Simply dubbed
"Godzilla", this compilation is a reissue of
an older 1978 LP of the same name. To Toho's credit, this
is an incredibly faithful adaptation of the LP to the
CD format, including a similar looking silver "foot
band" around the CD and an insert inside the cover
to match the one that was issued with the 1978 LP, although
naturally it comes folded up here in order to fit in the
case. The text on it has also been preserved and untouched,
which is noteworthy as it makes mention of an "upcoming"
Godzilla film that was to be co-produced by H.G. Benedict
Productions (Henry Saperstein's "production company"
name); which film in particular that was referring to
is anyone's guess, as so many joint venture projects
were aborted at that time.
In terms of the content on the disc itself, for a
compilation this CD has a pretty good selection of
some of the best themes from the Showa Godzilla series.
To be brutally honest though, who really cares? The
"Perfect Collections" aren't a cheap investment
by any means, so it's definitely going to attract
either diehard collectors or people who have never
purchased the earlier releases and are now looking
to get them all in one swoop. To that point, how is
a compilation of songs found primarily in this box
going to appeal to either group? This might have been
useful back when CDs were new, but today with CD-Rs
and iPods everywhere a company manufactured compilation
just doesn't serve much good if one already owns the
music. To add insult to injury, the music itself doesn't
even sound as crisp as it does elsewhere in the set,
really begging the listener to ask what's the point?
This seems particularly puzzling too as this compilation
has already been reissued before on CD, twice in fact.
It's also kind of disheartening considering the number
of things they could have stuck in its place. Stuff
like Ostinato, which was seen in the fifth
box in the Perfect Collection, or other unique conductions
of these themes that would have been valuable to new
collectors. Granted, some sound effects have been
placed before the tracks themselves on the music here,
but that's not much of an incentive in general. As
for the bonus track, it's "radio drama"
style presentation of the scene in the original Godzilla
(1954) where Godzilla destroys the clock tower and
then covers his destruction of the tower with the
reporters.
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