© 1998 Lawrence Tuczynski

Title Rodan, The Flying Monster
Japanese Title Sora no Daikaiju Radon
Movie also known as: Rodan
CD Label Futureland / Toshiba EMI Japan
CD Number TYCY-5498
Music by: Akira Ifukube
Number of tracks 39
Running time 54:26
Number of discs 1
Year of release/manufacture 1996
Year Movie Released in Japan 1956
Year Movie Released in U.S. 1957

REVIEW

May 8, 2000

This CD features some genuinely creepy cue's that sound dark and foreboding to accompany the scenes in the movie that take place in the mines. Some of the other cues are intensely emotional. We also get to listen to some great Akira Ifukube marches that are used in many of these films. There is also a lot of interesting piano work in many of the tracks.

When this movie originally came out in 1957 and I saw it at a drive-in as an 8-year-old child, this movie scared the crap out of me. By today's standard this movie is pretty mild but to a child growing up in the late 50's and 60's, this movie had some very scary parts. The scariest were the scenes in the mines where the giant insects drag down and kill the cop/military man and several miners.

Some of the music on this CD gets pretty repetitious. We get several variations of the main theme throughout the CD. Track #30 features a brief Rodan sound effect. Tracks 31 through 38 are sound effects tracks and track 39 is the audio portion of a pair of "Rodan" trailers. About half the music on this CD works better in the movie than as stand-alone listening. Overall this is a very good CD and a good addition to your collection. 


U.S. Title:      Rodan, The Flying Monster
Japanese Title:  Sora no Daikaiju Radon

1	Main Title
2	The First Victim
3	The Underground Tragedy     *1
4	The Appearance of Meganuron
5	Meganuron's Fear            *2
6	Meganuron  - Pursuit
7	The Cave-in
8	The Earthquake
9	Amnesia
10	Supersonic Pursuit
11	A Shadow Blankets the Sky
12	The Birth of Radon
13	The Large Underground Cave
14	The Appearance of Radon
15	Radon, Get 'em!             *3
16	Radon Flies to Sasebo
17	Radon and the Saikai Bridge
18	Radon Attacks Fukuoka I
19	The Fury of the Shock Waves
20	Radon Attacks Fukuoka II
21	The Self-Defense Force Heads to Aso
22	The Natural Beauty of Aso
23	Ending

Collection of Separate Takes
24	M1T1
25	M8T1
26	M10T1
27	M11T1
28	M14T1
29	M21T2
30	Main Title (with cries)

Collection of Sound Effects
31	Radon's Cry (5 variations)
32	Sound of Radon in Flight 1
33	Sound of Radon in Flight 2
34	Sounds of Meganuron Crying and In Flight (3 variations)
35	The Siren in the Coal-Mining Town
36	The Earthquake
37	The Eruption
38	Radon's Cry (materials, 4 variations)
39	"Radon, The Great Monster in the Sky"/Preview Edition

*1  Literal Translation:  Tragedy in the Subterranean Passage"
*2  Alternative Translation:  The Fear of Meganuron
*3  Alternative Translation:  Get Radon!