Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984-1994

by Sting

Overview

Early in his solo career, Sting defined himself as a man of taste, choosing to work with jazz musicians instead of rockers. Inevitably, this meant he walked the thin line between sophisticated pop and adult contemporary, but he did it with grace from 1985's Dream of the Blue Turtles to 1993's Ten Summoner's Tales. Unfortunately, Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting doesn't illustrate what a deft trick he pulled off with that quartet of albums. Naturally, Fields of Gold concentrates on his hit singles, just like any other greatest-hits collection, but Sting's material sounds surprisingly tame in this context. Sure, there is a number of great songs here -- enough to state his case as a fine songwriter or to satisfy his casual fans. Still, these songs are safe choices and all share a similarly tranquil quality, which means the collection itself becomes a little monotonous. Nevertheless, Fields of Gold performs the necessary service of rounding up all of the big hits -- "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free," "All This Time," "Fortress Around Your Heart," "They Dance Alone," "If Ever Lose My Faith in You," "Fragile," and an alternate version of "We'll Be Together" -- and offering them on one disc, which is reason enough to make it worthwhile, even with its flaws. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/08/1994
Label:	A&M
UPC:	0731454026925
Rank:	27068

Tracks

1. When We Dance
2. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free
3. Fields of Gold
4. All This Time
5. Fortress Around Your Heart
6. Be Still My Beating Heart
7. They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)
8. If I Ever Lose My Faith in You
9. Fragile
10. Why Would I Cry For You?
11. Englishman in New York
12. We'll Be Together
13. Russians
14. This Cowboy Song

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Sting   Primary Artist
Eric Clapton   Primary Artist,Guest Artist
Vinx   Guest Artist
Ruben Blades   Guest Artist
Mark Knopfler   Guest Artist
Andy Summers   Guest Artist
Branford Marsalis   Guest Artist
Roberto Livi   Letra

Technical Credits

Al Stone   Assistant
Pete Lewis   Assistant
Neil Dorfsman   Mixing,Producer
Brian Scheuble   Assistant
Steve McLaughlin   Producer
Steve Osborne   Assistant
Simon Osborne   Assistant
Bob Vogt   Assistant
Eric Clapton   Composer
Hugh Padgham   Mixing,Producer,Remixing
Mark McKenna   Assistant
Roberto Livi   Composer
Mark Mazzetti   Remixing
Efren Herrera   Assistant
Pete Smith   Mixing,Producer
Andrew Bradfield   Assistant
Bruce Keene   Assistant
Yves Jajaget   Assistant
Liluca Obras   Translation
Jim Scott   Mixing
Michael Kamen   Composer,Producer
Sting   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Sergey Prokofiev   Composer