Brilliant Trees

In August 1983 Sylvian was ready to record his first solo album, Brilliant Trees, at Hansa Studios in Berlin. The cast of collaborators included Sakamoto, Holger Czukay - idiosyncratic bassist with the German avant garde rock band Can - as well as two pioneering trumpet players from the experimental fringes of the jazz world, Jon Hassell and Kenny Wheeler. An element of continuity was provided by two of Sylvian's former Japan colleagues, drummer Steve Jansen and keyboard player Richard Barbieri. The poetic strength of Sylvian's lyrics and vocals was matched on these recordings by innovative arrangements which at one point featured Czukay on an IBM Dictaphone. Released in June 1984, Brilliant Trees went straight into the UK chart at number 4.

Packaging
6 panel digipak, 5th colour gold / metallic colour used on box and CD body. Previously unseen photos from Berlin recording session and Chamonix. Non-standard grey gloss CD tray.
 Tracklisting
1. Pulling Punches
2. The Ink In The Well
3. Nostalgia
4. Red Guitar
5. Weathered Wall
6. Backwaters
7. Brilliant Trees
Interview

'Brilliant Trees' was your first album as a solo artist; did you have any specific intention with this album when you made it originally?
DS: Well I think I realised working with the band for so many years, there I was writing new material and not really know where I was heading with it in the sense that I didn't know who would be performing the material with me. And I was kinda low to get into that right of working with session musicians because, although a confident session musician will give you what you're looking for they won't necessarily give you anything of themselves in the process. It's like a real commitment in the performance which is something you're used to having when you're working with a group, everybody's 100 percent committed to the outcome. So while I was arranging the material I started hearing certain voices, certain sounds, you know, making references between a particular composition and a body of work by another given artist and that's when I came up with the notion to invite these named artists to be a part of the recording process to see if they too could make connection between their work and the given composition that I was working on. And when, in truth the first time that I used that approach, we all convened in a small studio in Berlin which was foreign territory for all of us it was the first time we ever met or spoke to one another. It was quite an adventure; it was a very exciting time. And a lot of those relationships have grown into collaborations, went on to other projects, so it was a very important turning point for me, if you like, after working with the band for many years it was a really good clear first step.

Did you miss them?
DS: The band? (pause) Well my brother was still playing on the album so a couple of the guys from the band ended up on the album on certain tracks so we were still together, still working together. But it was nice that the role was clearly defined, it was my album and I had total control of the direction of the work and that was very gratifying, you know, there was no conflict there as a result.

I read somewhere that it was the case that was maybe the turning point in your head about maybe going in a solo direction, is that true?
DS: It was one of the contributing factors that led to the break-up of the group, yeah; just because that was an area of composition that fascinated me that I wanted to pursue to a greater extent but it wasn't necessarily an area that the band as a whole were interested in pursuing. It was always a bit of an issue coming into rehearsal and think that kind of material and the response was never that edifying. I felt that if I was gonna go down that route, down that path it would be better to do it alone. The material was that personal that it often felt that band would be the wrong context to explore that kind of material in.

How do you feel about the success of that album, it was very successful, going in at number four?
DS: The critical response to it was fantastic; the initial response from the public was good. I was aware that a lot of people were buying into it on the back of Japan's material, that's all they had to go by and also very aware that a lot of people would come to 'Brilliant Trees' and be somewhat put out, you know, not really understand where I'd gone and that was only natural and it wasn't as accessible as the material I had created with Japan. Although I was pleased by the initial response to the record, commercially, I knew it couldn't be sustained. I knew it would be very unlikely that it would sustain that level of commercial success.

Has that ever bothered you? The fact that life's guesses come to a choice that you make, so that know you that this is going to alienate some people, you do that willingly do you?
DS: You're in service of the work really. You do your best to create a strong piece of music and you're not too worried about the numbers involved in terms of how many people are going to be able to relate to the work. It's an act of communication so that it is important that it communicates but it may only communicate on a small scale, comparatively small scale. You have to just accept that, embrace that. The important thing is to do the work justice.

Is there any favourite track on that particular album?
DS: I stood close to a track called 'Weathered Wall' from that record, yeah, it felt like it came someways with the arrangement of the pieces to quite an unusual arrangement it also incorporates performances by John Hassell. It's really quite something in that context.

How did you hook up with Holger , was he the German guy?
DS: Yeah.

How did that come about?
DS: Someway as all the connections were made I just asked if they'd be willing to come to the studio in Berlin and participate. And everybody I asked said yes. This is the funny thing. I think people are afraid to ask these musicians to be involved in projects because they just anticipate being turned down and I know now from my position that there are young artists that hesitate before contacting me thinking they're immediately gonna be turned down. But the truth is that I think people in my position don't get approached often enough.

Have you ever been approached then?
DS: Oh absolutely yeah, for sure. And it's always wonderful and more often that not I'd take the project on whatever it is. I know that to be true of people like John and Holger, often these people have enormous respect from other musicians, can find themselves isolated somewhat because they're not invited to participate in projects, I think, just on the premise that it's just not a possibility, it would never happen.

A bit like the good looking girl who never gets the bloke she's standing there in the corner going 'why won't anyone ask me'. Because you're far too beautiful!
DS: (laughs)