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Just last week I was looking at a photograph of someone and there was a poster of Yellow Magic Orchestra on their bedroom wall. This led me to Firecracker, which high I played on repeat who knows how many times. It took me way back to my youth, so then I spent many hours listening to more YMO, Japan (Quiet Life is such a fantastic track), David Sylvian, but I had forgotten about Forbidden Colours. Sakamoto’s death is such a loss.

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It really was. Firecracker still sounds great, as if it could have been recorded recently. I'm a huge fan of David Sylvian. He's another one who has done some terrific collaborations. I'm grateful to have seen him perform live.

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So lucky to have seen him live! Colour me envious!

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Ha! It was a terrific show at the Wiltern in LA on the Everything and Nothing tour.

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Apr 10, 2023·edited Apr 10, 2023Liked by Jeffery Saddoris

Thanks for this, I am not familiar with Sakamoto but plan to jump down that hole and see where it leads. Heart felt moment bring Asia back to my mind, loved that album and had forgotten all about it, another thing to add to the queue.

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Thanks for reaching out. Ryuichi was incredible. There's so much to listen to. If you tell me what kinds of music you like, I would be happy to offer some recommendations from his catalog, at least what I'm familiar with. I have a long way to go before I've heard all of it. :)

Ah, Asia. The first two records are still in my prog playlist. I actually had tickets to go see them in LA, but Wetton left the band and the tour was cancelled.

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I also love the open synth of Only Time Will Tell, and the song, what a great opening to an album. Heat of the Moment, that opening riff and the echo on lyrics just grabs your attention. Love these moment where you are brought back to something you had forgotten about.

As far a likes, that is wide and varied, I am open to everything. Do you have anything in mind of his that you would consider essential?

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If you're into soundtracks, you can't go wrong with The Revenant and The Sheltering Sky as entry points. In terms of his solo material, check out this article on Dazed, which is pretty spot on: https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/57973/1/a-guide-to-ryuichi-sakamotos-pioneering-sound-in-six-essential-albums

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I will definitely check it out, thank you!. After listening to async, YouTube decided I should check out Hania Rani which I am getting into. Thanks, I didn't need to get any work done today. :)

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Thank you so much for this episode. I was not familiar with Ryuichi and just listened into a few songs. What an experience. I will definitely listen to some more...

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