David Sylvian

Restrained, passionate, and absolutely beautiful.
"Forbidden Colours" is a 1983 song by David Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto. The song is the vocal version of the theme from the Nagisa Oshima film Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. It appears on the film's soundtrack album and was released as a single on Virgin Records in 1983 (the second collaborative single release by Sylvian and Sakamoto, following 1982's "Bamboo Houses").

For his second proper solo effort, the former Japan front man delves deeper into the experimental rock, tape loops, and soothing atmospherics he would perfect on Secrets of the Beehive. The first side of this haunting and moody double album features Robert Fripp and some of his former bandmates helping out, while the second is exclusively instrumentals recorded alone. For the uninitiated, Sylvian is a fearless and stylish artist with few peers and one whose wanderlust is as challenging as it is beautiful to behold.

Damage is derived from the closing shows of the 1993 Road to Graceland tour, which heralded the collaborative reunion of King Crimson's Robert Fripp (guitar) with David Sylvian (guitar/keyboards/vocals), the former leader of Japan. This hour-plus set finds Sylvian in tremendous voice and Fripp sonically enveloping spaces and respecting silences in a bout of well-manicured fretwork. The pair is augmented by soon-to-be Krim members Pat Mastelotto (drums) and Trey Gunn (Chapman stick/vocals) as well as former Martha & the Muffins axeman Michael Brook (guitar). The contrast in styles from Fripp's ethereal Soundscapes and edgy guitar inflections to Sylvian's smoother and refined demeanor is reminiscent of Brian Eno's early collaborations with Roxy Music…

David Sylvian - Weatherbox (1989) {5CD Box Set + DVD, Virgin Records DSCD1 rec 1983-1987}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 961 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 478 Mb
DVD5 -> 1.63 Gb | All Regions | PAL 4:3 | Dolby AC3, 2 ch | ~ 26m | ISO Image
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 180 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1983-87, 1989 Virgin Records | DSCD1
Rock / Experimental Rock / Art Rock / Ambient

DAVID SYLVIAN Weatherbox (Rare 1989 UK deluxe 5-CD box set spanning David's career and his many collaborations. Includes the releases: Brilliant Trees, Alchemy, Gone To Earth, Gone To Earth - Instrumental [Exclusive to this box set] and Secrets Of The Beehive. Also includes a 60 page booklet which documents each release and all the musicians involved plus fold-out poster. The artwork and design is by Russell Mills and Dave Coppenhall with sliding lid on the top of the box. The accompanyment by the likes of Bill Nelson, Sakamoto, Jansen/Barbierri/Karn, Russell Mills, Robert Fripp, Michael Brooks et al bears testimony to just how many TALENTED ARTISTS are influenced and eager to work w/ Mr. Sylvian.

David Sylvian's Manafon (2009) appeared as a collection of disciplined art songs that relied on his collaborators to inform not only their textures, but their forms. Those players - Jan Bang, Evan Parker, John Tilbury, Dai Fujikura, Erik Honoré, Otoma Yoshide, and Christian Fennesz among them - created airy, often gently dissonant structures for Sylvian's lyrics and melodic ideas. Died in the Wool (Manafon Variations) re-employs these players (with some new ones) in the considerable reworking of five of Manafon's compositions. There are also six new songs that include unused outtakes, and two poems by Emily Dickinson set to music and sung by Sylvian. The new music here relies heavily on Sylvian's association with Fujikura: he composed, arranged, and conducted chamber strings that are prevalent…

Streamlining the muted, organic atmospheres of the previous Gone to Earth to forge a more cohesive listening experience, Secrets of the Beehive is arguably David Sylvian's most accessible record, a delicate, jazz-inflected work boasting elegant string arrangements courtesy of Ryuichi Sakamoto. Impeccably produced by Steve Nye, the songs are stripped to their bare essentials, making judicious use of the synths, tape loops, and treated pianos which bring them to life; Sylvian's evocative vocals are instead front and center, rendering standouts like "The Boy With the Gun" and the near-hit "Orpheus" - both among the most conventional yet penetrating songs he's ever written - with soothing strength and assurance.

Robert Fripp and David Sylvian's first official release together, The First Day, is a much funkier and more percussive affair than its bootleg predecessor, The Day Before (which contained radically different versions of these songs). An obvious reason for its higher quality is that it was recorded in a studio, while the bootleg consisted of in-concert demos, and the songs here have been worked to completion. Fripp has found an extremely talented singer/partner in Sylvian, who adds a lot to his quirky compositions. Trey Gunn (who plays a bass-like instrument called the stick) makes each track practically groove and breathe on his own, and allows Fripp to stretch out and experiment in ways previously unheard by this guitar icon…

For an album of only seven tracks, Brilliant Trees is an eclectic affair fusing funk, jazz, and ambient. Its best pieces are the moody jazz of "Red Guitar," the dusky atmosphere of "Weathered Wall," and "Brilliant Trees" itself, both of which feature the woozy trumpet of Eno collaborator and fourth-world pioneer Jon Hassell. The record also showcases guest players like Holger Czukay. All in all, Brilliant Trees is an impressive debut and an outstanding achievement.