Thanks
goes to Robert Storch for the box image!
After a long delay, and shifting of contents as
Godzilla
2000: Millennium (1999) was originally going
to be part of the next set, the fifth box in the Perfect
Collection is finally available. Like the set before
it, this one contains nine CDs and over nine hours
of music.
In terms of the movie presentation, this set contains
the best and most complete collection of music for
Godzilla
2000: Millennium (1999). The content for Godzilla
vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994) is also varied from
its previous two disc set, making it a nice companion
piece for each other; however, the earlier set does
boast superior audio quality. Sadly, the other two
movies aren't up to par with their earlier two disc
releases. They should be great for casual collectors,
but its worth noting that the superior versions of
both are found elsewhere. To compensate this a little,
the second CD for Godzilla
vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993) works as a dumping
ground for a ton of single songs, which most are likely
unfamiliar with and does add a bit of worth to that
release that the previous set didn't have. Also, to
be fair, the Godzilla
vs. Destoroyah (1995) CDs contain a lot of
music, and they are only narrowly beaten out by the
earlier two disc set.
As for the bonus discs, the set continues Toho Music's
rather annoying trend of trying to release "LP
faithful" CDs. On the plus side, the subject
matter are two releases that every hardcore soundtrack
fan should have in their collection: Ostinato and
Symphonic Fantasia (called An Evening of Special
Effects Film Music here). The downside is that,
either due to trying to preserve the LP experience
or just their general methods, the sound quality here
isn't up to snuff with other releases of this music
on CD. Still, it's not bad as much as it's "not
as good", and should be fine for most listeners.
Overall, this set has a lot of great music and is
an excellent way for new collectors to catch up on
some of the amazing music in and related to the franchise
that they might have missed. For old collectors, though,
this box set is a hard sell. If someone already has
the previous two disc sets for the Heisei films, then
it's really impossible to recommend this at its price
tag of over $100 with shipping. This box set really
has the misfortune of following Godzilla Soundtrack
Perfect Collection - Box 4 (GB4),
which is arguably the best in the line and was a great
for both old and new collectors. This box, though,
is largely for newcomers to soundtrack collecting.
Still, for a new collector, this box is a great release,
and a better bargain than the first three "Perfect
Collection" boxes without contest.
As an aside, it should be noted that these boxes are
limited, with each being given a run of 1,954 units.
Every unit is also given a unique number on the back
in the form of a sticker placed above the copyright
information. However, these expensive sets have proven
to be a tough sell, so there isn't that much of a
need to rush although it's still something to consider
as time goes on. It should be mentioned that all of
these sets are sold exclusively online at Toho Music's
site, Arksquare.net
or Screen
Archives.
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