© 1998 Lawrence Tuczynski

Title: Godzilla
Japanese Title: Gojira
Movie also known as: Godzilla 1984
Godzilla 1985
The Return Of Godzilla
CD Label: Futureland / Toshiba EMI Japan
CD Number: TYCY-5360
Music by: Reijiro Koroku
Number of tracks: 55
Running time: 57:19
Number of discs: 1
Year of release/manufacture: 1993
Year Movie Released in Japan: 1984
Year Movie Released in U.S.: 1985
NOTE: As with the original Godzilla, the Japanese and U.S. versions of this film are quite different. The Japanese versions of these movies do not have Raymond Burr in them among other things.

REVIEW

Updated February 24, 2002

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 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. It's a nice full disc clocking in at over 57 minutes and for some reason is almost impossible to find. It took me 7 years to track down an affordable original copy of this CD. Most of the score here is slow, pleasant music more in the vein of Masaru Satoh than the rousing music of Akira Ifukube. After finally getting an original copy, I have listened to this CD several more times recently and found it has grown on me and I like it much more than I did before.

Considering this CD is basically an expanded version of the "Godzilla" CD on the King Records/Star Child label, # 230A 7022, it really surprises me that except for "Main Title" all the track title translations are different even though most of the music is the same. There are a few nice action pieces thrown into the mix and some suspense type music but the majority of the music is pretty mellow stuff. I personally prefer listening to this score over the King Records/Star Child version. I feel it works a little better as stand alone music. Of course after nearly 10 years of no new Godzilla films I would have preferred a more Akira Ifukube oriented type score.

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. As a new beginning of Godzilla films I enjoyed the film and the music but was not overwhelmed by it.

06/24/2000 Some title translations updated Thanks to input by Barry Hatrick

U.S. Title: Godzilla 1985
Japanese Title: Gojira

  1. Main Title
  2. Huge Shadow
  3. Victim
  4. Giant Sea Louse (Shockilas)
  5. Okumura In Hospital
  6. Laboratory
  7. Your Brother Lives
  8. Crash Dive
  9. Nuclear Sub SOS
  10. Godzilla News Goes Public
  11. Newspaper Reports
  12. Misunderstanding
  13. Self Defense Forces March I
  14. Godzilla's Arrival
  15. Destruction Of Nuclear Plant
  16. Truth To The World
  17. Mount Mihara
  18. USA/USSR Special Envoys Arrive
  19. USA/USSR Nuclear Satellites
  20. Evacuation Order
  21. Self Defense Forces March II
  22. Godzilla Ambushed
  23. Barashaivo (Russian Freighter)
  24. Godzilla To Yurako-cho (Pleasure District)
  25. Commencement Of Military Operations
  26. Deserted Streets
  27. Restaurant Background Music
  28. Success Of The Experiment
  29. Super-X
  30. Nuclear Missle Explosion
  31. Lightning
  32. Godzilla Collapses
  33. Order To Shelter
  34. Recovery Commences
  35. Two Left Behind
  36. Embrace
  37. Missile Intercept
  38. Detonation Effect
  39. Red Cloud
  40. Awakening I
  41. Awakening II
  42. Awakening III
  43. Godzilla's Revival I
  44. Godzilla's Revival II
  45. Black Clouds
  46. Godzilla vs. Super-X
  47. Invincible Godzilla I
  48. Invincible Godzilla II
  49. Invincible Godzilla III
  50. Godzilla Leaves Tokyo
  51. Godzilla Lands At Oshima Island
  52. Godzilla's Farewell
  53. Godzilla Ending
  54. Sayonara Lover
  55. Godzilla - Love Theme