© 1999 Lawrence Tuczynski

Title Akira Ifukube Soundtrack Anthology
Sometimes listed as: Akira Ifukube Best Movie Songs
CD Label King Record Co.,Ltd.
CD Number KICC 296/7
Music by: Akira Ifukube
Music Performed by: Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
Number of tracks Disc 1 - 17
Disc 2 - 20
Running time Disc 1 - 43:26
Disc 2 - 46:03
Number of discs 2
Year of release/manufacture 1999

REVIEW

January 25, 2000

I finally had the time to give both discs a good listening. These 2 CD's offer a real broad range of music types. Some of the tracks sound like classical music, some the marches we are used to hearing in Ifukube's Godzilla scores, some like piano recital music and many other styles. What is consistent is that the music sounds great and is fun to listen to. I especially liked Track 7 on Disc 1. It's a very rousing piece of music.

Most of the music on these two CD's will be unknown to most of us since there are only a few tracks devoted to the monster movies we all love. Tracks 15 & 16 on Disc 2 are from Godzilla and the orchestra here breathes new fire and life into these tracks. If you listen closely to some of the other tracks on these CD's you can hear influences and similar sounding passages to the Godzilla music we are used to hearing.

This is a fairly new CD so shouldn't be too hard to find. I got my copy from CDNow. Since this is a 2 CD set imported from Japan expect to pay in the $50 - $65 range for this set depending on where you get it. It sounds great and there were no tracks I can say I truly didn't enjoy. Naturally some were more enjoyable to me than others but there were no bad ones here.

Update October 21, 2000

I have been told that these tracks are re-recordings of Ifukube scores and not the original tracks. I have no further info as to who is conducting, Ifukube or someone else?

Update November 23, 2013

Please note: The music for Tracks 15 and 16 on Disc 1, and Tracks 15 and 16, on Disc 2, appears to be switched. Based on the booklet, which lists the music chronologically by film release date, these tracks should have appeared on the opposite discs. "Special thanks to Robert Storch for spotting this error" 

English Title:	Akira Ifukube Soundtrack Anthology
Japanese Title:	Ifukube Akira Eiga Ongaku Senshu 

Translations by Silver Bridges
 - http://www.silverbridges.com/

DISC-1

[Snow Trail]
1.	Title Music
2.	Music Used During the Performance
3.	Music Used During the Performance 
4.	Unused Music
5.	Music Used During the Performance

[The Quiet Duel]
6.	Ending Music

[Jakoman and Tetsu]
7.	Title Music

[Children of Hiroshima]
8.	Music Used During the Performance 

[The Epitome]
9.	Music Used During the Performance 

[The Saga of Anatahan]
10.	Music Used During the Performance (Part One)

[Goshu the Cellist]
11.	Music Used During the Performance 

[Nutakku Kamushupe *1]
12.	Composition No. 1

[Cape Ashizuri]
13.	Title Music

[Theater of Life:  Nostalgia, Kira Port, Sanshu]*3
14.	Title Music

[Dakki *7]( aka "The Last Woman of Shang", "Da ji" (Chinese title) or "Dalgi" (Korean title))
15.	Music Used During the Performance 
16.	Music Used During the Performance 

[Three Faces *2]
17.	Ending Music

*1  	This is a direct transliteration of the Japanese title.
*2  	This is my own translation.  
   	The IMDB does not provide an English title for this movie.
  	(Japanese Title:  Mittu no Kao).  
*3	(Note:  Kira is the name of a port in a region of Japan known 
	as Sanshu or Mikawa. The port is now apparently part of Aichi Prefecture)

DISC-2

[The Burmese Harp  Part 1]
1.	Title Music

[The Burmese Harp   The Complete Version]
2.	Music Used During the Performance
3.	Music Used During the Performance 

[Darkness at High Noon *1]
4.	Music Used During the Performance 
5.	Music Used During the Performance 
6.	Ending Music

[The River Sees *2]
7.	Music Used During the Performance 

[Knock Down Those Walls *3]
8.	Music Used During the Performance 

[Shinran]
9.	Music Used During the Performance 

[Chiisakobe *4]
10.	Music Used During the Performance 

[Emperor Sho of the Shin Dynasty *5]
11.	Title Music

[The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon]
12.	Title Music (Andante Version)
13.	Title Music (Allegro Version)

[Zatoichi: Journey of Blood and Laughter *6]
14.	Title Music

[Godzilla]
15.	Music Used During the Performance
16.	Unused Music

[Monster Zero]
17.	Title Music
18.	Music Used During the Performance 

[Majin Strikes Again]
19.	Music Used During the Performance 

[The Human Revolution *8]
20.	Title Music

*1  	The IMDB does not provide an English title for this movie.
      (Japanese Title: Mahiru no Ankoku).  This is my own translation.
*2  	The IMDB does not provide an English title for this movie.
      (Japanese Title:  Kawa ha Miteiru).  This is my own translation.
*3  	The IMDB does not provide an English title for this movie.
      (Japanese Title:  Sono Kabe wo Kudake).  This is my own translation.
*4  	This is a direct transliteration of the Japanese title. 
      The IMDB does not provide an English title for this movie.
*5  	The IMDB does not provide an English title for this movie.
      (Japanese Title:  Tai: Shokotei).  This is my own translation.
*6  	The IMDB does not provide an English title for this movie.
      (Japanese Title:  Zatoichi Chiwaraitabi).  This is my own translation.
*7  	Apparently the name of a famous Chinese Empress of yore.
*8  	The IMDB does not provide an English title for this movie.
      (Japanese Title:  Ningen Kakumei).  This is my own translation.