Rank your Favorite SHOWA Musical Tracks

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ebirahsmeg1
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Rank your Favorite SHOWA Musical Tracks

Post by ebirahsmeg1 »

Ok, folks, what are some of your favorite tracks from the SHOWA era? I'm not talking about actual film scores...I'm talking individual tracks from the entire SHOWA era.

Wow, this was a difficult list to make (much more difficult than the usual "Favorite Films/Monsters" rankings). I had to sadly leave quite a few tracks I love. To the MODS, feel free to merge this if a similar topic already exits somewhere else.

My personal Favorite Tracks:

1. Godzilla / Rodan / King Ghidorah Themes Motif AKA The Greatest Battle on Earth 1 & 2 (GTTHM - Ifukube) - Includes all 3 of their famous themes in one awesome motif.
2. Destroy All Monsters Main Title Theme (DAM - Ifukube)
3. Godzilla's Theme/Main Title song (MothravsG - Ifukube)
4. Monster March (GvsMonster Zero - Ifukube)
5. MechaGodzilla's Theme (GvsMG - Sato) & MechaGodzilla theme (TOMG - Ifukube). I love them both equally.
6.The First Battle (The Mysterians - Ifukube)
7. Repel Godzilla/Main Theme (G54 Ifukube)
8. Godzilla to Tokyo Bay (G54 - Ifukube)
9. Element X (KKE -Ifukube)
10. Attack Gaira (WOTG - Ifukube)
11. Four Monsters Attack Tokyo (DAM - Ifukube)
12. Godzilla's Entrance (TOMG - Ifukube)
13. Storm on Odo Island (G54 - Ifukube)
14.Titanosaurus' Theme (TOMG - Ifukube)
15. Battle in Outer Space Main Theme /Godzilla & Anguirus head towards Tokyo (GvsGigan/BIOS - Ifukube)
16. Get Rodan - (Rodan - Ifukube)
17. The Volunteer Corps Swings Into Action (Atragon - Ifukube)
18. The Plan to Transport King Kong (KKvsG - Ifukube)
19. Kamakuras Theme (SOG - Sato)
20. Godzilla's Revenge American Theme (G's Revenge - Ervin Jereb)
GIANT CONDOR!!!!!!!! :shock:

"Someone kick me, kick me hard! We're stupid." - Corn on the cob eatin' Hippie (Godzilla vs Gigan)

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Re: Rank your Favorite SHOWA Musical Tracks

Post by Legion1979 »

Yikes, that's going to be rough. Give me some time with this one.

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Re: Rank your Favorite SHOWA Musical Tracks

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Legion1979 wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 11:45 am Yikes, that's going to be rough. Give me some time with this one.
Yeah, this was definitely one of the toughest "Rank your favorite~~~" lists I've ever done, but that's what made it so enjoyable. It's also the only time I recall when after posting, I wanted to change/edit it almost immediately afterwards....just so many great tracks I love that just missed the cut.

Some HONORABLE MENTIONS that just missed my personal cut (to even my own shock :shock: How the f#$& did I leave any of these out?):

Let's Summon Happiness I (GTTHM - The Peanuts) - I'm probably in the minority, but I prefer this to the classic, much more popular and famous Mothra theme.
King Kong vs. Godzilla II (KKvsG - Ifukube)
Birth of Japan / GvsGigan Opening Credits (GvsGigan - Ifukube)
Jet Jaguar Song (GvsMegalon - Manabe). The only time Manabe's name will appear on any personal "favorites" list of mine...such a silly, awful song....yet, I love it. :Megalon: :antonio:
Godzilla’s Resurrection (KKvsG - Ifukube)
Identity Investigation (GvsGigan - Ifukube) - Nothing ever got me so excited to my local city hall in Japan than this tune 8-)
Frankenstein vs Baragon III (FCTW - Ifukube)

I think I will have to revisit this list as some point and edit it in the future...
GIANT CONDOR!!!!!!!! :shock:

"Someone kick me, kick me hard! We're stupid." - Corn on the cob eatin' Hippie (Godzilla vs Gigan)

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Re: Rank your Favorite SHOWA Musical Tracks

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- Mechagodzilla/Battle theme from GvsMG74
- "Escape from Monster Land" from DAM
- Maser March from WOTG
- "The Death of Young People" from PON
- Mechani-Kong's theme from KKE
- "Godzilla at the Ocean Floor" from G54
- Black Shark's theme from LZ
- "Overture" and "Tulip" from The Last War
- "Varan's Fury I" from Varan
- "Frankenstein vs. Baragon I" from FQTW
- "Storm" from Mitsubishi Pavilion
- "Large Battle" from Horror of the Wolf
- "Challenge from Mu" from Atragon
- "Brainwashing" from BIOS
- "The Duel of Matsubara" from Samurai Saga
- "Attack Preparations" from The Mysterians
- "The Confrontation on Fuji" from KKvsG
- "Going Through the Snow" from Half Human
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ebirahsmeg1
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Re: Rank your Favorite SHOWA Musical Tracks

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G-Matt wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 9:43 pm - Mechagodzilla/Battle theme from GvsMG74
- "Escape from Monster Land" from DAM
- Maser March from WOTG
- "The Death of Young People" from PON
- Mechani-Kong's theme from KKE
- "Godzilla at the Ocean Floor" from G54
- Black Shark's theme from LZ
- "Overture" and "Tulip" from The Last War
- "Varan's Fury I" from Varan
- "Frankenstein vs. Baragon I" from FQTW
- "Storm" from Mitsubishi Pavilion
- "Large Battle" from Horror of the Wolf
- "Challenge from Mu" from Atragon
- "Brainwashing" from BIOS
- "The Duel of Matsubara" from Samurai Saga
- "Attack Preparations" from The Mysterians
- "The Confrontation on Fuji" from KKvsG
- "Going Through the Snow" from Half Human
Very solid list. Did Sato or Ifukube do the OST for Half Human? I haven't seen that movie in years (not the easiest film to see these days due to the whole Ainu controversy).
GIANT CONDOR!!!!!!!! :shock:

"Someone kick me, kick me hard! We're stupid." - Corn on the cob eatin' Hippie (Godzilla vs Gigan)

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Re: Rank your Favorite SHOWA Musical Tracks

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ebirahsmeg1 wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 8:55 am
G-Matt wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 9:43 pm - Mechagodzilla/Battle theme from GvsMG74
- "Escape from Monster Land" from DAM
- Maser March from WOTG
- "The Death of Young People" from PON
- Mechani-Kong's theme from KKE
- "Godzilla at the Ocean Floor" from G54
- Black Shark's theme from LZ
- "Overture" and "Tulip" from The Last War
- "Varan's Fury I" from Varan
- "Frankenstein vs. Baragon I" from FQTW
- "Storm" from Mitsubishi Pavilion
- "Large Battle" from Horror of the Wolf
- "Challenge from Mu" from Atragon
- "Brainwashing" from BIOS
- "The Duel of Matsubara" from Samurai Saga
- "Attack Preparations" from The Mysterians
- "The Confrontation on Fuji" from KKvsG
- "Going Through the Snow" from Half Human
Very solid list. Did Sato or Ifukube do the OST for Half Human? I haven't seen that movie in years (not the easiest film to see these days due to the whole Ainu controversy).
That was Sato.
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Gojira18
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Re: Rank your Favorite SHOWA Musical Tracks

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Godzilla Comes Ashore (G54)
Prayer For Peace (G54)
Attack Godzilla! (G54)
Godzilla to Tokyo Bay (G54)
Godzilla Under The Sea (G54)
Main Title (KKvG)
Thunder and the Devil (KKvG)
Sleeping Devil (KKvG)
Terror of Godzilla (KKvG)
Mothra's Song (Mothra)
Sacred Springs (Mothra)
Rodan Attacks Fukuoka (Rodan)
Get Rodan! (Rodan)
Rodan's Theme (GTTHM)
Ghidorah's Terror (GTTHM)
Monster Zero March (IOAM)
Main Title (DAM)
Mechagodzilla's Theme (GvMG)
Godzilla's March (TOMG)
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Re: Rank your Favorite SHOWA Musical Tracks

Post by ebirahsmeg1 »

Legion1979 wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 11:45 am Yikes, that's going to be rough. Give me some time with this one.

Looking forward to your top Showa tracks list! :KingGhidorah64: :KingCaesar: :JetJaguar: :Baragon: :Anguirus: :Hedorah: :Mothra61: :Megalon: :Rodan56: :Mechagodzilla74: :mugal: :xilian: :serizawa: :antonio: :blackholealien: :godzilla1962: :Godzilla68: :JetJaguar: :g64: :Gigan: :mechanikong: :godzilla:
Gojira18 wrote: Sat Jul 08, 2023 1:34 pm Godzilla Comes Ashore (G54)
Prayer For Peace (G54)
Attack Godzilla! (G54)
Godzilla to Tokyo Bay (G54)
Godzilla Under The Sea (G54)
Main Title (KKvG)
Thunder and the Devil (KKvG)
Sleeping Devil (KKvG)
Terror of Godzilla (KKvG)
Mothra's Song (Mothra)
Sacred Springs (Mothra)
Rodan Attacks Fukuoka (Rodan)
Get Rodan! (Rodan)
Rodan's Theme (GTTHM)
Ghidorah's Terror (GTTHM)
Monster Zero March (IOAM)
Main Title (DAM)
Mechagodzilla's Theme (GvMG)
Godzilla's March (TOMG)

Solid list :blackholealien: My Showa top 20 tracks list is one that I constantly want to change/amend every single time I review it...just some great tracks all around from Ifukube and Sato....hell, even Manabe had his moments once in a awhile.


In addition, while these are definitely *NOT* in my top favorites list, these silly/goofy kaiju songs are are guilty pleasure of mine...just absolutely hilarious :lol: :lol: :lol: To my complete surprise, quite a few of these obscure, goofy songs were often available tracks at Karaoke centers when I lived in Japan. :rimshot:






Last edited by ebirahsmeg1 on Mon Jul 10, 2023 8:26 am, edited 3 times in total.
GIANT CONDOR!!!!!!!! :shock:

"Someone kick me, kick me hard! We're stupid." - Corn on the cob eatin' Hippie (Godzilla vs Gigan)

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Re: Rank your Favorite SHOWA Musical Tracks

Post by Legion1979 »

I fucking LOVE these songs. The MG one, which incorporates bits of Sato's motifs, could have easily been used for the opening credits.

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Re: Rank your Favorite SHOWA Musical Tracks

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ebirahsmeg1 wrote: Mon Jul 10, 2023 7:45 am
Gojira18 wrote: Sat Jul 08, 2023 1:34 pm Godzilla Comes Ashore (G54)
Prayer For Peace (G54)
Attack Godzilla! (G54)
Godzilla to Tokyo Bay (G54)
Godzilla Under The Sea (G54)
Main Title (KKvG)
Thunder and the Devil (KKvG)
Sleeping Devil (KKvG)
Terror of Godzilla (KKvG)
Mothra's Song (Mothra)
Sacred Springs (Mothra)
Rodan Attacks Fukuoka (Rodan)
Get Rodan! (Rodan)
Rodan's Theme (GTTHM)
Ghidorah's Terror (GTTHM)
Monster Zero March (IOAM)
Main Title (DAM)
Mechagodzilla's Theme (GvMG)
Godzilla's March (TOMG)

Solid list :blackholealien: My Showa top 20 tracks list is one that I constantly want to change/amend every single time I review it...just some great tracks all around from Ifukube and Sato....hell, even Manabe had his moments once in a awhile.


In addition, while these are definitely *NOT* in my top favorites list, these silly/goofy kaiju songs are are guilty pleasure of mine...just absolutely hilarious :lol: :lol: :lol: To my complete surprise, quite a few of these obscure, goofy songs were often available tracks at Karaoke centers when I lived in Japan. :rimshot:






Ifukube is one of those composers that I just adore and whenever he was slated in a movie, I knew it was gonna be good music. Sato I'll admit I don't care much for his Raids Again and Ebirah scores (much like those movies themselves), but I do like his Son of Godzilla and ESPECIALLY vs Mechagodzilla scores. The jazz MG theme always gets me pumped.
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Re: Rank your Favorite SHOWA Musical Tracks

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Legion1979 wrote: Mon Jul 10, 2023 8:16 am I fucking LOVE these songs. The MG one, which incorporates bits of Sato's motifs, could have easily been used for the opening credits.
Surprisingly, the GvsMG jazz motif with Beru-Bera Lin's lyrics was often available in the catalogs of most Karaoke centers. Karaoke was and has never been my thing (in 16 years of Japan, I only went a handful of times...mostly for required "nomikai" drinking parties with co-workers/managers, a common thing in Japan), but I actually selected it once along with the Mothra song and tried to sing it(very poorly while heavily intoxicated :Mechagodzilla74: ).

I also heard the Godzilla/Anguirus songs once at a really old Izakaya bar near my apartment in Yokohama :Godzilla68: :Anguirus:
GIANT CONDOR!!!!!!!! :shock:

"Someone kick me, kick me hard! We're stupid." - Corn on the cob eatin' Hippie (Godzilla vs Gigan)

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ebirahsmeg1
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Re: Rank your Favorite SHOWA Musical Tracks

Post by ebirahsmeg1 »

Always found this track really catchy and underrated :rimshot:

Last edited by ebirahsmeg1 on Sun Oct 08, 2023 9:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
GIANT CONDOR!!!!!!!! :shock:

"Someone kick me, kick me hard! We're stupid." - Corn on the cob eatin' Hippie (Godzilla vs Gigan)

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