Dead Bees on a Cake

Dead Bees on a Cake
Studio album by David Sylvian
Released	29 March 1999 – 9 April 1999 (Japan)
Recorded	Right Track Studios, New York - Real World Studios, Box, Wiltshire - Sound House Studio, Seattle - Atma Sound, Minneapolis - Seedy Underbelly, Minneapolis - Synergy Studio, Napa
Genre	Art rock, jazz fusion, world music
Label	Virgin
Producer	David Sylvian
David Sylvian chronology
Damage: Live (1994)Damage: Live1994 Dead Bees on a Cake (1999) Approaching Silence (1999)Approaching Silence1999

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Pitchfork Media	(7.3/10) link

Dead Bees on a Cake is the fifth solo album by David Sylvian, released in March 1999. It was his first solo album since 1987's Secrets of the Beehive. The album peaked at no.31 in the UK albums chart.

Track listing

All songs written by David Sylvian, except where noted.

1. "I Surrender" – 9:24
2. "Dobro #1" (Sylvian, Bill Frisell) – 1:30
3. "Midnight Sun" (Sylvian, Johnny Moore, Charles Brown, Eddie Williams) – 4:00
4. "Thalheim" – 6:07
5. "God Man" – 4:02
6. "Alphabet Angel" – 2:06
7. "Krishna Blue" – 8:08
8. "The Shining of Things" – 3:09
9. "Cafe Europa" – 6:58
10. "Pollen Path" – 3:25
11. "All of My Mother's Names" – 6:11
12. "Wanderlust" – 6:43
13. "Praise" (Shree Maa, Sylvian)– 4:02
14. "Darkest Dreaming" (Sylvian, Djivan Gasparyan)– 4:01

Personnel

• David Sylvian – vocals, guitars (all tracks except 2, 6, 8), keyboards (exc. 8, 13), bass (5), drum programming (4, 5, 7, 9), samples (1, 3, 10, 14), string arrangements (1, 8)
• Ryuichi Sakamoto – Fender Rhodes (1, 6, 11), orchestrations and string arrangements (1, 8), brass arrangements (3), sampled guitar and bansuri (7), insects (10)
• Tommy Barbarella – Fender Rhodes (4, 12)
• Marc Ribot – electric guitar (1, 3, 11), acoustic guitar (5, 10), slide guitar (10)
• Bill Frisell – dobro (2, 7), acoustic guitar (7)
• Kenny Wheeler – flugelhorn (1, 4)
• Lawrence Feldman – flute (1)
• Deepak Ram – bansuri (7)
• John Giblin – bass (4, 12)
• Chris Minh Doky – double bass (11)
• Steve Jansen – percussion (1, 7, 9), loops (4, 5), cymbals (4)
• Ged Lynch – original drum track (4), drums (10, 12)
• Scooter Warner – original drum track (5), drums (11)
• Talvin Singh – tabla and percussion (7, 11)
• Steve Tibbetts – gong (7)
• Ingrid Chavez – vocals (7, 9)
• Shree Maa – vocals (13)

Production

• David Sylvian – producer, additional engineer, sound mixing
• Dave Kent – sound engineer and mixing, studio maintenance
• Jacquie Turner – assistant engineer
• Matt Curry – assistant engineer
• Scott Crane – assistant engineer
• Bob Ludwig – audio mastering

Art work

• David Sylvian - art director
• Yuka Fujii - art director, artwork co-ordinator
• Shinya Fujiwara - drawings
• Anton Corbijn - photography
• Ingrid Chavez - inlay portrait
• Russell Mills - design (shed)
• Michael Webster - design assistance (storm)