Title
 GODZILLA
International Title
 GODZILLA
Music By: David Arnold
Record Label: La-La Land Records
  Order
Running Time: 55:26/53:25 Discs: 2
Release: July 2007 CD Number: LLLCD-1058
Comments
Anthony Romero
Regardless of one's feelings toward the feature film itself, it's hard to deny that composer David Arnold created a fairly stellar score for Tristar's take on Godzilla. Unfortunately, getting one's hands on the score hasn't been easy. To date, there have been three "releases" of the score on CD, two of which were promos and the third wasn't even legitimate. Thankfully, La-La Land Records has set out to do things right by giving the score its first retail release some nine years after the movie's debut. However, rather than just release the same 15 tracks that have previously been found on CD, the firm went above and beyond to include the entire score, and outtakes, on a fantastic two disc set. I really had high hopes for this release, and, simply put, it exceeded them and then some.

First off, for those dedicated collectors who might have already purchased one of the previous single disc releases, they will likely be amazed at simply how much of the score those left off. For example, track 2-8 on the first disc have never been released before, and there are many, many more that fall into that area as well. Some unused moments of music also fit there way into the selection here, and the two tracks that include those are: "The Boat Gets It" and "Baby ‘Zillas Hatch".

As for the music itself, David Arnold has really outdone himself. There are a number of really great cues on this release, ranging from the epic, and semi-haunting "The Beginning", to the very upbeat march for the military, called "Military Command Center". My favorite cue off this release, though, would easily be the very action oriented "1st Helicopter Chase / Godzilla Swats a Chopper", which is a great adrenaline pumping theme as it perfectly conveys the type of mayhem that one should associate with the scene. "Godzilla Versus the Submarine" is also another outstanding track here, and one which was previously left unreleased.

For completists, some things to note about this release is that several of these tracks are extended compared to the presentations on the obscure single disc releases. Some very brief segments have even been left off as well, such as the last few seconds of "It's Alive!!!/Rampage and Pursuit" (title depending on release). The amount lost is extremely minimal, though. Also, the odd rearrangement of the main title, found on Godzilla the Best 1954-1998 (TYCY-5617), is not included as well, although no real surprise there.

Overall, this soundtrack goes highly recommended to everyone, and it's great to finally see it get a commercial release. It is worth mentioning that the CD was limited to 3,000 copies, so there might be a slight need to rush depending on what type of demand it might garner.
Rating: Star Rating
Tracks
    Disc 1
  1. The Beginning
  2. Tanker Gets It
  3. Chernobyl
  4. Footprint
  5. Footprints / New York / Audrey
  6. Chewing Gum Nose
  7. Ship Reveal / Nick Discovers Fish / Flesh
  8. The Boat Gets It
  9. Dawn of the Species
  10. Joe Gets a Bite / Godzilla Arrives
  11. Mayor's Speech
  12. Caiman's Office
  13. Animal's Camera
  14. Military Command Center / New Jersey
  15. Audrey's Idea
  16. Evacuation
  17. French Coffee
  18. Subway Damage / Command Enters City
  19. Fish
  20. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
  21. 1st Helicopter Chase / Godzilla Swats a Chopper
  22. We Fed Him / Audrey Sees Nick
  23. Nick and Audrey / He's Pregnant / Audrey Takes the Tape / French Breakfast
  24. He's Preparing to Feed
  25. Nick Gets Fired / Nick Gets Abducted / Frenchie's Warehouse / Nick Joins the Foreign Legion
    Disc 2
  1. Chewing Gum
  2. Rumble in the Tunnel
  3. Godzilla O Park / Godzilla Takes a Dive / Godzilla Versus the Submarine / Egg Discovery
  4. Baby 'Zillas Hatch
  5. Nick Phones for Help
  6. Eat the French
  7. Phillip Shoots the Lock
  8. Nick's Big Speech / The Garden Gets It
  9. He's Back! / Taxi Chase & Clue
  10. Big G Goes to Monster Heaven
  11. The End

    Bonus Tracks
  12. The Beginning (No Choir)
  13. Footprints / New York / Audrey (Alternate)
  14. The Boat Gets It (Alternate)
  15. Gojira (Album Version)