Ryuichi Sakamoto

• Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence [MCA, 1983] B+
• Beauty [Virgin, 1990]

Consumer Guide Reviews:

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence [MCA, 1983]
I know nothing about Japanese music and missed the movie, so for me these Japanese-style synthesizer atmospheres are just exotically ambient background noise, and I'll take them home, thanks. They even have content--a catchy theme, a few discreet climaxes. Marred only by three soundtrack-verité songs in English, including a skillfully segued hymn and an irritating closer from David Sylvian, who demonstrates once again how little Japan-the-group has to do with Japan-the-nation. B+

Beauty [Virgin, 1990]