I totally agree that Sting needs to be continually changing and evolving - if anything, that has been a defining trace, not only of his solo career but also of The Police. My point was that I didn't like what "the Kipper change" did to Sting's music - but it doesn't mean I would like him to stop evolving! I don't care much for his flirtings with country music, either, but in a way I'm still glad that he does it, simly because that is what I (and most else) have come to expect from him. In an interview, Sting once said something like "my fans are willing to give me enough rope to hang myself", and I think that is very much to the point - part of being a fan of Sting's music is to be a fan of the constant evolution, even if it entails a few "misses" now and then. So, with respect to Kipper's influence, my protest is not that it has changed Sting's music - it is, simply, that I don't like the results of this particular change. And it's not the drum programming and sequencing itself, either, because as you say yourself, The Police used that a lot too. The difference to me is that whereas the stuff The Police did was in many ways refreshing and innovative, Kipper's drum programming just doesn't do it for me - it's too plain, ordinary and, frankly, a bit boring at times. A perfect example is the difference between the studio version and the acoustic version (with only scarce sequencing, if any?) of SYL. So, I'm not an old, grumpy reactionary fuddy-duddy who just wants things to stay the same - and I doubt very many Sting fans are. I keep an open mind to his experimenting, but I reserve the right to dislike some of it - and that, to me, is what being a fan is all about. Mikkel -- "And my sanity scans the horizon" Sting - The Wild Wild Sea http://www.mzh.dk ---- Original Message ---- From: Trini To: Sting-liste Sent: Friday, September 12, 2003 4:25 AM Subject: Re: [Police] No thoughts on Kipper...
My friend, Sting is the smartest man out there, the Sting signature is still in these songs but Sting realized he needs to continue changing and experimenting or else he will fall flat on his face.
As for drum programming and sequences, no one used it more than the Police during the Synchronicity tour.
"Mikkel Z. Herold" <mikkel@mzh.dk> wrote: Yes, lots of thoughts on Kipper...:
I for one am absolutely delighted that he will NOT be touring with Sting this time around. Although he seems like a great guy, I just don't like what he has done to Sting's music, especially not on stage.
For me, the absolute peak of Sting's career is still the TST tour - those four guys together kicked some serious butt! Besides the obvious fact that they were and are all incredible musicians, what made this line-up so great was their attitude - anything was possible. Listen to live recordings from this tour, and you will often hear small, improvised changes to the songs that made them grow and move constantly. It kept the guys on their toes all the time, and I just didn't feel that on the BND tour - it seemed much more like a preset performance being delivered.
And I think Kipper is partly to blame for this, although in the end, Sting is the one who makes the decisions. But it is harder to improvise in the spur of the moment when the music relies so heavily on drum loops and sequencing. Also, If the rumours are true, it was Sting's fascination with Kipper's drum programming that drove Vinnie away from the BND recording sessions - and THAT is not easy to forgive ;-) !!
Why Sting is so crazy about Kipper, I will never know. I'm fearing that he is developing a "Phil Collins-syndrome" where he starts relying too heavily on all the new possibilities of the modern technology and forgets to just play music! Sure, you can do amazing things with Kipper's equipment, and he definitely knows how to handle it, but you shouldn't use it just because you can - it should be musically warranted (which I have no doubt Sting will say that it is!).
That said, I have higher hopes for the upcoming tour. I have a feeling that Sting, too, missed the TST days on the last tour and that he is trying to bring some of the magic back on stage this time. He is back to his "record as a blueprint" idea, and that is something he almost never mentioned during BND.
So, now all we need is to get Vinnie and Sancious back, and things will start to brighten up ;-). Can't wait to hear Vinnie with Sting again on the BBC Radio 1 show.
Mikkel
So, not one person had any thoughts on Kipper. Very interesting. Do you think he is the person encouraging Sting to rely more on drum machines? Personally, that is one thing about his new sound that I could do without. KIM
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