Silk Road 1
Originally the soundtrack to a Japanese television mini-series,Silk Roadset the standard for electronic/spiritual albums in the mid-1980s. Kitaro's placement of synthesizer center-stage and densely layering complementary textures madeSilk Roadnew age's innovative and influential equivalent ofSgt. Pepper's. Fluid synthesizer leads, sweeping washes, and sequenced rhythms evoke sacred-quest imagery that is imbued with a contemplative serenity. Soaring synthesizer lines suggest yearning for spiritual experience, while deep, rolling bass tones emulate a cosmic Om. The themes are continued inSilk Road II; both recordings are tastefully reserved--especially compared with the bombastic electronic orchestrations that mar many of Kitaro's later efforts.--Richard Price