© 2005 Lawrence Tuczynski

Title: Godzilla 1984
Japanese Title: Gojira 1984
Movie also known as: The Return of Godzilla
Godzilla 1985: The Legend Is Reborn
CD Label: Toho Music Corporation
CD Number: G-016
Music by: Reijiro Koroku
Number of tracks: 63
Running time: 68:01
Number of discs: 1
Year of release/manufacture: October 20, 2006
Year Movie Released in Japan: 1984
Year Movie Released in U.S.: 1985

REVIEW

October 27, 2006

This remastered CD is a big step up from the original King Record Co. / Star Child (230A 7022) CD that only contained 29 tracks and a minor step up from the rare, extremely hard to find Futureland (TYCY-5360) CD that contained 55 tracks. It took me 5 years to find a copy. However except for a few tracks this has never been one of my favorite Godzilla soundtracks. This remastered and expanded CD with 63 tracks is probably your best and least expensive way to get this soundtrack if you are still looking for it. This is also the best sounding version and has all the tracks in the correct order. As I have said, this is certainly not one of my favorites as I found it overall to be too mellow for a Godzilla soundtrack and a giant step down from the work of Akira Ifukube and even Masaro Satoh. I do however really like the "Main Title (M1T2)" and it's reappearance as "Godzilla Appearance (M19)". I also enjoy "Godzilla vs. Super-X (M36)" as well as the lovely female vocal tracks "Goodbye Godzilla (Ending) (M43BT3)" and the very last track "Goodbye Godzilla". Many of the cues on this CD are very short clocking at less than a minute and several only a few seconds long.

This is the first in the 2nd round of Godzilla movies and is known as The Heisei Series (1984-1995). With this film we are supposed to forget all the others ever existed except for the original in 1954. Godzilla is no longer the fun, kiddy monster helping mankind from the 1970's but instead takes on a darker persona as he did in the original. For this first film in the new series Toho throws another new composer at us, this time a composer named Reijiro Koroku.

As with the original 1954 film, this film was released in Japan with no Raymond Burr and the Americanization of this film via adding Mr. Burr and also altering other scenes and aspects of this film such as the Dr. Pepper swilling U.S. military leaders makes the U.S. version of this film inferior in my opinion. Also cold war politics rears it's ugly head because in the original the Russian submarine captain tries to stop the missle from firing and in the U.S. version it's made to seem he is launching the missle at the U.S. on purpose. As a new beginning of Godzilla films I enjoyed the film and the music but was not overwhelmed by it.

Additional info courtesy of Robert Storch - December 16, 2006

Track 54 on this disc "Goodbye Godzilla (ending)", which is sung by the Star Sisters, represents the first time Toho Music has included the original song as heard during the rolling end credits for the Japanese version of the film. Neither of the previous GODZILLA 1984 soundtrack CDs contained this rare version - those only featured the more heavily produced "record version" of the song. This "pop" version has now been relegated to the bonus disc on the GODZILLA VS MOTHRA CD set, along with many other unreleased vocal outtakes which were recorded for GODZILLA 1984. As for this 1:59 version that plays during the end credits - it is not as polished as the "record version" and sounds like a rougher mix , but I for one welcome it's inclusion on this disc and think that most fans of the score will also appreciate finally having it on CD.

Godzilla 1984
Track listing courtesy of Sci-Fi Japan

  1. Main Title (M1T2)-02:03
  2. Huge Shadow (M2)-00:22
  3. Victim (M3)-00:24
  4. The Shockilas (M4)-00:50
  5. Okamura in the Hospital (M5)-01:00
  6. Hayashida Laboratory (M6)-00:44
  7. Your Brother Lives (M7)-02:04
  8. Crash Dive (M8)-00:39
  9. Nuclear Sub SOS (M9)-00:34
  10. News of Godzilla (M10)-00:26
  11. First News Report (M11)-00:26
  12. Misunderstanding (M12T2)-00:41
  13. Search Operation (M12A)-00:41
  14. Godzilla Appears at Nihama (M13)-03:11
  15. Destruction of the Nuclear Plant (M14)-02:00
  16. Second News Report (M14A)-00:15
  17. Mihara Mountain Crater (M15)-01:19
  18. U.S. and Soviet Envoys Arrive (M16)-01:13
  19. Relief of the Prime Minister (M17)-01:41
  20. Soviet Nuclear Satellite (M33A)-00:12
  21. Emergency Evacuation (M18)-00:46
  22. Self Defense Forces at Mihara (M18A)-00:47
  23. Alert in the Bay (M18B)-00:39
  24. Godzilla Appearance (M19)-01:53
  25. Barashaibo (M20)-00:32
  26. Godzilla in Yurakucho (M21T2)-02:48
  27. Military Operations Commence (M22)-00:41
  28. Deserted City (M23)-00:07
  29. Lights of the Town (M23A)-00:48
  30. Godzilla and The Magnetic Substance (M24)-00:29
  31. Super-X Mobilization (M25)-02:29
  32. Nuclear Missile Launch (M27)-00:28
  33. Approach of the Missile (M28)-00:47
  34. Behemoth Collapses (M29)-00:29
  35. To the Shelter (M30)-00:14
  36. High Rise Rescue (M31)-00:42
  37. Two People Left (M32)-01:41
  38. Hope for Life (M33)-00:38
  39. Missile Collision (M34)-00:41
  40. Red Clouds (M34A)-00:04
  41. Thunder (M35E)-00:07
  42. Awaking I (M35A)-00:02
  43. Awaking II (M35B)-00:03
  44. Awaking III (M35B)-00:02
  45. Awaking IV (M35C)-00:02
  46. Godzilla’s Revival (M35D)-00:12
  47. Godzilla vs. Super-X (M36)-01:48
  48. Destroy the City (M37)-00:44
  49. Fear of Godzilla (M38)-00:03
  50. The City of the Crimson Lotus Bloom (M39)-00:19
  51. Godzilla to Oshima (M40)-01:25
  52. Godzilla Lands on Oshima (M41)-01:38
  53. Godzilla Into Mihara (M42)-01:43
  54. Goodbye Godzilla (Ending) (M43BT3)-01:59

    55. ALTERNATE TAKES

  55. Godzilla Into Mihara (M42B)-01:45
  56. Ending (M43)-01:53
  57. Main Title (M1T1)-02:03
  58. Misunderstanding (M12T1)-00:39
  59. Godzilla in Yurakucho (M21T1)-02:47
  60. Lights of the Town (M23A)-00:50
  61. U.S. and Soviet Envoys Arrive (M15AM16A)-01:12
  62. Super-X Mobilization (M25 and edit)-02:30
  63. Goodbye Godzilla -03:41