The Last Ship (album)

The Last Ship
Studio album by Sting
Released 20 September 2013
Genre Rock, jazz, folk, blues, Celtic music, sea shanty
Length 45:24
Label A&M, Cherrytree
Producer Sting, Rob Mathes
Sting chronology

Symphonicities
(2010)		 The Last Ship
(2013)
Singles from The Last Ship
  1. "Practical Arrangement"
    Released: 15 July 2013
  2. "And Yet"
    Released: 13 August 2013[1][2]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic (66/100)[3]
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [4]
The Guardian [5]
PopMatters [6]
Rolling Stone [7]

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. 

Standard and vinyl edition
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
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

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

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] 39
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[19] 8
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 8
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[21] 8
Croatian Foreign Albums (IFPI)[22] 3
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[23] 8
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[24] 6
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[25] 25
French Albums (SNEP)[26] 10
German Albums (Official Top 100)[27] 3
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[28] 7
Irish Albums (IRMA)[29] 23
Italian Albums (FIMI)[30] 3
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[31] 3
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[32] 1
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[33] 12
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[34] 30
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[35] 12
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] 9
UK Albums (OCC)[37] 14
US Billboard 200[38] 13

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Poland (ZPAV)[39] 2× Platinum 40,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone

Year-end charts

Chart (2013) Position
Hungarian Albums Chart[40] 72
Polish Albums Chart[41] 9

References

  1. ↑ "Stings neue Single 'And Yet' liefert Vorgeschmack auf 'The Last Ship'" (in German). Universal Music Group. 9 August 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "The lyric video for Sting's latest single, "And Yet," from his new album The Last Ship is available now - check it out!". sting.com. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  3. ↑ "The Last Ship Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "The Last Ship - AllMusic review". Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  5. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (19 September 2013). "Sting: The Last Ship - review". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  6. ↑ Catchpole, Kevin (10 October 2013). "Sting: The Last Ship". PopMatters. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  7. ↑ Decurtis, Anthony (24 September 2013). "The Last Ship". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  8. ↑ "'The Last Ship (Deluxe)' von Sting". iTunes Store. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  9. ↑ "Sting – We are excited to share the news that a brand new album of...". facebook.com/sting. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  10. ↑ "Sting to release first new original album in 10 years, 'The Last Ship'". Daily News (New York). 5 June 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  11. ↑ "Sting – The Last Ship (Album Sampler)". YouTube. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  12. ↑ "Sting to Release a New Album in September". The New York Times. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "STING'S THE LAST SHIP – New Album From the 16-Time Grammy® Award Winner". Sting.com. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  14. ↑ "Sting's musical "The Last Ship" headed for Broadway this fall". CBS News. 12 February 2014.
  15. ↑ "The Last Ship (Benefit Shows)". Sting.com. 25 September 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "The Last Ship – Album Tracklistings!". Sting.com. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  17. ↑ Credits adapted from super deluxe edition CD liner notes.
  18. ↑ "Sting – The Last Ship". Australiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  19. ↑ "Sting – The Last Ship" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  20. ↑ "Sting – The Last Ship" (in Dutch). Ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  21. ↑ "Sting – The Last Ship" (in French). Ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  22. ↑ "Top Stranih [Top Foreign]" (in Croatian). Top Foreign Albums. Hrvatska Diskografska Udruga. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  23. ↑ "Sting – The Last Ship". Danishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  24. ↑ "Sting – The Last Ship" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  25. ↑ "Sting: The Last Ship" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  26. ↑ "Sting – The Last Ship". Lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  27. ↑ "Sting – The Last Ship". Officialcharts.de. GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  28. ↑ "Top 40 album-, DVD- és válogatáslemez-lista – 2013. 42. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. LightMedia. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  29. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 39, 2013". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  30. ↑ "Sting – The Last Ship". Italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  31. ↑ "Sting – The Last Ship". Norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  32. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
  33. ↑ "Sting – The Last Ship". Portuguesecharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  34. ↑ "Sting – The Last Ship". Spanishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  35. ↑ "Sting – The Last Ship". Swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  36. ↑ "Sting – The Last Ship". Swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  37. ↑ "Sting | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  38. ↑ "Sting Album & Song Chart History" Billboard 200 for Sting. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  39. ↑ "Polish album certifications" (in Polish). Polish Producers of Audio and Video (ZPAV). 29 January 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  40. ↑ "Összesített album- és válogatáslemez-lista – eladási darabszám alapján – 2013" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  41. ↑ "Najchętniej kupowane płyty roku 2013 – podsumowanie listy OLiS" (in Polish). ZPAV. Retrieved 10 February 2014.