Unreleased Secrets Of The Beehive Material

[Nicrobliz]

Many years ago, I read a DS interview where he claimed that SOTB was never completed the way he envisioned (due to budgetary constraints) and that many tracks were too unfinished to make it onto the final tracklisting. Now, we all know about Promise, Ride and Blue of Noon but does anyone know if there are possibly other tracks in the vaults? Any possible working titles?

I'm sorry if this has been discussed before. If it has, I'd appreciate being directed to the relevant thread as I've been meaning to get down to the bottom of this for quite some time.

[karnsculpture]

I don't know of anything else that was written for the sessions.

"Blue Of Noon" was intended to be in "Brilliant Trees". It was mentioned by Steve back in '85 and then footage of Sakamoto playing it during the BT sessions was shown on "The Secrets Of Japan" MTV documentary.

[Nicrobliz]

"Blue Of Noon" was intended to be in "Brilliant Trees". It was mentioned by Steve back in '85 and then footage of Sakamoto playing it during the BT sessions was shown on "The Secrets Of Japan" MTV documentary.

My bad! I can never remember that fact because it sounds closer in spirit to SOTB than BT, no matter how many times I'm reminded of this!

[Chet]

Great topic Nicrobliz.
but no, i guess there are no other songs than the ones mentioned, well there is the instrumental version of Promise, and some edited versions for radio. So sad for Ride, it is such a beautiful song, and is so much better in the SOTB demo version than what appeared on E&N.

[Nicrobliz]

Well, I've been trying to locate the original source from where I first came across this claim by DS...

It's in issue 22 of the Bamboo fanzine, from Autumn 1989. There's a DS interview taken from the (then relatively new) French magazine 'Les Inrockuptibles', published in 1987, just after the release of SOTB.

While on the subject of SOTB, DS stated:

"The songs have been written in the last three months of 1986. That's why they reflect more this period than the one in which they were recorded. In my opinion, the best songs are not on the LP. I said before, that the album had been taken away from me, just as the one before, by the record company. Several titles weren't finished. I hope I'll be able to put them on another record."

[Nicrobliz]

Chet, I completely agree with you about Ride. Btw, is there a full version of the demo floating around? I've only heard a version that consists of a looped segment of the demo track.

[billster]

There are at least two other songs from this period ; 'I am with you' and 'Lilith'.

he played them at Soundchecks on the @Shamans' tour and I have heard very distant, vague, muddy recordings of both from this source.

[Nicrobliz]

There are at least two other songs from this period ; 'I am with you' and 'Lilith'.

he played them at Soundchecks on the @Shamans' tour and I have heard very distant, vague, muddy recordings of both from this source.

Great! That's a start. And your opinion of them (if it's possible)?

[billster]

Both were ballads.

Lilith was slower, maybe similiar to 'promise'. (The lyrics are in trophies, I think).

'I am with you' was more rhythmic, sexier and even heard vaguely, quite catchy. Bit like 'Ride'?

he's never been one to release half finished/demo stuff has he?

never done any radio sessions either, even in the japan days.

[swordofdestiny]

I have tapes of the soundchecks from the Wiltern Theater in Berkeley CA and also Newcastle from the Shamans tour. The lyrics to one features lines about "black coffee cup stains" and "the holy blood of saints and sheep" which I believe was the working title of "Secrets of the Beehive". Correct me if I am wrong. It is hard to discern quality from soundchecks when he is basically playing guitar solo to get levels right.

[humanracer]

the holy blood of saints and sheep was the working title of the song Wave. It was also probably the original name of either Gone To Earth and/or Alchemy.
I think sometimes you have to take what DS and other arists say with a pinch of salt. "we left the best songs off the album" is a very cliched thing to say. Gone To Earth was a double album so I can't believe Sylvian could not have substituted a few songs for the ones he felt were superior. Also I think what DS considers good might not be what the fans consider worth hearing.

[billster]

i think, esp with DS that it's more about what works in context.

its not about 'better or worse' but what works.

maybe this is why 'Some kind of fool 'was replaced by 'burning bridges' at the last minute.

The former being a much 'better' song IMHO but not contributing to the overall feel of GTP as much as BB does?

[karnsculpture]

This page has a bit more on "Lying With You" (I am with you as mentioned earlier in the thread). It includes 3 interpretations of what the lyric might be. I think a combination of all of them is probably correct, if you read the page you'll get what I mean:

http://www.davidsylvian.net/releases/tr ... h-you.html

[Simonp]

thanks for the link Paul. Hadn't heard that track before. It's a rather nice lyric too. Not sure how it wouldve worked as part of SOTB if he had included it though?

Simon

[Chet]

wow, thanks, amazing, had not heard that before... very very beautiful indeed...