© 1999 Lawrence Tuczynski

Title Ostinato
CD Label King Records Co., Ltd.
CD Number KICA-2212
Composed and Arranged by: Akira Ifukube
Conducted by: Hiroshi Kumagai
Number of tracks 24
Running time 55:53
Number of discs 1
Year of release/manufacture 1993

REVIEW

What little information I have found about this CD says that these are new recordings of older Godzilla film music. If these are indeed newer recordings, then they are extremely close to the originals.

I REALLY enjoyed this CD. The cover art shows a picture from "Destroy All Monsters". While there is nothing new on here that I don't already have, it's a really nice "Best Of" type disc. Also, unlike the Futureland recordings from this period of films, these tracks are in stereo rather than mono. If you can find it cheap and don't have a large collection, pick it up. Otherwise a better buy is probably the US 2 CD's by GNP Crescendo, # GNPD 8055 and GNPD 8056.

Additional info added March 9, 2000 courtesy of Sam Scali (updated Jan. 26, 2002)

Despite many requests over the years, Akira Ifukube initially avoided performing his Godzilla music in concert, because he feared it would not work well outside of the context of the films. That changed in 1983, when he finally gave in to popular demand and composed the three-movement "Symphonic Fantasia" (aka "Godzilla Fantasy") and began touring with it. Unlike "Fantasia", which is an orchestral suite derived from Ifukube's monster scores, "Ostinato" consists of faithful studio rerecordings of specific film cues. It was recorded in 1986 to accompany a video of Toho outtakes, and the music itself was released the same year on LP and CD (K32X-7037), including extra tracks not used in the video. Later, some of the music even turned up on the soundtracks of "Godzilla vs. Biollante" and "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah". In Dec. 1993, during the 40th Anniversary merchandising blitz surrounding the release of "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla", Ostinato was reissued with a different cover (KICA-2212) . 

English Title:	Ostinato, An Onslaught of Science Fiction Music
Japanese Title:  Kuso Kagaku Ongaku Daishingeki

Composed and Arranged by: Akira Ifukube
Conducted by: Hiroshi *1 Kumagai

1.	The Invader's Premonition *2
2.	Latitude Zero: Title
3.	The "Destroy All Monsters" March
4.	King Kong Escapes: Title
5.	The Monster-Killing Maser Beam Truck *3 March
6.	The Rage of the Three Monsters
7.	The "Monster Zero" March
8.	Frankenstein's Heart
9.	The Tank Brigade March
10.	Frankenstein's Theme
11.	Dogora vs. The Self-Defense Forces
12.	Mothra Sets Off
13.	Godzilla vs. The Tank Brigade
14.	The Volunteer Corps Swings into Action
15.	The Seahawk: SOS
16.	Preparations for Operation Burial
17.	The "Battle in Outer Space" March
18.	The Secret Rocket(s)
19.	The Earth Defense Council
20.	The Mysterians Prepare to Attack
21.	Get Rodan!
22.	Rodan Shows Up in Fukuoka
23.	Misery in the Capital
24.	Godzilla: Title


*1	Or possibly "Hiromu", "Hirome", etc.
*2	Or possibly "The Invaders' Premonition".
*3	Or possibly "The Monster-Killing Maser Beam Vehicle/Car/etc. March