For a boring series of reasons, the only CD in our car at the moment is the second disc of The Police Live! I don't know what Oliver Sacks would say about it, but I hate this CD. It would appear that they made a 2 CD set by singing every song in front of a live audience and then making guttural sounds for an extra two minutes.
For example:
For the last 40 sec of Synchronicity I, all you hear is "Syn-chron-i-cit-y " repeated, plus "Cha!"
The final 1:21 of Walking In Your Footsteps is "Walkin in your footsteps " over and over again.
Message in a Bottle - "Sen-din out an SOS" For the last minute. Shut up already.
(It was at this point I found myself pining for a BNL CD. You know. One in which the words actually contribute to the progression of the song. If the words are over, well, let's stop playing the song now. Alternatively, if we are playing an interlude, let's just shut up with the syllables.)
O My God: the last 1:15 is "Fill it up-uh-up, (flip) it up."
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da: during the last 1:23 min it would seem all I want to say to you is, "yeee-ohhh-ohhh-ohh."
After all this, during the last 1:40 of King of Pain I begin a sarcastic interrogation of Sting. "I'm sorry, who are you again?" (King of pay-ayn) "I didn't catch that." (King of pay-ayn) "Would you mind repeating that?" (King of pay-ayn)
Then it gets really excessive.
Roxanne ends with FOUR MINUTES of "Roxanne -oh -ohhh -0ohheeeeeeoooo."
Cant Stand Losing You -
With 5:16 left we have "You , losing you, ahh uhh"
4:36 till 4:21 : "Cha! Cha!" etc., until ...
3:55, when there is a reprise of "ahh uhh Eee ohhh e yyeahh yeah-ohh" winding up with "yuh yuh yuh yuh"
There is then a musical interlude! No grunting and warbling.
However from 2:41 to 1:21 he makes the crowd sing along with "Yeeee-oohhhhh-oohhhhh"
With 1:21 left to go suddenly it's a song again. With lyrics, sort of a "Previously seen on Can't Stand Losing You."
And finally, So Lonely:
From 5:30 to 4:10 I have a little chat with Sting.
"You appear to be experiencing some feelings of lonlieness, hon." (So lonely! So lonely! So lonely!) "Would you like to talk about it?"
From 4:10 to 2:26 he leads the audience in singing "Lo lo lo lo lonely."
At 2:10 he uses entire syllables to introduce the band. On the Drums! Aaron Copeland! No way! I didnt know he played drums.
1:25 "Lonely lonely lonely I feel so I feeel so lo I feel so lo I feel so lonely" until thank God it ends and you have to re-learn English again.
The St Louis Post Dispatch and RFT should have had this review of their concert here. I think this review would have hit a homerun! :-)
Posted by: Friend #3 | October 20, 2007 at 08:14 AM
For all those reasons, I have ousted the Police Live! from the shuffle feature on the iPod. The songs are repeatitive enough when presented through the studio.
Posted by: Hot Mom | October 20, 2007 at 10:28 AM
Friend #3/Hot Mom - why are you awake? Go back to sleep!
Posted by: TheQueen | October 20, 2007 at 10:33 AM
Hilarious! And so true. I, too, have removed The Police from my mp3 player due to the repetive, drawn-out endings of the songs.
Posted by: Melissa | October 20, 2007 at 11:23 AM
This is not the blog I expected to read this morning.
Posted by: Caroline | October 20, 2007 at 11:26 AM
I'm convinced the only way to hear live music is...live. Especially after several drinks. Any other way is just disappointing.
Posted by: Kathy | October 20, 2007 at 11:32 AM
Melissa - Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes yes yes oh yes oh yes oh oh uh cha.
Caroline - What happens at GNO, stays at GNO. You gno that.
Kathy - Okay, but with the exception of Rock Spectacle.
Posted by: TheQueen | October 20, 2007 at 10:40 PM
I would take BNL over the Police any day.
Posted by: sue | October 22, 2007 at 10:22 AM
Sue - totally. Id even pay Police prices to see them.
Posted by: TheQueen | October 22, 2007 at 11:34 PM