Back catalogue: Soundtracks

Review: As part of the 2016 Ghent Film Festival, the first ever 'greatest hits' album for Ryuichi Sakamoto's soundtrack work was released. This retrospective LP compiles the best selections from the entirety of his career, from Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence to The Revenant. Now reissued 5 years later by Silva Screen, the album sees a wider, exclusive blue vinyl edition, capturing the swelling pangs endemic to Sakamoto's music for screen.

Review: Approved by Sakamoto himself, 'Ryuichi - Music For Film' is the first ever retrospective overview of the musician and composer's film scores, adding to Silva Screen's archival series of a yearly nomination of all the current greatest film composers' soundtracks. With Sakamoto's film repertoire focusing on everything from hypermasculine war exploitations ('Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence') to brutish contemporary survival films ('The Revenant'), one can expect a cavernously cinematic treat here.

Review: As Film Fest Ghent awarded Ryuichi Sakamoto with the World Soundtrack Award in 2016, they commissioned the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra under Dirk Brosse to create new renditions of some of the Japanese composer's most treasured scores. It was only with the classic Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence in 1983 that Sakamoto embarked on what is now a hugely accomplished career in film soundtracks, taking in The Last Emperor, Snake Eyes, High Heels and The Revenant amongst many more. Now this wonderful project bringing such stunning compositions to life once more has been repressed on red splattered vinyl for all to enjoy.

Review: While most celebrated in electronic music circles for his work as part of Yellow Magic Orchestra - not to mention a string of experimental solo works - Ryuichi Sakamoto has long been an acclaimed composer of music for the big screen. As the title suggests, this fine compilation gathers together some of his best soundtrack works. There are plenty of familiar favourites present - check the chiming, suitably cheery theme to "Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence" and the swelling closing theme from "The Last Emperor" - alongside lesser-known gems such as the lilting strings of "The Sheltering Sky (Main Theme)", the simmering beauty of "Little Buddha: Acceptance" and the jazz-influenced bliss of "Femme Fatale: Bolerisch".

Review: Silva Screen Records return to their mammoth compilation project paying tribute to the late Ryuichi Sakamoto, former member of Yellow Magic Orchestra and later acclaimed film scorer: for such blockbusters as Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, The Sheltering Sky and The Last Emperor. 'Music For Film' features star motifs from Sakamoto's back catalogue of film scores, and are all performed by the Brussels Philharmonic under the baton of Dirk Brosse. This version comes to black and white splattered vinyl.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged, but otherwise in perfect condition***

While most celebrated in electronic music circles for his work as part of Yellow Magic Orchestra - not to mention a string of experimental solo works - Ryuichi Sakamoto has long been an acclaimed composer of music for the big screen. As the title suggests, this fine compilation gathers together some of his best soundtrack works. There are plenty of familiar favourites present - check the chiming, suitably cheery theme to "Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence" and the swelling closing theme from "The Last Emperor" - alongside lesser-known gems such as the lilting strings of "The Sheltering Sky (Main Theme)", the simmering beauty of "Little Buddha: Acceptance" and the jazz-influenced bliss of "Femme Fatale: Bolerisch".

Review: ***B-STOCK: Slight tear to top of sleeve but product in otherwise excellent condition***


Silva Screen Records return to their mammoth compilation project paying tribute to the late Ryuichi Sakamoto, former member of Yellow Magic Orchestra and later acclaimed film scorer: for such blockbusters as Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, The Sheltering Sky and The Last Emperor. 'Music For Film' features star motifs from Sakamoto's back catalogue of film scores, and are all performed by the Brussels Philharmonic under the baton of Dirk Brosse. This version comes to black and white splattered vinyl.

Review: Silva Screen Records continues their vast compilation project here with another tribute to the late Ryuichi Sakamoto, the legendary former member of Yellow Magic Orchestra who passed not so long ago. They have pressed this one up to various formats and this is a gatefold transparent lime green and black splattered vinyl from the acclaimed film scorer. He wrote for epics such as Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, The Sheltering Sky and The Last Emperor. This album takes in plenty of the most standout tracks from those movies, all performed by the Brussels Philharmonic and conducted by Dirk Brosse.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Silva Screen Records continues their vast compilation project here with another tribute to the late Ryuichi Sakamoto, the legendary former member of Yellow Magic Orchestra who passed not so long ago. They have pressed this one up to various formats and this is a gatefold transparent lime green and black splattered vinyl from the acclaimed film scorer. He wrote for epics such as Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, The Sheltering Sky and The Last Emperor. This album takes in plenty of the most standout tracks from those movies, all performed by the Brussels Philharmonic and conducted by Dirk Brosse.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Silva Screen Records continues their vast compilation project here with another tribute to the late Ryuichi Sakamoto, the legendary former member of Yellow Magic Orchestra who passed not so long ago. They have pressed this one up to various formats and this is a gatefold transparent lime green and black splattered vinyl from the acclaimed film scorer. He wrote for epics such as Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, The Sheltering Sky and The Last Emperor. This album takes in plenty of the most standout tracks from those movies, all performed by the Brussels Philharmonic and conducted by Dirk Brosse.

Review: David Shire has one hell of a back catalogue. Active within music since the 1960s, and specifically theatre and film soundtracks in the 1970s, while many of the biggest names behind movie scores have a tendency to explore the same avenues, and therefore wind up creating tunes for relatively similar flicks, in this case that's not really true. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (the original, of course), All The President's Men, and parts of Saturday Night Fever give some idea as to the breadth of his mastery.
The Conversation slips right in there in terms of period and genre, but is, of course, a very different classic to a movie about a New York subway train getting hijacked or social tensions in Brooklyn at the height of the disco era. While largely focused on piano solos, we also get late night dance floor jazz, tense drone, and moody avant-garde, just in case the on-screen action wasn't brooding enough already.

Review: Dudley Simpson's first contribution to Doctor Who was in 1964 when he wrote the music for Planet of Giants which Dr geeks will know starred William Hartnell as the first Doctor. By the end of the decade, he became the go-to composer for the show and in all he scored 294 episodes up until his last, The Horns of Nimon, in 1979. He scored episodes starring numerous doctors from Tom Baker to Jon Pertwee and 58 stories. It is a fine body of work which he started with a small orchestral setup before progressing to the BBC Radiophonic Workshop on EMS synthesisers for a year and then later adding percussion.