Liam Carey reviews

REMASTER, RE-ISSUE, REPACKAGE Virgin Records continue to extract maximum dividends from their back catalogue, as they turn their attentions to remastering early 80s mood merchants Japan and their enigmatic frontman David Sylvian. 1981's breakthrough Tin Drum, wherein Sylvian, Jansen, Karn and Barbieri honed their particular brand of artful pop that drew heavily on ambient, Oriental influences, remains the definitive Japan release. It gets the full extra disc treatment, but it's sadly the exception in this batch of overpriced reissues. The live set from 1982, Oil On Canvas, was their swansong coming just a matter of months prior to Sylvian embarking on a memorable solo career. Brilliant Trees (1984), Gone To Earth (1986) and Secrets Of The Beehive (1987) still represent a stunning triple whammy, these three studio albums containing some of the most ethereally gorgeous music of the last 20 years. The Ink In The Well and Top 20 hit Red Guitar are the highlights on Brilliant Trees, which despite the existence of several non-album recordings from the time now boasts just one bonus track. The double-set which followed two years later, Gone To Earth, is finally available in its entirety on CD. Split into vocal and instrumental halves, the existing single CD version omitted four of the dreamy soundscapes due to lack of space. Always the most underrated of Sylvian's albums, the likes of Silver Moon, Wave and the epic Before The Bullfight stand comparison with the very best of his output. In-between Brilliant Trees and Gone To Earth came an E.P., Words With The Shaman, originally only released on 12" and cassette. Its contents were combined with various B-sides from the era for Alchemy, a compilation now finally given a release on CD in this country. Secrets Of The Beehive is arguably Sylvian's most consistent and concise record, 40 minutes of masterful songwriting and deeply evocative music. Sadly, this new incarnation misses a golden opportunity to add the available non-album material from 1987 and 1988, and even removes Forbidden Colours for good measure (apparently due to copyright issues surrounding the song, which also saw its absence from the Sylvian Best-Of Everything & Nothing three years ago). Granted, the remastering jobs all improve the sound quality, but the lack of supplementary content on the solo Sylvian titles coupled with the high pricepoints sour what ought to be a celebratory event. Shame. For more info on each title, click on the following links: Alchemy Brilliant Trees Gone to Earth Secrets of the Beehive

DEATH OF A WALLFLOWER Once upon a time, there was a kooky young blonde singer-songwriter named Jewel Kilcher who disarmed most of the Western world with her sensitive poetry and beguiling way with a melody. Her 1995 debut Pieces Of You sold in remarkable quantities, especially throughout America and Australia. Subsequent albums Spirit (1998) and This Way (2001) did reasonably well without ever emulating that first record. Nothing, however, prepared anyone for her rebirth as a sassy pop diva in 2003. Performing onstage with Beyonce Knowles - in similar apparel to the most famous arse-wiggling star currently on the planet - at an awards ceremony earlier this year, Jewel made her intentions perfectly clear, and 0304 - released last week in the U.K. - is a significant departure from her previous efforts. Intuition, the near-miss single which trailed the album, is virtually unrecognisable as the work of the same woman who made You Were Meant For Me, Who Will Save Your Soul et al. Which may or may not be a bad thing, depending on your musical preferences and personal views about the general dumbing-down and, er, sexing-up of music (and pop in particular) over the last 18 months or so.

ENJOY THE SILENCE No such worries when it comes to Starsailor, of course. The band who came from nowhere in early 2001 to end the year with a platinum-selling debut album (Love Is Here) and a clutch of Top 30 hits (Fever, Good Souls, Alcoholic, Lullaby) are back. And, on the strength of their immediately appealing new single Silence Is Easy, it's very much as you were for the Wigan-based outfit. Upbeat and hook-laden, the track is in the mould of Good Souls rather than the melancholic (some would say morose) likes of Alcoholic. With a #9 chart debut on Sunday, it has also given the band their biggest hit to date.

FUTURE SOUNDS The best music on the horizon: CHEMICAL BROTHERS - THE BEST OF: Eight years on from first album Exit Planet Dust, it's greatest hits time for the Chemical Brothers. Best Of 1993-2003 features all the stuff you'd want and expect from a collection of highlights from the Chemicals' catalogue, and is released on September 22nd.

DAVID BOWIE - REALITY: By now, it would understandable if David Bowie were to slow down a little and, like the rest of his peers, emerge every few years with some fresh product to flog. Yet, just a year after the superb and well-received Heathen (it even got a Mercury Prize nomination, for whatever that's worth) here comes another new album. Reality is out next week.

Page Content copyright © Liam Carey, 2003.

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The following is a list of Liam's Liner Notes online :

Volume 22: December 17th 2003
Volume 21: December 3rd 2003
Volume 20: November 5th 2003
Volume 19: October 22nd 2003
Volume 18: October 8th 2003
Volume 17: September 24th 2003
Volume 16: September 10th 2003
Volume 15: August 27th 2003
Volume 14: August 13th 2003
Volume 13: July 30th 2003
Volume 12: July 9th 2003
Volume 11: June 25th 2003
Volume 10: June 11th 2003
Volume 9: May 28th 2003
Volume 8: May 14th 2003
Volume 7: April 30th 2003
Volume 6: April 16th 2003
Volume 5: April 2nd 2003
Volume 4: March 19th 2003
Volume 3: March 5th 2003
Volume 2: February 19th 2003
Volume 1: February 5th 2003

DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.

PC games reviewed by the editor are on: