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The Best of Godzilla 1954-1975 |
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Review by Jeff Berkwits
or almost 45 years Godzilla has been rampaging across the cinematic landscape, and while this prehistoric monster started out as an allegory for the nuclear devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, over the past four decades he has been transformed into a cultural icon. However, as Godzilla's popularity has grown, most of the original soundtracks to the myriad motion pictures in which he has appeared have not been commercially available in the United States. These two discs thus represent the first official American release of scores from 22 different Godzilla movies.
The Best of Godzilla 1954-1975 showcases music from 14 flicks. A seven-track suite from the original 1954 film starts off the collection, which also features various selections from sequels including King Kong vs. Godzilla, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster and Terror of Mechagodzilla. The 43-cut album also offers some sound-effect segments and a modern interpretation of the Theme from Godzilla by Neil Norman and his Cosmic Orchestra.
Since there were no Godzilla films made between 1976 and 1983, the second CD is titled The Best of Godzilla 1984-1995. It spotlights a variety of multi-track suites from eight additional motion pictures such as The Return of Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Biollante and Godzilla vs. Mothra. This 30-cut package concludes with another Neil Norman rendition of a signature Godzilla motif, the "Monster Zero March" from the 1965 feature Invasion of the Astro-Monster.
A G-Fan's dream come true
For years most of this music has been available only on hard-to-find and ridiculously expensive import albums, so these discs are a dream come true for Godzilla fans. More than half of the selections are written by Akira Ifukube, a gifted composer considered by many to be the John Williams of Japanese cinema. His commanding cues, especially the "Main Title" from Godzilla vs. Gigan and the heartrending "Requiem" to Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, solidly showcase his ability to express the emotional state of the often-misunderstood creature.
Brief passages from artists like Masaru Satoh (Godzilla Raids Again) and Takayuki Hattori ( Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla), while generally managing to convey a sense of Godzilla's grandeur, are interesting but not nearly as meaningful as Ifukube's masterworks. Listening to individual interpretations of established themes and the overall maturation of the music through the decades is nonetheless an enjoyable and remarkably educational experience.
While the melodies are fascinating, the presentation is slightly marred by mediocre liner notes that, although informative, are somewhat disjointed. Even with this handicap, the set offers an excellent overview of the music of the series, and the producers promise that those few films that are not covered--such as Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster--will be included on a third disc if these initial albums are commercially successful.
Although Godzilla is the undisputed star of these CDs, many fans will likely find themselves singing along with "Mothra's Song," which is featured on both discs (different renditions) with lyrics thoughtfully provided on the sleeve of the first album in English, Japanese and phonetic Malay. Now, if only they had a Karaoke version... -- Jeff
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