Probably one of
the easiest Godzilla CD's to find stateside, Akira
Ifukube's ever chilling score for the original Godzilla
film is presented here in all its power on the Godzilla 50th
Anniversary Edition soundtrack. Maestro Ifukube, the most widely-known
and beloved composer of the series, rendered a most dramatic
and tragic score for his debut kaiju film. That isn't to say
that the soundtrack itself is flat in a sense of diversity,
in fact the themes can be rather upbeat and perky despite the
dark undertone and allegoric call for nuclear proliferation.
That being said, the more upbeat themes: "Ootojima Temple
Festival"
and the "Japanese Army March I" for example; are
overshadowed by the mysterious, melodramatic themes:
"Anxieties on Ootojima Island" and "Godzilla
at the Ocean Floor" for example; and the dark and utterly
somber tracks such as "Prayer for Peace"
and "Ending". No matter what the emotional pull,
most of the themes are simply stunning, and solidify the director's
widely-accepted position as the grand master of the long-running
series. Of course, there is one hiccup in the score. "Desperate
Broadcast" is simply grating in its monotony. Nevertheless,
the huge majority of this soundtrack is pure gold, and a wonderful,
albeit it somber, listening experience on its own accord.
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