David Sylvian fans ?

DominoDub

I maybe showing my age ,,but from the first time I witnessed David Sylvian ( with Japan ) singing "Ghosts" on Top of the Pops" in 1981 I knew this guy was a true Artist , not just a pure pop idol .

Thanks to a The Wire Magazine , in the last few years I have reawakend my interest in him. I have been collecting his back cat and his most recent ouput , boy is it good, a mix of Experimental, Ambient Electronica, Jazz and world music.

Of his most recent the recomendations are :

solo - Blemish 2003 - (with Fennesz and the late Derek Bailey )

new group - Nine Horses - Snow Borne Sorrow 2005 (with Bernd Friedmann & Steve Jansen )

stovelid

I wouldn't know enough to call myself a fan but "The experience of swimming" "Ghosts" and "Gentleman take polaroids" are some of my favorite tunes...

Must really check some more stuff out.

John

I've never really listened to him. I like Fennesz and Derek Bailey so perhaps that one you mentioned might be a good place for me to start.

Melaszka

DominoDub wrote:

I maybe showing my age ,,but from the first time I witnessed David Sylvian ( with Japan ) singing "Ghosts" on Top of the Pops" in 1981 I knew this guy was a true Artist , not just a pure pop idol .

I'm not afraid to show my age, and I had a similar experience when I saw that same 81 TOTP appearance!

I maintained an active interest up to and including the "Brilliant Trees" album, but then wandered off to other things. I came back to Sylvian's music in the mid-90s when a friend lent me "Gone to Earth" and "Secrets of the Beehive" and I experienced practically a religious conversion. He remains the only artist whose albums I will unquestioningly buy unheard on their release date, and I have never been disappointed.

The breadth of his most recent work is astonishing. "Blemish" is so daring, so obscure, such a leap from his previous stuff, while "Snow Borne Sorrow" is arguably the most mainstream, accessible thing he's done since Japan.

If I had to recommend one album to a Sylvian virgin, it would probably be "Secrets of the Beehive". It's impossible for me to pick out a favourite, because I love them all, although currently I'm having a real phase on "Damage".

By the way, i'm trying to find a new Sylvian forum, as the big Sylvian fan site closed down last year and I really miss it. If anyone wants to discuss regualrly hwere or knows of another Sylvian site with regular postings, please let me know.

mike65

My sister swooned over David Sylivan! She did buy some Japan albums too it must be said.

Mike.

nlgbbbblth

Japan were one of the first bands I was into and I have followed David Sylvian's solo career with keen interest.

Brilliant Trees is my favourite, followed by Secrets Of The Beehive and Gone To Earth.

Alchemy: An Index Of Possibilities and Dead Bees On A Cake are sublime too.

Blemish is ok, the remix LP, The Only Daughter is better.

also recommend the Fripp/Sylvian LP, Damage.

A good intro is the compilation Everything And Nothing. Have seen it for as little as €10 recently. Great value for two CDs.

Tin Drum is my favourite Japan record and one of the greatest albums ever. Gentlemen Take Polaroids is pretty close too. Quiet Life is further down the quality list.
The first two LPs, Adolescent Sex and Obscure Alternatives sound like a different band.

Melaszka

nlgbbbblth wrote:

Brilliant Trees is my favourite, followed by Secrets Of The Beehive and Gone To Earth.

I think the songwriting on Brilliant Trees is second to none, but for me he was still only a short way down the road of learning his craft as a singer at that point, and the vocal quality is sometimes disappointing. The track "Brilliant Trees" itself remains one of my all-time favourite tracks, though.

Blemish is ok, the remix LP, The Only Daughter is better.

I admit that I listen to the Only Daughter more. I gather, though, that Blemish was supposed to be deliberately hard to sit through - he was conveying the emotional torment of his marriage breakdown, and it wasn't supposed to be an easy ride for the listener. Viewed in that light, releasing the Only Daughter seems a bit of a back pedal.

Tin Drum is my favourite Japan record and one of the greatest albums ever. Gentlemen Take Polaroids is pretty close too. Quiet Life is further down the quality list.
The first two LPs, Adolescent Sex and Obscure Alternatives sound like a different band.

I much prefer Quiet Life to GTP, but otherwise I'd agree. Tin Drum still leaves me speechless every time I listen to it - it's extraordinary - light years ahead of its time and a massive leap from everything Japan had dome before.

toonarmy

Blemish is a beauty, takes a bit of work but worth the effort, the nine horses album is also a classic, pity he gets no air play , has an ep out this mont from the blemish album ...

http://www.davidsylvian.com/