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Godzilla's Musicverse [from Showa to Monsterverse and beyond]


Gojira

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Has anyone watched his "session" videos on YouTube? Even his MIDI sequences bore you out of your mind. 

You can tell from looking at the MIDI how lame his shit is. 

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I still think his work on ZSJL was pretty great in places.

Though I dont buy that not using the Godzilla theme was a deliberate choice instead of a choice forced upon them.

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28 minutes ago, The Big Man said:

Why do mainstreamers go gaga over this Junkie bloke, but they remain ho-hum by actual composers?

Because he used to be a DJ, and kids like raves and techno music. 

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2 hours ago, Edmilson said:

Because he used to be a DJ, and kids like raves and techno music. 

 

So they're more impressed by low-skill, low-talent, limited knowledge of harmony, melody and counterpoint? I'm struggling to understand why film music is a profession where underachievers routinely receive so much wide recognition and adoration.

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3 hours ago, Edmilson said:

Because he used to be a DJ, and kids like raves and techno music. 

 

1 hour ago, The Big Man said:

 

So they're more impressed by low-skill, low-talent, limited knowledge of harmony, melody and counterpoint? I'm struggling to understand why film music is a profession where underachievers routinely receive so much wide recognition and adoration.

 

Given what has constituted as popular EDM these past couple of years, I unfortunately can't discredit this particular idea. Especially given Junkie was a bit of a known name in the electronic scene in his earlier days. Plus, those two remixes he did (the Elvis Presley song and the Buble Spider-Man theme cover) certainly put him in the spotlight.

 

I always wondered if the reason RCP has made their brand of scoring particularly popular is because they've made it in a way to where it's considerably more accessible to the average consumer. With how simpler the music constructions are, as well as emphasizing the poppier aspects of sound, it's like they cracked the code to making the regular joe pay regular attention instead of every once and a blue moon.

 

I do feel electronic music is its own art that very much functions on different parameters than regular music does. It kind of mirrors film scores in that sense, in that you have to dig around to find the real gems instead of sticking with whatever the popular offerings tend to be. And in the case of Holkenborg, he definitely fits the "flavor of the week" bill, alright.

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1 hour ago, HunterTech said:

 

 

Given what has constituted as popular EDM these past couple of years, I unfortunately can't discredit this particular idea. Especially given Junkie was a bit of a known name in the electronic scene in his earlier days. Plus, those two remixes he did (the Elvis Presley song and the Buble Spider-Man theme cover) certainly put him in the spotlight.

 

I always wondered if the reason RCP has made their brand of scoring particularly popular is because they've made it in a way to where it's considerably more accessible to the average consumer. With how simpler the music constructions are, as well as emphasizing the poppier aspects of sound, it's like they cracked the code to making the regular joe pay regular attention instead of every once and a blue moon.

 

I do feel electronic music is its own art that very much functions on different parameters than regular music does. It kind of mirrors film scores in that sense, in that you have to dig around to find the real gems instead of sticking with whatever the popular offerings tend to be. And in the case of Holkenborg, he definitely fits the "flavor of the week" bill, alright.

 

Thing is, JXL seems to compose okay whenever he stays in his lane, for example the John Carpenter-like material in GvK. But the score was laughably lame whenever he tried to emulate a traditional orchestral sound, for example the main title and even Kong's theme, yet those bits are widely lauded.

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Can't say I'm surprised, given my favorite moments of ZSJL were whenever he went crazy with the sound design (particularly with the Batman/WW suites, and The Path Chooses You).

(By the by, doing a bit more research afterwards, I'm realizing Tom has actually worked with a lot of prolific electronic names in his pre-film music days. I really ought to check that stuff out, especially as the one track I just revisited honestly wasn't bad.)

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At least Junkie's contribution doesn't diminish the wealth of great music written for the big G. I'm about to make my peace with the score for GvK :remybussi:

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I didn't said I didn't like him, because I do like some of his other stuff, like for example some parts of ZSJL, but this score was disappointing and a missed opportunity.

 

Also, can anyone recommend me some of the best scores of the classic Godzilla movies? I've listened to some of the Ifukube ones, but I want to listen to more of them.

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8 minutes ago, Knight of Ren said:

Also, can anyone recommend me some of the best scores of the classic Godzilla movies? I've listened to some of the Ifukube ones, but I want to listen to more of them.

 

About as good as it gets in suite form:

 

 

 

 

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1 minute ago, Knight of Ren said:

That looks like a great place to start. Thanks!

 

Here's a different recording, with a slightly faster tempo. I like them both.

 

 

 

 

Actually just explore that entire YT channel. It's a go-to resource.

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 Some FYI for those interested.

 

Since I have all the Godzilla scores in my collection, I went ahead and purchased GvsK.

 

I had bought KOTM at FYE and it was a regular CD. So I tried my luck again and ordered GvsK from them. I can't tell if this is a CD-R, but I'm thinking it is. The coloring is off just a hair.

 

There is no orchestra credit at all on the CD. There's an "Additional Music By" credit and an orchestration credit. It appears to be all Synth and done at his studio. 

B66F0A9E-155D-4ABD-88DE-9A7F127C8DE3.jpeg

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Sadly it doesn't surprise me. It's such a stunning looking film, it's almost too good to be true, as if a compromise was made elsewhere to save money, and the score took a huge hit.

 

I still can't get past how awful that Jason X rip-off is in the Mechagodzilla test chamber scene. I mean, god, we went from Desplat's elegance and McCreary's orchestral might.... to this? Sheesh.

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The 98 Godzilla is playing on broadcast TV today. Arnold's score is amazing, my favorite American Godzilla score. Of course, it's quite obvious that Williams' The Lost World was on the temp track, but still a good score.

 

Actually, up until Junkie's generic and forgettable score for GvK the big G had only received great scores for his Hollywood movies. Arnold, Desplat and McCreary all did fine works for him.

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On 4/14/2021 at 1:12 AM, Ollie said:

 Some FYI for those interested.

 

Since I have all the Godzilla scores in my collection, I went ahead and purchased GvsK.

 

I had bought KOTM at FYE and it was a regular CD. So I tried my luck again and ordered GvsK from them. I can't tell if this is a CD-R, but I'm thinking it is. The coloring is off just a hair.

 

There is no orchestra credit at all on the CD. There's an "Additional Music By" credit and an orchestration credit. It appears to be all Synth and done at his studio. 

B66F0A9E-155D-4ABD-88DE-9A7F127C8DE3.jpeg

 

I remember a time when "composed and performed by" was written on a record/CD in a case like this...

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  • 1 month later...

Ah, it's going to be nice to hear it. There's a new version of Akira Ifukube's theme (based on the one from Godzilla vs King Ghidorah).

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  • 4 weeks later...

 

 

The series rocks! Most innovative thing that came out of this franchise since Shin-Godzilla! And the music is the icing on a delicous cake!

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Definitely fits the soundscape set up by Ifukube without outright feeling like an off-brand bootleg, unlike a certain most recent film entry. I really like the chanting added to the original theme as well, it gives it a very different feel to Bear McCreary's version. I still love that version though.

 

Interesting choice to incorporate Godzilla's Showa roars into the track "The Singular Point" (whereas the show uses a combination of Showa, early Heisei and Millennium roars)

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On 7/21/2021 at 6:37 PM, Ollie said:

@GojiraAre there two different figures by Bandai? 

Nope. It's the same figure - I just closed the mouth on one of them ;)

 

And a second one is coming with the Godzilla Store exclusive Bluray set. With blue transparent back plates and the mouth wide open (Atomic version, as Giftheck said).

As a collector, I wanted that Atomic vers. at first sight. But the set is expensive and I don't really have any need for aJ apanese version without english subtitles. But what really did sold it for me was the download link to another 20+ tracks of yet unreleased Godzilla S.P. music.

 

The set is still up for preorder, but you will need a proxy service since the Godzilla store doesn't ship internationally :(

 

https://godzilla.store/shop/g/gGSB0010093/

 

GSB0010093_b8427ea0197047e2ba8d97dedae219b5.jpg

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I ordered the Blu-ray for the extra music as well.

Even I can understand a little Japanese, this show is still too hard to understand.

I hope the Blu-ray will include multi-subtitle, same as the Netflix version.

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