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The Last Ship is the eleventh studio album by English musician Sting, released on 20 September 2013 in Germany,[8][9] and on 24 September 2013 in the UK and US. The album features guest artists with roots in the northeast of England, including Brian Johnson from AC/DC, Jimmy Nail, The Unthanks, The Wilson Family and Kathryn Tickell.[10] The title is an allusion to the closure of the shipyards in the historic shipbuilding town of Wallsend, where Sting grew up.
On 12 August 2013, audio samples of the songs from the album were published on YouTube by Cherrytree.[11]
Background
The Last Ship is the first full-length LP of original material released by Sting since his 2003 album Sacred Love.[12]
The album is inspired by Sting's forthcoming play of the same name, which premiered in June 2014. The play explores the themes of homecoming and self-discovery, drawing upon Sting's memories of growing up in the shipbuilding town of Wallsend, along with his reflections on the complexity of relationships, the passage of time and the importance of family and community.[13] The play contains a few songs that are not in the album,[14] including "What Say You Meg?", written to replace "Practical Arrangement" in the theatrical production.[15]
Formats
The album is available as both a digital and physical release in two configurations: a standard 12-song version (also available on vinyl) and a 2-disc deluxe version with 5 additional tracks. Moreover, a 2-disc super deluxe edition with 20 tracks and special packaging will be available exclusively on Amazon.com, and AmazonMP3 will be the exclusive retailer for the 20-track, super deluxe digital edition.[13]
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Sting, except where noted.
| 1. |
"The Last Ship" |
|
3:51 |
| 2. |
"Dead Man's Boots" |
|
3:30 |
| 3. |
"And Yet" |
|
3:53 |
| 4. |
"August Winds" |
|
3:18 |
| 5. |
"Language of Birds" |
Sting, Rob Mathes |
3:30 |
| 6. |
"Practical Arrangement" |
Sting, Mathes |
3:20 |
| 7. |
"The Night the Pugilist Learned How to Dance" |
|
4:13 |
| 8. |
"Ballad of the Great Eastern" |
Sting, Mathes, Dominic Miller, Kathryn Tickell, Jo Lawry, Peter Tickell, Ira Coleman |
5:15 |
| 9. |
"What Have We Got?" (featuring Jimmy Nail) |
Sting, Jimmy Nail, K. Tickell, P. Tickell, Julian Sutton, Lawry |
3:35 |
| 10. |
"I Love Her But She Loves Someone Else" |
Sting, Mathes |
3:42 |
| 11. |
"So to Speak" (featuring Becky Unthank) |
|
4:07 |
| 12. |
"The Last Ship (Reprise)" |
|
3:20 |
| 1. |
"Shipyard" (featuring Jimmy Nail, Brian Johnson and Jo Lawry) |
Sting, Mathes, K. Tickell, P. Tickell, Sutton, Lawry |
6:01 |
| 2. |
"It's Not the Same Moon" |
Sting, Mathes |
2:55 |
| 3. |
"Hadaway" |
Sting, Lawry, K. Tickell, P. Tickell, Sutton |
3:18 |
| 4. |
"Sky Hooks and Tartan Paint" (featuring Brian Johnson) |
Sting, Lawry, K. Tickell, P. Tickell, Sutton |
3:34 |
| 5. |
"Show Some Respect" |
|
4:48 |
| 1. |
"Shipyard" (featuring Jimmy Nail, Brian Johnson and Jo Lawry) |
Sting, Mathes, K. Tickell, P. Tickell, Sutton, Lawry |
6:01 |
| 2. |
"It's Not the Same Moon" |
Sting, Mathes |
2:54 |
| 3. |
"Hadaway" |
Sting, Lawry, K. Tickell, P. Tickell, Sutton |
3:18 |
| 4. |
"Jock the Singing Welder" |
|
2:49 |
| 5. |
"Sky Hooks and Tartan Paint" (featuring Brian Johnson) |
Sting, Lawry, K. Tickell, P. Tickell, Sutton |
3:36 |
| 6. |
"Peggy's Song" (featuring Rachel Unthank) |
|
2:39 |
| 7. |
"Show Some Respect" |
|
4:52 |
| 8. |
"Practical Arrangement" (Full original duet, featuring Jo Lawry) |
Sting, Mathes |
4:35 |
Personnel
- Musicians[17]
- Sting – vocals, acoustic guitar, bass, orchestral bells, cymbals
- Rob Mathes – piano, keyboards, acoustic guitars, background vocals
- Dominic Miller – electric and acoustic guitars, gut string solo guitar ("It's Not the Same Moon")
- Ira Coleman – bass
- Joe Bonadio – drums, percussion
- Peter Tickell – violin, mandolin (solo on "What Have We Got?" and "Show Some Respect")
- Julian Sutton – melodeon
- Kathryn Tickell – violin, Northumbrian pipes (solo on "The Last Ship" and "Sky Hooks and Tartan Paint")
- Jo Lawry – vocals ("Shipyard"), duet vocal (on "Practical Arrangement" Full Original Duet), background vocals
- Special guests
- Jimmy Nail – vocals ("What Have We Got?" and "Shipyard"), background vocals
- Brian Johnson – vocals ("Shipyard" and "Sky Hooks and Tartan Paint")
- Orchestra
- Thomas Bowes – violin (concertmaster)
- Emlyn Singleton – violin (principal second violin)
- Rita Manning – violin
- Boguslaw Kostecki – violin
- Warren Zielinski – violin
- Cathy Thompson – violin
- Chris Tombling – violin
- Debbie Widdup – violin
- Mark Berrow – violin
- Gaby Lester – violin
- Steve Morris – violin
- Peter Lale – viola (principal)
- Bruce White – viola
- Andy Parker – viola
- Anthony Pleeth – cello (principal)
- Martin Loveday – cello
- Dave Daniels – cello
- Jon Carnac – clarinet
- Gavin McNaughton – bassoon
- Richard Watkins – French horn
- David Pyatt – French horn
- Nicholas Korth – French horn
- Michael Thompson – French horn
- John Barclay – trumpet
- Kate Moore – trumpet
- Tom Rees-Roberts – trumpet
- Richard Edwards – tenor trombone
- Andy Wood – euphonium
- Owen Slade – tuba
|
- Featuring
- Rachel Unthank – lead vocal ("Peggy's Song"), clogs ("What Have We Got?")
- Becky Unthank – duet vocal ("So to Speak")
- The Wilson Family – group vocals ("The Last Ship", "Ballad of the Great Eastern", "What Have We Got?", "The Last Ship (Reprise)", "Shipyard", "Hadaway", "Sky Hooks and Tartan Paint", "Show Some Respect")
- Alan Stepansky – cello ("It's Not the Same Moon)
- Dave Mann – alto sax ("Jock the Singing Welder")
- Aaron Heick – tenor sax ("Jock the Singing Welder")
- Roger Rosenberg – baritone sax ("Jock the Singing Welder")
- Jeff Kievit – trumpet ("The Last Ship", "Dead Man's Boots", "The Last Ship (Reprise)")
- Tony Kadleck – trumpet ("The Last Ship", "Dead Man's Boots", "The Last Ship (Reprise)")
- Bob Carlisle – French horn ("The Last Ship", "Dead Man's Boots", "The Last Ship (Reprise)")
- Chris Komer – French horn ("The Last Ship", "Dead Man's Boots", "The Last Ship (Reprise)")
- Mike Davis – tenor trombone ("The Last Ship", "Dead Man's Boots", "The Last Ship (Reprise)")
- Richard Harris – euphonium ("The Last Ship", "Dead Man's Boots", "The Last Ship (Reprise)")
- Marcus Rojas – tuba ("The Last Ship", "Dead Man's Boots", "The Last Ship (Reprise)")
- Technical personnel
- Sting – production
- Rob Mathes – production, orchestra arrangement and conduction
- Donal Hodgson – recording, mixing
- Peter Cobbin – orchestra recording, additional mixing ("The Last Ship", "Dead Man's Boots", "And Yet", "August Winds", "Language of Birds", "Practical Arrangement", "Ballad of the Great Eastern", "I Love Her But She Loves Someone Else", "The Last Ship (Reprise)")
- Alex Venguer – additional recording
- Jonathan Allen – orchestra recording
- Jill Dell'Abate – production manager
- Isobel Griffiths, Ltd. – orchestra contractor
- Charlotte Matthews – assistant orchestra contractor
- Rich Rich – Pro Tools engineering
- Brett Meyer – Pro Tools engineering
- Paul Pritchard – Pro Tools engineering
- Toby Hulbert – Pro Tools engineering
- Rael Jones – Pro Tools engineering
- Lars Fox – additional engineering and editing
- Angus Cowen – assistant engineering
- Mark Broughton – assistant engineering
- Danny Quatrochi – Sting's guitar technician
- Mike Casteel – music preparation
- Lori Casteel – music preparation
- Dave Hage – music preparation assistant
- Scott Hull – mastering
|
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
|
Certifications
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Year-end charts
References
[4]
