First,
thanks goes to Jessica Stan for sending this in for
review!
This two disc set includes Akira
Ifukube's final Godzilla soundtrack, which was
also his final movie soundtrack before stepping down
from a long career of composing music. In true Ifukube
style, the man goes out with a bang by creating a
phenomenal score for the 1995 feature film.
Like the rest of the soundtracks by Ifukube from this
decade, the score borrows a lot from his past work.
While this might seem quick and easy, it also makes
the soundtrack feel instantly familiar; something
that feels new and yet at the same time harks back
to the golden age of Japanese cinema. It's a prefect
blend with a great mesh of soothing and action motifs,
both new and old, but its the marches which keep it
so lively. The Godzilla theme, for example, has never
sounded better than it does for this 1995 movie. The
riveting Maser March from The
War of the Gargantuas (1966) also returns,
along with the march from Daredevil
in the Castle (1961) which is now used for
the Super-X3. Oddly enough, though, it's some of the
more soothing pieces of music that are the show stoppers.
"Requiem" is such an example, as it's a
beautifully done piece of music to send off the King
of the Monsters and adds tremendous emotional weight
to the scene in question. "The Oxygen Destroyer"
is another great theme, being the perfect balance
between a haunting and at the same time soothing cue.
Sadly, this score does have a downside, and that is
repetitiveness. To be blunt, a lot of these films
seem like they could be lumped into four large categories:
Godzilla's theme, Destoroyah's theme, Junior's theme
and the Super-X3's theme. Still, despite it being
repetitive, the strength's of the score still make
it one of Ifukube's better efforts.
In terms of this release in particular, it follows
the trend of others in this box by mixing deleted
and unedited themes with the main score. For example,
"Earth Inferno" on the first disc is an
outtake, and the utilized version appears on disc
two as track 24. This is particularly sad because
the Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Toho Special
Effects Movie Music 11 (TYCY-5469/70)
was a prefect representation of the way the score
was used in the movie. There is also the downside
that many of these unused themes aren't particularly
good and were cut for good reason, so having them
spliced with the regular score is awkward. For those
wondering, the unused tracks on the first CD are:
"Toho Mark (M1)", "The Mysterious Life
Form Emerges I (M14)", "Yukari's Crisis
II (M20)", "Super-X3 Preparation Sortie
(M23A)", "Junior vs. Destoroyah I (M30)",
"Godzilla and Junior (M33)", "Junior
is Captured (M36)" and "The Birth of a New
Godzilla (M44B)".
As for the new content here compared to the previous
two disc set, there are several new tracks. Sadly,
these new cues are exasperating to find due to the
"CD" tracks. These "CD" tracks
are mostly identical to what was used, outside of
a very few like "Earth Inferno (M7 CD)".
I have heard them back to back and still haven't noted
any difference beyond how much dead space there is
at the end. For example, "Emiko Reminisces (M4
CD)" is techincally new, but at the same time
it sounds exactly like track four on the first disc
along with the version previously released on other
CDs. So rather than listing everything, I will just
list the new tracks that actually sound different:
"Emiko Reminisces (M4-T1)", "Earth
Inferno (M7 CD)", "The Mysterious Life Form
Emerges I (M14-T1)", "The Mysterious Life
Form Emerges I (M14-T3)", "Godzilla's Theme
(M39B Extra Godzilla for Conductor Version ·
Arranged Effect)", "Destoroyah's Appearance
(M29 Cymbals for Top · 4-Type)" [this
one is extended], "Godzilla Lands - Junior vs.
Destoroyah III (M32A + M32B Edit)" and "Godzilla
vs. Destoroyah II and III (M38B + M39A Edit)".
In terms of what this set is missing versus the other
two disc release, it's lacking additional outtakes
for "The Special Forces vs. the Mysterious Life
Form (M15)", "Terror of the Mysterious Life
Form (M3)" and "Godzilla and Junior (M33-T1)".
The worst omissions from this set, though, are some
of the unused themes. "The Special Forces Mobilize
(M15)" is an example, and although in reality
this is a modified version of the Super-X3 theme,
it's still interesting to hear and even more interesting
to note that it was originally going to be used for
the troops before they encounter Destoroyah. "The
Giant Growth of Destoroyah (M19B)" is another
unused track which didn't make it on this release.
Sadly, these missing tracks, while few, are better
than the new material from this set. Furthermore,
there was plenty of room for these tracks too, so
it's a puzzler why they were left off this new release.
All in all, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is one
of Ifukube's crowning achievements for the franchise.
The CD does demonstrate that a few of his originally
planned themes weren't the greatest, but what did
make it into the film was fantastic and made for a
wonderful send off to the Heisei Godzilla series.
In regards to which of the two disc sets is superior,
Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Toho Special
Effects Movie Music 11 (TYCY-5469/70)
comes out ahead for featuring better unique tracks
and for having the score organized correctly. However,
both have a huge amount of material and in the end
either is a good way to enjoy this score.
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