© 2008 Lawrence Tuczynski
| Title | Ostinato |
| CD Label: | Toho Music Corporation |
| CD Number: | GX-7 |
| Composed and Arranged by: | Akira Ifukube |
| Conducted by: | Hiroshi Kumagai |
| Number of tracks | 25 |
| Running time | 58:59 |
| Number of discs | 1 |
| Year of release/manufacture | January 31, 2008 |
| REVIEW |
March 03, 2008 (Updated December 4, 2008) This is basically the same recording with booklet cover picture as this "Ostinato" and the other "Ostinato" elsewhere on this site. It appears that this is a reissue of the original LP that contained 17 tracks plus 8 other "bonus tracks". Review courtesy of Matti Keskiivari The second bonus disc in the fifth Godzilla Soundtrack Perfect Collection box set is a reissue of Ostinato, a record dedicated to Akira Ifukube's music from the Showa era. The tracks on the CD are in the same order as they were on the original LP record. The first "side" contains Ifukube's music from the Showa Godzilla movies up to Destroy All Monsters (1968). Three of these tracks, "Godzilla Title", "Godzilla vs. the Special Vehicle Squad" and "Great Monster War March", are already familiar as they were used on the soundtrack of Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989). Also, "The Seahawk's SOS" and "The Three Monsters' Ferocity" were used in Godzilla vs. Biollante trailers. The second "side" is dedicated to Ifukube's music from Toho's other kaiju/scifi movies. "Pursue Rodan" is familiar to most listeners, as it was used in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991). The bonus tracks weren't featured on the original LP, but they were included on the two CD releases of Ostinato. This may be the first time that my favorite disc in a Godzilla Soundtrack Perfect Collection box set is a bonus disc. Ostinato is simply a great collection of Ifukube's best work from the Showa movies. Needless to say, these stereo tracks sound faithful to the original mono recordings. The disc features a lot of tracks, which are rarely heard in stereo, like "Dogora vs. the Self-Defense Force" and "Latitude Zero Title". Some of the highlights on this CD are "Crisis at the Capital", "Preparing for Mysterian Attack", Battle in Outer Space March", "Maser Beast Killer Ray Vehicle March" and "The Invaders' Premonition". I even prefer some of these stereo tracks rather than the original mono ones, especially "Dogora vs. the Self-Defense Force" and "Rodan Appears in Fukuoka". The only problem on this disc is the fact that the tracks have been recorded at different volumes. For example, most of the tracks of LP side 2 have been recorded at a low volume level, while the bonus tracks sound noticeably louder. It's not a huge problem though, and won't distract from the listening experience. The booklet follows the same trend with all the other bonus discs in the Perfect Collection box sets. Toho Music has done a good job in reproducing the front and back covers of the original LP release. The booklet contains information about Ostinato's origins and the tracks, and also an interview with Kensho Yamashita, the director of Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994). Overall this new release of Ostinato is great, and a welcome addition to the fifth Godzilla Soundtrack Perfect Collection box set. All die-hard collectors who are looking for this rare CD, along with Symphonic Fantasia (also included in this box set), shouldn't hesitate in buying this box set. December 09, 2008 (Updated April 11, 2009) - Additional review by Robert Storch This bonus CD is a replica of the original 17-Track OSTINATO vinyl LP, released in 1986. Unlike the simultaneously released CD, the LP had a different track order and fewer tracks. Toho Music has done an excellent job of reproducing the original LP sleeve artwork (with gold obi strip), track order and even a facsimile of the original LP label on the disc itself. The bonus tracks (Tracks 18-25) collect the remaining eight themes that were included on the original CD program. With such attention to detail, it is both puzzling and disappointing that Toho has apparently tinkered with the sound quality of this reissue, which is somewhat flat when compared to the original CD versions (K32X-7037 and KICA-2212), and even the vinyl LP (K28G-7318). Though we may never know the true reason for this, there is no doubt that the original CD releases are sonically superior. They were mastered at a higher volume level and have lots of punch and richness, while the bonus CD is considerably more subdued (possibly an attempt to duplicate the levels of the original LP) and simply sounds dull in comparison. In addition, it seems that Toho tried to equalize the overall dynamics of the disc, but the results leave a lot to be desired. Whether this problem is the result of a misguided attempt at achieving some sort of imaginary LP sound, or just bad judgment on Toho's part, we can only speculate. But as a digital stereo recording from 1986, it should sound better. Collectors who own PERFECT BOX 4 can also hear the difference by comparing the three OSTINATO tracks that appear on the GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE soundtrack. Those tracks have a remastered richness and spatial ambience that are completely absent from the OSTINATO bonus disc. As mentioned above, the non-LP OSTINATO cuts are included as bonus tracks, while the only exclusive track (Track 11) is a shortened edit of the BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE march, which was on the original '86 LP but appeared only in extended form on previous editions of the CD. Evidently there was nothing else left over from the original OSTINATO sessions that would be worthy of inclusion here as an extra. Fans who are hoping to find a new, state-of-the-art remaster of OSTINATO will likely be disappointed by this bonus disc, and for this reason the earlier editions are still worth seeking out. However, for those who simply want to own the original recording and are not overly picky about sound quality, then PERFECT BOX 5 is still a great way to acquire this rare release, as the original CDs ('86, '89 re-release and '93 reissue) remain out of print. |
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Ostinato
LP Side 1 LP Side 2 Bonus Tracks |