First, I would like to begin by thanking Jessica Stan for providing this CD for review.
Now Toshiaki Tsushima's score for The War in Space is unmistakably a product of its era, and that's precisely what makes it so enjoyable. Although the film is often remembered in the West for its transparent attempt to capitalize on the success of Star Wars, it has developed a devoted cult following in Japan. The soundtrack has enjoyed a similar resurgence among genre fans, helped in part by some music being adapted for Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021). Packed with energetic action music, memorable themes and an abundance of late-1970s musical stylings, this is a score that succeeds across all areas.
As for the soundtrack's greatest strength, that lies in its action material. The two standout cues are "Hostile Alien Incursion" and "Clash! Goten vs. the Daimakan," both of which showcase Tsushima's ability to write exciting music. Each incorporates subtle big-band influences. "Hostile Alien Incursion" is especially impressive, gradually transforming from an ominous, threatening piece into an exhilarating action cue. "Clash! Goten vs. the Daimakan" is equally energetic. Although its late-1970s sound is unmistakable, it embraces that style with such enthusiasm that it becomes part of the track's charm rather than a weakness. Both versions of "Enemy Flying Saucers Attack" are also excellent additions, with a really good tempo to both.
Looking outside the action themes, the "Main Title" helps establish the score's personality by blending guitars and synthesizers into what one outtake aptly describes as a "rock music" style. Jimmy's theme provides a welcome contrast, offering one of the score's more soothing melodies as it reappears throughout several cues. I found it considerably more effective than the record version, which is an unusual homage to "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair."
Although certain motifs recur throughout the score, the soundtrack is surprisingly diverse overall. Tsushima introduces enough distinct musical ideas that the album avoids becoming repetitive despite revisiting several recurring themes.
As for this two disc set, the presentation of this Cinema-Kan release is impressive. Before listening, I expected something similar to the label's Varan two-disc release (CINK-56), which expanded only modestly upon the previously available Futureland edition. Instead, Cinema-Kan delivers a dramatically expanded package containing well over twice as much material that was previously available from the Toho SFX Champion Festival set (VPCD-81382). I was genuinely surprised by just how many surviving outtakes exist for the 1977 production. Even more impressive is that the expansion isn't limited to mono recordings as the set also includes a substantial amount of previously unreleased stereo material.
Normally I would highlight the newly added tracks, but in this case almost everything in the bonus section is making its debut. Only three outtakes had been released previously as bonus material, while a handful of others had appeared integrated into earlier soundtrack presentations despite actually being unused or alternate takes.
The newly available stereo material is easily the biggest attraction. One particularly welcome addition is the inclusion of the record songs without the exaggerated sound effects that were originally layered over them. Those effects often felt less like audio from the film itself and more like an attempt to emphasize the novelty of stereo recordings over older mono releases. Here, those sound effects are thankfully presented separately on their own track. While I would have preferred additional sound effects from the film itself, having the record effects isolated is still a welcome bonus. That said, some of the sound-effect-free versions occasionally feel a little empty, almost as though the original arrangements were intentionally designed with those effects in mind… or perhaps the new versions reflect the limitations of reconstructing the material for this release.
Sound quality is another area where Cinema-Kan performs well. I conducted a blind comparison between this set and the earlier VAP release from the Toho SFX Champion Festival. For the mono material, I could detect no meaningful difference in quality. Likewise, after level-matching the stereo tracks on my computer, I found the audio quality to be essentially identical between the two releases. The primary difference is simply that the material on the Cinema-Kan set has been mastered at a noticeably higher volume level.
Overall, this is an outstanding release and the definitive way to experience The War in Space. Tsushima's score remains a wonderfully entertaining slice of late 1970s science-fiction music, filled with infectious energy and memorable themes. Combined with Cinema-Kan's exhaustive presentation and wealth of previously unreleased material, this set easily surpasses earlier releases and comes highly recommended for soundtrack collectors.
As a side note, while the original stereo album retains its familiar track titles, the mono score has been assigned an entirely new set of names for this release. Unfortunately, many of these are more generic than those used on previous editions. For example, cues referring to the Hell Fighters are simply labeled "Enemy Flying Saucers" here. The bonus tracks on the second disc are also identified only by their cue numbers. To make the contents easier to navigate, we've added the corresponding track titles so it's immediately apparent which cues these outtakes relate to. One exception is M25, which was ultimately left unused in the finished film after M13 was looped in its place. Since it has no equivalent title in the final score, we've instead used "Together with the Ether Bomb," matching the title previously assigned to the cue on the VAP release. |
