Post #147942 by Tiki-bot on Sat, Mar 19, 2005 8:04 PM

I saw Sylvian at the Wiltern in L.A. around '87 and it was stunning. His band was essentially his band from "Japan", minus their amazing bassist, Mick Karn. Didn't see Brook play with him, but did get to hear (now big-time movie composer) Mark Isham do all the horn work. It was stunning. I have always been a fan of Steve Jansen's drumming (Jansen is Sylvian's brother) and it's one of the things I remember most from that show. I don't think Sylvian's work holds up as well over time as Talking Heads or Eno's, but there are quite a few gems from those albums you list. I highly recommend his live album with Japan, "Oil on Canvas". It almost doesn't sound live at all, and it's lusher and more densely produced than their studio albums. I even have the VHS of that concert somewhere.

I lost interest with Sylvian's later work, but he also did some awesome experimental stuff with Holgar Czukay on a couple limited EPs. His collaborations with sound installation artist & painter Russel Mills were also very interesting and are contained in a book/CD set called "Ember Glance - The Permanence of Memory". I also love his other Collaborations with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Robert Fripp. Wow, those days of fey, avant-art-rock seem like so long ago!

As for Eno and Talking Heads, Eno produced their first 4 or 5 albums, as well as the landmark "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" with Byrne. I read that Eno was one of the reasons the Heads broke up. The rest of the band thought they had become the "Byrne/Eno Band" with them as merely backup musicians.

Funny you mention the connections thing. I spent many years branching out along the musical trees that many of these artists were connected to. It was a pretty reliable way to find more music that interested me. It was somehow all the more enjoyable because I would imagine an artist I liked (it kinda all started with 70's Bowie) and following the musical trail he blazed through the musical avant garde. Those were the days.

BTW, totally off the track here: If anyone is interested in the unreleased Fiona Apple album, "Extraordinary Machine", get it here:
http://www.geekdreams.com/mp3/fiona_apple/
or shoot me a PM if the link dies. She's just another gifted artist screwed over by a record company who's not interested in her anymore because she's not Brittney or Ashley, who made a quirky & strange pop album 2 years ago that was shelved indefinitely due to its "uncommerciality". It seems unlikely that Sony will ever release it now, but here it is for your enjoyment.

Happy listening!