sylvian/saKamoTo

[IED0DXM%UCLAMVS.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU]

About "Bamboo Houses/Bamboo Music":
Your guess about the chronology was perfectly
correct, Robert.
The two tracks were recorded over a six-month
period in London by David, after he had
written and recorded an early version of them
with Riu. Sylvian expressed some trepidation
that Sakamoto might not even recognize the
tracks in their final form, since all of
the later additions -- notably Steve Jansen's
percussion tracks -- were done after Sakamoto
had gone back to Japan.
Incidentally, the early pressings of both seven- and
twelve-inch versions had the labels mixed up, with the
titles thus applied to the wrong tracks. This may have
been changed since then.
Yes, Sylvian has made a couple of other recordings
with Sakamoto. Their first collaboration was
the last track from the Gentlemen Take Polaroids
LP, "Taking Islands in Africa". After this came
"Bamboo Music/Bamboo Houses". Then the single
"Forbidden Colours", which was, essentially, the
instrumental theme from the movie "Merry Christmas,
Mr. Lawrence" (which Sakamoto scored and starred in),
to which Sylvian added a vocal track. IED has never
been able to ascertain whether Sylvian conceived the
melody line for the vocal, or simply gave that line
lyrics. Certainly the melody does not appear in either
of the instrumental versions of the track.
Sylvian re-recorded "Forbidden Colours"
during the Brilliant Trees sessions, and released it
as a b-side to "Red Guitar".

In addition, Sakamoto played on the Brilliant Trees
LP, and produced a track track from Akiko Yano's
(Sakamoto's wife's) LP From Japan to Japan (?). That track
is a duet she did with Sylvian called "Good Night", written
by Yano.