MONSTER MUSIC : The Best of Godzilla 1954-1975

Music By: Akira Ifukube
Record Label: GNP Crescendo
Running Time: 78:44
Release: February 1998

The Best of Godzilla is a superb collection of original tracks from the scores for 15 of the sci-fi/fantasy films, from Ishiro Honda's original neo-realist masterpiece Godzilla (1954) to Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975). Akira Ifukube's music is the best of the work of several composers featured, and, fortunately, makes up the bulk of the material here. Some good parts of his original score for the original Godzilla are left out, but the essential highlights are present, as are the best moments from Ifukube's best middle-period score, the menacing music to Destroy All Monsters. The sound is high quality, a match for the far more expensive Japanese CDs of the individual soundtracks, although one notices an improvement in the recording of the '70s scores, which have richer textures and fuller tones. The scores for some of the later movies, written by Riichiroh Manabe, sound too much like pop music. The only other major flaw is the inclusion of a version of the "Godzilla" theme by Neil Norman and his band.

Tracks
Godzilla (1954)
1. Footsteps FX
2. Godzilla Main Title
3. Ootojima Temple Festival
4. Japanese Army March
5. Godzilla Comes Ashore
6. Godzilla's Rampage
7. Ending

Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
Composer: Masaru Sato
8. Main Title

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
9. Helicopter/Man Screams/SOS FX
10. Main Title
11. King Kong Roars FX
12. Planning King Kong's Transport

Mothra (1961)
Composer: Yuji Koseki
13. Mothra's Song

Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
14. Mothra FX
15. Main Title
16. Sacred Springs

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
17. Main Title/Monsters Appear In Yokohama

Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
18. UFO Approaches/Mosters Fight FX/Monster Battle March (Main Title)

Son of Godzilla (1967)
Composer: Masaru Sato
19. Main Title
20. Godzilla vs. Kumonga
21. Ending

Destroy All Monsters (1968)
22. Godzilla FX/Toho Mark/Main Title
23. Title Credits
24. Four Monsters Attack Tokyo
25. Destroying the Remote Control
26. Showdown on Mt. Fuji
27. Ending

All Monsters Attack (1969)
Composer: Kunio Miyauchi
28. Cute Kid Theme/Monster Fight

Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)
Composer: Riichiro Manabe
29. Godzilla's Fight

Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
30. Main Title
31. Main Title Repeat
32. Godzilla March - Record Version
By: Susumu Ishikawa, Composer: Kunio Miyauchi

Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
Composer: Riichiro Manabe
33. Jet Jaguar/Megalon FX
34. Main Title
35. Godzilla of Monster Island

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
Composer: Masaru Sato
36. Mechagodzilla FX
37. Godzilla vs. Anguirus
38. Miyarabi's Prayer
By: Beru-Bera Lin

Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
39. Main Title
40. MechaGodzilla II
41. Godzilla's Entrance
42. Ending

Extra
43. Theme From Godzilla
By: Neil Norman