I gotta point out that I'm really enjoying this song more and more. Project37 described it as 'jaunty' and that is an excellent description. For the first few listens, I kept thinking that this song would have been an obvious choice to lead off the new disc, and was scratching my head in wonder why Sting went with Gabriel's Message. But now I realize the brilliance in having it immediately lift up the proceedings by having it follow the pensive opener. Surprisingly, Dominic Miller is not on this track. I see that the guitar parts are provided by Sting and the ace session player Dean Parks.
For me, as is consistent throughout If On A Winter's Night, it is Kathryn Tickell who offers the most impressive playing, whether it be on violin or northumbrian pipes. And she and her brother Peter take the track to another level with their dueling violins. I hope that for his future work, Sting keeps in mind how valuable she can be to his overall sound, and makes sure to compose material which would include her beautiful contributions.
As Trini pointed out on another thread, the bass line performed by Ira Coleman on this track is quite intriguing. I am not a bassist by any means, so I could be drastically ill-informed here, but it sounds as though what is initially being played is a walking bassline of various descending triads which is then numerically evened out on the final fourth beat of the fourth measure. What is even more unique is that this bassline is pretty much continuously played for the first chorus, the first verse, the second chorus, and the second verse...yet, is then abandoned for the third and final chorus, where Coleman instead opts to simply play root notes on one and three during one measure, and just one for the next measure. One would think that this subtraction would somehow detract from the musical motion created by the previous usage of the walking bassline, but incredibly it does not. It does indeed serve to free up space for the sound of other instruments to shine through, but if one wasn't paying close attention, then the absence of that walking bassline would not be all that apparent. I find that quite intriguing.
I also read that Sting wasn't the first musician to discover that you could easily insert the melody line of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen into this song. Of course, he was the first to use trumpets, french horn, trombones and tubas to play the musical reference. That's just the sort of off-kilter touch I find that I immensely enjoy about Sting's musical integrations.

Soul Cake
music and lyrics by Noel Paul Stookey, Tracey Batteast, Elena Mezzetti

chorus:
a soul cake, a soul cake, please good missus a soul cake
an apple, a pear, a plum, or a cherry, any good thing to make us all merry
a soul cake, a soul cake, please good missus a soul cake
one for peter, two for paul, and three for him that made us all

god bless the master of this house and the mistress also
and all the little children that round your table grow
the cattle in your stable, the dogs at your front door
and all that dwell within your gates, we wish you ten times more

chorus repeat

go down into the cellar and see what you can find
if the barrels are not empty, we'll hope that you'll be kind
we hope that you'll be kind with your apple and your pear
and we'll come no more a soalin' till christmas time next year

chorus repeat

the streets are very dirty and these shoes are very thin
i have a little pocket to put a penny in
if you havent got a penny, a half penny will do
if you havent got a half penny, god bless you

chorus repeat

Gordon Sumner - vocals, guitar
Dean Parks - guitar
Kathryn Tickell - violin
Peter Tickell - violin
Ira Coleman - bass
Chris Gekker - trumpet
Brent Madsen - trumpet
Chris Dudley - trombone
John Clark - french horn
Marcus Rojas - tuba
Leslie Neish - tuba
The Webb Sisters - backing vocals
Joe Sumner - backing vocals
Cyro Baptista - percussion

Baht, dude I wish I had your musical knowledge to be able to express my feelings in musical language like you. It seems like a walking bass line, what had me hooked was the third note being higher than the first two descending notes, pretty wild. Do you know if previous recordings of this song had a similar pattern on the bass? Great analysis!

I also find the stopping of the walking bass later on, allowing the strings to shine was brilliantly done.

From what I can tell from, other versions seem to be much more derivative of the Peter Paul & Mary version. Like Sting's interpretation, there is a higher note played on the fourth beat, but since all of these versions are built upon a much shorter musical progression where the stressed rhythm is a continous 1 2 3and 4 for every measure and the note played on every 1st beat is blatantly the start of this shorter progression, then these other versions do not give that feeling that the bassist is actually playing in 3 over the 4/4 rhythm, as Sting's arrangement happens to do. Coleman's part is almost polyrhythmic, except that there exists that smooth evening out which takes place on the fourth measure of every progression where he also stresses the 3and 4.
To translate all that mumbo jumbo which I just wrote, from the best I can tell, Sting's version is unique in comparison to the five or six examples which now I've listened to.

Baht, correction, the 4th note, not third being higher as you stated previously, "various descending triads".

I wonder if it was Coleman's or Sting's input to use that new bass in the song???

oh good. it's about time. a song i have heard all the way through. i like how you're doing these threads, but i haven't heard all of the songs. honestly, i've felt a little left out. :) can't you guys be kind and wait until the rest of us have the whole cd in our possession? :)

>>>Like Sting's interpretation, there is a higher note played on the fourth beat<<<

>>>Baht, correction, the 4th note, not third being higher as you stated previously, "various descending triads".<<<

yes, that sounds right. the higher note is on the fourth beat, as you both had noted. the bass line could trick the listener into thinking it is 3/4. it is that prominent in the mix. it sounds great. i hope this song is the one that Sting plays for the upcoming TV appearances.

Agreed with Glarb on that. Hopefully its Soul Cake that gets payed on the TV appearances.

I think you guys are right that Soul Cake becomes the tune which is heavily used to promote If On A Winter's Night.
You know what I completely neglected to mention about this kickin' little ditty? I can't believe it eluded me earlier while writing about it, but this track contains strong elements of bluegrass music. Just imagining that Sting will be performing this song for TV audiences across the land brings a grin to my face. Two Finger Salute!

[ur=http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/33490981#33490981]10/27/2009 NBC, Today Show[/url]

Sorry,

10/27/2009 NBC, Today Show

Thanks for the link, Attis! Very nice! The interview as well! Sting seems to be pretty relaxed. I just wish he would get rid of that beard...

Yeeeeeeeeeeeha. Thanks Attis. A good interview as well. I find it enthusing any time such words as 'evolve' and 'eclectic' are strewn within discussion about Sting's music. "I don't want to stay in one place. I want to keep doing different things."

"I just wish he would get rid of that beard..."

If he shaved, sheep, then he wouldn't be the bearded bard. :)

:) good one bahtology!! :)

Looks left... make sure anti-bashing filter is on.
Looks right... double checks to make sure antigrumpy filter is running.

10, 9, 8, 7 abort abort

Uninstalls antigrumpy filter.
Clears registry and system of any remnants of antigrumpy filter

Reinstalls antigrumpy filter
Relaunches antigrumpy filter
Drinks coffee counts to 10.. and resumes count down from the start. This is starting to feel like a NASA countdown.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

And we have post.

My wife saw the Sting beard and commented the following.

He looks like a damned lumberjack with that thing. It looks unkept... its well he has to call his barber the number must be on memory of his cell phone. ewww no wonder his wife hates the beard... if he'd reduce it down to a Van Dyke beard he'd look so much better. He'd still be the bearded bard but not a fully bearded bard.

The opinions above are the opinon of my wife and do not reflect the opinion of others... However having typed that I hate the beard, which by the way is my opinion.

Hits submit and now ducks waiting the fall out.

Rest assured, Fishing, you are always quite safe in one of my threads. As uniquely funny as the idea happens to be, we shouldn't really need a filter here. If there is any residual fall out, then I will be right there in the fox hole with you. :)
That being said....The unruly beard is key to creating the impression which Sting is working so hard to convey with the overall spirit of If On A Winter's Night. He is no longer in perfect pop star or rock n roll idol mode. This is Sting as woodsy folk singer. It is all about crafting the image and altering perception.
Plus, another facet of this mighty Two Finger Salute!

my thanks to you Attis.
the performance was much more subdued than i would have expected. that was a well conducted interview. matt lauer recognizes world class musicianship? impressive.

You welcome,

There will be a radio edit version of the song, hmmm:

DG site

Thanks again Attis for being so on top of all these good scoops. That is really cool news. I am not quite sure why the label felt it was necessary to truncate it. The track is fairly short already and seems to be over before you know it, just when you're really getting into it.
Soul Cake appears to already be working as a fine representation for what If On A Winter's Night is all about and what it has to offer to the listener. It's seems a fairly solid decision to place it in the same role as what Come Again was to Songs From The Labyrinth. But obviously, this one is a hell of a lot more catchier.

This is a great song to carry this album. However, hearing the version Sting did on the Today Show, I couldn't help but feel something was missing. It could have been that a lot of the musicians were not the ones who recorded this material, but it also seemed that Sting decided to slow the song down a bit?

I love the album version, but I agree with baht that it's over before you know it. The live version is the only one which so far has completely satisfied me.

From Letterman's Late Show:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2-WUf9dciI


As should be somewhat expected, the band was much more lively compared to the morning performance. The lead fiddler, whose name I unfortunately do not know, seemed more comfortable with her role and it is cool to hear Ian Coleman taking liberties and throwing in some tasty little licks in there. All of the stringed instruments blended perfectly.

oops, I meant Ira Coleman - the bassist. Where did I get Ian from? :)

Yeah the 5:00 P.M. taping err almost 6:00 p.m. by the time they were on plus the extra time to rehearse did do wonders.

But today its back to an early grind with the View isn't it? And I hope he is able to take a few minutes and talk about the album however we have likely heard the pre canned reply already so I don't know what the benifit of that would be to me.

Maybe the players were a little nervous on the Today show but the mix was not good, not enough bass, strings, no warmth, just highs improperly balanced. Letterman, vocals were better, bass just right and good strings. The fiddler played with more confidence as well. I have seen many performances on TV where Today show bad mixes occur, is that a Sting problem or a TV problem that most appearances, the mix is off maybe because of equipment, rushing, broadcast limitations?

Good ole Youtube is just a tad too conciliatory....

Soul Cake from the Letterman show:

http://theaudioperv.com/2009/10/29/sting-soul-cake-letterman-1028-video/

The View's performance was the best of all, great performance.

Yes, it was good. Did you happen to catch his explanation of the Halloween aspect of the song? I hadn't seen that before. Interesting.

I wasn't too sure how he liked Whoopi asking about The Police though! She must be a big fan though.

I noticed her asking that question and was thinking ut oh... did you want to open that can or worms or not...

They had a post/exit interview with Sting on the View's website and he admits that he was nervous going onto the show.

This is one of the brightest moments on the album.

Andrew Marr Interview and performance of Soul Cake with a slightly different lineup:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8336534.stm

Kathryn Tickell is back on violin and Bijan Chemirani replaced Bashiri Johnson in the percussionist slot.

Dang you beat me to it...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8336534.stm

Thought I saw some different people... but still good...

I suppose I was preoccupied with the performers themselves and didn't actually scrutinize the performance all that much before. But after giving a better listen, I hear that the mandolin and tambourine parts are still clearly heard even though no musicians were playing such instruments for this latest performance. So I assume that the musicians present were playing over a prerecorded rhythm track.

Hello all, I heard Soul Cake on NBC and was pleasantly surprised. Doesn't change my feeling about the album as that sounded completely different than the album. In any event it sounded good on NBC.

Leftee i agree with you.Despite not liking the style of singing sting does on this album,there are two or three tracks that are pretty good in my opinion,with the standout tracks being Soulcake and christmas at sea.

Baht... I assume your referring to the BBC version? I thought I heard more instruments than I saw musicians.

Yes Fish, you got it right. There was also clearly heard an additional guitar part which neither Sting nor Dominic were performing live.
And rest assured, Leftee and vila465, I have no doubt that most of us would never have gotten the inkling that If On A Winter's Night would begin to appeal to your particular sensibilities, nor should I think that any of us really would be all that concerned if it ever does. So these constant reminders and caveats are becoming rather redundant, wouldn't you both think?
And if you ever actually decide to get deeper into the nitty gritty with heavy analysis or insight, which has basically been the main function for these few threads I've started, then it would undoubtedly be welcome.

thanks for the link baht and gonefishing. even if there is that aspect of prerecorded instruments, it sounds pretty much organic enough to enjoy. :) and even if Sting is mired in a sort of writer's block, he is still giving us something really impressive to appreciate.
and i agree with you vila, Christmas At Sea and Soul Cake are the standout tracks. Christmas At Sea is absolutely killer. i also think that The Burning Babe, The Snow It Melts The Soonest and Blake's Cradle Song are outstanding works. Cherry Tree Carol is pretty great too. ok, much of it is good in my opinion. :)

Glarb, i know its an obvious thing to say but i think christmas at sea will surely be released as a single for christmas.

that is an interesting thought, vila. i'd really like to see that happen but a single release of Christmas At Sea wouldn't actually seem all that obvious to me. wouldn't it be considered a little bit too eclectic to be released as a single? i hope you are right in your thinking, as i would like to see something of such substance and seriousness reach the ears of more people.
i know that there is a single edit of Soul Cake out there. though Soul Cake won't be topping any charts, it is accessible enough to work as a promotional tool for the release.

Glarb i dont know where you are from,but in the uk there have been many unusual christmas records released over the years.I dont know if the same applies the in usa.There have been some really ,cheesy novelty christmas records released in the uk,that are played over and over again every year at christmas and you are right when you say this would not be a typical commertial christmas record.Sometimes you do get surprises,and this song is a little similar to enya who had quite big chart success a few years ago.As you say ,it could be used as a promotional tool for the album,because thats all stings singles as a solo performer have been used for,to promote the album.Its unbelievable to think that sting has only ever had one top ten solo hit in the uk ,when you consider some of the brilliant songs he has released,and he has enjoyed far bigger success in the usa with his singles.

ah yes, you are in the UK. i am in the US. unfortunately there is quite a difference in what could get on the radio over here. i think i'm correct that songs like Seven Days and Brought To My Senses were released as singles in UK. they were never even considered for singles in the American market. and that was back in the 90s. it has gotten much worse here over the past decade and a half. there are still great outlets like National Public Radio and college stations, but the mainstream stations would never touch the more eccentric stuff. it's a dire situation over here.

I don't even listen to the mainstream FM stations here unless I have to. And thats the reason basically. All the songs seem to sound the same cut from the same cookie cutter. ewww. Nothing unique and nothing that touches me.

I'm sure that is why some don't react too well to If on a Winter's night.

Screw Soulcake, and give me some Soul Cages!

Singles? I doubt it, did Sting ever release a single from Sacred Love? If so, it should have been Book of My Life.

4 shows to promote this? Sting is now claiming he is blank as to what to do next, I think he is llying, he full well knows he will release a bombastic pop/rock album next. The biggest promotion for Winter will be Thanksgiving night in the US.

Send Your Love
Stolen Car
I thought

But yeah I was thinking the same thing when he said 4 shows. Somehow I think there is something up the sleave...

KLOS
Mark, "STing, what a pile of crap this soul cake"
Brian " that is the best song on the album"
Mark " I don't want to hear the rest"

After Sting's darkest and least selling solo album, Soul Cages, came Summoners Tales, the same thing will happen after Winter.

Johnny, you seem to be quite disturbed thinking Sting does not believe when he is agnostic, did you believing Sting is atheist affect your openness/acceptance to the Winter album?

Che Tempo Che Fa performance with Ibrahim Maalouf and Mary MacMaster joining the lineup for another rendition of Soul Cake, this time complete with the audience participation handclapping section :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgJqtr4DBW0

Bremen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crqmozdzl9o&feature=related

The new album was Number 8 in Canada this week. That's not too shabby considering its lack of exposure in the stores. The again, I suppose the stores are going the way of the doedoe bird. This ranking was released by Nielsen Showscan.

nice...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAbJGHki1G4
...hmmm....i recognize that sweater from somewhere.... :)

The thing that continues to amaze me with Sting is that there are not many of us here this soon into the promotion would think Sting would perform Soul Cake without the fiddlers. I love the changes he makes in the arrangements, there were some bass notes in the middle I never heard, Dominic's guitar sounded pretty good in place of the fiddlers. Sting obviously breathes, sh!ts, sleeps and eats music for him to make all these changes so soon, this is one aspect I really admire, you don't see such rearrangement from other artistes, the man's a genius!

i agree Trini. the changes to the arrangements are necessary because the backing musicians keep changing according to region. the only constants have been Sting, Dom and the bassist.
so far this has made every performance unique in it's own way. the version with the funky breakdown and Sting encouraging handclaps was a real surprise. Dom filled in really well for the absence of a fiddler.

I find it quite astonishing.... in a world of fake music, of instant stars, of electronic trick called songs, it's great that an artist takes time and trouble to arrange its music and play live even in weird situations like talk shows. I really appreciate it. It's so easy using playback.... it's great Sting decided to play live.

On these various arrangements (which are grand!), didn't someone let the "cat out of the bag" in the past couple of years that Sting "hires out" the "arrangements" of his songs? Evidently, it's something that he doesn't mind to let someone else do. I was a bit surprised to learn this.

i think in this case, sting and the band are rearranging the song according to the musicians on hand. the actual form is already set. they are just putting the icing on the cake so to speak.

has anyone else had a chance to hear the radio edit of Soul Cake? it was mentioned on listing's site that the edit is actually the same length but with the god rest ye merry gentlemen horn section cut out and the ending is extended rather than a quick fade out. i'd like to hear what that is all about. i'd also like to hear the alternate version of Cold Song which was heard on the dvd. i think i would like that version more than the one with those lower vocals. what do you say let's bug DG until they put em out for us. :)

I'd really like to hear that version too! When I watched the dvd I got surprised by the existence of this version of Cold Song, and now I a longing to have it ;-)

@ glarbage: send me a pm with your e-mail !

winter's night @ paris
Soul Cake
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RwncZKciIA&feature=channel
I Saw 3 Ships
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACa4cpNnY-w&feature=channel

C'est trés fantastique! Merci beaucoup!
I LOVE the Celtic twist on Three Ships and that is exactly what I meant when I suggested the reinterpretations of better known Christmas tunes. Nonetheless I'm loving the winter album now that we have snow.:)

taratata...and that hat!

Soul Cake
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPmZ1G3kpAQ
Christmas At Sea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2a39fdHJ0g&feature=channel

I love hearing these songs evolve, especially Dominic's increasing influence/presence.

But that hat is...wow. Perhaps he was going for a darker, more brooding Santa Clause feel?

I having a tough time with I Saw Three Ships - it feels rushed to me but I may need to listen to it some more.

Santa's brooding because nobody is leaving him sole cakes or coffee.... :D

:) it seemed like Dominic jumped at the chance to join in and was quite prepared to perform the whole song but Sting cut it short to a verse:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT8BsBCkhU0

I have to wonder...what's under that hat?

It's like from a bad Dr. Seuss story or something...

Its beatnik Sting who ain't no gonna make me shave no way man... or something like that.

I'm guessing perhaps it is a new dye job gone awry.:) Either that or he has suddenly grown dreadlocks.

from Regis & Kelly Show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNb1etYOUPw