Sting: Storming the charts with 400-year-old Songs from the Labyrinth

[imogen_ph]

As it turns out, Sting, ever the inventive musician, has been obsessing with the lute lately. When I first read about his new album at amazon (http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000HXDESU/ref=s9_asin_image_1/002-1765624-9354423), I was thinking that this would certainly be a flop.

But no, it debuted at # 1 in the classical charts, and #24 in the pop charts! Hah! Who would've thunk that 400-year-old songs written by an Elizabethan composer (John Dowland) would hit it big today?

What’s a 54-year-old rocker doing going back to works written in the Elizabethan era?

“For me, they’re pop songs, written in 1603 or whatever, and I relate to them in that way,” Sting says during a break in the TV taping. “They have beautiful melodies, fantastic lyrics, great accompaniment.

“Dowland was probably our first alienated singer-songwriter, so he has a kind of modern resonance. He toured, he played popular songs. So there are parallels between my kind of world and his. I didn’t have to travel by donkey between castles, nor am I privy to any kind of secret intelligence that my country may need as he had. But at the same time, I have an affinity for him."

Source: http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/living/15770903.htm

Read also:

Telegraph: A Step Back in Time (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/10/15/svsting15.xml)

Listen to an excerpt from the album here (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6263882).

What little I've heard sounded strange. Will listen a bit more.

What do y'all think?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/airearan/artes/stingedin.jpg
Sting & lutenist Edin Karamazov

[stopandpop]

still has the TOUCH!

[vinta18]

the latest episode of "studio 60" has sting as the supposed musical guest. he plays a song from the album as well as lute version of "fields of gold"

[imogen_ph]

I wonder if the video is up at youtube, vinta? Ma-search nga...

I listened to the 30-second clips from the iTunes store, and I must admit that when I first heard him sing along the lines of

Come again, that I may cease to mourn.
Through thy unkind disdain, for now left and forlorn.
I sit, I sigh, I weep, I faint, I die,
in deadly pain and endless misery.

-- I giggled uncontrollably. Hee!

I wonder if we'll get it here, sa Towers kaya?

[imogen_ph]

*comes back*

Ahoy! youtube clips!

Studio 60 with Lauren Graham & Sting (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_Zgu0bVdhA)

Fields of Gold, lute version (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnb9XPHukkQ)

[dannececoholic]

It is always nice to see worth threads here. Very interesting and informative post, i must say. Will check it out, thanks.

I just would like to share my opinion of "Brought to my Senses" as one of the greatest songs ever made.

[dindi]

aaargh! video removed from youtube "due to copyright infringement"!!! godd@mn IPR. hee hee.

still reeling from the brilliance of and amazing progression in "ghost story..." then comes this!

[imogen_ph]

dannececoholic, forgive my cluelessness but is Brought to My Senses a piece of Dowland's?

dindi, thanks for reminding me of Ghost Story. I've some comments on it in my LJ:

http://imogen-ph.livejournal.com/

will listen to the Labyrinth album soon and will try to comment on it. how about you peeps, have you checked it out? (for those in the Pinas, it's available at Towers, expensive nga lang, 600+. i downloaded mine ssssh...)

[imogen_ph]

Wrote a bit about Songs from the Labyrinth in my blog. It's not really a review though (sorry, am not an expert!). Since I got back in to my blogspot blog, I also transferred the Ghost Story stuff (plus Why Should I Cry for You?) in there as well (just scroll down a bit):

http://imogenagerie.blogspot.com

[imogen_ph]

Posted the lute version na of Fields of Gold in my blog (http://imogenagerie.blogspot.com). Please go check, I'd like to know what you peeps think of it. ;-)