Brilliant Trees
Brilliant Trees is the first solo album by the British singer-songwriter David Sylvian, released in June 1984. The album peaked at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart and has been certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 100,000 copies. History. Produced by Sylvian with Steve Nye, "Brilliant Trees" was Sylvian's first full-length release after the break-up of his band Japan in December 1982 (though former Japan members Steve Jansen and Richard Barbieri both appear on the album). AllMusic called the album "an eclectic affair fusing funk, jazz, and  ambient." Additional musicians on the album included Holger Czukay, Danny Thompson, Jon Hassell, Mark Isham, Ronny Drayton, Kenny Wheeler, Phil Palmer and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Sylvian and Sakamoto had previously collaborated on the singles "Bamboo Houses" and "Forbidden Colours", and continued to collaborate at various points in their careers. "Brilliant Trees" was recorded August 1983 at Hansa in Berlin, and over about 6 weeks in London at the end of 1983 and the beginning of 1984. With the majority of vocal overdubs completed at The Church Studios in Crouch End, Sylvian and Nye then relocated to Air Studios to begin mixing . Lyrically, the album includes references to writers, thinkers and artistic figures who were influencing Sylvian at the time, including Jean-Paul Sartre, Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau. For instance, the song "Ink in the Well" references Cocteau's film "Blood of a Poet" and Sartre's novel "The Age of Reason". Many of the lyrics also express Sylvian's searching explorations of spirituality in different forms. In a 2012 interview, Sylvian said: Release. The album peaked at number 4 in the UK, the highest chart position of Sylvian's career to date, and contains his biggest solo hit, "Red Guitar , which reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1994, ten years after its release, the album was certified Gold by the BPI for sales in excess of 100,000 copies. In 1991, the album was reissued in the US as Brilliant Trees / Words with the Shaman", which included the three part single "Words with the Shaman" as bonus tracks; these songs were also included on the cassette-only album "". In 2003, a remastered limited digipak version of "Brilliant Trees" was released. In 2006 it was reissued in a standard jewel-case. The album cover for both releases was altered  to a cropped photo of Sylvian with new type fonts. In February 2019, as part of a redesigned monochrome sleeved vinyl reissue batch of his 1980s albums, "Brilliant Trees" was released in a gatefold sleeve, once again with a new set of type fonts. No new mastering was done for this; the 2003 remaster was used. Critical reception. "Brilliant Trees" was well received by the contemporary British music press. "Sylvian has grown up," wrote "Sounds" critic Carole Linfield. "He's left art school, gone through the grey and come out in a spectrum of pastel shades that entrance and enthral . Gone is the clichéd imagery that once haunted Japan... in its place is a solo artist who deserves more respect than his beautiful face often allows." In an enthusiastic review, "Melody Maker"s Steve Sutherland, who had previously been critical of Sylvian's work with Japan, concluded that ""Brilliant Trees" inadvertently attains the stature Sylvian's always sought. It's a masterpiece." Richard Cook for "NME" described the album as "private and intolerant – really, an astonishing statement from one in his position – but it is a transformation of thought into music which involves the finest skill, an uncanny talent". Betty Page  for "Record Mirror" described it as "all oh-so-fragile but meaty at the same time, obviously occasionally un peu pretentious, but very painstakingly crafted and built up with great care and affection." Personnel. Musicians Technical