History Music / DavidSylvian

His solo works represent an artistic "evolution" (if you will,) as Sylvian proceeded to dispose of the flamboyancy, get a hair cut, and adopt more [[BaroqueMusic Baroque]], Chamber and {{Jazz}} influences that slowly began to resemble the latter-day, sophisticated Art Pop works of artists like Music/PeterGabriel or Music/TalkTalk (with a little bit of Avalon-era Music/RoxyMusic thrown in for good measure.) This is particularly present in 1984's Brilliant Trees; but he took an even more stripped-down approach in 1987's "Secrets of the Beehive," which extracted the electronics from that album and the soundscapey "Gone to Earth," and replaced them with lush string, violin and piano arrangements. After some collaborations and a twelve year (!) wait, he made a solo comeback in 1999 in the form of ''Dead Bees on a Cake,'' which took a slightly darker, more {{Ambient}} approach to his classic pop leanings.

David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt, 23 February 1958) is an [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} English]] musician who may be best known for appearing in the NewRomantic / GlamRock band Music/{{Japan}} in the late '70s to the early '80s. After a bit of a falling out with his band following some inner tension between members (some of which was reconsiled with a reunion under a different name in 1991 in the form of ''Rain Tree Crow''), he pursued a solo career, crafting music that was more mature and artsier than his previous work, which has since gained a respectable cult following. Sylvian has also dabbled in poetry, visual art and photography. He has been photographed by Creator/AntonCorbijn (who also produced some of his music videos), and has collaborated with [[Music/YellowMagicOrchestra Ryuichi Sakamoto]] (more closely in his solo material) and with Music/KingCrimson guitarist Robert Fripp (their efforts combined produced two albums in the early to mid '90s). Sylvian was married to Music/{{Prince}} protégé Music/IngridChavez from 1992 until 2003.

David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt, 23 February 1958) is an [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} English]] musician who may be best known for appearing in the Music/NewRomantic / GlamRock band Music/{{Japan}} in the late '70s to the early '80s. After a bit of a falling out with his band following some inner tension between members (some of which was reconsiled with a reunion under a different name in 1991 in the form of ''Rain Tree Crow''), he pursued a solo career, crafting music that was more mature and artsier than his previous work, which has since gained a respectable cult following. Sylvian has also dabbled in poetry, visual art and photography. He has been photographed by Creator/AntonCorbijn (who also produced some of his music videos), and has collaborated with [[Music/YellowMagicOrchestra Ryuichi Sakamoto]] (more closely in his solo material) and with Music/KingCrimson guitarist Robert Fripp (their efforts combined produced two albums in the early to mid '90s). Sylvian was married to Music/{{Prince}} protégé Music/IngridChavez from 1992 until 2003.

David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt, 23 February 1958) is an [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} English]] musician who may be best known for appearing in the Music/NewRomantic / Music/GlamRock band Music/{{Japan}} in the late '70s to the early '80s. After a bit of a falling out with his band following some inner tension between members (some of which was reconsiled with a reunion under a different name in 1991 in the form of ''Rain Tree Crow''), he pursued a solo career, crafting music that was more mature and artsier than his previous work, which has since gained a respectable cult following. Sylvian has also dabbled in poetry, visual art and photography. He has been photographed by Creator/AntonCorbijn (who also produced some of his music videos), and has collaborated with [[Music/YellowMagicOrchestra Ryuichi Sakamoto]] (more closely in his solo material) and with Music/KingCrimson guitarist Robert Fripp (their efforts combined produced two albums in the early to mid '90s). Sylvian was married to Music/{{Prince}} protégé Music/IngridChavez from 1992 until 2003.

David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt, 23 February 1958) is an [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} English]] musician who may be best known for appearing in the Music/NewRomantic / Music/GlamRock band Music/{{Japan}} in the late '70s to the early '80s. After a bit of a falling out with his band following some inner tension between members (some of which was reconsiled with a reunion under a different name in 1991 in the form of ''Rain Tree Crow''), he pursued a solo career, which has since gained a respectable cult following. Sylvian has also dabbled in poetry, visual art and photography. He has been photographed by Creator/AntonCorbijn (who also produced some of his music videos), and has collaborated with [[Music/YellowMagicOrchestra Ryuichi Sakamoto]] (more closely in his solo material) and with Music/KingCrimson guitarist Robert Fripp (their efforts combined produced two albums in the early to mid '90s). Sylvian was married to Music/{{Prince}} protégé Music/IngridChavez from 1992 until 2003.

* TakeThat: When a then-career-spanning box set called ''Weatherbox'' was put out, Virgin Records demanded for a new hit single to go with it. He came up with "Pop Song," which consists of a unconventional mallet-on-piano-strings bass part, and a synthesizer set on flute that is flying across the keyboard with two open palms.

'''David Sylvian''' (Born David Alan Batt, 23 February 1958) is an [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} English]] musician who may be best known for appearing in the Music/NewRomantic / Music/GlamRock band Music/{{Japan}} in the late '70s to the early '80s. After a bit of a falling out with his band following some inner tension between members (some of which was reconsiled with a reunion under a different name in 1991 in the form of ''Rain Tree Crow''), he pursued a solo career, which has since gained a respectable cult following. Sylvian has also dabbled in poetry, visual art and photography. He has been photographed by Creator/AntonCorbijn (who also produced some of his music videos), and has collaborated with [[Music/YellowMagicOrchestra Ryuichi Sakamoto]] (more closely in his solo material) and with Music/KingCrimson guitarist Robert Fripp (their efforts combined produced two albums in the early to mid '90s). Sylvian was married to Music/{{Prince}} protégé Music/IngridChavez from 1992 until 2003.

* ''Plight & Premonition'' (with [[Music/{{Can}} Holger Czukay]], 1987)
* ''Flux & Mutability'' (with Holger Czukay, 1988)

His solo works represent an artistic "evolution" (if you will,) as Sylvian proceeded to dispose of the flamboyancy, get a hair cut, and adopt more [[BaroqueMusic Baroque]], Chamber and {{Jazz}} influences that slowly began to resemble the latter-day, sophisticated Art Pop works of artists like Music/PeterGabriel or Music/TalkTalk (with a little bit of Avalon-era Music/RoxyMusic thrown in for good measure.) This is particularly present in 1984's Brilliant Trees; but he took an even more stripped-down approach in 1987's "Secrets of the Beehive," which extracted the electronics from that album and the soundscapey "Gone to Earth," and replaced them with lush string, violin and piano arrangements. After some collaborations and a twelve year (!) wait, he made a comeback in 1999 in the form of "Dead Bees on a Cake," which took a slightly darker, more {{Ambient}} approach to his classic pop leanings.

Discography:

'''David Sylvian''' (Born David Alan Batt in 1958) is an [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} English]] musician who may be best known for appearing in the Music/NewRomantic / Music/GlamRock band Music/{{Japan}} in the late '70s to the early '80s. After a bit of a falling out with his band following some inner tension between members (some of which was reconsiled with a reunion under a different name in 1991 in the form of ''Rain Tree Crow''), he pursued a solo career, which has since gained a respectable cult following. Sylvian has also dabbled in poetry, visual art and photography. He has been photographed by Creator/AntonCorbijn (who also produced some of his music videos), and has collaborated with [[Music/YellowMagicOrchestra Ryuichi Sakamoto]] (more closely in his solo material) and with Music/KingCrimson guitarist Robert Fripp (their efforts combined produced two albums in the early to mid '90s). Sylvian was married to Music/{{Prince}} protégé Music/IngridChavez from 1992 until 2003.

* CoverVersion: With Japan, he covered "Don't Rain on My Parade" by Music/BarbraStreisand, "All Tomorrow's Parties" by Music/VelvetUnderground, "I Second That Emotion" by Music/TheMiracles and "Ain't That Peculiar" by MarvinGaye. Early on, the band often performed a cover of Music/TheRollingStones' "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" live and recorded an unreleased studio demo of it, as well as recorded unreleased cover versions of Velvet Underground's "Venus in Furs," Music/BobMarley and the Wailers' "I Shot the Sheriff," Music/TheIsleyBrothers' "This Old Heart of Mine," and an unreleased Music/{{Chic}} cover believed to be "Le Freak."

[[caption-width-right:350:Suave.]]

'''David Sylvian''' (Born David Alan Batt in 1958) is an [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} English]] musician who may be best known for appearing in the Music/NewRomantic / Music/GlamRock band Music/{{Japan}} in the late '70s to the early '80s. After a bit of a falling out with his band following some inner tension between members (some of which was reconsiled with a reunion under a different name in 1991 in the form of Music/RainTreeCrow), he pursued a solo career, which has since gained a respectable cult following. Sylvian has also dabbled in poetry, visual art and photography. He has been photographed by Creator/AntonCorbijn (who also produced some of his music videos), and has collaborated with [[Music/YellowMagicOrchestra Ryuichi Sakamoto]] (more closely in his solo material) and with Music/KingCrimson guitarist Robert Fripp (their efforts combined produced two albums in the early to mid '90s). Sylvian was married to Music/{{Prince}} protégé Music/IngridChavez from 1992 until 2003.

* CoverVersion: With Japan, he covered "Don't Rain on My Parade" by Music/BarbraStreisand, "All Tomorrow's Parties" by Music/VelvetUnderground, "I Second That Emotion" by Music/TheMiracles and "Ain't That Peculiar" by MarvinGaye. Early on, the band often performed a cover of Music/TheRollingStones' "{{DooDooDooDooDoo}} (Heartbreaker)" live and recorded an unreleased studio demo of it, as well as recorded unreleased cover versions of Velvet Underground's "Venus in Furs," Music/BobMarley and the Wailers' "I Shot the Sheriff," Music/TheIsleyBrothers' "This Old Heart of Mine," and an unreleased Music/{{Chic}} cover believed to be "Le Freak."

'''David Sylvian''' (Born David Alan Batt in 1958) is an English musician who may be best known for appearing in the New Romantic/Glam Rock band Japan in the late 70's to the early 80's. After a bit of a falling out with his band following some inner tension between members (some of which was reconsiled with a reunion under a different name in 1991 in the form of Rain Tree Crow), he pursued a solo career, which has since gained a respectable cult following. Sylvian has also dabbled in poetry, visual art and photography. He has been photographed by Creator/AntonCorbijn (who also produced some of his music videos), and has collaborated with [[Music/YellowMagicOrchestra Ryuichi Sakamoto]] (more closely in his solo material) and with Music/KingCrimson guitarist Robert Fripp (their efforts combined produced two albums in the early to mid 90's). Sylvian was married to {{Music/Prince}} protege Ingrid Chavez from 1992 until 2003.

His solo works represent an artistic "evolution" (if you will), as Sylvian proceeded to dispose of the flamboyancy, get a hair cut, and adopt more Baroque, Chamber and Jazz influences that slowly began to resemble the latter-day, sophisticated Art-Pop works of artists like Peter Gabriel or Talk Talk (with a little bit of Avalon-era Roxy Music thrown in for good measure). This is particularly present in 1984's Brilliant Trees; but he took an even more stripped-down approach in 1987's "Secrets of the Beehive", which extracted the electronics from that album and the soundscapey "Gone to Earth", and replaced them with lush string, violin and piano arrangements. After some collaborations and a twelve year (!) wait, he made a comeback in 1999 in the form of "Dead Bees on a Cake", which took a slightly darker, more ambient approach to his classic pop leanings.

* BiTheWay: David mentioned in the 80s that he had slept with men as well as women, but he didn't have much interest in sex. Many thought he was gay when he would wear makeup in Japan's early days, so this doesn't come as much of a surprise.
* CoverVersion: With Japan, he covered "Don't Rain on My Parade" by Barbra Streisand, "All Tomorrow's Parties" by Music/VelvetUnderground, "I Second That Emotion" by The Miracles and "Ain't That Peculiar" by MarvinGaye. Early on, the band often performed a cover of The Rolling Stones' "DooDooDooDooDoo (Heartbreaker)" live and recorded an unreleased studio demo of it, as well as recorded unreleased cover versions of Velvet Underground's "Venus In Furs", BobMarleyAndTheWailers' "I Shot the Sheriff", The Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart of Mine", and an unreleased Chic cover believed to be "Le Freak".
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first two Japan albums, and to an extent ''Quiet Life'', feature David using a rather different vocal style to his later smoother work. Also, the first album ''Adolescent Sex'' is very guitar and synth heavy, with lyrics predominantly about dancing and comparing relationships to political events (something that was very popular in glam rock). Sylvian's appearance was rather different then, with long dyed blond hair and makeup (the other members of Japan had similar styles, because Sylvian wanted to make the group stand out).
* FollowTheLeader: Sylvian himself was heavily inspired by the New York Dolls, David Bowie and Roxy Music. Asian and jazz influences influenced him more and more as he went on. His detractors constantly mention the Roxy Music influence. DuranDuran were heavily inspired by Japan and are often considered to be their spiritual successors. The band were recording their self titled debut near where Japan were recording ''Gentlemen Take Polaroids'', and rumour has it that they chose that studio just so they could meet the band.

* TakeThat: When a then-career-spanning box set called ''Weatherbox'' was put out, Virgin Records demanded for a new hit single to go with it. He came up with "Pop Song", which consists of a unconventional mallet-on-piano-strings bass part, and a synthesizer set on flute that is flying across the keyboard with two open palms.

David Sylvian (Born David Alan Batt in 1958) is an English musician who may be best known for appearing in the New Romantic/Glam Rock band Japan in the late 70's to the early 80's. After a bit of a falling out with his band following some inner tension between members (some of which was reconsiled with a reunion under a different name in 1991 in the form of Rain Tree Crow), he pursued a solo career, which has since gained a respectable cult following. Sylvian has also dabbled in poetry, visual art and photography. He has been photographed by Anton Corbijn (who also produced some of his music videos), and has collaborated with [[Music/YellowMagicOrchestra Ryuichi Sakamoto]] (more closely in his solo material) and with Music/KingCrimson guitarist Robert Fripp (their efforts combined produced two albums in the early to mid 90's). Sylvian was married to {{Music/Prince}} protege Ingrid Chavez from 1992 until 2003.

* SurrealMusicVideo: His work with Anton Corbijn.

* FollowTheLeader: Sylvian himself was heavily inspired by the New York Dolls, David Bowie and Roxy Music. Asian and jazz influences influenced him more and more as he went on. His detractors constantly mention the Roxy Music influence. DuranDuran were heavily inspired by Japan and are often considered to be their spiritual successors. The band were recording their self titled debut near where Japan were recording ''Gentlemen Take Polaroids'', and rumour has it that they chose that studio just so they could meet the band.

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David takes a very serious, crafty approach to music, but it's always all-around artsy. He's also known for being a bit of.. a hermit. Don't expect him to come out of hiding unless it's for something important.

* CoverVersion: With Japan, he covered "Don't Rain on My Parade" by Barbra Streisand, "All Tomorrow's Parties" by TheVelvetUnderground, "I Second That Emotion" by The Miracles and "Ain't That Peculiar" by MarvinGaye. Early on, the band often performed a cover of The Rolling Stones' "DooDooDooDooDoo (Heartbreaker)" live and recorded an unreleased studio demo of it, as well as recorded unreleased cover versions of The Velvet Underground's "Venus In Furs", BobMarleyAndTheWailers' "I Shot the Sheriff", The Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart of Mine", and an unreleased Chic cover believed to be "Le Freak".

* Brilliant Trees (1984)
* Alchemy: An Index of Possibilities (1985)
* Gone to Earth (1986)
* Secrets of the Beehive (1987)
* Dead Bees on a Cake (1999)
* Blemish (2003)
* When Loud Weather Buffeted Naoshima (2007)
* Manafon (2009)

* CoverVersion: With Japan, he covered Don't Rain On My Parade by Barbra Streisand, All Tomorrow's Parties by The Velvet Underground, I Second That Emotion by The Miracles and Ain't That Peculiar by Marvin Gaye. Early on, the band often performed a cover of The Rolling Stones' DooDooDooDooDoo (Heartbreaker) live and recorded an unreleased studio demo of it, as well as recorded unreleased cover versions of The Velvet Underground's Venus In Furs, BobMarleyAndTheWailers' I Shot The Sheriff, The Isley Brothers' This Old Heart Of Mine, and an unreleased Chic cover believed to be Le Freak.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first two Japan albums, and to an extent Quiet Life, feature David using a rather different vocal style to his later smoother work. Also, the first album Adolescent Sex is very guitar and synth heavy, with lyrics predominantly about dancing and comparing relationships to political events (something that was very popular in glam rock). Sylvian's appearance was rather different then, with long dyed blond hair and makeup (the other members of Japan had similar styles, because Sylvian wanted to make the group stand out).
* FollowTheLeader: Sylvian himself was heavily inspired by the New York Dolls, David Bowie and Roxy Music. Asian and jazz influences influenced him more and more as he went on. His detractors constantly mention the Roxy Music influence. DuranDuran were heavily inspired by Japan and are often considered to be their spiritual successors. The band were recording their self titled debut near where Japan were recording Gentlemen Take Polaroids, and rumour has it that they chose that studio just so they could meet the band.
* NewSoundAlbum: All of them, but the two that are particularly worth mentioning are the Japan album Quiet Life, in which he shows off his deeper voice, ballad and Asian influences for the first time, and the solo album Blemish, which began his current experimental career.
* ReclusiveArtist: He's stated in interviews that he has a hard time even just going to the grocery store.

David Sylvian (Born David Alan Batt in 1958) is an English musician who has also dabbled in poetry, visual art and photography apart from his short-lived tenure with the New Romantic/Glam Rock band Japan in the late 70's to the early 80's. After a bit of a falling out with his band following some inner tension between members (some of which was reconsiled with a reunion under a different name in 1991 in the form of Rain Tree Crow), he pursued a solo career, which has since gained a respectable cult following. He has been photographed by Anton Corbijn (who also produced some of his music videos), and has collaborated with [[Music/YellowMagicOrchestra Ryuichi Sakamoto]] (more closely in his solo material) and with Music/KingCrimson guitarist Robert Fripp (their efforts combined produced two albums in the early to mid 90's).

* OldShame: His attitude towards his early Japan days seems to reflect this.

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David Sylvian (Born David Alan Batt in 1958) is an English musician who has also dabbled in poetry, visual art and photography apart from his short-lived tenure with the New Romantic/Glam Rock band Japan in the late 70's to the early 80's. After a bit of a falling out with his band following some inner tension between members (some of which was reconsiled with a reunion under a different name in 1991 in the form of Rain Tree Crow), he pursued a solo career, which has since gained a respectable cult following. He has been photographed by Anton Corbijn (who also produced some of his music videos), and has collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto (more closely in his solo material) and with King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp (their efforts combined produced two albums in the early to mid 90's).

* FascinatingEyebrow: A lot of the time he sports this.
* GrowingTheBeard - David brought some strings and piano in, toned down the androgyny, and started getting all Serious Business about his art.

* PrettyBoy: Early on in his career; though well into the late 80's and 90's he presented himself with a more traditionally "handsome" aesthetic.

His solo works represent an artistic "evolution" (if you will), as Sylvian proceeded to dispose of the flamboyancy, get a hair cut, and adopt more Baroque, Chamber and Jazz influences that slowly began to resemble the latter-day, sophisticated Art-Pop works of artists like Peter Gabriel or Talk Talk (with a little bit of Avalon-era Roxy Music thrown in for good measure). This is particularly present in 1984's Brilliant Trees; but he took an even more stripped-down approach in 1987's "Secrets of the Beehive", which extracted the electronics from that album and the soundscapey "Gone to Earth", and replaced them with lush string, violin and piano arrangements. After some collaborations and a twelve year (!) wait, he made a comeback in 1999 in the form of "Dead Bees on a Cake", which took a slightly darker, more ambient approach to his classical pop leanings with mainly positive reception.

* 80s Hair: Though to a slightly less extreme extent during his solo career, it's definitely still marked by the era around '84.

* Japandering: To a lesser extent than his tenure with Japan, but his collaborations with Ryuichi Sakamoto reinforce his status as an Anglo-Japanophile.

David Sylvian (Born David Alan Batt in 1958) is an English musician who has also dabbled in poetry, visual art and photography apart from his short-lived tenure with the New Romantic/Glam Rock band Japan in the late 70's to the early 80's. After a bit of a falling out with his band following some inner tension between members (some of which was reconsiled with a reunion under a different name in 1991 with Rain Tree Crow), he pursued a solo career, which has gained a respectable cult following. He has been photographed by Anton Corbijn (who also produced some of his music videos), and has collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto (more closely in his solo material) and with King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp (their efforts combined produced two albums in the early to mid 90's).

His solo works represent a proverbial "growing of the beard" if you will, as Sylvian seemed to throw away the compact, get a hair cut, and adopted more Baroque, Chamber and Jazz influences into his work that began to resemble the latter-day, sophisticated Art-Pop works of artists like Peter Gabriel or Talk Talk (with a little bit of Avalon-era Roxy Music thrown in for good measure). This is particularly present in 1984's Brilliant Trees. but he took an even more stripped-down approach in 1987's "Secrets of the Beehive", which extracted the electronics and replaced them with lush string, violin and piano arrangements. Sandwiched between is 1986's experimental, soundscapey "Gone to Earth". After some collaborations and a twelve year (!) wait, he made a comeback in 1999 in the form of "Dead Bees on a Cake", which took a slightly darker, more ambient approach to his classical pop leanings to mainly positive reception.

David takes a very serious, crafty approach to music, but it's always all-around artsy. He's also known for being a bit of.. a hermit. Don't expect him to come out of hiding unless it's for something important. Despite his brooding persona that would seem to invite snobbiness, he seems like a genuinely sincere guy.

David Sylvian is a an English born singer/songwriter/musician/photographer/poet/all around artsy kind of guy who may be best known as the lead singer of the late 70's/early 80's new wave band Japan. He has been a prolific solo artist since 1982. His early solo work was slow, dark, and soft and progressed towards a jazz feel as the years went on. His more recent work has incorporated a lot of "ambient sound", which has been off putting to some fans. Sylvian has collaborated with a variety of musicians including Ryuichi Sakamoto, Robert Fripp, and John Butcher. He has also recorded albums with Nine Horses and Rain Tree Crow. Sylvian was married to Prince protege Ingrid Chavez from 1992 until 2003.

David Sylvian is a an English born singer/songwriter/musician/photographer/poet/all around artsy kind of guy who may be best known as the lead singer of the late 70's/early 80's new wave band Japan. He has been a prolific solo artist since 1982. His early solo work was slow, dark, and soft and progressed towards a jazz feel as the years went on. His more recent work has incorporated a lot of "ambient sound", which has been off putting to some fans. Sylvian has collaborated with a variety of musicians including Ryuichi Sakamoto, Robert Fripp, and John Butcher. He has also recorded albums with Nine Horses and Rain Tree Crow. Sylvian was married to Prince protege Ingrid Chavez from 1992 until 2003.

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!!His work provides examples of:
* AudioErotica: Have you heard his voice? Go listen, I'll wait.....
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!!Tropes:

David Sylvian is a an English born singer/songwriter/musician/photographer/poet/all around artsy kind of guy who may be best known as the lead singer of the late 70's/early 80's new wave band Japan. He has been a prolific solo artist since 1982. His early solo work was slow, dark, and soft and progressed towards a jazz feel as the years went on. His more recent work has incorporated a lot of "ambient sound", which has been off putting to some fans. Sylvian has collaborated with a variety of musicians including Ryuichi Sakamoto, Robert Fripp, and John Butcher. He has also recorded albums with Nine Horses and Rain Tree Crow. Sylvian was married to Prince protege Ingrid Chavez from 1992 until 2003.