"Words with the Shaman" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by David Sylvian | ||||
from the album Alchemy: An Index of Possibilities | ||||
Released | 2 December 1985[1] | |||
Recorded | 1985, London | |||
Genre | Ambient | |||
Length | 14:06 | |||
Label | Virgin | |||
Songwriter(s) | David Sylvian, Jon Hassell, Steve Jansen | |||
Producer(s) | David Sylvian, Nigel Walker | |||
David Sylvian singles chronology | ||||
|
Words with the Shaman is a three-part instrumental suite by the English singer-songwriter David Sylvian. It was recorded in London in 1985 and released as an EP the same year on Virgin Records. It peaked at #72 in the UK single charts.[2]
As Sylvian described in a liner note, Words with the Shaman was "conceived as musical footnotes of themes started earlier on the album Brilliant Trees and [...] developed as a collaborative group effort."
Words with the Shaman was subsequently re-released with two additional instrumental tracks on Sylvian's compilation album, first only released on cassette Alchemy: An Index of Possibilities. In 1989, the suite appeared on the second of four CDs in the Weatherbox set. The 1991 US-reissue of Sylvian's Brilliant Trees album also contained Words with the Shaman.
Track listing
- "Pt. 1 Ancient Evening" (Sylvian/Hassell) 5:14
- "Pt. 2 Incantation" (Sylvian/Hassell) 3:31
- "Pt. 3 Awakening (Songs from the Tree Tops)" (Sylvian/Hassell/Jansen) 5:19
Personnel
- David Sylvian – keyboards, guitar, tapes
- Steve Jansen – drums, percussion, additional keyboards
- Jon Hassell – trumpet
- Holger Czukay – radio
- Percy Jones – fretless bass
References
- ^ "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 30 November 1985. p. 18. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ "David Sylvian - Words With The Shaman". officialcharts.com. Retrieved October 14, 2012.