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
Length	69:46 (CD) 83:42 (vinyl)
Label	Virgin
Producer	David Sylvian
David Sylvian chronology
Damage: Live (1994) Dead Bees on a Cake (1999) Approaching Silence (1999)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Entertainment Weekly	B+
NME	8/10
Pitchfork	7.3/10

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 at release and contained his last UK Top 40 single to date in "I Surrender" (no. 40).

In 2018, the album was released on double vinyl for the first time for Record Store Day. This pressing included four songs originally intended for the album (and previously released as part of Everything and Nothing), and a restructured track order.

Track listing

CD pressing

All tracks are written by David Sylvian, except as noted

No.	Title	Length
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.	"Café Europa"	6:58
10.	"Pollen Path"	3:25
11.	"All of My Mother's Names (Summers with Amma)"	6:11
12.	"Wanderlust"	6:43
13.	"Praise (Pratah Smarami)" (Shree Maa, Sylvian)	4:02
14.	"Darkest Dreaming" (Sylvian, Djivan Gasparyan)	4:01
Total length:		69:46

2018 vinyl pressing

All tracks are written by David Sylvian, except as noted

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"I Surrender"	9:24
2.	"The Scent of Magnolia"	5:36
3.	"Dobro #1" (Sylvian, Bill Frisell)	1:30
4.	"Midnight Sun" (Sylvian, Johnny Moore, Charles Brown, Eddie Williams)	4:00
Total length:		20:30

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Cover Me with Flowers"	6:33
2.	"Krishna Blue"	8:08
3.	"Albuquerque (Dobro #6)" (Sylvian, Bill Frisell)	1:21
Total length:		15:32

Side C

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Thalheim"	6:07
2.	"Alphabet Angel"	2:06
3.	"God Man"	4:02
4.	"Café Europa"	6:58
5.	"Aparna and Nimisha (Dobro # 5)" (Sylvian, Bill Frisell)	0:56
6.	"Pollen Path"	3:25
Total length:		23:34

Side D

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Shining of Things"	3:09
2.	"Wanderlust"	6:43
3.	"All of My Mother's Names (Summers with Amma)"	6:11
4.	"Praise (Pratah Smarami)" (Shree Maa, Sylvian)	4:02
5.	"Darkest Dreaming" (Sylvian, Djivan Gasparyan)	4:01
Total length:		24:06

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)
• Skoota 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)