Released in 2014, this is the first box set to include all four entries in the Godzilla Legend series. Created by Makoto Inoue, the Godzilla Legend series is a synthesized reworking of many of the themes from the Godzilla and other Toho science fiction productions. There have been four releases in the series, with the first in 1983 and the latest in 2011.
For this set, King Records has remastered the music and, aside from some dialogue only tracks in Godzilla Legend III, they all sounds stellar. While the final volume in the series wasn't in need of restoration, the 1980's volumes benefit a lot from the remastering. There is a nice bit of range to the music and good clarity as well. Make no mistake, the music is dated by the methods used to create it, which has its own charm, but the restoration process is well done and the music has never sounded better.
Alongside presenting the music, this box set includes a thick, 52 page booklet celebrating the series. There are some nice, full color production stills of the various movies included inside. It also explains the process behind creating the music, reaching all the way back to August 28th, 1978. The promotion of the Godzilla Legend series is also included, such as some of the posters used to promote the first Godzilla Legend back in 1983.
Now this music has been released on CD many times before, following the original LP release of the first three entries in the 1980's. Over the ages its accumulated bonus content as well, to help flesh out its runtime. Regretfully, King Records made this set one of those "mini-LP replica" style CD releases. This means cardboard slip cases with the CDs in plastic sleeves. One will have to be conscious of how they put the CDs back, as they are liable to slip out otherwise. Safe to say they are more for show than practicality. This would be easy to overlook if not for the missing music, as most of the bonus content has been removed to keep it faithful to the original LP selections.
There is an outliner, though, as Godzilla Legend IV was originally on CD. In fact it clocked in at almost 80 minutes on its runtime, way beyond what an LP could hold. One would assume that King Records would just reproduce that same selection for this set… but sadly no as the contents on that volume are cut down to 45 minutes to match what could fit on an LP. While it's not surprising to see the a cappella bonus content go, the other tracks, even if unrelated to Godzilla, did get trimmed as well to reach that LP runtime.
At ¥ 10,800 (around $100) this set is not cheap. One hoping for this to be the end all, be all collection for Godzilla Legend will be a touch disappointed. In terms of sound quality, this is far and away the best method to enjoy the music. In terms of content, as it stands, one is better off buying Godzilla Legend 4 on its own from 2011 and the previous Godzilla Legend Box from 1991 (KICA-72/4). |
