Ryuichi Sakamoto featuring Sister M

The Other Side of Love

1997.1.29 güt/for life CD3 single: FLDG-1007

It made top 10 on the Japanese singles charts. A light pleasant J-Pop melody sung in English.

Sister M is RS's teenage daughter Miu. She sings fluently in English.(having gone to school in New York)

1. THE OTHER SIDE OF LOVE [5:21]
2. THE OTHER SIDE OF LOVE (ACOUSTIC VERSION) [5:20]
3. THE OTHER SIDE OF LOVE (INSTRUMENTAL) [5:19]

Miu Sakamoto

AQUASCAPE

98.11.26 double CD mini album WEA cd:WPC6-8695/6

NK: This is a 4 song mini album with a number of remixes. SUGIZO from the band Luna Sea is the main guest. He's worked on his own solo album with RS collaborating/producing on a number of tracks. Miu has a clear voice and the arrangements are j-pop style but more intricate than average. A second short disc of remixes and instrumentals is included on this release. Possibly of interest to Ryuichi Sakamoto fans for the second disc of instrumentals (same tracks without singing), but the first disc is all duplicated on the album Dawn Pink.

Ivar de Vries writes: A pleasant surprise when it originally came out in 1998, this "pre-debut mini album" by Miu Sakamoto as it's called in the accompanying notes. Miu is the daughter of Akiko Yano and Ryuichi Sakamoto who has a big hand in this first full foray into music by his daughter. Father Ryuichi takes care of all production and arrangements, plays all keyboards/synthesizers and contributes the music for one piece ('Awakening'). The music for the other three pieces is by Sugizo, a young Japanese musician who also plays guitar on all tracks alongside Ryuichi. The lyrics on those three tracks are by Miu herself (in Japanese) while Arto Lindsay provides the English lyrics to Ryuichi's track.

The package of this album is quite extraordinary, the hour's worth of music spread out of two CD-singles, each in its own carton-box which together are encased in a see-through plastic box with water-bubbles printed on it. The two CDs have a symmetrical structure, each starting with the same four pieces (with and without vocals respectively) and each ending with a remix of one of the other pieces: the first by Ryuichi Sakamoto, the other a great one by Yoshihiro Hanno. The four pieces that Miu sings on the first CD-single reappeared on her proper debut album ‘Dawn Pink’ a year later.

What about the music ? Well, the tunes by Sugizo are decent to good, so is the one by Ryuichi while his arrangements are up to his normal textbook standard - the ones here have electronic sounds used in a lot of pop-music with plenty of piano as well as some nineties-style electronic percussion. Miu Sakamoto has a nice clear soprano voice (as a reference: similar to that of Miki Nakatani, who would reuse 'Awakening' on her 1999 album ‘Shiseikatsu’) which has been mixed up-front, thus making a strong impression. However, here she doesn't articulate the words very much and on the whole doesn't put much personality into her singing which makes it all sound like standard J-pop fare. But, for a first sort of full album and thanks to the other participants, quite a good effort nonetheless.

RAILWAYMAN (TETSUDOIN) 99.05.26 CD5 single WPC6-10018 (picture at right) 3 versions total on this single, includes a chamber arrangement and an instrumental version, very lush and orchestral and unmistakably standout Ryuichi Sakamoto. Worth finding, her picture isn't on the cover (its subtle geometric graphics) and her name is in Japanese so its harder to spot than average. The name comes from the film it was the theme song to. Tamio Okuda writes the lyrics. This song was resung in English as Child of Snow for thr album Dawn Pink.
	in aquascape 1999 CD5 single WPC6-10031 (picture at left) not to be confused with the mini album aquascape which does not contain this track, though Dawn Pink the full length album does. Its based on the solo piano piece of the same name on Ryuichi Sakamoto's BTTB but here the arrangement is orchestrated. Beautiful singing and melody, 4 versions on this single.

DAWN PINK 99.9.29 WPC6-10037 1. Hitotsu dake 2. The letter after the wound 3. I'll believe the look in your eye 4. awakening 5. CHILD OF SNOW 6. INTERNAL 7. the eighth colour 8. EYE 9. eternal 10. DAWN 11. in aquascape

A full album containing the songs from Aquascape, some singles and a few new tracks. It opens with one of the hits her parent's originally recorded. Here the beats are updated and Akiko Yano sings backing vocals. TETSUDOIN appears in english as Child of Snow. Wonderful and orchestral. The piece in aquascape (from RS's BTTB) gets lyrics and orchestration as the finale, worth the wait.

I'll believe the look in your eyes / Hitotsudake (*) 00.02.09 single WPC6-10037

Another Sunny Day / honeydip

(*) single EM-0001

I've never seen a copy. The catalog number would indicate it's an indie or promo release not on WEA Japan

15 minutes

(*)01.05.23 single:WPC6-10132

collaboration with Noriyuki Makihara

KAZE HIKARU

(*)01.10.24 single:WPC6-10074

translates as? shining wind
This song was written by Kenji Kawai

an album called miutation was announced but not released

Kumanbachi ga tondekita

(*) 02.11.20 Epic ESCL-2344

Duet TV song single with her Mom, Akiko Yano.

I think AY and MS are both now on the Yamaha label and she's released a new album.

- stellarscape - miu sakamoto -

warnermusic japan site (has some preview sound files)

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