Godzilla: 50th Anniversary Edition [Soundtrack]
On this CD:
Sound Effect Godzilla Approaches (Sound Effects)
Composed by
Recorded Sound
Godzilla, film score
Composed by
Akira Ifukube
Sound Effect Godzilla Leaving (Sound Effects)
Composed by
Recorded Sound
Godzilla, film score Main Title (Film Version)
Composed by
Akira Ifukube
Godzilla, film score First Landing (Film Version)
Composed by
Akira Ifukube
Godzilla, film score Tokyo in Flames (Film Version)
Composed by
Akira Ifukube
Godzilla, film score Last Assault (Film Version)
Composed by
Akira Ifukube
Godzilla: 50th Anniversary Edition,Akira Ifukube,Recorded Sound,La-La Land Records,Film,Film Music,Miscellaneous,Miscellaneous Music,Movie Themes,Original Score,Pop,Soundtrack,Soundtracks,Soundtracks & Film Scores
Average customer rating:
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Godzilla: 50th Anniversary Edition
Manufacturer: La-La Land Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0002JELPY Release Date: 2004-08-17 |
Tracks:
Album Description
Available for the first time in the US, this is the complete Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to the classic 1954 film GODZILLA, featuring the score by famed composer Akira Ifukube. Ifukube's timeless orchestral score evokes all the terror and majesty of that towering creature cherished around the world. Produced in association with Toho Studios, the score has been remastered and complemented with bonus tracks (cues edited as they appeared in the film). The CD booklet features exclusive artwork and in-depth liner notes.Customer Reviews:
It's big and it's terrible!.......2005-07-28
Great Addition to Your Collection.......2004-10-07
Origato, Ikufube-san!.......2004-08-24
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.
Music: