| Camphor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 27 May 2002 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, ambient, world music | |||
| Label | Venture/Virgin | |||
| Producer | David Sylvian | |||
| David Sylvian chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
| Pitchfork | 6.6/10 [3] |
Camphor is a David Sylvian compilation album released in 2002 as a companion to Everything and Nothing . The focus is on his instrumental work. [4]
Both "Camphor" and "The Song Which Gives the Key to Perfection" were originally released on the bonus CD included with Everything and Nothing tour book. [5]
In "The Song Which Gives the Key to Perfection" Sylvian sings a chapter from a Hindu holy text, sung in the original Sanskrit from the Chandi Path.
Various tracks appear either remixed [6] or in shortened versions: "Wave" has been cut to the last segment of the original song which omits the vocal parts. New original sounds orchestrated by Simon Jeffes were added. "Mother and Child (remix)" has the vocal part played instead by a trumpet and the music was sampled and remixed by Jan Bang and Erik Honoré. "Upon This Earth" is shorter. The first two minutes were cut, so Robert Frost poem "The Foreboding" is no longer heard and pitch is changed. [7]
It was released in two versions, a standard single disc jewel case (CDVE 962) and a limited edition 2CD digipak (CDVEX 962).
Disc one:
Exclusively about the unreleased or re-recorded tracks.
"The Healing Place" and "Answered Prayers" are both mastered improperly in two ways: they were 44,100 Hz recordings that were mistakenly played back during mastering at 48,000 Hz; their waveforms are inverted, though the channel assignments are correct. Upon playing they appear to be shorter (4:52.173 vs. 5:18.074 for The Healing Place and 2:45.426 vs 3:00.137 for Answered Prayers) and play as if in a different key. The recordings can be fixed by upsampling Camphor's versions to 48,000 Hz then setting the resulting file's sample rate to 44,100 Hz then inverting the sample data. This would result in essentially the same files as would be found on the remastered version of "Gone To Earth".
Robert Fripp is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session musician and collaborator, notably with David Bowie, Blondie, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Daryl Hall, the Roches, Talking Heads, and David Sylvian. He also composed the startup sound of Windows Vista, in collaboration with Tucker Martine and Steve Ball. His discography includes contributions to more than 700 official releases.
David Sylvian is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan. The band's androgynous look and increasingly electronic sound made them an important influence on the UK's early-1980s new wave scene.
The Penguin Cafe Orchestra (PCO) were an avant-pop band led by English guitarist Simon Jeffes. Co-founded with cellist Helen Liebmann, the band toured extensively during the 1980s and 1990s. The band's sound is not easily categorized, having elements of exuberant folk music and a minimalist aesthetic occasionally reminiscent of composers such as Philip Glass.
Gone to Earth is the third solo studio album by English singer-songwriter David Sylvian, released on 1 September 1986 on Virgin Records. A double album, Gone to Earth is the follow-up to his debut record, Brilliant Trees, and peaked at No. 24 in the UK Albums Chart.
Secrets of the Beehive is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter David Sylvian. The album was released on 19 October 1987 in Europe and the United States. The album peaked at No. 37 in the UK album chart. The album was released in Japan on 21 November 1987.
Brilliant Trees is the debut solo studio album by the English musician David Sylvian, released on 25 June 1984 by Virgin Records. The album peaked at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart and has been certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales in excess of 100,000 copies.
Tin Drum is the fifth and final studio album by English band Japan, released in November 1981 by Virgin Records. It peaked at No. 12 on the UK charts, and featured the top 5 single "Ghosts". It has received acclaim as the band's best and most original work.
Gentlemen Take Polaroids is the fourth studio album by the English band Japan, released in November 1980 by Virgin Records.
The First Day is an album by the British musicians David Sylvian and Robert Fripp released in August 1993. The album, first of three collaborations between the two musicians, contains music merging elements of rock and funk.
Alchemy: An Index of Possibilities is the second solo studio album by David Sylvian, first released in December 1985 on cassette only as a limited edition. Alchemy is an intermediary album, released between his first solo album Brilliant Trees and his next solo album Gone to Earth, made up of two entirely separate projects recorded 1984 and 1985.
Everything and Nothing is a compilation album by David Sylvian. Released in October 2000, the album contains previously released and unreleased, re-recorded, and alternate versions of tracks from Sylvian's twenty years with Virgin Records. The record peaked at no.57 in the UK albums chart.
Snow Borne Sorrow is an album by Nine Horses, released in October 2005. Nine Horses is a collaboration between David Sylvian, Steve Jansen and Burnt Friedman.
Plight & Premonition is the first of two collaborative albums by English musician David Sylvian and German musician Holger Czukay. It was released in March 1988. The music on Plight & Premonition is ambient, making extensive use of found sounds from a variety of non-traditional sources. It consists of two instrumental tracks, both of which are over 15 minutes long. The album peaked at no.71 in the UK albums chart.
Damage is a live recording by David Sylvian and Robert Fripp. It was recorded on the "Road to Graceland" tour at London's Royal Albert Hall, December 1993.
Money for All is an EP released 2007 by the band Nine Horses, featuring David Sylvian, Steve Jansen and Burnt Friedman. The EP includes three new songs: "Money for All," "Get the Hell Out," and "Birds Sing for Their Lives." The others are remixes.
Weatherbox is a five-CD limited-edition box set by David Sylvian, released in 1989. Only 5000 copies were produced. The set comprises Sylvian's first four albums: Brilliant Trees, Alchemy: An Index of Possibilities, Gone to Earth and Secrets of the Beehive; and was, at the time, the only way to acquire all of the songs from Gone to Earth on compact disc.
Darshan (The Road to Graceland) is the second of three collaborative productions of David Sylvian and Robert Fripp. It is a remix album; the first two tracks are remixes of the original song "Darshan" from their first album The First Day. The original version, written by David Sylvian, Robert Fripp, Trey Gunn and David Bottrill, is reissued here as final track. The first track is a remix by the Grid, and the second track—called "Darshana"—is a “reconstruction” by The Future Sound of London. It was released on 6 December 1993 as EP and CD Single on Virgin Records (SYLCD1 and VJCP 20013 in Japan).
A Victim of Stars 1982–2012 is a compilation album by David Sylvian. Released in 2012, the album features songs from his solo work, from Japan's reformation Rain Tree Crow, his collaborations with other artists such as Ryuichi Sakamoto and Robert Fripp, and from his more recent involvement in the band Nine Horses. It also features of a remix of Japan's "Ghosts", released on Sylvian's 2000 compilation Everything and Nothing. The album peaked at number 58 on the UK albums chart.
Died in the Wool – Manafon Variations is a remix album by English singer and musician David Sylvian, released in May 2011 by Sylvian's independent label Samadhi Sound. The album features six songs from Sylvian's 2009 album Manafon, which have been remixed by Dai Fujikura. The new songs are heavily influenced by Fujikura, who conducted, arranged and composed the prevalent strings sections. "I Should Not Dare" and "A Certain Slant of Light" are poems by Emily Dickinson, set to music and sung by Sylvian.
Sleepwalkers is a compilation album by David Sylvian, released in September 2010 by the label Samadhi Sound.
