The first CD in this set is devoted to the 1983 Godzilla Legend, a synthesized rearrangement of previous Toho music. This is the one that kicked it all off, and might even seem more conservative versus the more outlandish techniques that followed. Consequently, it’s not as good as the following two entries, but does tackle some of the most iconic music from the Godzilla franchise.

This particular release is a faithful LP replica, so the original music is maintained. This means 13 songs, which were originally split with 6 on Side A and the remaining 7 on Side B, and 41 minutes of music.

The first volume here focuses exclusively on the music of the Godzilla franchise. The tracks are in mostly chronological order, with the exception of the War of the Monsters March from Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) which is played toward the end.

While Makoto Inoue’s techniques aren’t for everyone, the first volume is a good crash course for his work as he tackles the most iconic themes. He begins to dabble a little bit with sound effects, in particular heard in the final two tracks, but this one is largely music oriented only. By runtime, King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) and Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) get the lion’s share. They don’t dominate, though, and there is a good amount taken from all seven of Akira Ifukube’s Godzilla films. Many of these themes are the most famous in the franchise too. That might make it a little dull for those who like the occasional curve ball, although the Ending theme from Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) is perhaps the only qualifier, even if it’s a great way to end the disc.

As for how this release compares to others on CD, it’s a strictly LP replication. While the content has been wonderfully remastered, for superior sound quality, it’s lacking in terms of the bonus content that has been created over the years. This includes the missing Chronology (the first CD release by Inoue) versions of Godzilla’s Theme and a suite for Destroy All Monsters (1968). Remixed versions of the “The Gigantic Devil”, “Visitors from Beyond the Stratosphere” and “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla” are also absent, although were always odd inclusions anyway since they related to music from the next two volumes.

Overall, the music is enjoyable, although it’s a huge acquired taste. The two later chapters are a bit more satisfying as well. The only other complaint, and the running one for this set, is the lack of bonus music that found its way onto earlier editions. Tossing this in would have really helped to flesh out the runtime.

As a side note, some might find the track title “The Gigantic Devil” a little strange. This is commonly used to refer to King Kong, though, before the expedition gets to see him. What is odd, though, is this particular track represents the native chanting from that film.

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