Stomu Yamash’ta’s Red Buddha Theatre - The Original Music From The Play “The Man From The East” (1973)

 The Man From The East is an atmospheric, genre-challenged work from Stomu Yamash’ta, credited here alongside his Red Buddha Theatre troupe. Originally composed as the musical backbone to a stage production blending Japanese ritual, dance, and avant-garde drama, the album plays like a ritual in itself—one that fuses traditional percussion with psychedelic rock, musique concrète, and moody, cinematic textures. There’s a theatrical tension running through the record, yet it’s remarkably listenable on its own, like a dreamscape suspended between East and West, ancient ceremony and 1970s experimentation. Put this in your ears if you like it weird, unexpected, and surprisingly cohesive.

1973 US pressing on Island Records. I’ve owned this LP for a few years and it gets better with each listen. 

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