Simply
put, this soundtrack by Michiru
Oshima is one of the best in the franchise. Utilizing
the vast Moscow International Symphonic Orchestra,
Oshima constructs a number of excellent cues for the
movie that come alive with depth and power thanks
to the grand orchestra at her disposal. Her Godzilla
theme returns here from Godzilla
vs. Megaguirus (2000), but otherwise this
is a totally new experience that introduced a wide
range of themes that are now instantly recognizable
to Godzilla fans. The Perfect Collection version preserves
all of the music already released, while also introducing
some bonus tracks to sweeten the overall package.
To go more in depth on this score, it's hard to know
where to start as so much is done right. There are
literally a ton of tracks from this release which
stand as some of the better themes in the series.
As previously mentioned, her version of the Godzilla
theme returns, and is better than ever. It is used
in a number of cues here, but its best uses are "Godzilla
Lands - Godzilla × the Special Defense Forces"
and "Godzilla Detected - Interception".
Both benefit from the larger orchestra, as the drum
work gives the theme a huge sense of mass that feels
right at home with the Godzilla character. "The
Skeleton of Godzilla" is another swing at this
theme, although this one is more foreboding and fits
the intended scene perfectly. "Ominous Memories",
utilized in the scene with stock footage from Mothra
(1961) and The
War of the Gargantuas (1966), is also another
fan favorite, and with good reason as it's one of
the most memorable cues from the entire series. "Intense
Fighting I" and "Running Wild" are
two more great themes, each conveying a sense of action
that their sequences required. "Announcement
Ceremony for Type3: Kiryu" is another fantastic
theme, which would become synopsis with the Kiryu
character, although really the strength of this score
is that its a wonderful standalone listening experience
from start to finish.
Now, as for this release in particular, it does have
some new content over the previous CD by King Records
(KICA-586). All of this
is found in the bonus tracks, each of which is new.
Although unmarked, each of these tracks, except the
first, is an outtake. The outtakes pale in comparison
to what made it into the film, but they are different
enough to make listening to them an interesting experience
for those curious on the evolution of the score. Besides
these bonus tracks, the CD is mostly unchanged from
the previous release, although cues have been broken
down so that each is found in a separate track rather
than joined together as some previously were. This
is overall an improvement, although some of the joined
tracks actually worked better together, such as the
"G's Theme I" (which was all M2) and the
old "Running Wild" (M16 + M17). It's unfortunate
not to see some of those better suites return, but
given how full this CD is there simply isn't room
for them anymore, sadly.
Overall, this disc has some new content, but nothing
that stands out as a truly remarkable new addition.
Regardless, the score itself is still fantastic as
ever, and any fan with even a passing interest in
the character and the related music owes it to themselves
to pick either this or the King Records CD (KICA-586)
up.
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