Secrets of the Beehive

Secrets of the Beehive
File:David Sylvian-Secrets of the Beehive (album cover).jpg
Studio album by David Sylvian
Released	26 October 1987
Recorded	1987
Studio	London and Bath, England Chateau Miraval, Le Val, France Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, The Netherlands
Genre	Art rock chamber rock
Length	34:30 original LP 40:31 CD reissue 43:59 Japanese CD
Label	Virgin
Producer	David Sylvian, Steve Nye
David Sylvian chronology
Gone to Earth (1986) Secrets of the Beehive (1987) Plight & Premonition (1988)
Singles from Secrets of the Beehive
"Let the Happiness In" Released: 22 September 1987 "Orpheus" Released: 3 May 1988

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	StarStarStarStarHalf star
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	StarStarStarFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svg
Mojo	StarStarStarStarStar
New Musical Express	9/10
Pitchfork	9.1/10
Uncut	StarStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svg

Secrets of the Beehive is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter David Sylvian. The album was released on 26 October 1987 in Europe and the United States. The album peaked at No. 37 in the UK album chart. The album was released in Japan on 21 November 1987.

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. Sylvian said that although he liked the material on the album, it was "something of a failure" because the centerpiece was missing. 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."

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.

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 of the Beehive was re-issued 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.	Title	Length
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.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
10.	"Forbidden Colours" (Version)	Sylvian, Ryuichi Sakamoto	6:01

2003 CD bonus track

No.	Title	Length
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)	91
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company)	37