Saints & Sheep

From Brilliant Trees through Died In The Wool...

Saints & Sheep

Postby silentwings on Sun Aug 23, 2015 2:39 am

Over on Tumblr Steve Jansen has been answering questions and this one about Blue of Noon elicited some information about the track with the working title 'Saints & Sheep'. I was aware of this track but not the players on it. It is particularly poignant to read this after the recent death of John Taylor. (Thanks to wewalkbackwards for asking the question)

wewalkbackwards said
Hi Steve, I'd like to ask about the Sylvian track 'Blue Of Noon' which is, in my opinion, a bit of a hidden gem and features, perhaps, your 'jazziest' performance. Was it recorded during the Berlin sessions and was it a live ensemble take or was it tracked? Any other reminiscences about the recording would be lovely to hear, thanks.

sleepyard:
Was I even aware that track had been released? Yes it was recorded in Berlin during Brilliant Trees. It was a live recording, we played the track a number of times and this was the best take. Wayne (bass) may have dropped in for a line here or there once the drums and piano were recorded. I have this track on a cassette tape along with another, possibly jazzier track that had the working title ‘saints and sheep’ which again was a live performance with myself, John Taylor (the pianist from Gone To Earth .. it was from those sessions, he plays on Laughter & Forgetting, a brilliant player), and Danny Thompson on upright bass. I was really pleased with the interplay between us but I guess it didn’t suit the album. I’m not sure if it’s ever been released under another name … I don’t think so.
“Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion.” att to Jack Kerouac
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Re: Saints & Sheep

Postby karnsculpture on Sun Aug 23, 2015 4:00 am

"The Holy Blood of Saints and Sheep" was a proposed album title in '85, prior to "Alchemy" but it seems DS was already working on material for "Gone To Earth" at that time.
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Re: Saints & Sheep

Postby silentwings on Sun Aug 23, 2015 6:39 am

Thanks karnsculpture. Of course the line is from the poem/unreleased song lyric 'Lilith' which Trophies places within the Gone to Earth section:

'See us rise on a will to power
While others still sleep
A forest in full flower
Where every river runs deep
The holy blood of saints and sheep'

I must say I'd very much like to hear this track - Steve's drums, Danny Thompson's double bass, John Taylor's piano - and perhaps even a Sylvian vocal of the above... ...sounds incredible
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