 |
Title |
| House |
| International Title |
| House |
| Music By: Godiego |
| Record Label:
Super Fuji |
| |
|
| Running Time: 42:24 |
Discs: 1 |
| Release: April 2008 |
CD Number: GMT-002 |
|
| Comments |
 |
Anthony
Romero |
 |
|
|
This release
marks the first time this soundtrack has hit CD, and
the first time the score itself has been released since
its debut on LP some 31 years earlier. As it turns
out, Super Fuji has also gone to some lengths in order
to stay faithful to that original LP. Besides the duplicated
content on the disc itself, the package, including inserts,
are also reproduced here, with even the back
containing the original "Side A" and "Side B" listing
for the tracks. The casing itself deserves some discussion
too, as rather than the usual CD jewel case the disc
comes in a cardboard slip to help further recreate the
LP feel.
Design choices for the release aside, how does the actual
music holdup? Well, first, to preface the review a little,
I must admit that I'm a big fan of soundtracks from the
1970's. In fact, Prophecies
of Nostradamus (1974) and Lupin
the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) are
among some of my favorite scores of all time. That said,
though, the soundtrack for the 1977 horror movie House left
me fairly unimpressed. It was created by the cult favorite
group Godiego, who was fairly popular in the late 1970's
and early 1980's in both the UK and Japan although today
most fans of Japanese cinema will probably know them
best for their work on the Galaxy Express 999 series. To
Godiego's credit, they are a diverse group, and that
diversity translates into the body of work included on
this disc. However, how does the CD hold up as a whole
package? Unfortunately, the disc manages with fairly
mixed results in the end.
Now, to be fair to Godiego, there are a few decent tracks
included on this disc. "Eat", for example, is a fairly
energetic theme, which is nicely supported by guitars
and drum work. "Sweet Dreams of Days Gone By" is another
nice theme, with a more laid back tempo that works well.
Regrettably, there are also a few themes here which just
aren't all that pleasant. Leading the way in this respect
is "Hungry
House Blues", sang by Steve Fox of the group. This track
goes on for six minutes and, sadly, Fox long outstays
his welcome during this duration. To be honest, Fox has
a very deep voice, but yet it almost sounds like he is
parodying legendary musician Louis Armstrong here as
he just comes off as goofy. If this was his intent, then
the song lacked a punch line or anything to redeem it
in this regard. Furthermore, it gets laughably bad around
the four minute mark, as Fox starts to slur his speech
briefly, making the deep voice sound very forced. "Eat
Eat Eat" is also another of this tracks that simply miss
their mark, although in this case it's largely because
the instruments all seem to be marching to their "own
beat" causing an unpleasant clash to one's ears. The
same criticism can also be applied to "Oriental Melon
Man", which almost sounds creepy but there is just so
much going on in the theme that it's hard to take it
in.
Still, a review of this disc probably couldn't get away
without talking about the "Cherries Were Made for Eating" and
"Love Theme" songs, both of which also enjoyed releases
on single LPs back in the day. As it turns out, both
are fairly pleasant. "Cherries Were Made for Eating" is
especially catchy, sporting that distinctly "bouncy"
quality that one could expect from some of the pop work
done from this era. Suffice to say, it's probably the
highlight of this CD. As for "Love Theme", which is actually
the only song done in Japanese here, it's decent as well. Not
particularly memorable, but the background music is soothing
and Ken Narita has a pleasant voice that helps carry
the track.
Overall, this disc isn't horrible, but it's hard to recommend.
Fans of the group will likely eat this release up, but
others will probably have trouble meriting its addition
into their collection.
Consequently, it's not surprising that this is a limited
release, as its appeal is likewise somewhat narrow. The
choice to make this an exact replica of the LP, while
enticing to fans of the format, is also probably going
to turn others off. The fact that it's only 40 minutes,
while faithful to the LP source, is also another strike
against it. Still, it's nice to see a previously unavailable
soundtrack make its appearance on the CD format. One
probably can't expect more of this from the company at
hand here, Super Fuji, since their other releases in
the GMT line are all Godiego titles, but hopefully some
other firm makes an initiative to release more of these
early Japanese soundtrack that are only available on
the aged format today.
Rating:  |
|
| Tracks |
- Main Theme
- Buggy Boogie
- Hungry House Blues
By: Steve Fox
- Eat
- Sweet Dreams of Days Gone By
- A Letter in the Past
- Cherries Were Made for Eating
By: Yukihide Takekawa
- Eat Eat
- In the Evening Mist
- Oriental Melon Man
- Eat Eat Eat
- Love Theme
By: Ken Narita
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