Sting - 25 Years[3CD + DVD Set]

I'll be honest. I almost passed on this one. Being a long time Sting fan, I have collected just about every one of his CDs and live concerts(on both VHS and DVD). I often feel that I have contributed to Sting's considerable wealth more than any one human should. With that said, when I got wind of this new collection I instantly said to myself, "I'll Pass!". However, I eventually caved and indulged once more. I'm glad I did!



(click the image above to purchase online from Amazon)


The first disc starts off with the uber familiar "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free". What I heard come through my headphones was somewhat surprising. The song had been remixed from its original presentation on The Dream Of The Blue Turtles album. Gone was that huge 80s reverb and sheen that I was expecting to hear. Several of the instruments and background vocals had considerably more presence and definition. Not a knock against that 80s sound; in fact I love that sound. This was just different. A more modern mix of a classic. Old, yet new at the same time. I thought this was very cool, as it was almost like hearing a rough cut of a tune I'd heard hundreds of times already. This treatment is more evident on some songs than others, and will probably go unnoticed by many. It's safe to say that laptop speakers will not do it justice. However, my $350 Pioneer headphones delivered every nuance, and I marveled at how well I could hear Sting's and Darryl Jones' basses on many of the songs. Do yourself a favor and play this on a good sound system. Any true blue Sting fan will be pleased!

Once you wade through the 3 CDs  filled with songs remixed by Sting himself and other artists, there's the DVD that features 10 live performances. It was great to see songs like 'Synchronicity II' and 'Heavy Cloud, No Rain' as they are two of my favorites. And of course, what would a live Sting set be without the inclusion of 'Roxanne'? WINNING!!

All in all, you could do much worse with your hard earned $120. It is a pretty sizable investment, but true fans will come away feeling as though it was money well spent. For the uninitiated, this is a golden opportunity to discover the genius that is Gordon Sumner aka Sting!