Holy Tongue meets Shackleton – The Tumbling Psychic Joy of Now
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David Sylvian – Secrets of the Beehive
David Sylvian
Secrets of the Beehive
Label: Virgin
Catalog Number: 7 90677-1
Released: 1987, 80's
Possibly David Sylvian’s greatest solo work (it’s hard to pick), Secrets of the Beehive is a deeply introspective work of slow, electronic art rock featuring an all-star supporting cast including Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Ryuichi Sakamoto, electronic composer Mark Isham, Pentangle double bassist Danny Thompson, percussionist Danny Cummings, Sylvian’s brother Steve Jansen, and the great “musician’s producer” Steve Nye. Writing for the album began in 1986 immediately after Sylvian’s Gone to Earth tour. Sylvian recalls, “as soon as I had settled back into my home the material started arriving, and in a period of about two weeks everything was written. And it wasn’t something that I’d planned on doing: I hadn’t conceived the album in its entirety, as an entity in itself, it’s just a batch of songs that sort of arrived and fell in my lap. It felt like a gift.”
Recommended – Full Listen
Tags: Art Rock / Cult Classic / Jazz
Tracklist:
A1 September
A2 The Boy With The Gun
A3 Maria
A4 Orpheus
A5 The Devil’s Own
B1 When Poets Dreamed Of Angels
B2 Mother And Child
B3 Let The Happiness In
B4 Waterfront
Credits:
A1 September
Arranged By [String Arrangement] – R. Sakamoto*
Piano, Vocals – D. Sylvian*
A2 The Boy With The Gun
Acoustic Guitar, Organ, Synth, Vocals – D. Sylvian*
Arranged By [String Arrangement] – R. Sakamoto*
Double Bass – D. Thompson*
Electric Guitar – D. Torn*
Organ, Synth – R. Sakamoto*
Percussion – D. Cummings*
A3 Maria
Arranged By [String Arrangement] – R. Sakamoto*
Loops [Guitar Loop] – D. Torn*
Piano [Treated Piano], Synth – R. Sakamoto*
Synth, Tape, Vocals – D. Sylvian*
A4 Orpheus
Acoustic Guitar, Synth, Vocals – D. Sylvian*
Arranged By [Orchestral Arrangement] – B. Gascoigne*
Double Bass – D. Thompson*
Drums – S. Jansen*
Flugelhorn – M. Isham*
Piano, Synth – R. Sakamoto*
Slide Guitar – P. Palmer*
A5 The Devil’s Own
Piano [Treated Piano], Synth, Tape, Vocals – D. Sylvian*
Piano, Organ, Arranged By [Woodwind Arrangement] – R. Sakamoto*
B1 When Poets Dreamed Of Angels
Acoustic Guitar – P. Palmer*
Acoustic Guitar, Vocals – D. Sylvian*
Arranged By [String Arrangement] – R. Sakamoto*
Percussion – D. Cummings*
Trumpet – M. Isham*
B2 Mother And Child
Acoustic Guitar – D. Torn*
Percussion – D. Cummings*
Piano, Organ – R. Sakamoto*
Vocals – D. Sylvian*
B3 Let The Happiness In
Arranged By [Brass Arrangement] – R. Sakamoto*
Arranged By [String Arrangement] – B. Gascoigne*
Percussion – D. Cummings*, S. Jansen*
Synth, Organ – R. Sakamoto*
Synth, Organ, Vocals – D. Sylvian*
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – M. Isham*
B4 Waterfront
Piano, Arranged By [String Arrangement] – R. Sakamoto*
Vocals – D. Sylvian*
