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David Sylvian / samadhisound 2003-2014: Do You Know Me Now?

Limited edition 10CD box set

By Paul Sinclair

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David Sylvian / Samadhisound 10CD box set

samadhisound 2003–2014 / David Sylvian 10CD box set

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David Sylvian / Samadhisound 10CD box set

A new David Sylvian 10CD box set that focuses on his post-Virgin output will be released in August. samadhisound 2003–2014 Do You Know Me Now? contains all of David Sylvian’s solo albums issued between 2003 and 2014, plus the albums recorded with Nine Horses, Jan Bang & Erik Honoré and Franz Wright & Christian Fennesz. The set also contains an exclusive compilation CD, Do You Know Me Now? featuring non-album tracks recorded with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Nine Horses.

This new archival release is presented as a 10-inch deluxe set (think Lennon or Bobbie Gentry) and comes with a stunning 100-page hardcover book, art directed by Sylvian and with design and calligraphy by Chris Bigg. Photography is by Ruud Van Empel. The 10 discs are spread across three separate CD folio/folders and artist/musician Lance Austin Olsen has handled the design for these.

The box set comprises a 10-inch slipcase, 100-page book and three disc folios (click image to enlarge)

The book offers previously unseen artwork and contextual essays by David Sylvian and renowned graphic designer and author Adrian Shaughnessy on the visual aesthetic of the samadhisound label

Speaking of his time releasing music via samadhisound, Sylvian says “Although I personally maintain samadhisound is the home of my best work it was produced during a very turbulent period that precipitated some devastating changes in my life. I can’t gloss over this fact as it’s incorporated into, and informs the material in many ways. Maybe that’s why, after all this time, outside of any possible musical innovation, it remains so important to me.”

samadhisound 2003–2014 Do You Know Me Now? will be released on 4 August 2023 via UMR/samadhisound and is a D2C (direct to consumer) only, so it can’t be found via normal channels (Rough Trade, HMV, Amazon, JPC etc.). It’s available via David Sylvian’s web shop.

David Sylvian / Samadhisound 10CD box set
Stunning photography and art direction (slipcase on the left, book on the right) ). Click image to enlarge.
Sample spread from the 100-page books (click image to enlarge)
David Sylvian / Samadhisound 10CD box set
Another spread from the 100-page books (click image to enlarge)

Tracklisting

David Sylvian / Samadhisound 10CD box set

Samadhisound 2003-2014 David Sylvian / 10CD box set

    • CD 1: Blemish – David Sylvian
      1. Blemish (13:42)
      2. The Good Son (5:25)
      3. The Only Daughter (5:28)
      4. The Heart Knows Better (7:51)
      5. She Is Not (0:45)
      6. Late Night Shopping (2:54)
      7. How Little We Need To Be Happy (3:22)
      8. A Fire In The Forest (4:14)
    • CD 2: The Good Son Vs. The Only Daughter – The Blemish Remixes – David Sylvian
      1. The Only Daughter: Remixed by Ryoji Ikeda (5:49)
      2. Blemish: Remixed by Burnt Friedman (4:50)
      3. The Heart Knows Better: Remixed by Sweet Billy Pilgrim (5:29)
      4. A Fire In The Forest: Remixed by Readymade FC (5:05)
      5. The Good Son: Remixed by Yoshihiro Hanno (4:33)
      6. Late Night Shopping: Remixed by Burnt Friedman (2:51)
      7. How Little We Need To Be Happy: Remixed by Tatsuhiko Asano (4:35)
      8. The Only Daughter: Remixed by Jan Bang and Erik Honoré (5:28)
      9. Blemish: Remixed by Akira Rabelais (10:10)
    • CD 3 Snow Borne Sorrow – Nine Horses
      1. Wonderful World (6:02)
      2. Darkest Birds (5:03)
      3. The Banality of Evil (7:59)
      4. Atom and Cell (7:06)
      5. A History of Holes (8:02)
      6. Snow Borne Sorrow (6:23)
      7. The Day The Earth Stole Heaven (3:19)
      8. Serotonin (5:54)
      9. The Librarian (9:01)
    • CD 4: Do You Know Me Now? – David Sylvian / Ryuichi Sakamoto / Nine Horses
      1. World Citizen -Short Version (6:46)
      2. World Citizen – I Won’t Be Disappointed (6:06)
      3. World Citizen – Ryoji Ikeda remix (4:59)
      4. Money For All (4:08)
      5. Get The Hell Out (5:36)
      6. The Banality of Evil – Burnt Friedman remix (6:48)
      7. Wonderful World– Burnt Friedman remix (7:04)
      8. Birds Sing For Their Lives (7:02)
      9. Serotonin – Burnt Friedman remix (4:51)
      10. Money For All – Version (4:00)
      11. Get The Hell Out – Burnt Friedman remix (5:02)
      12. When Monday Comes Around (5:58)
      13. Do You Know Me Now? (4:20)
      14. Where’s Your Gravity? (5:37)
    • CD 5: When Loud Weather Buffeted Naoshima – David Sylvian
      1. When Loud Weather Buffeted Naoshima (70:00)
    • CD 6: Manafon – David Sylvian
      1. Small Metal Gods (5:48)
      2. The Rabbit Skinner (4:41)
      3. Random Acts of Senseless Violence (7:06)
      4. The Greatest Living Englishman (10:54)
      5. 125 Spheres (0:29)
      6. Snow White in Appalachia (6:35)
      7. Emily Dickinson (6:25)
      8. The Department of Dead Letters (2:25)
      9. Manafon (5:22)
    • CD 7: Died In The Wool – Manafon Variations – David Sylvian
      1. Small Metal Gods – Died In The Wool – Version (5:09)
      2. Died In The Wool (6:03)
      3. I Should Not Dare ( for N.O) (3:24)
      4. Random Acts of Senseless Violence – Died In The Wool version(6:24)
      5. A Certain Slant of Light ( for M.K.) (3:28)
      6. Anomaly at Taw Head (5:06)
      7. Snow White in Appalachia – Died In The Wool version (5:59)
      8. Emily Dickinson – Died In The Wool Version (3:35)
      9. The Greatest Living Englishman – Coda (3:06)
      10. Anomaly at Taw Head ( A Haunting) (3:12)
      11. Manafon – Died In The Wool version (4:05)
      12. The Last Days of December (6:16)
    • CD 8: When We Return You Won’t Recognise Us – David Sylvian
      1. When We Return You Won’t Recognise Us (18:15)
    • CD 9: Uncommon Deities – Jan Bang & Erik Honoré with David Sylvian / Sidsel Endresen / Arve Henriksen
      1. The God of Single Cell Organisms (3:37)
      2. The God of Sleeplessness (4:29)
      3. The God of Silence (4:19)
      4. The God of Smaller Gods (4:04)
      5. The God of Small Caresses (5:51)
      6. The God of Black Holes (3:57)
      7. The God of Adverbs (4:20)
      8. The Ruminative Gap (3:18)
      9.  The God of Crossroads (3:19)
      10. The God of Tiny Island (5:06)
      11. The God of Gradual Abduction (5:27)
      12. I Swallowed Earth for This (3:18)
    • CD 10: There’s A Light That Enters Houses With No Other House In Sight – David Sylvian / Franz Wright / Christian Fennesz
      1. There’s A Light That Enters Houses With No Other House In Sight (64:24)

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98 Comments

98 thoughts on “David Sylvian / samadhisound 2003-2014: Do You Know Me Now?”

  1. Hello!

    For those still interested in buying this box set,it is currently available at Danish website imusic.dk for a price of DKR 1000/£ 115

    But you better be quick…

    Kind regards,

    Henrik

  2. Only found out about this box set recently, saw 2003 -2014, and thought maybe we’ll finally have a physical release of “For the Love of Life,” but apparently not.

  3. I ordered it, even though I already have everything exceptWhen Loud Weather Buffeted Naoshima I need some kind of closure regarding Sylvian. His best work is far back in the past. You have to admire his pursuit into improvisation although none of it is pure improvisation more like sampling the improvised performances of his collaborators. Somehow I never really was into his improvisation trip and much preferred his more traditional work (although I love Blemish and later, the song he co-wrote with Dai Fujikuracalled Five Lines). Anyway, This box set comes as a conclusion since he officially retired and has not released anything new since 2016. Perfect to close the chapter.

  5. Unfortunately, there are only three tracks on this box set that I don’t have on CD – the Nine Horses B-side, When Monday Comes Around, and the Do You Know Me Now/Where’s Your Gravity single. The rest I already have (except When Loud Weather etc, Uncommon Deities and There’s a Light etc., which didn’t interest me then and don’t interest me now – I love DS’s voice, but his instrumental work never convinced me, even though I *almost* like Alchemy, the instrumental tracks on Gone to Earth and Flux + Mutability). I’ll give this one a miss. Too bad, ‘cause I’d love to get the book, but there’s no point in paying this much for just three tracks and a book.

  6. If you, like me, love his work but hate this period, try to find the Burnt Friedman & Jaki Liebezeit with David Sylvian 12″ single Out in the Sticks for its version of The Librarian. It deserves a place on all Sylvian bests ofs. It would have been good if it was included on this set, but it’s only one song. And can I nominate Scott Walker as another artist who went from the sublime to the unlistenably challenging?

    1. I feel your pain… Blemish is a much better album than I thought when I listened to it for the first time, the Nine Horses stuff is great, but Manafon is a disappointment, to say the least. As for Scott Walker, I love the numbered albums, his tracks on Nite Flights, Climate of Hunter and Tilt – yes, Tilt grew on me after listening to it for a while. But The Drift and Bish Bosch were so awful that I didn’t even listen to Soused (not a fan of Sunn O))), which made me even more suspicious of that album).

  7. Not for me. I find Blemish unlistenable and if, as others have stated, Manafon is harder to listen to, I’m pretty sure I’ll not like much of what is on offer. Last DS related thing I bought was Steve Jansen’s Slope, where he features on a track or two.

    Speaking of Jansen, he has just posted some new merch on Bandcamp, some Japan era photo prints. Not cheap at £165 each!

  8. David Sylvian is such a gloriously unique artist. He doesn’t need any so called ‘name-producer’, nor any of those tricks. He has always produced himself and, if anything, his history is one of stripping away any of those sweeteners and, as such, adding new layers of meaning and depth to his visionary soundscapes.

  9. Surely,David Sylvian has made some of the most incredible music,both as a solo artist and with the band ‘Japan’.
    Listening to the their Virgin-era album ‘Gentlemen Take Polaroids’ in the early 80’s as a young man wearing my headphones on was quite an extraordinary experience.I remember Sylvian’s voice reminded me of Bryan Ferry but then Roxy Music clearly must have had an influence on ‘Japan’ since they worked with the same producers,Steve Nye and John Punter.
    Sylvian’s first solo album ‘Brilliant Trees’ were almost dreamy jazz tunes like ‘Nostalgia’.
    ‘Gone To Earth’ still is the album I go back to again and again,a real beauty and a master piece.
    The last music I bought with Sylvian was the amazing Sakamoto/Sylvian CD-single ‘Forbidden Colours’ .
    Unfortunately,I stopped listening to Sylvian around the release of the challenging ‘Manafon’,
    I simply did not ‘get’ it.
    This box is not for me but I can understand those who would want it.
    I wonder,will he ever create new music,if so I hope he will be working with gifted artists/producers like Daniel Lanois.
    Kind regards,
    Henrik.

      1. Hello John,

        I know it seems unrealistic that Sylvian would be able to work with the likes of Lanois in regards of financial terms

        Actually,part of ‘First Day’ was recorded at Kingsway in New Orleans in ’92 but that was then

        Sylvian stopped touring long time ago because of declining health as far as I’ve read and well,has been semi-retired apart from his book and re-releases

        His albums and artwork only sell to his hardcore followers,a bit like Lloyd Cole or John Foxx

        With Sakamoto,Czukay and Hassell gone who could he turn to now if he wished to make a pop(ular) album,hmm…

        1. Tony visconti he recently did the damned and they are not loaded plus its new Jersey i think his studio is so not far from his home !

  11. Thanks for the info. I own everything in the box already, except the book. And would order this immediately for the book alone, if the price was bearable. Ordering to Finland from the official UK Sylvian store would be 209€ with 24% custom charges and that’s not including delivery. Guessing north of 250€ total. The Dutch and German stores mentioned here is 165€, so that would be something like 210€ with delivery, I guess. Too expensive for me.

    1. Hi Tuomo, I’m just considering options for myself. I have found the udiscover shop (official shop from Universal Records Germany) and they ship to all parts of Europe – Finland is 14.95 Euro. As Finland is part of the EU, no further taxes or import duties should apply.
      uDiscover Germany – Official Store – Versand (udiscover-music.de)
      Maybe this helps!
      ..as I type this I’m seeing that Bravado shipping is even cheaper to Finland: 9.95.
      Bravado – Versand

      Total for you comes to 176 Euro then which is a much fairer offer.

  12. His box have always lacked the rarity of songs and emphasized only the art design.
    Weathebox was so like that…

    There are many collaborate songs that recorded in Samadhisound years and that not included in his albums.

    In addition, The songs played that at live only :
    Blue Skinned Gods/ Wasn’t I Joe?/ It’ll Never Happen Again

    Live materials :
    Fire In The Forest tour 2003-2004 /It had been broadcasted only in Japanese TV.
    The World Is Everything tour 2007
    Punkt Festival 2011
    The Kilowatt Hour 2013

    The promotion videos for Samadhisound year

    No matter how much he dislikes the official release of outtakes, why doesn’t he include the above material in this box as surprise?
    Everything is wrong.

  13. This music would deserve a High-Res release, i.e. SACD oder BD-Audio, even more with this price tag.
    I wonder why it is not done. License fees?
    Because from a BD or SACD, people would expect surround sound?

    1. Given that all of it has been released on David’s Samandi Sound label (at least all the solo and Nine Horses material), licensing shouldn’t be an issue at all.

      1. True. But I was referring to the license costs to be paid to Sony for a Blu-ray or SACD release, since they are proprietary formats.
        I read these costs are considerable, at least in the case of Blu-ray.

    2. I can think of a couple of reasons:

      1/ David Sylvian is essentially a niche artist now, which means there wouldn’t be enough of an audience for Universal to consider a more extensive package—I’m actually surprised they’re willing to put out a 10-disc set at all, even as a limited edition.

      2/ With the possible exception of When Loud Weather Buffeted Naoshima (which is meant to be heard in a specific environment, which itself would provide an immersive experience), I suspect Sylvian would balk at surround mixes, considering them to be gimmicky. (I would agree.) Clearly, he’s willing to tinker with his back catalogue when he deems it necessary (as with the new vocals and remixes on Everything and Nothing and Camphor, and the remixed edition of Plight and Premonition), but surround is probably where he draws the line.

      1. I can’t afford it anyway, but I would be disappointed if such a lavish box set offers only old-school 16/44.1 CD audio (a digital format from 1982). How much does it cost to develop a box set like that? Would the money not be better spent for a fine 24 bit remaster?
        Even if it means to skimp a little bit on the book and packaging.

  14. My favourite artists for decades now. So lucky to have seen the ‘Everything & Nothing’ show on both nights in the early 2000s at Hammersmith Odeon, and then the ‘Blemish’ gig at the Queen Elizabeth Hall a few years later.
     
    Heart skipped a beat, but as the dust settled, i realised I have nearly all of this, and as others have said, there’s a fair amount I don’t play. Loved ‘Blemish’ but found ‘Manafon’ very hard work. I also have the lovely collected lyrics book from a few years back, ‘Hypergrahia’, over 600 pages, with lyric/images from 1980-2015. Very likely a fair crossover of material with the new book.
     
    It’s a shame he didn’t do more justice to those recent remasters. ‘Gone to Earth’ is my fav album of all time, and surely deserved a better mastering, 5.1 mix etc. Absolute classic.
     
    Another which has been criminally neglected is of course the incredible ‘First Day’ album with Robert Fripp. The sonics on that album are breathtaking, as of course Fripp lets loose on every track, and with David’s vocals and Trey Gunn on stick and bass and Jerry Marotta on drums, it is of course a classic. I asked David about this on Facebook a couple of years or so ago (back when he accepted comments), and he surprisingly answered, “ask Robert. It’s in his court”. So if your reading this Steve Wilson, do your magic on this and the accompanying live album.

      1. I think all of the Virgin-era material does. The 2003 remasters weren’t horrible, but they could have done a better job of preserving the dynamic range of the originals.

        1. My point was that the original release was a very good recording and mastering and didn’t need a “remaster”. An inadequate job in 2003 should command its retraction rather than a re-remaster.
          You don’t have to gild a Lily.

          1. Agreed—although a 96/24 remaster from the original analogue masters (without the added compression/limiting and EQ/saturation that is so common these days) would be a good thing, since the original CD editions would have been mastered at 44.1/16. Universal Japan did that with the Culture Club albums, so I’m sure they could easily do that with the Japan catalogue.

      2. I’ve always found the original mastering on all of Sylvian’s Virgin era releases to be pretty exceptional – no more so than on ‘Gone to Earth’ and ‘Secrets of The Beehive’. I like your comment below: ‘you don’t have to gild a lily’. Given the sound of too many remasters I’d only add: ‘let alone strip away some of its petals’.

    2. Yes, somehow ownership of The First Day and Damage rests with Robert Fripp. (Makes me wonder if perhaps the Sylvian/Fripp material was a separate deal from Sylvian’s contract with Virgin.) Given the quality and expanse of the King Crimson and Fripp box sets, that may bode well for the future.

      2. I read around that time that the two gentlemen had a falling out over the Damage live album. Hence there are two versions of Damage with slightly different track listing. I wouldn’t hold my breath.

  15. Sylvian was the anthem to a very important phase of my life. My ex-gf (“Alex”), at some point to be my wife, introduced me to his music and it formed the music of our relationship. She left me two weeks after I proposed to her and I haven’t seen her since. It has been 28 years. It took me 14 years to recover and to a degree, I still haven’t.

    Sylvian taught me what it means to feel music deep in your soul and how artists can span genres with ease. He was also the one who introduced me to Fripp (leading into the rabbit hole of KC), Trey Gunn (the Warr guitar saga with Chapman Stick people – I own a Stick), Holger Czukay (Can) and so many other artists. Obviously, I own the Weather Box and cherished it like no other.

    For a while I couldn’t listen to Sylvian as it rubbed salt into a lot of wounds. It reminded me of Alex too much but the beauty of it was too tempting and often a source of tears, of sorrow and beauty. How can one not be moved by Before the Bullfight, Silver Moon, Silver Moon Over Sleeping Steeples or so many others? The transition that he made came years after my split as Dead Bees… was similar to the previous work but when the improv stage set in, I felt like he left me too. I simply could not “feel” Blemish as there were no “songs” (in MY opinion and I know this will rub some the wrong way) and as stated by some below, a lot of noise. Then came the remixes and variants and I wondered how you can remix an improv track? Does that make it an improv of an improv and what does it then even mean? It didn’t get better as I could not subscribe to his “musical innovation”.

    I couldn’t listen to Sylvian for a while cause it broke my heart and after his transition, I couldn’t listen to because it broke my heart as he left me too.

    I know it’s a sappy story which may or may not be what this forum usually commands but maybe, just maybe, someone else cried listening to his music like I did, and can’t anymore.

    Have a great weekend everybody and thank you for being such a good collective. Thank you Paul for your work and reminding me of him again.

    1. Nice. I know how his music can affect you. ‘Before the Bullfight’ is my favourite Sylvian track, and the introduction coming off ‘Laughter and Forgetting’ is just incredible. When he finally drops the “ I hear you voice”, it’s just heart wrenching.

    2. Did you get the ring back or did it end up in Ramsdens??
      I’ve been engaged more times than a toilet greeny,time to get another bird you where too good for Alex, you have a great weekend too

  16. As I live in Italy I got it from Universal, 165 EURO, free express delivery, which I believe it’s a good deal.
    Although I like David Sylvian a lot I don’t have many of this boxset releases, but I expect that the real treasure here will be the 100 pages book.
    It seems a very well curated artifact all together and I’m sure once this will be out of print its value will increase significantly.
    I can understand a lot of the criticisms here, David Sylvian music can be difficult to like or even unlistenable to some ears, but I think that part of the pleasure in listening music is often to try hard in finding the key to like it, especially when it does not sound like what I’d normally enjoy.
    It worked with many records I initially found hard to listen through and then become precious to me.

  17. FANS ARE NOT HAPPY ABOUT THE SCALPING LIKE PRICE OF THIS SET IN UK; WHEREAS IT WAS AVAILABLE FOR 86 EUROS UNTIL RECENTLY WHEN IT WAS REPRICED AND PUT UP ON UNIVERSAL MUSIC ITALY AND THEN ON A DUTCH SITE TOO. WHO NEEDS ALL THIS MONEY THEY MAKE? A 10 CD BOX SET CAN EASILY BE SOLD AT 50-70 POUNDS. DISAPPOINTING. OFF PUTTING.

    1. Why are you writing in capital letters? Those Euro prices were an error and have now been corrected so they are consistent with the UK.

      1. Those European sites (at least the German one) took our money upfront so hopefully they will honour the orders. The price was approx 90€ (plus shipping) so it did not appear to be totally extravagant for a 10cd box (there are similar boxes within this price range) to customers that were not aware of the UK prices. Will not go into the debate of what is the correct price or whether this is a luxury item or not. As a music buyer I would prefer that those were widely distributed rather than within this direct to consumer formula. I hope this does not become the rule as it sounds like one last nail in the coffin of brick and mortar shops. Looking forward to the set as I do not own any of the records of this phase.

          1. Udiscover Germany have honored the lower prices that they initially offered for this box, at least for me. Hope all others who ordered at the lower price point also got their boxes.

  18. Looks like the cheaper prices have gone. Both Platenzaak and Universal are now over €160 which forces my decision to pass. I have and love the Weatherbox – the painted jewel cases are beautiful. But I have not kept up with Sylvian or his music, and with some off-putting comments from people who love his earlier work, this squarely falls into the category of a lot of money for something I am not familiar which I am trying to avoid. Looks beautiful but I don’t need a beautiful boxed set gathering dust on the shelf after being played once. And I’ll resist the potential profit to be made from resale.

  19. As an avid fan of Japan I lost interest when David Sylvian went into his navel gazing period and was producing 16 minutes of noise.

    That’s is not to say it isn’t art but it’s difficult when a loved artists tastes change quite dramatically leaving you behind. See also Talk Talk…

    Oh how I want to like this.

    1. Talk Talk’s transition was certainly fast but was hinted at in The Colour of Spring (arguably their best album). There is a beauty in Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock that still appeals to me. But I have not listened to any Sylvian since Camphor. Like you, I want to like this but can’t justify the cost, the space it would take up, nor the time it would take to get to like it, even if I was able to like it.

    2. I don’t believe you can try hard and succeed in “getting” some music. Only really basing this on listening to Blemish. Must have listened at least 3 times. Which I think is enough.

      Curiously the exception to the rule is the Mark Hollis solo album which took several listens then clicked but I never disliked it initially as much as Blemish which didn’t improve for me

  20. For a while there it was looking as if he’d almost entirely abandoned the CD format with his reissues programme, which was frustrating. But now this more than makes amends. A really beautiful looking set – and as I had most of the contents as downloads only… immediate purchase.

    Thanks for the heads up, Paul.

  21. I don’t think I’d heard any David Sylvian music for at least 30 years, so obviously this isn’t aimed at me, however the number of hard core fans on here describing some of this as unlistenable has piqued my interest somewhat, to the point where I’m now 8 minutes into streaming Blemish and quite enjoying it.

  24. A must have, although I have everything allready. It looks gorgeous and only 86 euro’s [platenzaak.nl]. I was thinking this would be more like 300…

  25. Ordered at platenzaak.nl, including shipment only €92,95, that’s less then half when ordered at samadhi webshop (approx €170, excl. €50+ VAT/taxes)! Especially when you’re living outside the UK.

    1. You’re in for a treat. This is a more challenging second phase, but you’re best in my opinion starting with the ‘Victim of Stars’ compilation, chronologically covering 82-2012. This should give u an idea of what albums to look into first. Another great compilation is ‘Sleepwalkers’, showcasing collaborations during the 2000s. An eclectic array of quality recordings.

    2. You need to check out Japan first which he fronted, Dave is one of those artists where I like Japan but find his solo material (outside the Tweaker guest slot) a bit too eclectic. Weirdly other artists from that period like John Foxx it’s the absolute opposite where prefer John’s solo material to his time in Ultravox. An Ure man on that front. Although then ironically prefer Ure’s stint in ‘vox to his solo stuff.

    1. It does look like one of those human tweezer fingers required like the last Simple Minds deluxe release.
      Direction of the Heart? Direction of the scuff marks Jim!

  29. Order , order …ordered!!. Took me 3 minutes to decide. I have’nt got half of it so it makes it more of an incentive & in that format & book, silly not to, especially after missing out on the “Weatherbox” box.

    Somehow, one of my most listened to Artists of the last 40 years yet also fustrating in an equal amount. Very few have the integrity of Mr Sylvian & If I did’nt click to buy, I would’ve regretted it for sure.

    Probably my most exciting music purchase of the year!!

    However, is this the end, or is there more to come from him?

    1. I suspect Scritti Politti will come out with a new album before David Sylvian even starts to think about releasing new music again…

  30. Like many other Sylvian fans I have a lot of this material already. Like many others I think the artwork is gorgeous and I want it. Haven’t quite pulled the trigger yet but am VERY tempted.

  31. It’s a lovely looking book but (and there’s always a but) I have most if not all of this music already, plus tour books, boxes etc. with a lot of that aforementioned artwork.

    The reason I’m not 100% sure without checking is that apart from Nine Horses, the Blemish songs that don’t have Derek Bailey on and the Blemish remixes album I actually play very little from this era regularly, despite being a close to obsessive fan of the rest of his work.

    One track that I do play a lot that appears to be missing is the Chris Vrenna / Tweaker remix of Late Night Shopping. It was available on download for a short while and I’d love a lossless version as (for me at least) it’s the best remix from those sessions.

    1. Wow, I was thinking the same thing, that mix of late night shopping has never appeared anywhere else, there was an alternate remix on a causes compilation, but yes, that “lost” download version is one of his best.

  32. My favourite artist of all time but I can’t stand anything he did in this period except for Nine Horses. But I already own everything here at least once and of course I ordered it immediately without thinking!

  33. You can buy it outside the David Sylvian shop at platenzaak.nl or thesoundofvinyl.com . With better shipping options, but without the autograph by Chris Bigg.

  34. One of my favourite artists. I have about 50% of it already but the book looks interesting so I will be buying. It’s expensive but these releases never come down in price and will probably be out of print soon so it’s a case of now, or pay an exorbitant amount for it in the future. As we’re on the subject of DS, Gone To Earth would make a fantastic SDE atmos blu-ray release. Unlikely I know but we can dream.

  35. While surely not my favorite Sylvian era, and despite a price tag on the higher end of the spectrum for such things, I preordered regardless. His samadhisound work is certainly controversial & not all of it is anywhere as gripping as his prior material, though I do applaud him for taking chances, experimenting, and seeking new avenues of expression. For me, although I own most if not all the albums in the box, it is indeed a work of art to own, as is the earlier Weatherbox, which is still one of my most cherished sets. Art rock/music indeed.

  36. although i know really nothing about david sylvian…i must say, the art on this looks exquisite…i want to buy it just for that…well done…and from the poll, it looks like this is an amazing edition for those who love him, so congratulations on that

  39. Even though I already have most of the content, this looks fantastic. Reminds me of saving like mad for Weatherbox back in 1990.

    Then my heart sank when I saw it was D2C. So much hassle since Brexit. Additional customs charges, risk of package being returned etc.

  40. This is fantastic – have the ‘Weather box’ back from 1989 which had already great artwork (covering the 80s works).
    This announced book + CDs is a stunning object (box size + the photographs from Ruud van Empel who is one of the best photographer in the world, already in charge of the cover for the Manafon album).
    Price is a bit high but you have at the end a “piece of art” which is generally not the case with these types of boxes.
    Ordered immediately, very easy to navigate.
    I bet it will a highly searched collector piece in few years.
    By far, the most exciting 2023 box set. It will be difficult to do better!

  41. It goes without saying this is clearly aimed at hardcore fans really, so the price alone is enough to steer me well clear. Does look lovely though. Something like this from the Vangelis Estate would have me buying in a heartbeat.

      1. Oh yes, and naturally I have that. I’m just saying if the Estate did similarly extravagant deluxe releases of Vangelis’ unreleased work/ expanded soundtracks, no price would dissuade me, so I can understand those who buy this set, even those fans who already own much of or all of the music on cd.

  43. Crazy money at £145 – they must value that book at around £70 – just like the Prince Estate when it released the SOTT Deluxe set with the terrible book in it. Hard pass

      1. Terrible indeed, of overinflated worth in the set. Alright if it was free, but not the ridiculous price mark up it commanded because of it’s existence.

        It could have been a mix of a scrapbook type celebration of everything surrounding the SOTT era, like that from the excellent book by Per Nilsen from back in the day, or maybe even more recent excellent work by Duane Tudahl on the notes.

        What you get at the back of the book, that was a lot like the 1999 “booklet”, was good, but the rest of it that made up the bulk of the book? I got to read what Lenny Kravitz and Dave Chappelle thought of it (thanks?) and then 44 pages of photos by  Jeff Katz – of which were pictures that were either out of focus, or of Prince looking bored or looking in the wrong direction. All of the photos should have remained on the cutting room floor (I’m sure Prince himself would never have authorised them) – but instead it added as a £50 extra barrier to access the music that sat inside.

        It was well constructed and made, but ultimately fluff and boring. I bet no one has bothered to flick back through it more than once or twice.

  44. It’s a very visually appealing set, I have everything on there save for one singles b side and in this economy can’t justify the price to double dip on all that for the sake of a book.

  45. A box set compiling the worst period of Sylvian’s career? No, thank you. (Although I did enjoy Nine Horses.) At least the packaging looks beautiful.

  46. Looks like a beautiful box and from the albums I have heard it contains some challenging – and yet ultimately rewarding – music. However feels too expensive to me.

  47. Oh!
    No.
    Jumped when I saw the email then my heart sank.
    Although the Nine Horses album was a return to form (in my opinion) – so much of Blemish and (even more) of Manafon was quite unlistenable – and the remixes not much better. I gave up after Manafon yet he’d been a favourite for many years. All his stuff – Japan and after – up to Dead Bees / Everything and Nothing / Camphor – was tremendous. Brilliant Trees – Secrets of the Beehive – and especially Gone to Earth – bloody gorgeous and remarkable.
    Don’t know what I was expecting ……. will pass on this.

  48. Like everything that David does it seems to ouse quality and considerations, he has published some demos on Soundcloud and was hoping for those. It’s also priced very highly really – and also maybe I’m having a senior moment but I don’t recognise

    CD 8: When We Return You Won’t Recognise Us – David Sylvian

  50. What a shocking waste of money for someone who already has most of this and doesn’t even like some of it. But of course I ordered it immediately.

    1. You hit the nail on the head. 200 bucks for albums already owned, some twice over, some not much liked. Yet ordered within seconds.

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