he's over six feet ten
Might instill fear in other men
But not in me, The Mighty Flea
Ask if I am mouse or man
The mirror squeaked, away I ran
He'll murder me in time for his tea
Does it bother me at all
My rival is Neanderthal - it makes me think
Perhaps I need a drink
IQ is no problem here
We won't be playing Scrabble for her hand I fear
I need that beer

Mr. Popularity Is At It Again

Ten Summoner's Tales is one of Sting's most successful solo albums, spawning three major hits: If I Ever Lose My Faith In You, It's Probably Me, and Fields of Gold all appear on this album - ...Lose My Faith is a strong intro to the album, combining a driving rock rhythm with syncopated harmonica and guitar harmonics to create a compelling sound. Fans of the "Lethal Weapon" movies may recognize It's Probably Me as the song under the opening credits of "Lethal Weapon 3" - another good effort from Sting with this popular ballad. Fields of Gold is a gorgeous guitar ballad with a wonderfully sensual lyric (though some might notice that Sting is stealing again - isn't that the guitar figure from Pink Floyd's Goodbye, Blue Sky? ("Look, mummy...there's an aeroplane up in the sky..."). go check it out and let me know what you think...

A Tall Tale, or A Great Yarn?
In one word, Ten Summoner's Tales is FUN. While some Sting nutjobs such as myself might find his other albums to be more satisfying, this record is a terrific introduction to Sting's music. The songs are widely varied in style and substance, and all of them are just really good music. I would recommend this album as THE Sting starter for any collection -

My Sting Reviews

Singles, Maxi Singles and other Song Collections
All This Time [Single]
You Still Touch Me [Maxi Single]
I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying [Maxi Single]
Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot [Maxi Single]

Albums
The Dream Of The Blue Turtles
Nothing Like The Sun
The Soul Cages
Ten Summoner's Tales
Mercury Falling
Brand New Day
All This Time
Sacred Love

Concert Videos
The Soul Cages Concert Tour

Great Music to Play While Waiting For Sting's Next Album, Sacred Love, To Arrive September 30