First off, thanks goes to Robert Storch for sending this in for review!
Now this CD is the 2024 re-release of the Toshiba EMI/Futureland soundtrack to The Return of Godzilla (TYCY-5360). Published by Universal Music, who absorbed EMI back in 2013, this was part of a large 70th Anniversary push that included them re-releasing soundtracks for the first 22 Godzilla films. To be concise, this disc is a track for track reissue, although it has been digitally remastered so the audio quality features more clarity than the original 1993 CD.
As for the contents, this disc includes the complete soundtrack to composer Reijiro Koroku's only Godzilla film. Despite being a lone effort in the franchise, Koroku excels with a score that stands out as one of the best in the series. Featuring impressive music and a gothic tone that sets it apart, the soundtrack is a treat. The score boasts standout themes, with the powerful "Main Title" establishing a sinister atmosphere that aligns with Godzilla's villainous portrayal. This theme recurs throughout, often at a faster pace, as in "Godzilla Appears." Other highlights include "Evacuation Order," which uses a full orchestra to create a frantic feel, along with the memorable "Super X" and "Self Defense March."
While Koroku's compositions shine, the album features two vocal tracks that feel dated. The first, "Good-bye Sweetheart," is performed by Yasuko Sawaguchi, who was the lead female actress in the film. Sadly, the track feels a bit subdued, and isn't all that engaging. The second song, the "Godzilla Love Theme," is a cover version by Yoshimi Niikura and Jackie Yoshikawa. Sadly, it lacks the charm of the original ending song done by The Star Sisters.
Well, with four CD soundtracks now available for the 1984 film, I decided to take a closer look and compare the audio quality of each. This includes the 1989 King Record release (230A-7022), the 1993 Toshiba EMI release (TYCY-5360), the 2006 Toho Music release (G-016), and the latest from Universal Music.
To compare, I extracted the "Main Title" track from each disc and analyzed their volume levels. The 1989 and 1993 versions had similar volumes, while the Toho Music release was slightly louder, and the Universal version was the loudest. To ensure a fair comparison, I losslessly adjusted their volumes to similar levels and conducted blind listening tests.
Probably not shocking, the 1989 and 1993 versions sounded more or less identical. The 2024 version sounded similar, but felt like it had a bit more clarity in the instruments. The clear, and shocking, outliner was the Toho Music version. Right off the bat, it featured some additional drum work that was not even found in the other versions... like it wasn't even present in the other three tracks. I'm guessing Toho might have unearthed a new source, or had access to better masters when they went to create their version? Either way it was the clear winner, although being a nerd, I did like the fact that these could almost be considered slightly different versions of the same theme.
Curious, I decided to expand the test and moved on to compare "The Enormous Shadow". This one was a bit different, where the Toho Music version actually featured more prominent string work while the Universal one had more prominent drum/horn work, making them contrast ever so slightly although I did prefer the Toho Music version. It wasn't a major change, though, so I kept looking for another example like the drums in the "Main Title". I found it in the "Newspaper Reports" track where around 20 seconds in there is a chime sound. In this case, though, the chime was missing on Toho Music's version, so an inverse in the prior situation. Listening to the Toshiba EMI release, the chime is there... but sounds a bit muddled and lacks the clarity of the instrument on this Universal Music release.
In total, here are the tracks where I noted differences in instrumentation between the Universal Music and Toho Music releases, with notes from the perspective of this release:
- Main Title (M1) - no drums at the start
- The Enormous Shadow (M2 · Unused) - more prominent drum/horn work
- To the Laboratory (M6) - more prominent horn work
- Newspaper Reports (M11) - echo to give it more sense of space and a chime that appears around 20 seconds in
- Self-Defense Force March I (M12A) - much more prominent drum work
- Arrival of the US and Soviet Envoys (M16) - more prominent drum work
- Evacuation Order (M18) - more prominent chime work
- Deserted Town (M23) - added cymbal sounds... and generally just more clarity on this one here
- Restaurant BGM (M23A) - ...sadly less clarity on this track
- Rescue Operation Begins (M31) - more prominent horn work
- Cut Off Together (M32) - more prominent horn work at the end
- Compton Effect (M34) - ...just generally more clarity on the synthesized music on this track
After listening to them all, it's clear that it's less about comparing just clarity in the track and more looking at how Toho, seemingly, reworked the music versus the original process used in creating the soundtrack. In all, I would give Toho Music the slight edge, but it wasn't always the case, like I did prefer the version of "Newspaper Reports" and the "Self-Defense Force March I" that was featured on this disc. Also as noted, though, some of the tracks just flat out sounded better on the Universal Music release with more overall clarity, like "Deserted Town" and "Compton Effect".
Bottom Line, having reviewed this same soundtrack four times, I'll retierate that this is a fantastic score. It's a must for Godzilla fans, although for those wondering how to get it, I'd argue the Perfect Collection box set by Toho is the top choice. If you are more price concisous, though, this release dubbed as part of the 70th Anniversary SHM Godzilla Soundtrack CD Remasters would be the second best option. |
