After
a relentless stream of delays, the Godzilla Soundtrack
Perfect Collection is finally complete. Just six
years shy of the character's 60th birthday, this last
entry in the "50th Anniversary" set collects
the last few soundtracks for the 2000-2004 Japanese
films along with the score for GODZILLA
(1998). For those counting, this is the largest set
yet as it contains just over 630 minutes worth of
music. How does it fair though? Well it has mixed
results, as Toho Music has been prone to do with these
boxed sets, but comes out ahead to be a pretty solid
set depending on ones current collection.
If one somehow managed to miss the Millennium scores,
this set is a must and contains a great way to get
them all in one swoop. These sets do lack the sound
effects of the previous single disc releases, although
if one is interested in that they should really pick
up the Godzilla:
Sound EFX / BGM on Japanese Film, but otherwise
have all the content and then some. In terms of audio
quality, the set overall gets a passing grade. To
be frank, none of it sounds better than what Victor,
King Records, Tokuma, or La-La Land Records previously
released. The quality is comparable, though. Toho
Music recorded it at a lower volume level, especially
compared to the King Records discs, but once this
is compensated for the actual audio still has the
highs and lows that it should and sounds dynamic enough
to be on level with the other efforts. The only exception
is Godzilla:
Final Wars (2004). Victor did a really good
job presenting the audio on their single disc release
for the 2004 film, while Toho Music's effort sounds
flatter in contrast, as is documented in more detail
in that review.
Now the problem with this release is that the consumers
it appeals to probably have the previous releases,
in which instance the $100+ price tag (which has inflated
due to a rising yen versus the dollar) becomes harder
to swallow. Everyone will likely be interested in
the wealth of new music for Godzilla:
Final Wars (2004), as it contains the largest
collection of unreleased music for any of the films
represented across these six box sets. Otherwise,
though, this box doesn't have a ton of new stuff for
dedicated collectors, who are the most likely ones
to spend this kind of money on soundtracks in the
first place. Most people likely missed out on the
"Plus" soundtrack (NCS-261)
for Godzilla
vs. Megaguirus (2000), though, which does add
some more worth to that volume. Godzilla,
Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
(2001) has also been marginally expanded for
the main score, although the "edit" bonus
tracks are pretty worthless. The others are very similar
to what is already out there, in particular the bonus
disc which is a re-release of La-La Land Records'
two disc set for the 1998 film (LLLCD-1058).
Overall, how much one will get out of this set of
course depends on how active they have been in collecting
the soundtracks leading up to its release. Newcomers
are presented with a great option, while old time
collectors will have to weigh in on the new material
versus the expensive price for the set. Regardless,
the music contained in is some of the best the franchise
has to offer, while the box contains a huge wealth
of material that make it a very attractive set for
those who decide to make the plunge.
It should also be mentioned that all of these sets
are sold exclusively online at Toho Music's site,
Arksquare.net
or Screen
Archives. Also, being the last in the set, Toho
Music included a special offer for those select few
who happened to pick up all of the previous boxes.
The offer involves ordering the last set and sending
in the serial numbers for the other five boxes with
the order, in which case a region 2 DVD called Akira
Ifukube Recording Archives will be included as
an additional bonus.
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