Secrets of the Beehive
Studio album by
David Sylvian
Released19 October 1987
Recorded1987
Studio
Genre
Length34:30 original LP
40:31 CD reissue
43:59 Japanese CD
LabelVirgin
ProducerDavid Sylvian,Steve Nye
David Sylvian chronology
Gone to Earth
(1986)		 Secrets of the Beehive
(1987)		 Plight & Premonition
(1988)
Singles from Secrets of the Beehive
  1. "Let the Happiness In"
    Released: September 1987
  2. "Orpheus"
    Released: May 1988
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
Mojo[3]
New Musical Express9/10[4]
Pitchfork9.1/10[5]

Secrets of the Beehive is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter David Sylvian. The album was released on 19 October 1987 in Europe and the United States. The album peaked at #37 in the UK album chart.[6] The album was released in Japan on 21 November 1987.[7]

Background

The entire album was quickly written in about two inspired weeks shortly after Sylvian's extensive press tour for Gone to Earth, but for the recording Sylvian ran out of budget and was unable to complete the album the way he envisioned it. Although Sylvian said he liked the songs on the album, he described it as a failure because the centerpiece of the album was missing.[8] The missing piece was the song "Ride", which was later completed and finally released 2000 on the compilation album Everything and Nothing. Sylvian said : "I was crushed when I wasn't able to finish it first time around due to time and budget constraints."[9]

Sylvian spent the first couple of months of 1987 making demo tapes of songs that would draw on the subtler sides of jazz, folk and orchestral music. Recorded in just 2.5 months Secrets Of The Beehive appeared in October 1987 to universally positive reviews. The emphasis was on the lyrical content more than on the previous albums. Because the material came so easily and had a certain strength in its simplicity, it didn’t require enhancing in terms of studio atmospherics and effects. Sylvian began recording the basic tracks at Chateau Miraval in the South of France because of its exotic location. David Torn, Danny Thompson, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Danny Cummings came down and built up the tracks one by one. In time they would be joined at the studio by Phil Palmer and Steve Jansen. The orchestral overdubs were recorded midway through the album, at Angel Studios and at Air in London. Sakamoto had scored the majority of the songs, except "Orpheus" and "Let the Happiness In", were scored by arranger Brian Gascoigne. Mark Isham also recorded his parts at Angel and Air Studios. Then it was off to Wisseloord at Hilversum in the Netherlands to finish the overdubs and do the vocals. Final additions and mixing were done early summer 1987 at the Wool Hall in Bath with Steve Nye.[10][11][12]

In 2003, a remastered limited digipak version of Secrets of the Beehive was released with the bonus track from the Japanese version "Promise (The Cult of Eurydice)" replacing the original CD bonus track "Forbidden Colours (version)", which was a re-recorded version of the Sakamoto/Sylvian collaboration originally intended for Brilliant Trees, but eventually released as b-side to the "Red Guitar" single. In 2006 it was reissued in a standard jewel-case.

In February 2019, as part of a redesigned monochrome sleeved vinyl reissue batch of his 80s albums. Secrets was released in a gatefold sleeve with different type fonts, but otherwise maintaining the original artwork.

Track listing

All tracks are written by David Sylvian, except as noted

No.TitleLength
1."September"1:17
2."The Boy With the Gun"5:19
3."Maria"2:49
4."Orpheus"4:51
5."The Devil's Own"3:12
6."When Poets Dreamed of Angels"4:51
7."Mother and Child"3:15
8."Let the Happiness In"5:37
9."Waterfront"3:23
Total length:34:34
Original CD bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Forbidden Colours" (Version)Sylvian, Ryuichi Sakamoto6:01
2003 CD bonus track
No.TitleLength
10."Promise (The Cult of Eurydice)"3:28

Personnel

  • David Sylvian – vocals, piano (1), acoustic guitar (2, 4, 6), organ (2, 8), synths (2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10), tapes (3, 5), treated piano (5)
  • Ryuichi Sakamoto – string arrangement (1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 10), organ (2, 3, 5, 7, 8), synths (2, 4, 8), piano (4, 5, 7, 9, 10), treated piano (3), woodwind arrangement (5), brass arrangement (8)
  • Steve Jansen – drums (4, 8, 10)
  • David Torn – electric guitar (2, 7), guitar loop (3)
  • Danny Thompson – double bass (2, 4, 7)
  • Danny Cummings – percussion (2, 6, 7, 8)
  • Phil Palmer – slide guitar (4), acoustic guitars (6)
  • Mark Isham – flugelhorn (4,8), trumpet (6, 8)
  • Brian Gascoigne – orchestral arrangement (4), string arrangement (8)
  • Ann O'Dell – string arrangement (10)

Technical personnel

  • Steve Nye – producer, mixing, engineer
  • David Sylvian – assistant producer, assistant mixing
  • Peter Williams – co-engineer (10)
  • Richard Moakes – second engineer
  • Steve Parker – second engineer
  • John Timperley – second engineer
  • Jean-Jacques Lemoine – assistant engineer
  • Roland Prent – assistant engineer
  • Steve Williams – assistant engineer
  • Richard Chadwick – recording co-ordinating
  • Catherine Wilson – assistant in recording
  • Vaughan Oliver (23 Envelope) – design, typography
  • Nigel Grierson (23 Envelope) – still life photography
  • Yuka Fujii – portrait photography

Charts

Chart (1987) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] 91
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company) 37

References

  1. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. "Secrets of the Beehive – David Sylvian". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  2. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press.
  3. ↑ Eccleston, Danny (April 2019). "Ghosts busters". Mojo (305): 100.
  4. ↑ Barron, Jack (31 October 1987). "David Sylvian: Secrets Of The Beehive". New Musical Express. p. 30.
  5. ↑ Sodomsky, Sam (23 February 2019). "David Sylvian: Secrets of the Beehive / Brilliant Trees / Alchemy: An Index of Possibilities / Gone to Earth". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  6. ↑ David Sylvian the official charts
  7. ↑ Reynolds, Anthony (2018). Cries and Whispers. Burning Shed.
  8. ↑ "david-sylvian-interview". 1 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "Trophies Q&A02 part 1". David Sylvian : Expect Everything And Nothing Less. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  10. ↑ Reynolds, Anthony (2018). Cries and Whispers. Burning Shed.
  11. ↑ Mark Prendergast, Record Collector May 1990 No.129
  12. ↑ Young, Christopher E. (2013). On the Periphery. Malin Publishing Ltd.
  13. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 303. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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