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 Posted:   Feb 15, 2021 - 4:29 PM   
 By:   SCOREMIX   (Member)

I only own Perfect Collection Box Nr 6 and it's really awesome. Wish I had gotten all the other 5 at the time I bought that one.

 
 Posted:   Feb 15, 2021 - 4:51 PM   
 By:   Ostinato   (Member)

I only own Perfect Collection Box Nr 6 and it's really awesome. Wish I had gotten all the other 5 at the time I bought that one.

Most of the scores included with that box were greatly expanded, which was certainly welcome. As for the other five you don't have, all six are still in-print as I stated earlier in the thread. So, you still have a chance to eventually get them.

 
 Posted:   Feb 15, 2021 - 5:32 PM   
 By:   Advise & Consent   (Member)

I only own Perfect Collection Box Nr 6 and it's really awesome. Wish I had gotten all the other 5 at the time I bought that one.

Most of the scores included with that box were greatly expanded, which was certainly welcome. As for the other five you don't have, all six are still in-print as I stated earlier in the thread. So, you still have a chance to eventually get them.


Despite a few minor shortcomings, I'm glad I got all six of the Godzilla Perfect Collection boxes. As mentioned by Mr. Ostinato, the packaging is really aces as are all the extras (which would have bee n difficult if not impossible to obtain otherwise). Plus, they really look Awesome of my soundtrack shelf. smile

BTW - Mr. Ostinato and Mr. Ifukube, please continue as you made this thread fascinating.

 
 Posted:   Feb 15, 2021 - 5:54 PM   
 By:   Col. Flagg   (Member)

BTW - Mr. Ostinato and Mr. Ifukube, please continue as you made this thread fascinating.

I concur – keep at it!

 
 
 Posted:   Feb 16, 2021 - 2:25 AM   
 By:   Ifukube   (Member)

Is there a way that I can copy and paste, or even upload photos that are already saved in my PC? I'm looking at "Images" in the Special Code Legend, but I only see a way to post photos that have a URL, but how can I get photos that are already saved in "My Pictures", from my PC, posted here?

I'd like to see if I can post a couple of photos of the Godzilla Film Music Collections 2CD set?

 
 Posted:   Feb 16, 2021 - 4:17 AM   
 By:   Ostinato   (Member)

Despite a few minor shortcomings, I'm glad I got all six of the Godzilla Perfect Collection boxes. As mentioned by Mr. Ostinato, the packaging is really aces as are all the extras (which would have bee n difficult if not impossible to obtain otherwise). Plus, they really look Awesome of my soundtrack shelf. smile

BTW - Mr. Ostinato and Mr. Ifukube, please continue as you made this thread fascinating.


Indeed! They look amazing!

I'm glad to see the discussion with Ifukube and I is interesting!


I concur – keep at it!

And that we shall do!


Is there a way that I can copy and paste, or even upload photos that are already saved in my PC? I'm looking at "Images" in the Special Code Legend, but I only see a way to post photos that have a URL, but how can I get photos that are already saved in "My Pictures", from my PC, posted here?

I'd like to see if I can post a couple of photos of the Godzilla Film Music Collections 2CD set?


You have to use an image host in order to include photos here. I personally use Postimages. I last used Postimages to post some of the cue sheets for "Godzilla" '54 on this thread. Just upload you want to Postimages (I recommend making an account there), copy the direct link URL and paste the link here according to the special code legend instructions.

 
 Posted:   Feb 16, 2021 - 4:52 AM   
 By:   jackfu   (Member)


I'm going to admit, Riichiro Manabe's score to "Godzilla vs. Hedorah" (1971) is not only my favorite Godzilla score, it's also one of my all-time favorite scores.


Bless you, Ostinato, bless you! smile

Of all the hundreds of reviews I've read over the years, you are the only person I've ever encountered that shares my deep abiding love for this score!
I first saw it as the AIP (Godzilla vs the Smog Monster) theater version in 1972 and was riveted by it!
I'm not sure why this one is so disliked; perhaps in part due to its association with the flying Godzilla near the end of the film?
I've seen it reviled as being a "drunken Godzilla" motif when G appears, and perhaps it does sound that way to most ears.

I love this film as well, and find it quite topical, for its time. I've never really thought of it as a kiddie film. There's some pretty serious stuff in this one, however, I do remember that there were a lot of children in the theater when I went to see it.

Can you imagine that there was once a time when parents would drop off their kids at the theater so they could go shopping, etc., and then pick them up after the movie was over, safe and sound?

This score and Gojira and Son of Godzilla are my top three scores for Godzilla/Gojira films.
I only know of Manabe thru his two scores for the Godzilla films.
I think Manabe did a fantastic job with the different motifs for this score.
Thanks again!

 
 Posted:   Feb 16, 2021 - 5:31 AM   
 By:   Ostinato   (Member)

Bless you, Ostinato, bless you! smile

Of all the hundreds of reviews I've read over the years, you are the only person I've ever encountered that shares my deep abiding love for this score!
I first saw it as the AIP (Godzilla vs the Smog Monster) theater version in 1972 and was riveted by it!
I'm not sure why this one is so disliked; perhaps in part due to its association with the flying Godzilla near the end of the film?
I've seen it reviled as being a "drunken Godzilla" motif when G appears, and perhaps it does sound that way to most ears.

I love this film as well, and find it quite topical, for its time. I've never really thought of it as a kiddie film. There's some pretty serious stuff in this one, however, I do remember that there were a lot of children in the theater when I went to see it.

Can you imagine that there was once a time when parents would drop off their kids at the theater so they could go shopping, etc., and then pick them up after the movie was over, safe and sound?

This score and Gojira and Son of Godzilla are my top three scores for Godzilla/Gojira films.
I only know of Manabe thru his two scores for the Godzilla films.
I think Manabe did a fantastic job with the different motifs for this score.
Thanks again!



You're welcome! I hope I made your day! I'm a big Manabe fan.

I have no clue why the score is so maligned, perhaps due to its Avant-garde nature. Oh, I can't tell you how sick and tired I am of people calling Manabe's Godzilla Theme as you described. "Drunken" my ass!

Funny enough, I watched the film yesterday! It does suffer from a lower budget and lack of character development, but it's definitely one of the more serious Godzilla films out there. Manabe's music fits the film like a glove, and certainly helps cement the film's atmosphere.

That's the '60s and '70s for you! I wish I was able to experience that point in time, but oh well.

I'm not sure what my top three Godzilla scores are, but I do place "Hedorah" at #1. By the way, check out Toho's Bloodthirsty Trilogy. The films feature fantastic scores by Manabe, and if you like what he did for "Hedorah", then you'll love what he did for those films.

 
 Posted:   Feb 16, 2021 - 7:55 AM   
 By:   Solium   (Member)

I only have Box Set #5 but I love it. Lots of great stuff. I purchased it mainly for the (at the time) newer Godzilla scores but the huge bonus for me was Disc 9- Bonus Disc B-Ostinato.

 
 Posted:   Feb 16, 2021 - 8:06 AM   
 By:   Ostinato   (Member)

I only have Box Set #5 but I love it. Lots of great stuff. I purchased it mainly for the (at the time) newer Godzilla scores but the huge bonus for me was Disc 9- Bonus Disc B-Ostinato.

They did a pretty good job presenting the newer scores, though the Heisei scores on boxes 4 and 5 are a mixed bag. It's pretty obvious when looking the the track lists for them that those scores were more or less presented as recorded, rather than presenting them as heard in their respective films. I'm pretty sure it was irritating for those who prefer the latter.

Ah, Ostinato = my user name. Seriously, it's a great album, though the original versions of the cues re-recorded for Ostinato are typically better.

 
 Posted:   Feb 16, 2021 - 8:10 AM   
 By:   Solium   (Member)

I only have Box Set #5 but I love it. Lots of great stuff. I purchased it mainly for the (at the time) newer Godzilla scores but the huge bonus for me was Disc 9- Bonus Disc B-Ostinato.

They did a pretty good job presenting the newer scores, though the Heisei scores on boxes 4 and 5 are a mixed bag. It's pretty obvious when looking the the track lists for them that those score were more or less presented as recorded, rather than presenting them as heard in their respective films. I'm pretty sure it was irritating for those who prefer the latter.

Ah, Ostinato = my user name. Seriously, it's a great album, though the original versions of the cues re-recorded for Ostinato are typically better.


That's interesting. I'm not to familiar with those films, Ive seen bits and pieces of them which intrigued me enough to get the box set for the scores. Is there a film order list for those scores?

 
 Posted:   Feb 16, 2021 - 8:35 AM   
 By:   Ostinato   (Member)

That's interesting. I'm not to familiar with those films, Ive seen bits and pieces of them which intrigued me enough to get the box set for the scores. Is there a film order list for those scores?

The Perfect Collection sets more or less have the cues in film order, but not as edited for the films. Older releases however do present the scores as heard in the films, such as Complete Recordings 9, 10 and 11 and the Kitty Records' two-disc release of "SpaceGodzilla".

 
 Posted:   Feb 16, 2021 - 8:35 AM   
 By:   Ostinato   (Member)

For those who have any of the Futureland releases (Godzilla and otherwise), which ones do you have?

I currently have the following:

Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Special Effects Film Music Toho Edition 10 (TYCY-5342·43)
Godzilla Complete Works Collection 2 - Godzilla's Counterattack (TYCY-5346)
Godzilla Complete Works Collection 11 - Godzilla vs. Hedorah (TYCY-5355)
Toho Monster Film Selection 1 - Giant Monster of the Sky: Rodan (TYCY-5498)
Toho Monster Film Selection 2 - Earth Defense Force (TYCY-5499)
Toho Monster Film Selection 4 - Great Space War (TYCY-5501)
Toho Monster Film Selection 5 - Undersea Battleship (TYCY-5502)
Toho Monster Film Selection 9 - Latitude 0 Great Military Battle (TYCY-5506)
Toho Monster Film Selection 11 - Gezora, Ganimes, Kamoebas: Decisive Battle! Giant Monsters of the South Seas (TYCY-5508)

I obtained the majority of the albums back in November, with Godzilla Complete Works Collection 2 being purchased late last month and arriving on February 1st. Amazingly, most of them were still sealed at the time of purchase.

In addition, I used to have Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Special Effects Film Music Toho Edition 2 (LD25-5035·36), but I no longer have it. All I have now are WAV preservation rips I made of it, as well as booklet scans of the album.

As you all may have noticed, I use translations of the original titles when I list an album (for accuracy purposes as well as my personal preference). Also, I can make new threads for collectors of the Futureland releases or even the releases of Cinema-kan and Toho Music is you all would like. Let me know and I'll whip something up.

 
 
 Posted:   Feb 17, 2021 - 12:23 AM   
 By:   Ifukube   (Member)

Ah! That's why I've always had trouble finding information the Akira Ifukube Godzilla Film Music Collection set. I thought it didn't receive a wide release. I've seen one or two images of it, and at one point a copy for sale, but that's it.

I never bought the Futureland Godzilla compilations, though I often do see the Best Selected Tracks albums for sale at cheap prices. While not technically Godzilla related per se, I do have VAP's Ifukube compilation albums, including the Stage Music albums. In addition, I do have Toho Music's Akira Ifukube Film Music Collection album. I definitely do know about the Toho Music/DeAgostini albums. Since I wasn't collecting film scores at the time, I didn't get them.

Speaking of VAP's Ifukube albums, the cover art for one of them happens to be my avatar here. It's one of my favorite Ifukube albums due to my obsession with Ifukube's Sakuma Dam Trilogy scores.



Yes, it's almost impossible to find any information on the 2014 Akira Ifukube Godzilla Film Music Collection 2CD set, but I'm glad you did see what it looks like. I'll have to find my copy one day and see what the Toho Music catalog number is...that might be the only way to look it up online...I tried Googling it tonight and came up empty. I saw one copy being sold on a Yahoo Japan Auction a few months ago, is that the one you also spotted for sale?


Indeed I have that many! The Sato war scores they released are certainly terrific, with "Battle of Okinawa" being my favorite. I have all of them except for "Battle of the Japan Sea", but I intend to eventually rectify that.

My family had an SUV with pretty damned good speakers. I enjoyed listening to my old CD collection when we were running around. Do you have an optical drive to play CDs on your computer? If so, use VLC when playing them. If you have VLC, or you decide to install it, go to the equalization settings and select the Headphones preset. In addition, select both the compressor and spatializer settings, also found in the equalization settings. The latter two only work with mono recordings, so they have to be turned of whenever you're listening to anything in stereo. I have a pair of JLAB headphones. While not necessarily top-of-the-line, they sound pretty damned good, especially with the VLC settings I mentioned.

I ended up buying a CD player when I received my copy of Three Shells' Akira Ifukube Nikkatsu Film Music Complete Works set back in 2017. I had to buy the CD player since that was the only way I could listen to CDs at the time (all I had at that point was a tablet). Now that I have a Blu-ray player and a laptop with an optical drive, I no longer have to use the CD player anymore with the exception of getting album run times so I can include them with my blog posts. I have to say, playing the albums on the CD player sounds significantly different compared to the TV audio, Bose system and my laptop. My CD player is real bass heavy, so the albums I've listened to on it sounds completely different than how they actually sound.



I'm curious about that VLC Media Player...can you rip CDs with it and also play CDs? However, how does it sound...does VLC's media player have full blown tone and a lot of bass? I have a laptop and I don't have any bassy external stereo speakers hooked up to it, I only listen to music via my built-in laptop speakers, but I listen to my music using the Microsoft Groove media player, which does enhance the audio experience with solid tone and more bass too...I mean, their Windows Media Player sounds terrible, which is probably why Microsoft came up with Groove. You can't rip CDs in Groove...you still need Windows Media Player for that, but you can then store all of the music in Groove and experience a superior audio experience as well.


Until Cinema-kan came along, I always felt The Futureland releases sounded more true to the tapes themselves (as far as I know). I always felt he Cinema-kan release of "King Kong Escapes" always sounded brilliant. Some tape damage was repaired/less apparent and instruments could be heard more distinctly (as with the other related score they reissued). It's been ages since I've heard the Futureland release of the score, so I can't remember any differences with the overall tone between the two. One of the most impressive was their release of "Dogora". I remember that one needing serious restoration work. My jaw completely dropped the second I heard the first track. It sounded so beautiful! I also loved the mini compilation of obscure Ifukube material they included. I have a preference to Ifukube's obscure film work, so that was a treat! Fun fact, I've seen all but one film ("The President and the Shopgirl") included in that bonus compilation.

Yes, Half Human is out-of-print, along with a few other of Cinema-kan releases. I have all but one of their out-out-print albums, with that one album being "Goke". I'm still kicking my ass for letting it slip away!

I don't own the Kurosawa boxes, but I did have the opportunity to listen to them. They are amazing, though they could use new restoration work now that such technology has advanced considerably. Do you have the Google Translate app on your phone? You can use the app to scan Japanese text and have it translated. Just don't use the instant translation, always have it scan the text. Granted, this only works with mobile devices with a camera. I use the app to help with translating portions of the booklet contents from the albums in my collection, so I can provide interesting information (at least for me) when I post an album on my blog.



Yes, the Futureland CDs do sound more true to the master-tapes, as they were probably in better condition in the 90s, plus, Toshiba was a major record label that knew what it was doing when it came to the mastering! As for the Cinema-kan Dogora reissue CD, I did indeed buy that one, mainly because of the 11 bonus tracks! I already own 2 copies of the Futureland Dogora CD and certainly didn't need the score again on CD, but when Cinema-kan added those bonus tracks, particularly, the 1948 theme from President-Shopgirl, which SHOCKED me when I heard it, as it's an early version of Ifukube's 1954 Godzilla theme, I just had to buy the Cinema-kan CD, on the strength of that 1 bonus track alone!


And speaking of bonus tracks, did you buy the Cinema-kan War of the Gargantuas reissue CD? Oh boy, it has 4 different versions of "The Words Get Stuck In My Throat"...the earlier Futureland CD only had 2. The real gem on the Cinema-kan CD though, is a real stereo, studio version of "The Words Get Stuck In My Throat", which sounds amazing, and I never knew it existed? I'm not sure what the deal is with this stereo version, perhaps the booklet explains what it is, but the WOTG Cinema-kan CD is worth getting just for that rare stereo version of the song.

And thanks for the tip regarding the Google translate app...I just downloaded it to my iPhone! Question - is it easy to use if I want to translate some of the Toho Music or Cinema-kan booklets? For example, does the camera on the phone need to be pointed at the pages and will the app tell me what button to hit? Also, does it just scan and translate a few sentences at a time or can it do one side of a whole page? Sorry, I am not that knowledgeable about using this app...smile


Hmm, so I was right, Half Human is out of print now...would you know why Cinema-kan stopped releasing that title? It makes me wonder what might go OOP next? I mean, I've been on the fence about getting Cinema-kan's The Little Prince And The Eight-Headed Dragon 2CD set, scored by Akira Ifukube, as I already have that soundtrack on a superior sounding 1996 Columbia CD, but I've been worried that Cinema-kan could put that title out of print soon too?


I never bought the Perfect Collection boxes. I knew someone who had rips of them. I mentioned earlier in the thread that while I despise illegally obtained rips, it did provide me the chance to listen to them and compare them with past releases. For a sound quality standpoint, I vastly preferred the older releases. Aside from the booklets and classy packaging design, the boxes aren't worth it for me. They are indeed limited to 1,954 copies each. None of them have gone out-of-print and I've read that all six boxes are sitting in Toho warehouses collecting dust.

You're welcome! I'm glad to you you like Ifukube as much as I do! You won't believe the number of Ifukube scored films I've seen! Hell, I've lost count.


OK, I am a little surprised that you never bought any of the 50th Anniversary Godzilla Perfect Collection boxed sets? The Godzilla scores are essential to own and as you know, Toho Music really stocked them full with added content - once these sell out, these particular editions probably won't be back, unless Cinema-kan actually reissues them with the same bonus content?

My favorite Godzilla Box might be Box 4, as it has the ultimate Godzilla 1984 2CD set, plus a fantastic Biollante 2CD set, and frankly, it's worth it just for Godzilla 1984, which is a very hard to find soundtrack CD. Toho Music also did a great job remastering Godzilla 1984, and I love the fact that is has the original ending credits theme, "Good-bye Godzilla", that is sung by The Star Sisters, and this original version that is heard during the rolling end credits of the movie, is not on the 1993 Godzilla 1984 Futureland CD! Box 1 of course has the King Kong vs Godzilla 2CD set, which is well worth owning as well. Do you think you will eventually pick any of these boxed sets up, as it doesn't seem like you have many actual Godzilla soundtrack CDs?

 
 Posted:   Feb 17, 2021 - 7:24 AM   
 By:   Ostinato   (Member)

Yes, it's almost impossible to find any information on the 2014 Akira Ifukube Godzilla Film Music Collection 2CD set, but I'm glad you did see what it looks like. I'll have to find my copy one day and see what the Toho Music catalog number is...that might be the only way to look it up online...I tried Googling it tonight and came up empty. I saw one copy being sold on a Yahoo Japan Auction a few months ago, is that the one you also spotted for sale?

Oh yes, the catalogue number may help! I think that may be the copy I saw for sale. Someone Twitter tweeted about a copy for sale, which was likely the copy from Yahoo Japan Auction. That was actually how I found out that the set even existed.


I'm curious about that VLC Media Player...can you rip CDs with it and also play CDs? However, how does it sound...does VLC's media player have full blown tone and a lot of bass? I have a laptop and I don't have any bassy external stereo speakers hooked up to it, I only listen to music via my built-in laptop speakers, but I listen to my music using the Microsoft Groove media player, which does enhance the audio experience with solid tone and more bass too...I mean, their Windows Media Player sounds terrible, which is probably why Microsoft came up with Groove. You can't rip CDs in Groove...you still need Windows Media Player for that, but you can then store all of the music in Groove and experience a superior audio experience as well.


I believe that you can do both on VLC, though I rip my CDs with Windows Media Player. Many use EAC (exact Audio Copy) for making accurate rips of their CDs, but I found it to be way too time consuming to rip. So, I stick to Windows Media Player to rip. Those who use EAC detest those using Windows Media Player to rip CDs. Well, I don't give a flying crap about what they think.

If you use the settings I mentioned, then the sound quality should sound great. Instead of using the speakers equalization settings rather than the headphones setting, though keep the other two settings I mentioned. However, I do recommend using a good pair of headphones.

Yeah, I don't like the way Windows Media Player sounds, which is why I only use it to rip CDs. Believe it or not, I have to turn off the wifi when using it, as it renames all of my audio files if I don't shut the wifi off. I do have Microsoft Groove, but I never used it since I have VLC.


Yes, the Futureland CDs do sound more true to the master-tapes, as they were probably in better condition in the 90s, plus, Toshiba was a major record label that knew what it was doing when it came to the mastering! As for the Cinema-kan Dogora reissue CD, I did indeed buy that one, mainly because of the 11 bonus tracks! I already own 2 copies of the Futureland Dogora CD and certainly didn't need the score again on CD, but when Cinema-kan added those bonus tracks, particularly, the 1948 theme from President-Shopgirl, which SHOCKED me when I heard it, as it's an early version of Ifukube's 1954 Godzilla theme, I just had to buy the Cinema-kan CD, on the strength of that 1 bonus track alone!


I do love how many of the Futureland albums sound, and they certainly did their best given the technology at the time. Yeah, I think that track would surprise many, though it wasn't the first time he used the "Godzilla" '54 theme for his music. Speaking of "Godzilla" '54, people should check out Ifukube's Sakuma Dam music. For example, "Sakuma Dam Part One" (1954) features Ifukube's "Godzilla" '54 rampage material (and eventual component of his Godzilla Theme) before it was even used for the film! The earliest film I've heard it in is "Netsudeichi" (1950).

The "Sakuma Dam Part Two: Transformation of the Great Tenryu" (1955) track on the "Dogora" release also has that material.

On the subject of Ifukube's Sakuma Dam scores, it had always been by dream to see the scores being released in full. Unfortunately, the tapes were partially extant in 1997, and a friend of mine, the main producer at Cinema-kan, told me that he tried to find the tapes for those scores when he was working on his "Dogora" release, but was unable to locate them. Thus, my dream for such a release was squashed.

On the bright side, I did fulfill my quest to see the films. Sadly, the surviving print for "Sakuma Dam Part Three" (1957) has a score composed by Yasushi Akutagawa. He's another composer I love, and while his Sakuma Dam theme is great, the rest of his music didn't fit the film at all. Ifukube originally scored the film, as some cues from it have been released over the years, but the print with his score apparently no longer survives.

And speaking of bonus tracks, did you buy the Cinema-kan War of the Gargantuas reissue CD? Oh boy, it has 4 different versions of "The Words Get Stuck In My Throat"...the earlier Futureland CD only had 2. The real gem on the Cinema-kan CD though, is a real stereo, studio version of "The Words Get Stuck In My Throat", which sounds amazing, and I never knew it existed? I'm not sure what the deal is with this stereo version, perhaps the booklet explains what it is, but the WOTG Cinema-kan CD is worth getting just for that rare stereo version of the song.


Indeed I did! I bought it along with "Frankenstein vs. Baragon". That version of the song is definitely one of the reasons it's worth buying the album, and is far better than what was used in the film.


And thanks for the tip regarding the Google translate app...I just downloaded it to my iPhone! Question - is it easy to use if I want to translate some of the Toho Music or Cinema-kan booklets? For example, does the camera on the phone need to be pointed at the pages and will the app tell me what button to hit? Also, does it just scan and translate a few sentences at a time or can it do one side of a whole page? Sorry, I am not that knowledgeable about using this app...smile


You're welcome! It is relatively easy to use overall. Yes, the camera does need to pointed at the text. The app will tell you what to do. I don't recommend translating entire pages as the text will be too small and the translations will turn out nonsensical. I personally translate a paragraph at a time. Play around with the app until you get the hang of it.


Hmm, so I was right, Half Human is out of print now...would you know why Cinema-kan stopped releasing that title? It makes me wonder what might go OOP next? I mean, I've been on the fence about getting Cinema-kan's The Little Prince And The Eight-Headed Dragon 2CD set, scored by Akira Ifukube, as I already have that soundtrack on a superior sounding 1996 Columbia CD, but I've been worried that Cinema-kan could put that title out of print soon too?

They sold out of the copies that were produced. Like with western labels, only a certain number of copies are produced, though I don't know how many they produce for their releases. I can ask the friend I mentioned about that one of these days.

"The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon" is a great release from them. I can't compare audio differences with the 1996 Nippon Columbia release, but it does sound vastly better than the Futureland releases. It sounds great, and is probably on par with the Nippon Columbia release. In addition, the Cinema-kan release includes material not found on the other releases. No, it's not going out-of-print. Cinema-kan usually makes an announcement when any of their releases go out-of-print.


OK, I am a little surprised that you never bought any of the 50th Anniversary Godzilla Perfect Collection boxed sets? The Godzilla scores are essential to own and as you know, Toho Music really stocked them full with added content - once these sell out, these particular editions probably won't be back, unless Cinema-kan actually reissues them with the same bonus content?

My favorite Godzilla Box might be Box 4, as it has the ultimate Godzilla 1984 2CD set, plus a fantastic Biollante 2CD set, and frankly, it's worth it just for Godzilla 1984, which is a very hard to find soundtrack CD. Toho Music also did a great job remastering Godzilla 1984, and I love the fact that is has the original ending credits theme, "Good-bye Godzilla", that is sung by The Star Sisters, and this original version that is heard during the rolling end credits of the movie, is not on the 1993 Godzilla 1984 Futureland CD! Box 1 of course has the King Kong vs Godzilla 2CD set, which is well worth owning as well. Do you think you will eventually pick any of these boxed sets up, as it doesn't seem like you have many actual Godzilla soundtrack CDs?



I would have tried to buy them at some point if it weren't for the fact that the audio quality for most of the scores aren't to my liking. I may eventually get them for the the booklet contents and for certain scores like the two you mentioned. The audio quality issues I have mainly pertain to the Showa scores. It was really hard for me to listen to them with all of the issues I've mentioned elsewhere in the thread. The older releases may not have all of the additional content that the Perfect Collection boxes have, but I greatly prefer the audio quality of the older releases. Also, all of the Heisei scores with the exception of "Godzilla" '84, "Godzilla vs. Biollante" and "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah" are better presented with the older Futureland and Kitty Records releases. I do have to wonder why Futureland never gave "King Ghidorah" the Complete Recordings treatment as they did with Ifukube's other Heisei scores. It's a shame too.

But as I said, I may eventually get them, but they're not at all a priority for me. For the most part, I'd rather track down the older releases.

 
 Posted:   Feb 18, 2021 - 8:17 PM   
 By:   increbula   (Member)

For those who have any of the Futureland releases (Godzilla and otherwise), which ones do you have?

I was very fortunate to have purchased all of Futureland’s Toho soundtrack releases when most of them were still in print, and they are the backbone of my collection (I also own all of the early SLC, VAP, King, Victor and Columbia discs as well, not to mention Ifukube's concert work). In terms of sound quality, I prefer the Futureland versions by far over any of the Toho Music or Cinema Kan editions, although I enjoy those too (particularly for their packaging). The Futureland releases were likely flat transfers of the source material and have a more natural sound to my ears - unlike many of the remasters, which at times seem a bit overworked.

Considering the sonic limitations of Showa scores, and the fact that they were not originally recorded with commercial release in mind, I don’t think the remastering does much to enhance the listening experience. That said, most of the modifications have been relatively subtle, and I doubt they would seriously hamper newcomers' enjoyment of these wonderful recordings.

 
 Posted:   Feb 19, 2021 - 7:24 AM   
 By:   increbula   (Member)

FYI, the catalog number for this 2-CD release is AI-2014-1 / AI-2014-2.

 
 Posted:   Feb 19, 2021 - 9:17 AM   
 By:   Ostinato   (Member)

I was very fortunate to have purchased all of Futureland’s Toho soundtrack releases when most of them were still in print, and they are the backbone of my collection (I also own all of the early SLC, VAP, King, Victor and Columbia discs as well, not to mention Ifukube's concert work). In terms of sound quality, I prefer the Futureland versions by far over any of the Toho Music or Cinema Kan editions, although I enjoy those too (particularly for their packaging). The Futureland releases were likely flat transfers of the source material and have a more natural sound to my ears - unlike many of the remasters, which at times seem a bit overworked.

Considering the sonic limitations of Showa scores, and the fact that they were not originally recorded with commercial release in mind, I don’t think the remastering does much to enhance the listening experience. That said, most of the modifications have been relatively subtle, and I doubt they would seriously hamper newcomers' enjoyment of these wonderful recordings.



Yes, I too feel that Futureland's releases are more or less flat transfers of the tapes. A couple of the scores released by Futureland ("Dogora" and "Frankenstein vs. Baragon") needed some serious restoration work as they sounded a bit muddied and whatnot. the latter even had issues with clipping. I was shocked at how well Cinema-kan restored those scores. The Futureland releases of "Rodan" and "The Mysterians" also have some deterioration, but they do sound pretty clear, at least they do with the settings I use on VLC. Another one I felt they did a brilliant job on was "Gorath". My friend at Cinema-kan told me that "Gorath" had the lengthiest restoration period of any of their releases up to that point. It makes sense as the stereo magnetic film elements (known as Cinetape in Japan) had deteriorated which resulted in problems such as issues with pitch.

I do feel that their Daimajin set was a bit overworked. This was due to the tapes being seriously deteriorated. My friend did everything he could to rectify some of the issues, but was unable to fix everything. His efforts payed off though, as the set garnered acclaim for the restoration work involved. I too love the end results overall.


FYI, the catalog number for this 2-CD release is AI-2014-1 / AI-2014-2.

Thank you! That's indeed the set Ifukube and I have mentioned!

 
 Posted:   Feb 19, 2021 - 5:42 PM   
 By:   increbula   (Member)

...I used to have access to the Futureland release of "Gigan". I too loved looking at the cue numbers for it.

Speaking of the GODZILLA VS. GIGAN cues, here's a puzzler: What is the original title of the cue M12T2 from BOSS OF THE UNDERWORLD (aka, THE BIG BOSS)? That's the dramatic fanfare that was used at the beginning of GIGAN's main title. I saw a non-subtitled copy of BOSS a few years ago, and the brief cue was heard during a nightmarish dream sequence experienced by Akira Takarada's character. I've always wondered if the cue had a name, but I believe it's only listed by number in the Futureland and Toho Music GIGAN booklets.

 
 Posted:   Feb 19, 2021 - 6:06 PM   
 By:   increbula   (Member)

I had some downtime, so I threw together the following discography of all of Futureland's Kaiju Eiga/Sci-Fi/Ifukube-related releases (titles in italics are concert works or non-sci-fi scores by Ifukube). The Futureland imprint appears to have fizzled out soon after the turn of the millennium.

04/22/87 - Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Toho SFX Film Music 1 (LD25-5033-34, reissued 03/18/92 as TYCY-5195-96)
04/22/87 - Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Toho SFX Film Music 2 (LD25-5035-36, reissued 03/18/92 as TYCY-5197-98)
04/22/87 - Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Toho SFX Film Music 3 (LD25-5037-38, reissued 03/18/92 as TYCY-5199-00)
04/22/87 - Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Toho SFX Film Music 4 (LD25-5039-40, reissued 03/18/92 as TYCY-5201-02)
05/25/87 - Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Toho SFX Film Music 5 (LD25-5041-42, reissued 03/18/92 as TYCY-5203-04)
05/25/87 - Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Toho SFX Film Music 6 (LD25-5043-44, reissued 03/18/92 as TYCY-5205-06)
05/25/87 - Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Toho SFX Film Music 7 (LD25-5045-46, reissued 03/18/92 as TYCY-5207-08)
05/25/87 - Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Toho SFX Film Music 8 (LD25-5047-48, reissued 03/18/92 as TYCY-5209-10)
09/25/87 - Akira Ifukube: Ballet - Salome (LD32-5054)
11/25/87 - Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Daiei SFX Film Music (LD25-5058-9, reissued 03/18/92 as TYCY-5211-12)
01/25/88 - Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Toei-Doga SFX Film Music (LD25-5033-34, reissued 03/18/92 as TYCY-5213-14)
06/25/88 - Akira Ifukube Tribute Concert (LD32-5077)
06/25/88 - Akira Ifukube: Yumi Aikawa Vocal Recital (LD32-5078)
07/05/89 - Akira Ifukube: Symphonic Ode: Gotama the Buddha (LD32-5105)
01/25/91 - Godzilla vs. Biollante (TYCY-5122)
03/18/92 - Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Toho Daiei SFX Film Music (TYCY-5215-16)
03/18/92 - World of Akira Ifukube (Live concert) (TYCY-5217-8)
11/18/92 - Toho Monster Marches 1 (TYCY-5264)
12/02/92 - Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Toho SFX Film Music 9 (Godzilla vs. Mothra) (TYCY-5267-68)
12/16/92 - Godzilla vs. Mothra (TYCY-5269)
03/10/93 - Akira Ifukube: Symphonic Eglogue (TYCY-5296)
12/08/93 - Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Toho SFX Film Music 10 (Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla) (TYCY-5342-43)
12/08/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 20 - Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (TYCY-5364)
12/22/92 - Toho Monster Marches 2 (TYCY-5344)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 1 - Godzilla (TYCY-5345)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 2 - Godzilla's Counterattack (TYCY-5346)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 3 - King Kong vs. Godzilla (TYCY-5347)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 4 - Mothra vs. Godzilla (TYCY-5348)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 5 - Ghidrah, The Three-Headed Monster (TYCY-5349)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 6 - Monster Zero (TYCY-5350)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 7 - Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster (TYCY-5351)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 8 - Son of Godzilla (TYCY-5352)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 9 - Destroy All Monsters (TYCY-5353)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 10 - Godzilla's Revenge (TYCY-5354)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 11 - Godzilla vs. Hedorah (TYCY-5355)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 12 - Godzilla vs. Gigan (TYCY-5356)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 13 - Godzilla vs. Megalon (TYCY-5357)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 14 - Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (TYCY-5358)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 15 - Terror of Mechagodzilla (TYCY-5359)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 16 - Godzilla 1984 (TYCY-5360)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 17 - Godzilla vs. Biollante (TYCY-5361)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 18 - Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (TYCY-5362)
12/22/93 - Godzilla Complete Works Collection 19 - Godzilla vs. Mothra (TYCY-5363)
01/19/94 - Akira Ifukube: Chamber Music (TYCY-5369-70)
01/19/94 - Kushiro Marshland / Dozoku no Ranjo (TYCY-5371) [2 late-period, non-sci-fi Ifukube scores, pulled from release for legal reasons]
03/03/94 - Akira Ifukube: Symphonic Fantasia (bonus promo disc, YMCC-0001)
12/07/94 - Akira Ifukube: SFX Movie March Collection (TYCY-5412)
03/25/95 - Akira Ifukube: 80th Birthday Tribute Symphony (TYCY-5424-25)
12/06/95 - Godzilla "Then" 1954-75 (TYCY-5464)
12/20/95 - Dozoku no Ranjo / Han Geinou Mandala (TYCY-5473) [The first title initially appeared on TYCY-5371 above, the second was composed by Shigeyuki Imai]
12/25/95 - Complete Recordings: Akira Ifukube Toho SFX Film Music 11 (Godzilla vs. Destoroyah) (TYCY-5269-70)
12/25/95 - Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (TYCY-5468)
01/07/96 - Godzilla "Now" 1984-95
03/27/96 - Akira Ifukube: Anthologie de a Musique pour Koto a Vingt Cordes (TYCY-5488)
08/07/96 - Toho Monster Movie Selections 1 - Rodan (TYCY-5498)
08/07/96 - Toho Monster Movie Selections 2 - The Mysterians (TYCY-5499)
11/07/96 - Toho Monster Movie Selections 3 - Varan, The Unbelievable (TYCY-5500)
11/07/96 - Toho Monster Movie Selections 4 - Battle in Outer Space (TYCY-5501)
11/07/96 - Toho Monster Movie Selections 5 - Atragon (TYCY-5502)
11/07/96 - Toho Monster Movie Selections 6 - Dagora, The Space Monster (TYCY-5503)
03/12/97 - Toho Monster Movie Selections 7 - Frankenstein Conquers the World (TYCY-5504)
03/12/97 - Toho Monster Movie Selections 8 - War of the Gargantuas (TYCY-5505)
04/28/97 - Toho Monster Movie Selections 9 - Latitude Zero (TYCY-5506)
04/28/97 - Toho Monster Movie Selections 10 - King Kong Escapes (TYCY-5507)
06/25/97 - Toho Monster Movie Selections 11 - Yog, Monster From Space (TYCY-5508)
06/25/97 - Toho Monster Movie Selections 12 - Half Human (TYCY-5509)
08/07/98 - Godzilla the Best 1954-1998 (TYCY-5617)
11/26/98 - Mothra 3 (TYCY-10002)
12/16/98 - Mothra the Best 1961-1998 (TYCY-5636)
12/23/98 - Mothra 3 [2-CD] (TYCY-10004-05)
12/06/00 - Millennium Godzilla Best (TYCY-10043)
04/25/01 - Godzilla + Rodan (TYCY-10047)

 
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