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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