In 1982 Sting played the Devil in a movie called Brimstone and Treacle, and The Police wrote a devastating song called I Burn For You. Sting later covered it on his first solo album along with a few other Police covers, which at the time seemed to be a statement - I wrote these, or something similar. I go back and forth between the versions. It seems to me that the original version is more dangerous and the jazz version he did with Omar Hakim, Branford Marsalis and Kenny Kirkland is more romantic, losing the danger. I didn't see the movie until about 1992, and by that time any danger the movie might have possessed seemed mitigated by its sheer silliness - Sting, ladies and gentleman, is a much better bass player than an actor.
What's your take?
The original:
Sting's reworking, live from Bring On the Night:
My Trusted MOGs
Nice tune.
My Trusted MOGs
I wish the only thing I knew of Sting was his performance in Quadrophenia. He's actually quite good in that as I recall, and it's before he'd done any music that bugged me, but now I fear if I saw it again there's no way I could see him as the cool tough guy.
Music messes with prejudices like that - I can still hear a Police song and like it, or not, but based strictly on how it sounds. But if I actually see someone other associations come in, and although I like some early Police, my favorite Police moment musically is Eddie Murphy singing Roxanne in 48 Hours.
My Trusted MOGs
Rob, I am a huge Police fan, but I can totally understand your Eddie Murphy sentiment. That moment is a classic, and Eddie did so much for that worn out ditty, didn't he?