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Title |
Godzilla, Ebirah,
Mothra: Big Duel in the South Seas (Perfect
Collection 2) |
International Title |
Ebirah,
Horror of the Deep |
Music By: Masaru
Sato |
Record Label:
Toho Music |
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Running Time: 55:29 |
Discs: 1 |
Release: December 2004 |
CD Number: G-007 (Set) |
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Comments |
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Anthony
Romero |
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For director
Jun Fukuda's first
attempt at the Godzilla franchise, composer Masaru
Sato is brought back for another
try at the King of the Monsters after having previously
done Godzilla
Raids Again (1955). Thankfully, Sato is
much more experienced now
and delivers a soundtrack for the 1966 picture that,
while a starch departure from scores before, does
an excellent job of conveying the tropical setting of
the movie and creating a fun stand alone experience. The
fact of the matter is that
Sato
has managed to create a number of cues here which are
extremely pleasant to listen to. The best example of
this is the exotic sounding "Setting Sail for Letchi
Island", which is also heard during the opening
cue. It's modified from "Mothra's Song", but Sato has
changed the cue enough to give it a life of its own and
is arguably the standout theme on this CD. However, "Riding
the Yahlen II" is another personal favorite of mine.
It just has a great laid back type of pace to it that
makes it a joy to listen to. On the flip side of things, the
theme for Red Bamboo, heard on cues such as "To the
Red Bamboo Base", is more sinister in its tone yet
Sato still manages to give the cue a unconventional
type of feel that fits with the tropical setting through
the use of drums in the theme. The disc doesn't have
a huge amount of variety, but Sato changes things up
enough in his work to keep the music interesting from
start to finish.
Now in terms of how this disc differs from the earlier
Toshiba release (TYCY- 5351), there is actually
13 minutes of additional music here. First off, the infamous
fighter jet music, which was left on the cutting room
floor for the US version of the movie, is finally included.
As some know, this theme is actually stock and was originally
from
Akira Kurosawa's High
and Low (1963), where it's heard in the club
while the "killer" is purchasing a lethal dosage of heroin. Given
the more serious tone of its original use, its odd to
see it reappear center stage for this movie. Suffice
to say, it works far better in the background without
a lot of attention being drawn to itself, and as a stand
alone experience it's quite lackluster to say the least.
Anyway, another change versus the previous release is
that the second "Dayo's Prayer" has been moved to
the bonus tracks while a number of outtakes are also
included. Most
of these are fairly similar to what ended up being used
without much to note. There are quite a few outtakes
related to "Mothra's Song", however, which can get a
little taxing when heard side-by-side.
Overall, this is a fairly enjoyable soundtrack from Sato.
The cues tend to be on the short side, but this ends
up working in the disc's favor as the themes drift from
one to the next fairly quickly and maintains the listener's
interest time and time again. The only problem are the
"Mothra's Song" which, while good, dominate
too much of the overall runtime, accounting for more
than 30% in fact. Again, though, the song is pleasant,
despite repetition, and the score as a whole is worth
searching out.
Rating: |
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Tracks |
- Opening (M1)
- Endurance Dance Rally (M2)
- Yoshimura Appears (M3)
- Riding the Yahlen I (M4)
- Riding the Yahlen II (M5)
- A Sailboat, a Storm and a Monster (M6)
- Letchi Island (M7)
- Red Bamboo (M8)
- Ebirah's Fury (M9-T2)
- Desperate Situation (M10)
- Dayo's Prayer (M11)
- Mothra's Song I (PS-55B)
By: Tokiko Iwatani
- Sleeping Godzilla I (M12)
- Infiltrating the Enemy Base I (M13)
- Infiltrating the Enemy Base II (M14)
- Fleeing (M15)
- Ryota's Escape (M16)
- Mothra's Song II (PS-55A-T8)
By: Tokiko Iwatani
- Search-and-Destroy Operation (M17)
- Sleeping Godzilla II (M18)
- The Plan to Revive Godzilla (M19)
- Setting Sail for Letchi Island (M20)
- Godzilla's Resurrection (M21)
- Godzilla vs. Ebirah I (M22)
- To the Red Bamboo Base (M23)
- Escaping the Base (M24)
- Godzilla vs. the Giant Condor (M25)
- Godzilla vs. the Fighter Squadron (High
and Low M14)
- The Destruction of the Red Bamboo Base (M26)
- Godzilla vs. Ebirah II (M27)
- Godzilla vs. Ebirah III (M28)
- The Prayer of the People of Infant Island (PS-55D)
By: Tokiko Iwatani
- Godzilla vs. Ebirah IV (M29)
- Mothra's Song III (PS-55C)
By: Tokiko Iwatani
- Mothra Arrives (M30)
- Just Before the Nuclear Explosion (M31)
- Ending (M33-T2)
Bonus Tracks
- Godzilla's Attack (M25A)
- Ebirah's Fury (M9-T1)
- Dayo's Prayer (Tape-1)
- Godzilla vs. Ebirah IV (M29 - Normal Playback Amount)
- Ending (M33-T1)
- Mothra's Song A (PS-55C)
By: Tokiko Iwatani
- Mothra's Song B (PS-55BA)
By: Tokiko Iwatani
- Mothra's Song C (PS-55BA)
By: Tokiko Iwatani
- Mothra's Song D (PS-55D)
By: Tokiko Iwatani
- Mothra's Song E (PS-55C)
By: Tokiko Iwatani
- Mothra's Song F (PS-55D)
By: Tokiko Iwatani
- Mothra's Song G (PS-55C)
By: Tokiko Iwatani
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