David Sylvian - First 4 solo albums Vinyl reissues & Rain Tree Crow! - Feb/March 2019

From his Facebook and Twitter feeds

February 2019 sees the deluxe vinyl release of four David Sylvian albums spanning the period 1984 to 1987. Pre-order your copies here: David Sylvian

Brilliant Trees (1LP Deluxe)
David Sylvian’s debut solo album from 1984 is now available for the first time on 180gram vinyl. Featuring the singles “Red Guitar”, “The Ink in The Well” and “Pulling Punches”, the album is now housed in a gatefold sleeve with a printed inner bag and comes with a download card. David is joined on his debut album by a stellar cast including Holger Czukay, Jon Hassell, Kenny Wheeler, Mark Isham, Phil Palmer, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Danny Thompson.

Alchemy – An Index of Possibilities (1LP Deluxe)
David Sylvian’s intermediary album, made up of two entirely separate projects from 1985, is now available for the first time on 180gram vinyl. Featuring brand new artwork, the album includes rare photographs by Yuka Fujii, design by Chris Bigg, and a download card. David is joined on ‘Alchemy’ by Holger Czukay, Robert Fripp, Jon Hassell, Steve Jansen, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Kenny Wheeler.

Gone To Earth (2LP Deluxe)
David Sylvian’s second solo album proper, a 2LP set from 1986, is now available for the first time on 180gram vinyl. Featuring the singles “Silver Moon” and “Taking The Veil”, the 2LP set is housed in a gatefold sleeve with brand new artwork, including rare photographs by Yuka Fujii, design by Chris Bigg, and printed inner bags plus a download card. David is joined on his second solo album by Robert Fripp, Bill Nelson, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Phil Palmer, B.J. Cole, Mel Collins, Steve Jansen, and Steve Nye.

Secrets of The Beehive (1LP Deluxe)
David Sylvian’s third solo album from 1987 is now available for the first time on 180gram vinyl. Including the singles “Orpheus” and “Let The Happiness In”, the album features new artwork based on Nigel Grierson’s original photographs, redesigned by Chris Bigg, housed in a gatefold sleeve with a printed inner bag and download card. David is joined on his 3rd solo album by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Mark Isham, Steve Jansen, Danny Thompson, and David Torn.

Rain Tree Crow will be released on March 29th.

 

Quick, change that thread title to the correct year while you can!

 

Pre-ordered Alchemy in a heartbeat, and Brilliant Trees as it is exceptional work, although I don't think it will beat the original UK or Japanese press.

Excellent news too the Rain Tree Crow is on its way. I don't particularly rate the album, but its great that its getting some attention, and will put paid to stupid prices on what its a rare record now.

I like the artwork changes too, definitely sets them apart from originals, which I already have (except Alchemy)

 

I do dig his work, but I have the original UK pressings (a white label promo in the case of 'Secrets')...and they sound great. Don't think I'd pull the trigger on reissues.

 

Already have all these on vinyl (including Alchemy/except RTC) but could be tempted to put an order in for these releases just for the new artworks alone. Will make a decision in the New Year or if/when we get a better idea of the expanded artwork.

 

Has David fallen out with Russell Mills and Vaughan Oliver? Or was it too pricey to re-license the original sleeve art?

 

Can anyone provide a working link to preorder? I clicked on the one in Sylvian's Twitter and Facebook feeds and both sent me to Spotify.

Addendum: The OP link sent me to Apple Music, and neither Amazon US or UK have 'em up yet. I'm confused.

 

Amazon UK has them up.

 

Alchemy never got a LP issue right?

Might do this, how much is a decent Secrets of the Beehive - it always seemed very expensive, would prefer the 1987 release but I'd settle for this.

 

Thanks, Andrewb. My enfeeblement continues apace.

 

Alchemy was released as a promo vinyl which I picked up at a record fair at the time. It has a nice unique artwork.

 

I bought an original Gone To Earth last week second hand.
I knew I should have waited !!!!

 

The Gone to Earth cover is rather dull... I wouldn’t think that would meet Sylvian’s aesthetic standards.

 

No, I'm sure an original in good condition will beat this reissue. You haven't wasted your money

 

It has been mentioned before, but he does actually sign these off.

 

I'm guessing Ford Capri for the Gone To Earth sleeve.
I bought a Gone To Earth and a Brilliant Trees both for about a fiver each in the last year, and they sound really good. I might buy Alchemy and Secrets on vinyl. I actually like the Alchemy sleeve much better than the original, but I prefer the yellow artwork on Brilliant Trees to the cropped photo. I don't think there is much earthy about a Ford Capri. Still, it's a good shot.
All amazing albums.

 

I'll definitely get Rain Tree Crow.
I'd love to get the song Ride on vinyl too. It's an out-take from Secrets I believe and is on a cd compilation. It would be nice to have that compilation on record too.

 

the updated artwork is a mystery to me and I suspect record-company driven. good thing they didn't dare to do that to Secrets of the Beehive though as it's his best cover and iconic, at least to me.

I do wish they'd expand Secrets and include Forbidden Colours, Promise, and Ride.

 

Well, they did change the typography. It no longer looks like a 4AD/Vaughn Oliver design - which it never was, but man it sure looked like it.

 

Really excited about this, particularly for Secrets of the Beehive. The US pressings of this that I've had all had some IGD and sibilance on the last tracks on each side, even with my excellent tracking (and properly aligned) AT440MLa/b, and I've never seen UK pressings in the shops here, so I don't know how that compares. Would love to have a nice, clean version of this on LP.

But this new cover art to Gone to Earth is utterly perplexing. I generally hate it when the cover art is messed with in a reissue campaign, because I prefer things to look as they did originally. I mean, sure, this uses a nice, classy photo, but it looks more like the cover for a CD of bonus tracks or live material that you'd find in a box set. And what the hell happened to the original artwork?

 

Well it was a Nigel Grierson design, who of course was Vaughn Oliver's partner at 23 Envelope, and Grierson was responsible for a number of iconic 4AD cover designs.

 

Any word on the download format? Vinyl is not my preferred format by any stretch, but I'd consider splashing out for these if it was even CD quality FLAC.

No sale if it's just MP3s.

 

Downloads would just end up being the same as what you already have in FLAC I would imagine. These aren't remastered, just vinyl reissues

 

The typography and layout were by Vaughan Oliver, the photography by Nigel Grierson.

 

I've still got my original vinyl of what was considered at the time to be the first three - BT, GTE, and SOTB - but I only had Alchemy on cassette.

And that's stretched so much over the years that it's almost unlistenable so count me in for the vinyl for that one.