Godzilla: The Album

Performer: Original Soundtrack
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Original score composed by David Arnold. Producers include: Andrew Slater, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Jay Kay, Brendan O'Brien, Scott Litt. Engineers include: Brian Scheuble, Paul Logus, Al Stone, Nick DiDia, Adam Kaspar. "Heroes" was nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or A Group With Vocal. "No Shelter" was nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. Godzilla was going to be the blockbuster of 1998, the one that stomped all the records and destroyed the competition. As it ruled the box office charts, its soundtrack -- a blend of alt-rock and hip-hop calculated to appeal to the widest possible audience -- would rule the music charts. But, as a wise man once said, the best laid plans.... When Godzilla didn't break box-office records its first week out, it quickly lost its blockbuster momentum. Yet the soundtrack held strong, largely because of two hit singles: the Wallflowers' guitar-oriented yet reverent cover of David Bowie's synthesized anthem "Heroes" and Puff Daddy and Jimmy Page's "Come with Me," which most people know as "'Kashmir' with a beatbox." These two singles may be radio-oriented, but the artists know their audiences well enough to deliver exactly what they want to hear. However, that's the problem with Godzilla: The Album -- there's nothing here that wasn't made without one eye on the charts. Some of the cuts hit the mark -- Green Day's remixed "Brain Stew" still rocks hard, Michael Penn's "Macy Day Parade" is predictably tuneful, and the Foo Fighters' "A320" is surprisingly ambitious, considering the circumstances and their adherence to punk-pop. Still, it's hard to erase the perception that Godzilla is nothing but pure product, a marketing item that's just used to generate funds. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Godzilla was going to be the blockbuster of 1998, the one that stomped all the records and destroyed the competition. As it ruled the box office charts, its soundtrack -- a blend of alt-rock and hip-hop calculated to appeal to the widest possible audience -- would rule the music charts. But Godzilla didn't break box-office records its first week out, and quickly lost its blockbuster momentum. Yet Godzilla: The Album held strong, largely because of two hit singles: the Wallflowers' guitar-oriented yet reverent cover of David Bowie's synthesized anthem "Heroes" and Puff Daddy and Jimmy Page's "Come with Me," which most people know as "'Kashmir' with a beatbox." These two singles may be radio-oriented, but the artists know their audiences well enough to deliver exactly what they want to hear. Some of the other cuts here also hit the mark -- Green Day's remixed "Brain Stew" rocks hard, Michael Penn's "Macy Day Parade" is predictably tuneful, and the Foo Fighters' "A320" is surprisingly ambitious, considering the circumstances and their adherence to punk-pop. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Let's get one important fact out of the way at the beginning. No, the Blue Oyster Cult song isn't on here. If you don't know what that means, it won't matter anyway, and we can continue. What you do get is what amounts to a rock and roll collection of oddities. Roots-rock heroes the Wallflowers cover "Heroes" by David Bowie, possibly the least rootsy rock performer ever to grace the planet. Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir," one of the sacred texts of the denim-jacketed goon squads who went around chanting "disco sucks" in the '70s, is source material for "Come With Me" featuring the studio talents of (who else?) Puffy Combs. Ben Folds Five contribute a song called "Air," and we can't help but think that the surreal quality of this neo-monster flick soundtrack would be made complete by the inclusion of a song by French duo Air called "Ben Folds Five."

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