Some time ago, I had a Sting / The Police phase, and it all began witn “Seven Days”. I was trying to date this girl via long distance at the time, and the song resonated with me. Not that I had a rival who was a neanderthal, because I only know of one caveman in my life, and he deserves another post altogether.
“Seven Days” was originally given to me by a friend I used to jam with back in the days. Being a drummer, he’d given me a record that featured Vinnie Colaiuta, and that more or less started my love interest in the drums, and the Sting-Colaiuta pair-up.
See, the thing about Sting is that he’s such a talented man. I don’t think you often see an artist of his calibre. I’ve only ever heard another voice like his (that’s Steve Conte, fyi), and the fact that he can play the bass at varying time signatures while singing boggles my mind. I don’t know about other bass players, but singing the main vocal piece of a title while following the rhythm and the beat is difficult, and I’ve botched up quite a lot of performances because I tried to do just that.
Colaiuta, in the meantime, is legendary for having made Terry Bozzio toss his sheet music away in frustration. The man’s drumming style is simple and straightforward. The gem in his style, though, is that he inserts a lot of syncopated and off-time beats into the empty spaces in between notes, much like a fat man would fill up a Subway sandwich.
Sting’s a legend in himself, and Vinnie’s an urban legend who commands respect even from Chic Corea (and that’s a tall order). But I think whenever I think of Sting and Vinnie, I will always come back to the statement that “Seven Days” was one of the best songs ever conducted and performed by these two.
Time Signature: 5/8
It makes me think. Perhaps I need a drink.