According to Danny Eccleston (Mojo, April 2019), „THE SECRETS OF THE BEEHIVE (1987) remains Sylvian‘s masterpiece, a symbiosis of masterly songwriting and the musicality of his recent excursions. Sakamoto‘s arrangements build a consistent arboreal mood, with piano and strings, and Danny Thompson‘s bass and Phil Palmer‘s acoustic guitar mixing late 60‘s folk rock and torch song.“