The standout track from that album. Just fantastic... Sakamoto on gorgeous piano and synths... love that Prophet 5 choir like sound... and yes for me my favourite David Sylvian track.
Been a Sylvian fan since around 1979... For me David embodies all that I feel inside, a spirituality that I rarely get elsewhere... The musicianship is always excellence itself, his compositions breathe, his lyrics often deep and considered a landscape is painted... I am not in the least religious, this is as close as I get... For Sylvian I have to be in the mood but when I am, I am truly sold... Thanks, great stuff as always...
‘Secrets of the Beehive’ is a timeless masterpiece. And it felt that way when it was first released. ‘Orpheus’ is incredible. Love that you’re in the Sylvian club! I’m a long time member. Thank you, JP!
First, I can't believe you're such a fan of Sylvian's and you'd never heard of Bill Nelson or Be Bop Deluxe. Second, yes it's damn well one of the most beautiful songs ever written. Sylvian said he had it down in like ten minutes? And Sakamoto's piano contribution is small but oh, so mighty. You should really look up what David has to say about it. Still, well done, my man! ANY song this beautiful with a Mark Isham flugelhorn solo deserve to be shared and savored forever! Thanks again! Keep up the great work!
This song! Every time I hear it I almost cry. It is by far his solo best. It’s like looking into the eyes of the Big Eye paintings from long ago of the cats and children that look sad and trying not to smile because they are sad but make you feel so good. The arrangements, vocals, lyrics, etc……it is THE PERFECT SONG.
I have had the privilege to see the genius of David Sylvian live twice. Exquisite and spellbinding, those concerts are highlights of my musical journey.
_"Sleepers sleep as we row the boat_ _Just you the weather and I gave up hope_ _But all of the hurdles that fell in our laps_ _Were fuel for the fire and straw for our backs"_ Dude is spitting the secrets of life in this song.
As always perfect voice and arrangement, with great players backing him. Mr. Sylvian is a tasty writer. Well written words are a gift from the writers heart, and you share that heart with us! Thanks for being consistently classy! Peace & Love to heavens and above.
Wow!!!! First Tommy Bolin now David Sylvian and playing the song I've heard maybe 3-4 times on the The Wave radio station which turned me into a David fan. You Sir are the only person I've EVER heard not only praise this beautiful work of art but truly dissect why it's so beautiful. Sad isn't it that 99.9% of the souls on this sad little planet have never heard treasures such as Orpheus and most wouldn't recognize the eternal in it if they did.
Yes, Secrets of the Beehive is an excellent album but personally my favorite from David Sylvian remains the double album Gone to Earth, with a sung disc and the other made of instrumental ambient music. A pearl !
Like others I appreciate you sharing your favorite artist with us as we do with you. David Sylvian always leaves me with the words haunting and comforting and I often can't decide which. A bit of both I guess. Now I have an earworm and will check it out again:-) From Jim Croce to Magma to David Sylvian. Another predictably unpredictable week! Keep up the good work and keep us guessing!🎷🎹🎻🎸
A hauntingly beautiful piece of work. I've been a big fan of DS for an age, and this is a classic song on a brilliant album. The keys, trumpet, upright bass, and of course his voice.. Everything just coalesces into as near a perfect song as a song can get. For me, Gone To Earth remains my all time fave DS album, but boy this's close.
@@Katehowe3010 Not quite, if you remember. I quite liked the last 2 of theirs, particularly Eden. It was the first 3 discs I thought stinkers. That said, even Eden, Stock, those I did like, I wouldn't put in the same league as DS's music. Sorry.
A little Sylvian promotion is always a good thing & your comments are spot on. Have always imagined Sylvian in the studio requesting the most "pure, crystalline" horn solo imaginable after the silent break - and player/composer Mark Isham nailing it. The performers Sylvian used on _Beehive_ are incredible. My fave Sylvian track: 👉 Sylvian/Fripp "Wave (live)" off _Damage_ (1993)
@@Katehowe3010 I've loved Talk Talk from the very start, and only recently became aware that Steve Winwood played on some tracks. Despite being a big fan of him (Blind Faith ...) too.
This album was the first I ever heard from him. It was probably 1989 and I had fallen in love with Japan already. I bought this CD having NO IDEA what it was going to sound like, and I was so blown away. I had to stop and sit and just listen to the entire thing from beginning to end. Absolutely life changing and so cool to see your reaction to it!
God, I felt the same when I first listened to this song…and album. Just so perfectly beautiful. Been a fan of Mr. Sylvian since his Japan days. This one, and The Poets Dreamed of Angels, make me weep. Love your little expressions and smiles throughout this…I totally get it. And, my god, you would never expect that voice to come from him. The voice is so deep and resonate, while Sylvian himself is so slight and delicate.
I remember first finding David Sylvian when is was 15 or 16. I heard The Banality of Evil on a movie soundtrack in the end credits. I found the album it was from and bought it. Later I discovered he had a solo career and was in the band Japan. Now I'm just trying to collect as much of his content as I can. I'm the only person in my social group that really likes his music, so it's nice seeing people share his work and create a shared appreciation for an artist as talented and overlooked as David Sylvian.
J, S of the B is one of, what i consider to be, one of two 'perfect' albums that I know of. The other is Joni Mitchell's Hejira. In all ways consistently brilliant - start to finish. Hey, flugelhorns, right?
Be Bop Deluxe and David Sylvian on the same day, you're spoiling us! Whether or not it's his best this is my favourite of his. I recently returned home triumphantly (from a market) with the 2LP Gone To Earth for a very good price, I'd inspected the records and they were in great condition, when I came home I found the bloody gatefold was stuck together.
Shame about the sleeve. let's hope there's no micro scratches on the vinyl to make the records skip 🤞 Ties in nicely with the Be Bob connection, as Bill Nelson appears on Gone to Earth too eh. Happy listening.
All throughout 1988 this album was one of my main jams; "Orpheus" being my favourite track from it. If I ever need to revisit 1988 - 1990, all I need to do is put this on and I'm back there again. He wasn't that well known in America then, so he became one of my secrets (of the beehive).
Hi JP, I'm a Patreon but I haven't commented in a long time, though I've listened all along. I listened to this album about 6 months ago at your recommendation. At the time it didn't make a big impression, but great music always takes time to grow. Hearing this again after the time has passed was so satisfying. Thank you for recommending David Sylvian, I will be listening to this and his other records and I look forward to it touche JP, touche.
Your reaction to this song is the best on TH-cam. Especially the scene returning from silence is the best. As a fan of Ryuichi Sakamoto as well as Sylvian, I have to comment that his piano did a good job.
I absolutely agree with everything you said and with the fact that David Sylvian is my favorite artist. So refreshing to see somebody posting music that needs to be heard by everyone. I’ve been a fan of David since the Japan days and now I’m a fan of yours.
This song is one of my favorite songs of all time. I felt that when it came out and it still standing as my all time favorite. That album is a life savior. The best! I can put it on anytime and anywhere in time and place. It always gives me a good feeling❤️❤️❤️
The first time I've heard this song I was 15, it was 1988 and the video showed up in the Mtv stream. I already knew Sylvian from Forbidden Colours and Japan. Sakamoto plays the piano here. One of my best friends became a Sylvian's fan. Later we went together to a Sylvian+Fripp concert (I love King Crimson). I'm rediscovering Sylvian lately. Yes, this song is about how lucky he feels at having poetry as a weapon or an escape from the highs and lows in life
One of my favorite concerts ever was Sylvian touring this album. The band contained Mark Isham on trumpet and flugelhorn, David Torn on guitar, and others. I don't know why, but hearing his voice live was quite surprising in some way that I never felt with other performers.
Just gorgeous! I always love your critique of a monumental, classic song - your emotional and well-informed reaction does justice to true Art - thank you, man
Back in the day, I had this album on one side of a C-90 cassette tape, and Talk Talk's "The Colour Of Spring" on the other side, and to this day I still think of these albums as a pair... "Secrets Of The Beehive" is one of my favourite albums too, certainly my favourite of David Sylvian's, the perfect mix of his pop and more esoteric instincts. As always, I love your enthusiasm for music, keep the faith!
I’m always so happy to find kindred spirits here on YT. My favorite song as well (and SOTB my favorite album of all time). You nailed it when you said David creates the rarest type of atmosphere in this song and all of his work. Just like his co-creator Ryuichi Sakamoto. If there was a world that i wanted to live in, it would be theirs.
DS use to play with a band called Japan. Great band, the bass and drums are amazing. He use to sing differently, using a more affected style. His work with Ryuichi Sakamoto and with Robert Fripp is also amazing
From _"Secrets of the Beehive"_ to _"El Espiritu de la Colmena"_ -- _"The Spirit of the Beehive"._ Victor Erice's 1973 film is as subtly beautiful and captivating as Sylvian's 1987 album.
Evening Justin. Dave from London, Under A Clear Blue Sky. Yes, I'm sold on Orpheus - the chord progression, the atmosphere, the instrumentation, and of course David's soothing vocals. Brilliant Trees is the album I have, and I play it whenever I need his calming influence. Isn't the secret of the beehive that David's voice is pure honey?! Edit: just heard the Dikajee version. Very nice, sounding a little like Tori Amos, but still comes second to the original. P.S. my song ref Under A Clear Blue Sky is by Seventh Wonder.
We all change moods, but 99/100 I would also rate this as my favourite song. Ever. It's so beautifully constructed and it has so many sublime component parts it's practically bursting at the seams. David's appreciation of time and space is above exemplary. As you point out, Mark Isham's flugelhorn is positively spell-binding - reminiscent of the iconic trumpet solo on Elvis Costello's version of Clive Langer's "Shipbuilding". And of course, the inimitable upright-bass of the legendary Danny Thompson helps give this song it's unique character. Danny seems to be the common thread which binds most of the music I truly hold dear - from his lifelong collaboration with his great friend John Martyn, to his unmistakeable weaving through the songs of Nick Drake's "Five Leaves Left" and his contribution to the latter recordings of Talk Talk. I think you'll find it very difficult to top this for your subscribers to review. Just ASTONISHING.
An amazing song, with out-of-this-world piano by Ryuchi Sakamoto (RIP). I also thought that Sakamoto did the (dynamic and original) orchestral arrangements that just float in the air, but they are apparently by Brian Cascoigne, a music composer. And yes, the break is incredible. How about doing an episode on Silver Moon from the Gone to Earth album?
This is amazing. Thank you, JP! I hear shades of solo Peter Murphy in Sylvian's voice and style. I would recommend that you listen to the Murphy album "Deep" from 1991. I thought it should have won the Grammy for best male vocal, but that went instead to my less deserving countryman, Bryan Adams.
I admit I've been avoiding David Sylvian's solo work in favor of diving fully into earlier Japan (always loved Tin Drum) and Mick Karn's solo work and his other projects with JBK and others. However tonight I started listening to a few songs of Sylvian's solo work and this is the one that really stopped me and made me listen more closely. It really is a beautiful song and a great example of his fantastic voice. I'm still buying Mick's work first, but this will be my first Sylvian CD to purchase (I like the physicality.) For now I'll be listening to this on TH-cam a lot. ;) Oh, and chiaroscuro is kee-aro-SCOO-ro, is my best way of putting it. (art history degree and I live in Italy.) Oh! I only now (after watching other videos over the past month) realized you're in Orlando. I was born and grew up there! Pine Hills, when it was safer, from what I understand. Evans High School.
This may actually be my favorite video you’ve uploaded. David Sylvian is my favorite singer, and I also regard Secrets of the Beehive as one of the greatest albums ever made. “Orpheus” has always been special to me. Musically, it’s transcendent. Lyrically, I don’t think any song’s done a better job of describing me. Your response to it as a favorite song of yours was nothing short of wholesome. Thank you for keeping Sylvian’s music alive. The man deserves it and more! 😊 EDIT: The place you asked about where the “fires never stop.” The place is called Centralia, PA. I heard about it from an artist I love called Lingua Ignota. Check out her song “Perpetual Flame of Centralia.” I think you’ll dig it! 😁
Hey Michael! Thank you so much! YES, thats exactly what I was thinking of regarding Lingua Ignota! That album was actually one of my albums of the year it was released, and her latest "SAVED" will likely end up on my list for this year!
OK, you've got me on board the David Sylvian boat with this one. Chiaroscuro. Had to double check this on Wiki (which is never wrong :-) ). It's probably better to think of it from back to front, because "oscuro" gives you something familiar-ish. "OBscure" - oskuro - just drop the B. And then "chiaro" also has some hidden familiarity. 'KeeYARO' sounds a bit like "clear-o" ("kleeYAr") . So "clear-and-obscure" - light -and-dark and contrasting. That'll do me for a start. Yes, I think you're right, anyway.
Found a list in the comments somewhere else (if you add them all together). What do the following have in common? (Apart from being musicians from the top drawer.) Jeff Arment, Billy Sheehan, Nuno Bettencourt, Vernon Reid, Ritchie Blackmore, Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Harris, Andy Summers, the whole of Anthrax, the whole of Pantera (well at least Dimebag, and that's all that matters), Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alice in Chains, Type O Negative, Soundgarden. (So the list disintegrates a bit toward the end, but you get the gist.) Nope? They're fans of *Kings X* . th-cam.com/video/pa9BdTzL9vk/w-d-xo.html (not a song, an interview - they're becoming quite venerable, but they have a new album)
That’s an interesting set of cognates. Chiaroscuro is Italian for “light/dark”, though “clear/shadowed” might be a more meaningful interpretation. Chiaro is pronounced with a hard K sound, as the letter H in Italian is unaspirated and used to prevent consonants from forming diphthongs.
This album has gotten me through so many tough times.... but of all the songs on the album, this one sends me somewhere else. An my favourite part, every time, the pregnant pause mid song.
I had this on vinyl back in '87, but somehow it disappeared without a trace. I bought it again 4 months ago, with its timeless sound and production it is a must-have in any well sorted vinyl collection. Hard to tell what decade it is from
Nice light jazz waltz -- the singer has a similar vocal range as Mark Knopfler. There's something about the waltz tempo that stirs human emotions. John Lennon used it in quite a few songs with the Beatles. So did Nanci Griffith. And a favorite female singer who passed on recently, Olivia Newton-John, sang quite a few pop and country ballads that were written for her in a waltz tempo - such as "Sam" and "Hopelessly Devoted To You".
Was listening to a little of Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach, Sweetest Punch, Still Have That Girl In My Head… at work, this reminds me of a more modern version of that feel. Best so far for me, thanks for playing it. Just for grins, check out Robert Fripp, the current Guitar Player magazine cover story… been a minute. Be well.
P.S. P.S. And now I find Bill Nelson's Be Bop Deluxe!!!!! Bro!!! Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape!! Nelson, with Tommy Bolin 2 of the most underrated and under appreciated, thanks for doing your part to keep the art alive!!!
Thanks 🙏. I see indeed some resemblance with The colour of spring of Talktalk, and the song The carnival is over by Deadcandance which you reacted to. Thanks it’s liquid for the thirsty
"Gone The Earth" would be, imo, a good starting point in spite of it being originally a double album on vinyl, shared to instrumental and vocal albums. "Silver Moon", "River Man", "Taking The Veil".... splendid tracks with Sylvian's trademark vocal style. "Blue Of The Noon" is a great instrumental single, produced and composed by Sylvian but performed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Steve Jansen and Wayne Braithwaite.
I came to Sylvian because sooo many people were making comparisons to later period Talk Talk. Now, I was convinced that the music that band was making was wholly original (and it was, for the most part), but I was shocked to hear a precursor to that music other than Van Morrison. "Orpheus" jumped at me because of the trumpet solo in the middle, which was reminiscent of both Chet Baker and Chris Isaak, two guys I was listening to a lot at the time. But he was wholly original. And that baritone...... Hey, since we're talking about acts that sound only like themselves, give Alt-J a try. Particularly their first album.
Mark Hollis was a great singer, and Talk Talk a decent band. Yet David Sylvian and Japan band members were certainly a different tier. David turned his back on pop-stardom, his voice matured into a velvet baritone. Mick Karn is arguably the most unique bassist to grace the mainstream, the best of new wave. Richard Barbieri an understated but respected synth artist. David's brother Steve Jansen (like Karn) a unique, idiosyncratic drummer who baffled seasoned player with his textures
I wish he had continued has partnership with Robert Fripp. "Gone To Earth" is a desert island disc for me, and "The First Day" puts Sylvian in more of a hard rock context, something we haven't heard before.
Couldn't agree more. Yhus is a favorite song in my exporation in the early 80s...love the entire album as well... Not to compare, they dont, but havent seen a Peter Murphy, you might like Canvas Beauty or Subway for similar....
It's the orphée of jean(the birdman)cocteau who are praise here....;the production,everything send me into another world...;teven the photo cover is wonderful..........i give you a clue Just for u,JPndavid love andrei tarkovski movies...........after all the film maker made a movie called---nostalgia
Funnily enough, I join you having spent an hour and a half inspecting 3 beehives- dressed as an explorer and relishing every second. Never got thru the uncertainty of apathy when confronted with the opportunity to purchase this LP, thinking it couldn’t possibly be better than Brilliant Trees. Doh!This was Brilliant ! Why didn’t i buy it all those years ago?!?
Hey Justin. I've only heard David Sylvian a little. He has a most interesting voice. I assume you know he did some work with Robert Fripp. Also, when you said this is one of the most beautiful pieces of music you've ever heard, I was reminded of one of the most beautiful pieces of music that 'I've' heard. In the 80's, Mahavishnu Orchestra changed their name to just 'Mahavishnu'. The song is called 'Nostalgia'. I think you'll enjoy it : )
Beautiful! Always loved Sylvian's voice...so elegant! I knew him from Japan. His voice now reminds me a lot of Japanese singer Kamijo from a band named Lareine I got into like a decade ago. After you finish Rio with the last two songs when you get a chance, please react to the 'So Red the Rose" album from Arcadia. Or at least the song "Missing" from that album? I think you would appreciate this album.
Maybe you remember me suggesting David Torn, well, we're getting closer ... And one, if not the best rock-ambient-progressive albums of all time, is the Indigo Falls album by Richard Barbieri and his wife. Check this out!
maybe you should revisit blemish for future videos. he worked on two other great albums in the 2000s, Snow Borne Sorrow by the band Nine Horses (Sylvian, Jansen and other person i can't remember) and Manafon. Manafon sounds to me like a strange fusion of very late era Mark Hollis (the one from the solo album) and Scott Walker. Apart from that i think he's made some colaborative work, remixes, compilations and two hour long pieces, When Loud Weather Buffeted Naoshima and a musical adaptation of some poems in 2014, but i still haven't listened to them.
I think it’s simpler than that. What I hear is his taking the leap to go solo and leave the band. A bit like Solsbury Hill but without the confidence. David knew that it was solo or dayjob time, he couldn’t go on with Japan either way. But he was scared. And if you listen to Japan now, you hear how he wasn’t ever satisfied with what they did. PS sorry, mate. I fell in love when The ink in the well came out, in ‘84. And again when I saw Live in Japan on yt
Although I LOVE many songs by Sylvian, this is just an okay one ;) For example, I like The Boy With The Gun much more. But hey, it's always just a matter of taste.
I enjoy it when you share the music that moves you. There’s nothing that I dislike about this track but it doesn’t resonate with me, either. There are very few songs that I absolutely love or completely dislike after a first listen. I think you know my #1 album of all time. I’ll keep patiently waiting for a track from it. 😉
@@-davidolivares …Nothing Like the Sun by Sting. It was the perfect album at the perfect time in my life. I had discovered The Police the year before it’s release and I was still riding that high when the release date was announced. I anxiously waited months for the release. In the meantime, I was a freshman music major in college and was in the early transition from a rock musician to a classical/jazz musician. My natural songwriting style was like The Police, but I was morphing into something different. Nothing Like the Sun captured the style and sound that I wanted to achieve. Especially the cover of Little Wing.
Simple,...effective....though judging by your facial expressions, it didnt land as hard on me as it did on you lol.....reminded me a bit of Jeff Buckley's "Grace"....Jeff is a guy you should return to soon...great stuff....
The standout track from that album. Just fantastic... Sakamoto on gorgeous piano and synths... love that Prophet 5 choir like sound... and yes for me my favourite David Sylvian track.
Been a Sylvian fan since around 1979... For me David embodies all that I feel inside, a spirituality that I rarely get elsewhere... The musicianship is always excellence itself, his compositions breathe, his lyrics often deep and considered a landscape is painted... I am not in the least religious, this is as close as I get... For Sylvian I have to be in the mood but when I am, I am truly sold... Thanks, great stuff as always...
‘Secrets of the Beehive’ is a timeless masterpiece. And it felt that way when it was first released. ‘Orpheus’ is incredible. Love that you’re in the Sylvian club! I’m a long time member. Thank you, JP!
First, I can't believe you're such a fan of Sylvian's and you'd never heard of Bill Nelson or Be Bop Deluxe. Second, yes it's damn well one of the most beautiful songs ever written. Sylvian said he had it down in like ten minutes? And Sakamoto's piano contribution is small but oh, so mighty. You should really look up what David has to say about it. Still, well done, my man! ANY song this beautiful with a Mark Isham flugelhorn solo deserve to be shared and savored forever! Thanks again! Keep up the great work!
This song! Every time I hear it I almost cry. It is by far his solo best. It’s like looking into the eyes of the Big Eye paintings from long ago of the cats and children that look sad and trying not to smile because they are sad but make you feel so good. The arrangements, vocals, lyrics, etc……it is THE PERFECT SONG.
I have had the privilege to see the genius of David Sylvian live twice. Exquisite and spellbinding, those concerts are highlights of my musical journey.
The space between the notes is just as important as the notes themselves. That's what makes music. Very nice. Thanks for sharing!
@@Katehowe3010 there's space, and the there's SPACE
_"Sleepers sleep as we row the boat_
_Just you the weather and I gave up hope_
_But all of the hurdles that fell in our laps_
_Were fuel for the fire and straw for our backs"_
Dude is spitting the secrets of life in this song.
Love this album, it’s one of my favorite Sylvian albums. Gone to earth, is another one.
This song is gorgeous.
As always perfect voice and arrangement, with great players backing him. Mr. Sylvian is a tasty writer. Well written words are a gift from the writers heart, and you share that heart with us! Thanks for being consistently classy! Peace & Love to heavens and above.
That piano towards the end of the song is so emotional, and the muted sounds in the chorus (maybe horns) and the lyrics are very beautiful
Such a wonderful, timeless song. No issue with you sharing it rather than first time hearing. Can't get enough David Sylvian and Japan reactions.
Wow!!!! First Tommy Bolin now David Sylvian and playing the song I've heard maybe 3-4 times on the The Wave radio station which turned me into a David fan. You Sir are the only person I've EVER heard not only praise this beautiful work of art but truly dissect why it's so beautiful. Sad isn't it that 99.9% of the souls on this sad little planet have never heard treasures such as Orpheus and most wouldn't recognize the eternal in it if they did.
Yes, Secrets of the Beehive is an excellent album but personally my favorite from David Sylvian remains the double album Gone to Earth, with a sung disc and the other made of instrumental ambient music. A pearl !
Also! When the Poets Dreamed of Angels is one of my other favorites from that album.
Like others I appreciate you sharing your favorite artist with us as we do with you. David Sylvian always leaves me with the words haunting and comforting and I often can't decide which. A bit of both I guess. Now I have an earworm and will check it out again:-) From Jim Croce to Magma to David Sylvian. Another predictably unpredictable week! Keep up the good work and keep us guessing!🎷🎹🎻🎸
Certainly one of his best recordings - everything works. The use of silence and space on this entire album is brilliant.
Each segment of music each side of the silence is the same length in time.
A hauntingly beautiful piece of work. I've been a big fan of DS for an age, and this is a classic song on a brilliant album. The keys, trumpet, upright bass, and of course his voice.. Everything just coalesces into as near a perfect song as a song can get. For me, Gone To Earth remains my all time fave DS album, but boy this's close.
@@Katehowe3010 Not quite, if you remember. I quite liked the last 2 of theirs, particularly Eden. It was the first 3 discs I thought stinkers. That said, even Eden, Stock, those I did like, I wouldn't put in the same league as DS's music. Sorry.
@@Katehowe3010 Well he would wouldn't he :)
@@Katehowe3010 fraid so
@@Katehowe3010 Hey, what can i say. Not gatey enough for me i guess 🙂
A little Sylvian promotion is always a good thing & your comments are spot on. Have always imagined Sylvian in the studio requesting the most "pure, crystalline" horn solo imaginable after the silent break - and player/composer Mark Isham nailing it. The performers Sylvian used on _Beehive_ are incredible.
My fave Sylvian track:
👉 Sylvian/Fripp "Wave (live)" off _Damage_ (1993)
@@Katehowe3010 I've loved Talk Talk from the very start, and only recently became aware that Steve Winwood played on some tracks. Despite being a big fan of him (Blind Faith ...) too.
For me it’s the best track from his solo career. Beautiful song
This album was the first I ever heard from him. It was probably 1989 and I had fallen in love with Japan already. I bought this CD having NO IDEA what it was going to sound like, and I was so blown away. I had to stop and sit and just listen to the entire thing from beginning to end. Absolutely life changing and so cool to see your reaction to it!
God, I felt the same when I first listened to this song…and album. Just so perfectly beautiful. Been a fan of Mr. Sylvian since his Japan days. This one, and The Poets Dreamed of Angels, make me weep.
Love your little expressions and smiles throughout this…I totally get it.
And, my god, you would never expect that voice to come from him. The voice is so deep and resonate, while Sylvian himself is so slight and delicate.
I remember first finding David Sylvian when is was 15 or 16. I heard The Banality of Evil on a movie soundtrack in the end credits. I found the album it was from and bought it. Later I discovered he had a solo career and was in the band Japan. Now I'm just trying to collect as much of his content as I can. I'm the only person in my social group that really likes his music, so it's nice seeing people share his work and create a shared appreciation for an artist as talented and overlooked as David Sylvian.
J, S of the B is one of, what i consider to be, one of two 'perfect' albums that I know of.
The other is Joni Mitchell's Hejira.
In all ways consistently brilliant - start to finish.
Hey, flugelhorns, right?
I cant listen to this without images flowing into my imagination. Beautiful.
Be Bop Deluxe and David Sylvian on the same day, you're spoiling us! Whether or not it's his best this is my favourite of his. I recently returned home triumphantly (from a market) with the 2LP Gone To Earth for a very good price, I'd inspected the records and they were in great condition, when I came home I found the bloody gatefold was stuck together.
Shame about the sleeve. let's hope there's no micro scratches on the vinyl to make the records skip 🤞 Ties in nicely with the Be Bob connection, as Bill Nelson appears on Gone to Earth too eh. Happy listening.
@@jfergs.3302 Thanks, the records play fine luckily.
This song paints such a rich picture through lyrics and sound…truly my favorite song from DS. Top ten favorite of all time albums.
All throughout 1988 this album was one of my main jams; "Orpheus" being my favourite track from it. If I ever need to revisit 1988 - 1990, all I need to do is put this on and I'm back there again. He wasn't that well known in America then, so he became one of my secrets (of the beehive).
Hi JP, I'm a Patreon but I haven't commented in a long time, though I've listened all along. I listened to this album about 6 months ago at your recommendation. At the time it didn't make a big impression, but great music always takes time to grow. Hearing this again after the time has passed was so satisfying. Thank you for recommending David Sylvian, I will be listening to this and his other records and I look forward to it touche JP, touche.
I loved grooving along to this, one of my all-time favorite songs, with you. You're awesome!
Absolutely! Its perfect to me :) Ty Avogrid!
Your reaction to this song is the best on TH-cam. Especially the scene returning from silence is the best. As a fan of Ryuichi Sakamoto as well as Sylvian, I have to comment that his piano did a good job.
I absolutely agree with everything you said and with the fact that David Sylvian is my favorite artist. So refreshing to see somebody posting music that needs to be heard by everyone. I’ve been a fan of David since the Japan days and now I’m a fan of yours.
This song is one of my favorite songs of all time. I felt that when it came out and it still standing as my all time favorite. That album is a life savior. The best! I can put it on anytime and anywhere in time and place. It always gives me a good feeling❤️❤️❤️
The first time I've heard this song I was 15, it was 1988 and the video showed up in the Mtv stream. I already knew Sylvian from Forbidden Colours and Japan. Sakamoto plays the piano here. One of my best friends became a Sylvian's fan. Later we went together to a Sylvian+Fripp concert (I love King Crimson).
I'm rediscovering Sylvian lately.
Yes, this song is about how lucky he feels at having poetry as a weapon or an escape from the highs and lows in life
Flew from the US to London to see him live in late 2001. Saw two shows. The break in Orpheus comes and the audience applauds. I died inside.
One of my favorite concerts ever was Sylvian touring this album. The band contained Mark Isham on trumpet and flugelhorn, David Torn on guitar, and others. I don't know why, but hearing his voice live was quite surprising in some way that I never felt with other performers.
Just gorgeous! I always love your critique of a monumental, classic song - your emotional and well-informed reaction does justice to true Art - thank you, man
Back in the day, I had this album on one side of a C-90 cassette tape, and Talk Talk's "The Colour Of Spring" on the other side, and to this day I still think of these albums as a pair... "Secrets Of The Beehive" is one of my favourite albums too, certainly my favourite of David Sylvian's, the perfect mix of his pop and more esoteric instincts. As always, I love your enthusiasm for music, keep the faith!
I bought this album when I was 20. Great peace of Art. 1987 loads of memories.
Owned this album back then. Great song! Might need to re-up!
I’m always so happy to find kindred spirits here on YT. My favorite song as well (and SOTB my favorite album of all time). You nailed it when you said David creates the rarest type of atmosphere in this song and all of his work. Just like his co-creator Ryuichi Sakamoto. If there was a world that i wanted to live in, it would be theirs.
Agree with you 100% Natasha! Thank you so much for watching
DS use to play with a band called Japan. Great band, the bass and drums are amazing. He use to sing differently, using a more affected style. His work with Ryuichi Sakamoto and with Robert Fripp is also amazing
I am not certain if I am in love but I liked it. I suspect more listens will seal the deal. p.s. Thank you for sharing back to us.
From _"Secrets of the Beehive"_ to _"El Espiritu de la Colmena"_ -- _"The Spirit of the Beehive"._ Victor Erice's 1973 film is as subtly beautiful and captivating as Sylvian's 1987 album.
This is such an beautiful song.
Sylvian is to me an all time favorite.
Most beautiful voice out there
I agree Eric!
Evening Justin. Dave from London, Under A Clear Blue Sky. Yes, I'm sold on Orpheus - the chord progression, the atmosphere, the instrumentation, and of course David's soothing vocals. Brilliant Trees is the album I have, and I play it whenever I need his calming influence. Isn't the secret of the beehive that David's voice is pure honey?!
Edit: just heard the Dikajee version. Very nice, sounding a little like Tori Amos, but still comes second to the original.
P.S. my song ref Under A Clear Blue Sky is by Seventh Wonder.
We all change moods, but 99/100 I would also rate this as my favourite song. Ever. It's so beautifully constructed and it has so many sublime component parts it's practically bursting at the seams. David's appreciation of time and space is above exemplary. As you point out, Mark Isham's flugelhorn is positively spell-binding - reminiscent of the iconic trumpet solo on Elvis Costello's version of Clive Langer's "Shipbuilding". And of course, the inimitable upright-bass of the legendary Danny Thompson helps give this song it's unique character. Danny seems to be the common thread which binds most of the music I truly hold dear - from his lifelong collaboration with his great friend John Martyn, to his unmistakeable weaving through the songs of Nick Drake's "Five Leaves Left" and his contribution to the latter recordings of Talk Talk.
I think you'll find it very difficult to top this for your subscribers to review.
Just ASTONISHING.
An amazing song, with out-of-this-world piano by Ryuchi Sakamoto (RIP). I also thought that Sakamoto did the (dynamic and original) orchestral arrangements that just float in the air, but they are apparently by Brian Cascoigne, a music composer. And yes, the break is incredible. How about doing an episode on Silver Moon from the Gone to Earth album?
This is amazing. Thank you, JP!
I hear shades of solo Peter Murphy in Sylvian's voice and style. I would recommend that you listen to the Murphy album "Deep" from 1991. I thought it should have won the Grammy for best male vocal, but that went instead to my less deserving countryman, Bryan Adams.
Great voice, song writing, music, lyrics, and an excellent use of 6/8 which is pretty rare in pop.
Ps. there's nowt wrong with a simple vamp, it's how you ornament it that matters.
Now, after seing the video, I feel that we share an equal sensability to beautyfull music. Tank you.
totally agree what a musician peace up
my favorite David Sylvian song
a treatise on subtlety and good taste...
I love this song. My Dad would play this a lot.. Thanks JP 👍🏻
I admit I've been avoiding David Sylvian's solo work in favor of diving fully into earlier Japan (always loved Tin Drum) and Mick Karn's solo work and his other projects with JBK and others. However tonight I started listening to a few songs of Sylvian's solo work and this is the one that really stopped me and made me listen more closely. It really is a beautiful song and a great example of his fantastic voice. I'm still buying Mick's work first, but this will be my first Sylvian CD to purchase (I like the physicality.) For now I'll be listening to this on TH-cam a lot. ;) Oh, and chiaroscuro is kee-aro-SCOO-ro, is my best way of putting it. (art history degree and I live in Italy.) Oh! I only now (after watching other videos over the past month) realized you're in Orlando. I was born and grew up there! Pine Hills, when it was safer, from what I understand. Evans High School.
Watching you listenling to one of my favourite pieces of music, man ... we have exactly the same feelings about it.
My personal favourite track by ds. Its just superb
love the gorgeous masterpiece
This may actually be my favorite video you’ve uploaded. David Sylvian is my favorite singer, and I also regard Secrets of the Beehive as one of the greatest albums ever made.
“Orpheus” has always been special to me. Musically, it’s transcendent. Lyrically, I don’t think any song’s done a better job of describing me. Your response to it as a favorite song of yours was nothing short of wholesome.
Thank you for keeping Sylvian’s music alive. The man deserves it and more! 😊
EDIT: The place you asked about where the “fires never stop.” The place is called Centralia, PA. I heard about it from an artist I love called Lingua Ignota. Check out her song “Perpetual Flame of Centralia.” I think you’ll dig it! 😁
Hey Michael! Thank you so much! YES, thats exactly what I was thinking of regarding Lingua Ignota! That album was actually one of my albums of the year it was released, and her latest "SAVED" will likely end up on my list for this year!
@@JustJP SAVED! is totally gonna be high up on my end-of-year list next to Sprain’s final album!
@@michaellooks2723 nice! Haven't heard Sprain, but ill look em up
OK, you've got me on board the David Sylvian boat with this one.
Chiaroscuro. Had to double check this on Wiki (which is never wrong :-) ). It's probably better to think of it from back to front, because "oscuro" gives you something familiar-ish. "OBscure" - oskuro - just drop the B.
And then "chiaro" also has some hidden familiarity. 'KeeYARO' sounds a bit like "clear-o" ("kleeYAr") . So "clear-and-obscure" - light -and-dark and contrasting. That'll do me for a start. Yes, I think you're right, anyway.
Found a list in the comments somewhere else (if you add them all together). What do the following have in common? (Apart from being musicians from the top drawer.) Jeff Arment, Billy Sheehan, Nuno Bettencourt, Vernon Reid, Ritchie Blackmore, Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Harris, Andy Summers, the whole of Anthrax, the whole of Pantera (well at least Dimebag, and that's all that matters), Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alice in Chains, Type O Negative, Soundgarden. (So the list disintegrates a bit toward the end, but you get the gist.)
Nope?
They're fans of *Kings X* .
th-cam.com/video/pa9BdTzL9vk/w-d-xo.html (not a song, an interview - they're becoming quite venerable, but they have a new album)
That’s an interesting set of cognates. Chiaroscuro is Italian for “light/dark”, though “clear/shadowed” might be a more meaningful interpretation. Chiaro is pronounced with a hard K sound, as the letter H in Italian is unaspirated and used to prevent consonants from forming diphthongs.
This album has gotten me through so many tough times.... but of all the songs on the album, this one sends me somewhere else. An my favourite part, every time, the pregnant pause mid song.
I had this on vinyl back in '87, but somehow it disappeared without a trace. I bought it again 4 months ago, with its timeless sound and production it is a must-have in any well sorted vinyl collection. Hard to tell what decade it is from
Nice light jazz waltz -- the singer has a similar vocal range as Mark Knopfler. There's something about the waltz tempo that stirs human emotions. John Lennon used it in quite a few songs with the Beatles. So did Nanci Griffith. And a favorite female singer who passed on recently, Olivia Newton-John, sang quite a few pop and country ballads that were written for her in a waltz tempo - such as "Sam" and "Hopelessly Devoted To You".
Bought it when it first came still listening 🤩🤩🤩
One beautiful song from a great album.
Nice. The texture of his voice reminds me a little bit of Kevin Rowland (Dexy's Midnicght Runnners) on his solo work.
Was listening to a little of Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach, Sweetest Punch, Still Have That Girl In My Head… at work, this reminds me of a more modern version of that feel.
Best so far for me, thanks for playing it.
Just for grins, check out Robert Fripp, the current Guitar Player magazine cover story… been a minute.
Be well.
So great! His atmospheres are something else!
Maybe you should call these "sharing and reviewing" rather than "reaction" though 😉
P.S. P.S. And now I find Bill Nelson's Be Bop Deluxe!!!!! Bro!!! Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape!! Nelson, with Tommy Bolin 2 of the most underrated and under appreciated, thanks for doing your part to keep the art alive!!!
Great analysis, tank you!
Thanks 🙏. I see indeed some resemblance with The colour of spring of Talktalk, and the song The carnival is over by Deadcandance which you reacted to. Thanks it’s liquid for the thirsty
I agree with you. I've always loved this song, and it's one of my favorites too.
It looks as though I'm going to have to get this album. I've liked everything you've played so far.
"Gone The Earth" would be, imo, a good starting point in spite of it being originally a double album on vinyl, shared to instrumental and vocal albums.
"Silver Moon", "River Man", "Taking The Veil".... splendid tracks with Sylvian's trademark vocal style. "Blue Of The Noon" is a great instrumental single, produced and composed by Sylvian but performed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Steve Jansen and Wayne Braithwaite.
@@onsesejoo2605 Too late! I've JUST ordered Beehive from Amazon....I'll try Gone To Earth next....
@@lemming9984 Not a bad start at all, LOL ! But there is this tube where you can check those songs...now ! LOL !
OMG I was totally gesturing and interacting with like it was in real time
I came to Sylvian because sooo many people were making comparisons to later period Talk Talk. Now, I was convinced that the music that band was making was wholly original (and it was, for the most part), but I was shocked to hear a precursor to that music other than Van Morrison.
"Orpheus" jumped at me because of the trumpet solo in the middle, which was reminiscent of both Chet Baker and Chris Isaak, two guys I was listening to a lot at the time. But he was wholly original. And that baritone......
Hey, since we're talking about acts that sound only like themselves, give Alt-J a try. Particularly their first album.
Mark Hollis was a great singer, and Talk Talk a decent band. Yet David Sylvian and Japan band members were certainly a different tier.
David turned his back on pop-stardom, his voice matured into a velvet baritone. Mick Karn is arguably the most unique bassist to grace the mainstream, the best of new wave. Richard Barbieri an understated but respected synth artist. David's brother Steve Jansen (like Karn) a unique, idiosyncratic drummer who baffled seasoned player with his textures
I wish he had continued has partnership with Robert Fripp. "Gone To Earth" is a desert island disc for me, and "The First Day" puts Sylvian in more of a hard rock context, something we haven't heard before.
Couldn't agree more. Yhus is a favorite song in my exporation in the early 80s...love the entire album as well...
Not to compare, they dont, but havent seen a Peter Murphy, you might like Canvas Beauty or Subway for similar....
Have you Done any Fripp and Sylvian ‘ The First Day’ album is gorgeous. Try ‘Jean the Birdman’ as a starter. It was the single from the album.
Actually, I find the interpretation of most of the songs from The First Day far superior in concert on the live album Damage !
It's the orphée of jean(the birdman)cocteau who are praise here....;the production,everything send me into another world...;teven the photo cover is wonderful..........i give you a clue Just for u,JPndavid love andrei tarkovski movies...........after all the film maker made a movie called---nostalgia
Funnily enough, I join you having spent an hour and a half inspecting 3 beehives- dressed as an explorer and relishing every second.
Never got thru the uncertainty of apathy when confronted with the opportunity to purchase this LP, thinking it couldn’t possibly be better than Brilliant Trees.
Doh!This was Brilliant ! Why didn’t i buy it all those years ago?!?
Orpheus has long been my favorite David Sylvian track and it easily made it on my romantic mix tape.
Hey Justin. I've only heard David Sylvian a little. He has a most interesting voice. I assume you know he did some work with Robert Fripp.
Also, when you said this is one of the most beautiful pieces of music you've ever heard, I was reminded of one of the most beautiful pieces of music that 'I've' heard. In the 80's, Mahavishnu Orchestra changed their name to just 'Mahavishnu'. The song is called 'Nostalgia'. I think you'll enjoy it : )
Interestingly David Sylvian has a song on Brilliant Trees called Nostalgia.
Beautiful! Always loved Sylvian's voice...so elegant! I knew him from Japan. His voice now reminds me a lot of Japanese singer Kamijo from a band named Lareine I got into like a decade ago. After you finish Rio with the last two songs when you get a chance, please react to the 'So Red the Rose" album from Arcadia. Or at least the song "Missing" from that album? I think you would appreciate this album.
Its just an outstanding album
Beautiful and haunting. Loved it and the whole album from first listen 30 some odd years ago. The whole album is perfect in my view.
Yeah....beautiful!.......
Maybe you remember me suggesting David Torn, well, we're getting closer ...
And one, if not the best rock-ambient-progressive albums of all time, is the Indigo Falls album by Richard Barbieri and his wife. Check this out!
Great music today
P.S. And you mention Mark Isham, Bravo.........Check his scores for Mrs. Soffel and The Cooler, simply great!!
maybe you should revisit blemish for future videos. he worked on two other great albums in the 2000s, Snow Borne Sorrow by the band Nine Horses (Sylvian, Jansen and other person i can't remember) and Manafon. Manafon sounds to me like a strange fusion of very late era Mark Hollis (the one from the solo album) and Scott Walker. Apart from that i think he's made some colaborative work, remixes, compilations and two hour long pieces, When Loud Weather Buffeted Naoshima and a musical adaptation of some poems in 2014, but i still haven't listened to them.
Thank you!
Thank YOU Rabeabrok! Hope you enjoyed! :D
Indeed, I did. Wishing you well@@JustJP
I think it’s simpler than that. What I hear is his taking the leap to go solo and leave the band. A bit like Solsbury Hill but without the confidence. David knew that it was solo or dayjob time, he couldn’t go on with Japan either way. But he was scared. And if you listen to Japan now, you hear how he wasn’t ever satisfied with what they did. PS sorry, mate. I fell in love when The ink in the well came out, in ‘84. And again when I saw Live in Japan on yt
Good song. If I listen to it a few times it will probably becomes a favorite.
Although I LOVE many songs by Sylvian, this is just an okay one ;) For example, I like The Boy With The Gun much more. But hey, it's always just a matter of taste.
I enjoy it when you share the music that moves you. There’s nothing that I dislike about this track but it doesn’t resonate with me, either. There are very few songs that I absolutely love or completely dislike after a first listen.
I think you know my #1 album of all time. I’ll keep patiently waiting for a track from it. 😉
Supertramp? jk.
@@-davidolivares …Nothing Like the Sun by Sting. It was the perfect album at the perfect time in my life. I had discovered The Police the year before it’s release and I was still riding that high when the release date was announced. I anxiously waited months for the release. In the meantime, I was a freshman music major in college and was in the early transition from a rock musician to a classical/jazz musician. My natural songwriting style was like The Police, but I was morphing into something different. Nothing Like the Sun captured the style and sound that I wanted to achieve. Especially the cover of Little Wing.
I have it but, I think I latched on more to The Dream of the Blue Turtles, although, it’s not aging as well.
Simple,...effective....though judging by your facial expressions, it didnt land as hard on me as it did on you lol.....reminded me a bit of Jeff Buckley's "Grace"....Jeff is a guy you should return to soon...great stuff....
I hear this song as a Calypso. I am not sure if that is intended or not? I hear the wind and waves and a big blue sky
Bra-vo! 🙂
I cry everytime i listen to this . Ha!