Various Artists - Best of Godzilla, Vol. 2: 1984-1995 [GNP] (CD)

All Music Guide

In order to enjoy The Best of Godzilla 19841995, it helps but is not essential to be a fan of the Godzilla movies. The soundtrack compilation picks up with the new generation of Godzilla movies produced by Toho Studios, starting with The Return of Godzilla. Scripted on a more serious and mature level than the films from the 1970s end of the series and produced with higher budgets for special effects, these movies were less well known in the West than the more outrageous Toho films such as Son of Godzilla or Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster, and less widely distributed, at least until the advent of the DVD format. The music is more developed than the scoring of many of the earlier films, in keeping with the cinematic material for which it was composed. The jewels of this collection are the later scores by Akira Ifukube, who returned to the series in 1992 with Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. The disc opens with his revised theme from that movie, and then jumps back to Reijiro Koroku's lush mu...sic from Return of Godzilla, which is deeply atmospheric, with string writing that is at times reminiscent of John Barry's early James Bond scores and brass themes that vaguely recall John Williams' Superman music. Kohichi Sugiyama's score from Godzilla vs. Biollante is similarly accomplished as orchestral writing, again in a fauxJohn Williams mode, interspersed with some jarring pop/rock instrumental work featuring electric guitar (with heavy use of volume pedal) and orchestra. It's Ifukube's music that stands out, however, memorable both texturally and thematically the man knows how to write memorably for horns, brass, strings, vibraphone, or, seemingly, any other section of the orchestra, and interweaves his themes so carefully as to surprise the listener. The short suite from Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) even includes the lyrics to the chant sung to the island goddess, and "Mothra's Song" is presented in a much longer popstyle recording. Takayuki Hattori took over the scoring of Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla (1994), and his music is richly scored, with one section, "Bass Island," that seems deliberately to recall Barry's "You Only Live Twice" and a main title theme that treads into John Williams territory. Ifukube's final original score for the series, for Godzilla vs. Destroyer (1995), is some of his best work, overflowing with menace and sadness, joy and tragedy. The sound throughout ranges from very good to excellent, and the annotation is very full and informative (and supported by excellent photographs). The disc also contains an unexpected bonus track, a surprisingly effective (indeed, quite delightful) synthesizer band recording of "Monster Zero March," which is based on a piece of military march music that Ifukube introduced in the very first Godzilla movie. - Bruce Eder, All Music Guide Read more Less