Sting expanded deluxe editions up for pre-order in Japan

Five of Sting’s early solo studio albums, including classics such as The Dream of the Blue Turtles and …Nothing Like The Sun, have appeared online via Japanese retailers. These expanded, multi-disc sets feature many bonus tracks.

The albums in question are:

• The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985)
• …Nothing Like The Sun (1987)
• The Soul Cages (1991)
• Ten Summoner’s Tales (1993)
• Brand New Day (1999)

All of these are 2CD sets, except for The Dream of the Blue Turtles and Brand New Day which are both 3CD packages. For reasons unknown, 1996’s Mercury Falling does not appear to be part of this reissue campaign.

The bonus tracks match the streaming expanded editions, which have been available for the last few years. The extras are a mixed bag; there’s lots of welcome B-sides/extra tracks from the original singles (or 12-inches) but there’s also quite a few remixes included that were done much later. So for example, with The Dream of the Blue Turtles we do get original B-sides, ‘Another Day’ (from ‘If You Love Someone Set Them Free’) and ‘The Ballad of Mac The Knife’ (from ‘Moon Over Bourbon Street’) and the original Jellybean and William Orbit remixes of ‘If You Love Someone Set Them Free’ but the compilers have decided to include a further EIGHT remixes of ‘If You Love Someone Set Them Free’ including four ‘Soulpower’ variants that date from 1991. Meanwhile the B-side of ‘Russians’, which was ‘Gabriel’s Message’ isn’t included!

Similarly, …Nothing Like The Sun includes three dj MONK remixes of ‘Fragile’. These are universally awful and were created in 2001, 14 years after the original album. Sting’s excellent ‘We Work The Black Seam ’93’ could, maybe should, have been included on the bonus disc of The Dream of the Blue Turtles but they’ve aligned it with Ten Summoner’s Tales, presumably because it first appeared on the US CD single of ‘I Ever Lose My Faith in You’. Full tracklistings are below.

Putting to one side nitpicking on bonus tracks, the bigger question is why are these happening in only in Japan, in a rather under-the-radar fashion? There’s no mention of them on Sting’s official channels. Can we expect these to get a wider release later on, and if so, will North America and UK/Europe choose to something different with Sting’s catalogue?

Time will tell. Until then, if you wish to order these from Japan there’s some links below. They are all SHM-CDs (compatible with all CD players) but don’t appear to be ‘paper sleeve’ type presentations. These are all released relatively soon, on 11 July 2025.

• Pre-order The Dream of the Blue Turtles 3CD expanded edition from CD Japan
• Pre-order …Nothing Like The Sun 2CD expanded edition from CD Japan
• Pre-order The Soul Cages 2CD expanded edition from CD Japan
• Pre-order Ten Summoner’s Tales 2CD expanded edition from CD Japan
• Pre-order Brand New Day 3CD expanded edition from CD Japan

Tracklisting

The Dream of the Blue Turtles expanded edition Sting /

• 3CD
  • CD 1
    1. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free
    2. Love Is The Seventh Wave
    3. Russians
    4. Children’s Crusade
    5. Shadows In The Rain
    6. We Work The Black Seam
    7. Consider Me Gone
    8. The Dream Of The Blue Turtles
    9. Moon Over Bourbon Street
    10. Fortress Around Your Heart
  • CD 2
    1. Another Day
    2. The Ballad Of Mac The Knife
    3. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (Dance Mix)
    4. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (William Orbit Mix)
    5. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (Soulpower Mix)
    6. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (Soulpower Radio Mix)
    7. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (Soulpower Hip Hop Mix)
    8. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (Soulpower House Mix)
    9. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (Soulpower Deep Dub)
  • CD 3
    1. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (Brothers In Rhythm Soundtrack Version)
    2. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (Brothers In Rhythm Edit)
    3. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (Tom Stephan Remix)
    4. Love Is The Seventh Wave (New Mix)
    5. Love Is The Seventh Wave (Special Single Version)
    6. Moon Over Bourbon Street (Cornelius Mix – New 2003 Acoustic Version)
    7. Fortress Around Your Heart (Hugh Padgham Remix)

Tracklisting

…Nothing Like The Sun expanded edition Sting / Japan only

• 2CD
  • CD 1
    1. The Lazarus Heart
    2. Be Still My Beating Heart
    3. Englishman In New York
    4. History Will Teach Us Nothing
    5. They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)
    6. Fragile
    7. We’ll Be Together
    8. Straight To My Heart
    9. Rock Steady
    10. Sister Moon
    11. Little Wing
    12. The Secret Marriage
  • CD 2
    1. Conversation With A Dog
    2. If You There
    3. Up From The Skies
    4. Someone To Watch Over Me
    5. Ghost In The Strand
    6. Englishman In New York (Ben Liebrand Mix)
    7. Englishman In New York (Ben Liebrand Mix Edit)
    8. Fragile (dj MONK’s Extended Vocal Remix Version)
    9. Fragile (dj MONK’s Radio Edit Version)
    10. Fragile (dj MONK’s Hard Rain Dub Version)
    11. Fragile (Bedroom Rockers Remix Version)
    12. We’ll Be Together (Extended Mix)
    13. We’ll Be Together (Alternate Version)
    14. We’ll Be Together (Instrumental)

Tracklisting

The Soul Cages expanded edition Sting / Japan only

• 2CD
  • CD 1
    1. Island Of Souls
    2. All This Time
    3. Mad About You
    4. Jeremiah Blues (Part 1)
    5. Why Should I Cry For You
    6. Saint Agnes And The Burning Train
    7. The Wild Wild Sea
    8. The Soul Cages
    9. When The Angels Fall
  • CD 2
    1. I Miss You Kate
    2. Come Down In Time
    3. Tempted (Live)
    4. Ne Me Quitte Pas (Live)
    5. Oo La La Hugh
    6. Mad About You (Original Remix)
    7. Mad About You (Remix Edit)
    8. Mad About You (12″ Remix)
    9. Mad About You (Italian Version)
    10. Why Should I Cry For You? (Spanish Version)
    11. Why Should I Cry For You? (Extended Mix)
    12. The Soul Cages (Edit)
    13. All This Time (Edit)

Tracklisting

Ten Summoner’s Tales expanded edition Sting / Japan only

• 2CD
  • CD 1
    1. Prologue (If I Ever Lose My Faith In You)
    2. Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)
    3. Fields Of Gold
    4. Heavy Cloud No Rain
    5. She’s Too Good For Me
    6. Seven Days
    7. Saint Augustine In Hell
    8. It’s Probably Me
    9. Everybody Laughed But You
    10. Shape Of My Heart
    11. Something The Boy Said
    12. Epilogue (Nothing ‘Bout Me)
  • CD 2
    1. We Work The Black Seam (1993 Version)
    2. January Stars
    3. If I Ever Lose My Faith In You (Miracle Of Science Mix)
    4. If I Ever Lose My Faith In You (Hoax Mix)
    5. It’s Probably Me (Alternate Version)
    6. Nothing ‘Bout Me (Remix)
    7. Nothing ‘Bout Me (Remix With Horn Intro)
    8. Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven) (Edit)
    9. Seven Days (Radio Edit)
    10. Nothing ‘Bout Me (Edit With Fade)
    11. Shape Of My Heart (Live At Villa Manin, Codroipo, Italy, 1993)
    12. Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven) (Live At Villa Manin, Codroipo, Italy, 1993)
    13. It’s Probably Me (Live At Villa Manin, Codroipo, Italy, 1993)
    14. Purple Haze (Live At The Hague, Netherlands, 1991)
    15. Ain’t No Sunshine (Live At The Buddle Arts Centre, Newcastle, England, 1991)

Tracklisting

Brand New Day expanded edition Sting / Japan only

• 3CD
  • CD 1
    1. A Thousand Years
    2. Desert Rose
    3. Big Lie Small World
    4. After The Rain Has Fallen
    5. Perfect Love…Gone Wrong
    6. Tomorrow We’ll See
    7. Prelude To The End Of The Game
    8. Fill Her Up
    9. Ghost Story
    10. Brand New Day
  • CD 2
    1. The Windmills Of Your Mind
    2. End Of The Game
    3. Desert Rose (Demo Version)
    4. Fill Her Up (Original Version)
    5. Brand New Day (Edit)
    6. A Thousand Years (Bill Laswell Remix)
    7. A Thousand Years (Escape Club Remix)
    8. A Thousand Years (Escape Club Remix Edit)
    9. A Thousand Years (Nitin Sawhney Mix)
    10. Desert Rose (Filter Dub Mix)
    11. Desert Rose (Radio Edit)
    12. Desert Rose (Melodic Club Mix)
    13. Desert Rose (Melodic Club Mix Radio Edit)
  • CD 3
    1. After The Rain Has Fallen (Tin Tin Out Mix)
    2. After The Rain Has Fallen (Tin Tin Out Radio Edit)
    3. Perfect Love…Gone Wrong (LISA m-flo Mix)
    4. Brand New Day (Cornelius Mix)
    5. Brand New Day (Murlyn Mix)
    6. Brand New Day (Murlyn Radio Mix)
    7. A Thousand Years (Live At The Universal Amphitheater, 1999)
    8. Desert Rose (Live At The Universal Amphitheater, 1999)
    9. After The Rain Has Fallen (Live At The Universal Amphitheater, 1999)
    10. Perfect Love…Gone Wrong (Live At The Universal Amphitheater, 1999)