| 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.
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. [4]
In "The Song Which Gives the Key to Perfection" Sylvian sings a chapter from a Hindu holy text. It is sung in the original Sanskrit from the book called ‘Chandi Path’.
"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 vocal replaced by 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 in error due to mastering issues. (The entry here said re-recorded, but the Robert Fripp guitar solo is identical to original and the mix is best described as the artist revisiting analog master tapes with Pro-Tools.)
It was released in two versions. A standard single disc jewel case (CDVE 962) and as 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
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 Romantic scene.
Gone to Earth is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter David Sylvian, released on 13 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 a solo album by British singer-songwriter David Sylvian and it was released on 19 October 1987. The album peaked at no.37 in the UK album chart. The album was released in Japan on 21 November 1987.
Tin Drum is the fifth and final studio album by English band Japan, released in November 1981 by record label Virgin. 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.
Guy Sigsworth is an English record producer and songwriter. During his career, he has worked with many artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Imogen Heap, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian, Alanis Morissette, Eric Whitacre, Alison Moyet, and AURORA. He has also collaborated with many celebrated instrumental musicians, including Talvin Singh, Jon Hassell, and Lester Bowie. He was previously a member of the band Frou Frou together with Imogen Heap.
The First Day is the first of three collaborations between British musicians David Sylvian and Robert Fripp. It was released in August 1993, featuring a driving rock style with elements of funk.
Alchemy: An Index of Possibilities is a solo 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 second 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.
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.
"Ghosts" is a song by English band Japan. It was released in edited form in March 1982 as the third single from their 1981 album Tin Drum.
Ambient 3: Music Of Changes is a 1994 compilation album released on the Virgin Records label, part of its Ambient series. The compilation was issued as a double CD.
"Nightporter" is a song by English new wave band Japan. The song originally featured on the band's fourth album Gentlemen Take Polaroids in 1980. However, it was then remixed by Steve Nye and released as a single in November 1982. The single peaked at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart.
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 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.
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 September 2010 by Samadhi Sound.
