Customer Reviews

Godzilla: 50th Anniversary Edition

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This remastered CD of Akira Ikufube's original Godzilla score is an excellent addition to the fiftieth anniversary celebrations for the film series. Ikufube is constantly mentioned in discussions of the Godzilla films, and it's easy to see why: he always treated his subject seriously, even when the movie itself didn't.

Surprisingly, the music doesn't feel terribly dated. You can often pinpoint the age of a movie soundtrack pretty accurately, particularly 1950s sci-fi movies (the theramin is usually the giveaway). I don't think this is because Ikufube continued to score the Godzilla series well into the 1990s. Rather, I think his classical music training allowed him to create a score that was not influenced by the sounds of the time. "Classic" is an overused adjective, but it's appropriate for a score that feels relatively modern after 50 years.

The one thing that does date the music is the quality of the recording. It's in mono, of course, and the music is not as crisp as you would hear in a contemporary recording. Still, the sound remaster is impressive considering the age of the original recordings.

It's also interesting to listen to this score in comparison to Ikufube's later music for the series. The music is extremely somber, in contrast to the more adventurous tone that Ikufube created for later films. For example, Godzilla's "entry" theme is here (in tracks like "Godzilla's Rampage"), but in a much slower, more menacing version that is barely recognizable as the powerful signature it would become later.

At just over 45 minutes, there's not a lot of music on this CD. And of those, four tracks reprise earlier cues, just rearranging the cues to the order they appeared in the movie. There's also some Godzilla sound effects. Their inclusion is appropriate, considering that Ikufube created them with musical instruments! (This piece of information is one of my favourite tidbits from the liner notes, which are fairly good.)

If you're interested in the familiar Godzilla themes, you're probably better off with a compilation CD of Godzilla music: it will have better sounding recordings, and the themes are more recognizable. But for serious kaiju fans and film score afficianados, this CD is a treat.

If you're a fan of the original Godzilla movie, American version or Japanese, both contain the same music. This CD is a dream come true for Godzilla fans in the U.S. The music sounds great, doesn't sound aged at all, but still old fashioned, which is good. Track 20, is probably the saddest and most moving song I have ever heard, long song also, 6:20, but it's worth the listen. Akira Ifukube is definatly the master when it comes to kaiju film music. The extra tracks are a treat as well, they are just the film versions of some of the songs, but still great. If you want to make your kaiju collection grow, then this is worth it, or if you just like orchestral music, then it's worth the wait for shipping. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Sorry, I couldn't resist using Raymond Burr's awful line. But this soundtrack is indeed truly AWESOME! One of the best things about Godzilla is the music, which was so distinctive and so haunting that it made us overlook the cheesy special effects. More than any of his 1950's monster contemporaries, Godzilla's soundtrack gave the big guy a soul that spooked children and stayed with them long after they grew up into sensible adults. I still get chills whenever I hear those school girls singing the Prayer for Peace. Akira Ifukube was a genius whose music was an apt coronation for the King of the Monsters!

This soundtrack can be very emotional to every fan,especially big fans. I believe that Akira Ifukube was a musical genius to compose the way he did for this, and every other Godzilla movie he composed. The tracks on this disc sound just like they do in the film, if they've been changed at all, I can't tell. Some tracks really stand out for me. I recomend this soundtrack for all fans.

Since I saw "Godzilla" at five years old I was aware that something about the music was different from the other scores of monster movies that I loved. I just bought the remastered "Gojira" and as an adult I realized that Akira Ifukube's score was great in its own right but only on this disc can it truly be appreciated. The sound quality is excellent, so good that at times one can hear the musicans' chairs creak. With a small orchestra and just over a week to compose and record the score Ifukube was able to create a truly great peace of music. Godzilla's menacing power was brought forth almost entirely in the music and there is also an empathy for the beast particularly in the cue when the oxygen destroyer is deployed. The simplicity and the power of this score is truly amazing.

Being a Godzilla fan I love this CD. It reminds me of all the good times; Godzilla eating boats, trains, buildings, people: you know, all the good Godzilla stuff! The sound quality is just fine; it IS the real recordings and no "digital mastering" can improve upon it.

Buy this CD and relive the good times!

The soundtrack to the original Gojira (Godzilla) stands up well against many modern film scores. The mix of themes, use of melody, and general structure & mood of the music evoke the movie well. There's a reason that some of these themes remain staples of Godzilla movies some 50 years later.

However, the recording techniques of the 1950s severely hamper playback today. The music is hollow, and often tinny in places. This is certainly not high-fidelity, stereo, quadraphonic, etc. The recording is dated, and sounds it.