The Soul Cages

Infobox Album |
Name = The Soul Cages
Type = Album
Artist = Sting


Released = January 22 1991
Recorded = April - November 1990
Studio Guillaume Tell, Paris
Villa Salviati, Migliarino, Italy
Genre = Rock
Label = A&M
75021-6405-2
Length = 48:10
Producer = Hugh Padgham
Reviews =
*Allmusic: rating|4|5 ( [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:amddylmjxpcb/ link] )

Last album = "Nada Como el Sol"
(1988)
This album = "The Soul Cages"
(1991)
Next album = "Ten Summoner's Tales"
(1993)

"The Soul Cages" is the third studio album released by Sting. It includes nine tracks and was released in 1991. It became his second #1 album in the UK.

"The Soul Cages" is a concept album focused on the death of his father. Sting has said in interviews that he developed a writer's block shortly after his father's death. This episode lasted several years and he was unable to write any songs at all. The only way he was able to overcome this affliction was to deal with the death of his father through his music. The first song written for "The Soul Cages" was "Why Should I Cry for You?" and Sting has stated the rest of the album flowed quite easily after that first hurdle was overcome. Most of the songs have motifs related to sailing or the seas (Sting's father, according to Sting's autobiography Broken Music, had always regretted not becoming a sailor). There are also references to Newcastle, the part of England where Sting grew up.

While a relatively little-known album to casual fans, with a similar lack of popularity to 1996's "Mercury Falling", this personal album spawned four singles, "All This Time", "Why Should I Cry For You?", "Mad About You", and "The Soul Cages". The latter won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.

Packaging

At the time this album appeared, the music industry was starting to shift away from using CD longboxes. Sting, a committed environmentalist, wanted to eliminate the amount of cardboard waste caused by the longbox.

The original packaging was a fourfold cardboard case that could be modified to look like a longbox, and folded back into a jewel box sized CD package for home storage.

To date, the cover of this album is the only one (among studio albums) not to feature a photograph of Sting.

Track listing

All songs by Sting:
#"Island Of Souls" – 6:41
#"All This Time" – 4:54
#"Mad About You" – 3:53
#"Jeremiah Blues (Part 1)" – 4:46
#"Why Should I Cry For You?" – 4:54
#"Saint Agnes And The Burning Train" – 2:43 (instrumental; title not listed in lyrics booklet)
#"The Wild Wild Sea" – 6:41
#"The Soul Cages" – 5:52
#"When The Angels Fall" – 7:48Note: Some pressings of lyrics booklet have "Why Should I Cry For You" erroneously listed before "Jeremiah Blues (Part 1)" instead of after.

Credits

*Sting – vocals, guitar, Synclavier, keyboards, mandolin
*Darryl Jones - bass guitar
*Manu Katché – drums
*Kenny Kirkland – keyboards
*Dominic Miller – guitars
*Branford Marsalis – saxophone
*Kathryn Tickell – Northumbrian smallpipe
*Paola Paparelle – oboe
*David Sancious – keyboards
*Vinx – percussion
*Bill Summers – percussion
*Tony Vacca – percussion
*Skip Burney – percussion
*Ray Cooper – percussion
*Munyungo Jackson – percussion
*Hugh Padgham – producer, engineer

Singles

*"All This Time" (1991) – #5 US Hot 100, #1 US Mainstream Rock, #1 US Modern Rock, #9 US Adult Contemporary, #22 UK Singles Chart
*"Why Should I Cry For You" (1991)
*"Mad About You" (1991)
*"The Soul Cages" (1991) – #7 US Mainstream Rock, #9 US Modern Rock

succession box
before = "MCMXC a.D." by Enigma
title = UK number one album
years = February 2, 1991 – February 8, 1991
after = "Doubt" by Jesus Jones