© 2004 Lawrence Tuczynski

All information provided by Robert Storch

Title: Works Of Riichiro Manabe
CD Label: Polystar/Toho Music
CD Number: PSCR-5887
Music by: Riichiro Manabe
Number of tracks: 21
Running time: 59:18
Number of discs: 1
Year of release/manufacture: July 26, 2000

REVIEW

7/20/2004 Review by Robert Storch (updated 02/13/2006)

I picked up this CD from Arksquare as a curiosity but in retrospect I should not have been so curious. Riichiro Manabe is not my favorite Godzilla composer but I do sometimes enjoy his GODZILLA VS MEGALON score. I am not too familiar with these movie themes or the movies they were recorded for but most of the tracks are typical of Manabe's style and have a dated sound to them.. Overall I found most of the music to be somewhat dreary with almost no upbeat tracks to speak of (perhaps due to the organ that seems to play on almost every track). Track #2 offers a female vocal or a duet (I think I hear another voice but it's hard to make out clearly), Track #16 has a male vocal and Track #20 is probably the most upbeat one with a child singing the lead vocal and adults singing the chorus. There are also two more vocal tracks, one each from GODZILLA VS MEGALON and GODZILLA VS THE SMOG MONSTER. I was hoping to find some themes from his Vampire Trilogy but they don't seem to be on here. His complete scores to those films can be found on the Toho Champion Festival Boxed Set. The problem is very simple - clocking in at almost 60 minutes, there is just way too much Manabe to take in during one sitting. For those of you who are interested in hearing something *catchy* by this composer, I would recommend his GODZILLA VS MEGALON score - that one can actually grow on you and is much more enjoyable than Smog Monster. I found this compilation to be an interesting listen, but it is only a disc I would recommend to the diehard Manabe fan.

THE WORLD OF RIICHIROU MANABE
Translations courtesy of John Cassidy

  1. NIHON NO YORU TO KIRI (THE NIGHT AND FOG OF JAPAN) 1960
  2. SEISHUN KYOUSHIKYOKU (RHAPSODY OF YOUTH) 1975
  3. NIPPON KAIHOU SENSEN - SANRIDZUKA (THE JAPAN LIBERATION FRONT - SANRIDZUKA) 1970
  4. SOGEKI (THE SHOOTING) 1968
  5. OKITA SOUJI (SOUJI OKITA) 1974
  6. ORE TACHI NO KOUYA (OUR PRAIRIE) 1969
  7. TSUMA WA KOKUHAKU SURU (A WIFE CONFESSES) 1961
  8. HAKUCHOU NO UTA NANKA KIKOENAI (LIKE A SWAN SONG UNHEARD) 1972
  9. SHIIKU (RAISING) 1961
  10. SEISHUN NO MON - JIRITSU-HEN (GATES OF YOUTH - INDEPENDENCE) 1977
  11. AMAKUSA SHIROU TOKISADA (SHIROU TOKISADA AMAKUSA) 1962
  12. NATSU NO ARASHI (STORM IN THE SUMMER) 1956
  13. MINAMATA IKKI (MINAMATA INSURRECTION) 1973
  14. NOREN (THE SIGN CURTAIN AT THE SHOP ENTRANCE) 1958
  15. URUSAI IMOUTO TACHI (NOISY YOUNGER SISTERS) 1961
  16. BURAKKU KOMEDEI - AA! BAKA (BLACK COMEDY - AAH, IDIOT!) 1969
  17. AIJOU (LOVE) 1956
  18. GOJIRA TAI MEGARO (GODZILLA VS. MEGALON) 1973
    Lyrics by Jun Fukuda
    Vocals by Masato Shimon
  19. TAIYOU NO KO - TEDA NO FUA (CHILD OF THE SUN - TEDANOFUA) 1980
  20. TATSU NO KO TAROU (TAROU THE DRAGON BOY) 1979 animated film
  21. GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (1971)
    "Return! The Sun"
    Lyrics by Yoshimitsu Banno
    Vocals by Keiko Mari