finally I found here (youtube) someone explaining, so well, how "silence" and "deep" can affect us so much. Sylvian's music can bee listen like music without hurry to arrive somewhere. And than we understand that it made us discover a new universe where we can be with our thoughts.
Mick Karn is a huge influence on my playing. He’s the reason I got a fretless when I was 15. However, I’m 51 and throughout my entire life I’ve NEVER heard anyone mention Paul Webb of Talk Talk. His playing isn’t as busy as Mick’s , but in my opinion, just as unique. His playing on Talk Talk’s “It’s My Life” record is fantastic. I recall many conversations with other bassists over the past few decades, and was shocked that they never heard of him. Well, evidently Paul Webb is even more obscure, which is weird because Talk Talk actually had a lot more visibility and airplay in the U.S. in the 80’s than Japan. He deserves the same attention. I’ve scoured the internet and have found next to nothing on Paul Webb.
Excellent point. Paul Webb is definitely a bass player to focus on. I've talked a lot about Talk Talk, but never really zoomed in on him, and you're right - a huge part of Talk Talk's sound is him. I usually hate to have "favorites" but if I'm forced to pick favorites, Talk Talk is a contender. The later albums AND the early ones, and Mark Hollis's solo album. Amazing stuff.
Great content! I’s rare these days anyone mentions the Stranglers… this took me back in time actually.. yes, they were my No1 band in the eighties, bought most of their albums 1976-1990.. the 3D Raven album is awesome, never heard of this album version. I saw them in Iceland in 2006, no Hugh or Jet Black but Dave was there and of course JJ.. unfortunately I missed them in June 1978(following up the album Black and White), but that very concert changed the music scene in Iceland, actually started the Reykjavik punk scene… where Björk started off. Thanks for sharing this video! 🙏🏻
For sure they were something. Thanks for the look into the Reykjavik scene - I can certainly believe that there's a pinch of Jet Black influence in Sigtryggur Baldursson's drums. :) The Stranglers for me were a bridge between the kind of "classic rock" I liked (The Zombies and Kinks, etc...) and the "new wave" and "punk" (so many labels) that was bringing that Do It Yourself feel into everything. They were complex, textured, baroque and mysterious and heavy and dark and cinematic and unlike any other band. They had punk swagger and aggressiveness - but there was a kind of jazz vibe in there, too. The odd time signatures and most obviously the keyboards, and Dave's style of playing, and Hugh's lounge baritone voice. I could go on and on about their influence on my early bands and their influence on anyone who didn't like the idea of being stuck in ONE very rigid and specific category. They were their own genre. :)
Steve Jansen (Batt) David Sylvian's brother was an amazing drummer. His timing was sick. So much so that there was no flamming when he played along with sequences and arpeggiators. Completely underrated! Don't forget Karn played fretted basses on the first two Japan albums. When he switched to fretless, he was just on another level. I didn't rate Jaco, as he seemed to be a one trick pony when you've heard most of the records he played on. But, Karn was so inventive.
I agree, U2 was raw in the beginning…and later you have Joshua Tree, which was a watershed moment where we saw a hybrid of that organic talent, blended with the overproduction that would later dominate all future recordings.
1981 I was watching TV late at night and a 30 second promotional ad came on for Japan’s New Album, Tin Drum, sponsored by the Sound Warehouse in Houston Texas. It showed David Sylvian playing on a drum and I had never heard of this band, and I was intrigued by how cool the music sounded and their look. I guess I had forgotten to have my parents take me to the record store to locate this record, but that 30 second promo had a huge influence on me and stuck with me for years, knowing that there was some really cool music out there, beyond the 70’s album rock that dominated radio stations during that period. It wasn’t until many years later, when I was more mature, and had some disposable income, that I thought to hunt down Japan’s music. I was already into Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry by this time. I was captivated by the music of Japan, how original and otherworldly these pop tunes were, supported by the bass playing of Mick Karn, those elaborate and catchy synth and drum patterns - I was hooked.
For those who like ambient guitar (e-bow) checkout the youtube channel Chords Of Orion by Bill Vencil. Also reviews of pedals, tips and tricks for "frippertronic" style playing.
Yes, authenticity is one of Davids defining traits, flipping through liner notes and looking at the pix of the band they are seemingly photos from the early settler period, like looking at irish migrants who bought tales from old craggy island, Theres a southern bluegrass feel mixed heavily with traditional irish folk music. Idk….. im not even making any sense so tired ill return another day and correct mistakes
He was a cool guy, nice. His family even moreso. Outside of LA - he lived in the Bay Area for a long time in the 60s, and even out in San Bernardino for a while. As it turns out, many of the promotional films you see were sent out as packages on early television - stations around the country bought a package of films to fill in the programming. So some places (not many) outside of California also knew him. Thanks for posting AND being respectful of him.
A frickin beast on the bass, full stop, big loss, RIP MICK KARN, theres a reason why Japan's music is not copied, they were a one off, no 1 dare try copy as can't b matched, Pete Townshend said karn the best bass player he played with, after playing with him
I think Roxy Music were the pioneers of avant garde proto new romantic new wave style in both sound and vision. Japan were the first to adopt and make it cooler.
I would definitely mention David's more experimental latter day albums "Manafon" but particularly "Blemish" as an album that totally re-shaped what people expected of him and his own expectations of himself as a musician. The darkest break up album I know. Yes, sonically challenging in places but all the better for that. I think it's his masterpiece along with Rain Tree Crow which just gets better as time goes along . I still hold out hope for him to come out of retirement and make a new album.
I am a huge fan of David Sylvian. I agree that Brilliant Trees, Secrets of the Beehive and Dead Bees on a Cake are true audiophile recordings. I only wish these were released as 24/96 downloads!
Long ago, composer Steve Reich said quite cattily of Philip Glass that if you knew Glass’ sources of inspiration, you’d be less impressed by his compositions. I guess he was referring to gamelan!
Funny, I didn’t get that until this video. I always thought Phillio was inspired by the Ostinato from baroque music but I can hear the gamelan reference as well
Gone to Earth has Before the Bullfight,Silver Moon,Riverman and on top you get Taking the Veil which is not from this world..i think David Sylvian and his collaborators managed to be in special class of their own..no disrespect for Bowie which i love and Bryan Ferry but the depth of those first post Japan albums and the landscapes they create is beyond any comparison with anybody else.Its really extremely rare to get 4 Jedi Masters and leaders/innovators , each on his own craft like DS,RF,RS and HC revolve around each other and create these very unique musical masterpieces where everything is divine!!!!! Let's not forget that RS,DB and DS were also involved in Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence and the delivery of Forbidden Colors from DS is world class as through out the ages world class..there is no other singer in contemporary music that could deliver that track the way DS did , which he did often anyway in other divine tracks like the Other Side Of Life.
These are great for sound masking, to drown out nuisance noises while you do work. I used to use one while doing laundry to let my mind focus on it instead of the screaming children and other chaos at the laundromat.
I have a little device that actually makes various FAN noises and kind of white noise tones that does that... great for work or sleeping, and it's somehow able to create a wash of so many frequencies it can seem to cancel out ambient noise... similar to noise-canceling headphones. But I guess it's a stretch to call those kinds of things "music." :)
Never heard of one of these - really interesting. It's Gonna Rain by Steve Reich predates Eno by some time I think - chcek it out if you haven't heard it - a loop playing on two tape machines that go in and out of synch - really hypnotic.
For sure... Steve Reich has really been ahead on so many things. Great stuff to delve into. I did give the impression that Eno "invented" the idea, but the concept of multiple "loops" of melody going in and out of synch goes back to Bach, even. :)