Godzilla vs. Megaguirus Soundtrack LP - Clear w/ Orange & Yellow Splatter Vinyl (/2000)

Death Waltz / Mondo (2023)

The second movie in the Godzilla Millennium series was Godzilla vs Megaguirus.  While it uses essentially the same suit as Godzilla 2000, it's not a direct sequel or related to that movie in any way.  It's another complete reboot of Godzilla that acknowledges the events in the 1954 movie (sort of) and that's about it.  I don't know why they did it that way.  I can understand the need to reboot Godzilla every so often so you can reuse some of his more famous adversaries, but I would prefer the reboots be starting up a new series with new continuity from movie to movie.  Having the Millennium series be several standalone reboots has always made it more difficult for me to get invested in them.  Though to be fair, the up and down quality of each film doesn't really help in that regard.

Godzilla vs Megaguirus is an alright movie.  I just rewatched it so it would be more fresh in my mind and it's another one that I'm not sure I had seen since originally picking up the DVD 20+ years ago.  The human storyline isn't as good as the one from Godzilla 2000, though the monster fight scenes are maybe a little better.  I'm not sure Megaguirus really works as a compelling adversary as it's another one of those morphing-through-various-stages type of monsters that I think slow things a little.  Plus when one of its main features is that it flies really fast, you get a lot of Godzilla standing around shooting off his atomic heat ray and not as much rock 'em  sock 'em as I'd like.  It's fine, but not amongst the great Godzilla films.

Michiru Ohshima handles the soundtrack and it's serviceable enough.  Like all Godzilla scores, it feels like it comes alive the most when an Akira Ifukube passage sneaks in.  But Michiru Ohshima does a good enough job having the music be plaintive when necessary and rousing when the action kicks in.  Like the movie it scores, this soundtrack is fine, but not great.

Death Waltz and Mondo do a good enough job with the presentation of this soundtrack, but we have yet another annoying slipcover that adds nothing and diminishes the otherwise excellent artwork of Attack Peter.  I don't know why they are so obsessed with these extra slipcovers.  All they do is increase costs and there hasn't been a single one that is any better for having it.  I do really like the D side screen prints they've been putting on the vinyl though, that's always a nice touch.

If I wan't trying to collect all of the Godzilla soundtracks, is this one that I'd buy on its own?  Doubtful.  I can't imagine playing it all that often, but it's nice to know it's on the shelf if the mood strikes me.

Godzilla vs. Megaguirus:
https://youtu.be/oFjT1F8lkBo?si=VrHoCHn-sIog-gUR

Tha Alkaholiks - Likwidation 2xLP + 7"

90s Tapes (2023, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I didn't listen to Tha Alkaholiks back in the 90s.  I discovered them much later, after hearing their 1993 debut 21 & Over.  That record really impressed me and sort of annoyed me that I hadn't heard it back when it came out.  I think I would have liked it even more back then, but don't get me wrong, I really dig it now as well.  From there I hunted down a copy of their 1995 album Coast II Coast.  I didn't really like this one as much.  Lyrically, it was quite good, perhaps even an improvement over their debut.  But the production was that post 1994 style that I'm not always loving as much as earlier hip hop releases.  Plus the fact that I overpaid collector prices for a copy stung my wallet a little harder than usual.

You'd think going to a bands 1997 release after not loving their 1995 release would be a fool's errand.  But sometimes I'm a glutton for punishment and when 90s Tapes did a double drop of reissues of Coast II Coast (I should have waited for this instead of buying the copy I did a year earlier!) and 1997's Likwidation, I decided to grab the one I was missing anyway.  

I think I like it better than Coast II Coast as the production is better in places.  But in other places it's kind of the same.  We don't have golden era 1993 style beats here and that's what I miss the most about hip hop.  Again, on the mic, the Liks are great.  I really dig most of the vocal performances, but the production isn't quite my cup of tea in spots.  Though I think the biggest issue I have with the album is that it's just way too long.  It's an hour and 13 minutes and that's just too much for me at the best of times.  There are enough songs on here with beats I really like that I think you could trim this up a bit and have a really solid record.

Inconsistent feelings about the album itself aside, you really can't go wrong with this 90s Tapes pressing.  If you want the record, this is the version to get.  No one does reissues better than 90s Tapes and once again they've outdone themselves with this version.  I really wish they did a version of 21 & Over.  My favorite Alkaholiks record reissued by my favorite hip hop label?  You know I'm double dipping on that one.

Tha Alkaholiks - Likwidation:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mi0gOaOcBS7hBNFzLw3ik-kahNx0r0CvU

Charlie Continental - Singles & Jingles 2016-2021 Cassette

Snappy Little Numbers (2025)

Charlie Continental has a new release with a tape compiling a bunch of songs from other releases from 2016 to 2021.  Some of these I've heard before, others, not so much but it's always a nice thing for me to have tracks collected onto a single release.  Even if it's on a cassette.

I'm not going to go into the what tracks are from where game.  There's a little blue piece of paper with the tape that lays that out for you, but they are from tapes, flexis and comps that perhaps fell under the radar for some people.  Listening to them all in a row as an album vs here and there on other releases helps everything out a lot, particularly the short songs which somehow feel more substantial in the context of an album.

You've got some mid tempo rockers like "Monotony of Care" and "We're Getting Fixed."  There's quick hit jingles like "Quit Wastin' My Time" and "Nothing But Time."  There's even a ska song when "Be Much Better" comes on.  My favorite of the bunch is "Come Howl With Us" which hits me in a Sedatives sort of way with it's darker vibe, though maybe the spooky backing vocals could be taken down just a notch.

You might know Charlie's work with Spells, but there's something very charming about the cobbled together feel of this tape that hits in a very different, but equally excellent way.  It's definitely worth checking out.

Charlie Continental - Singles & Jingles 2016-2021:
https://snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/singles-jingles-2016-2021

Big Daddy Kane - Looks Like A Job For... LP

Cold Chillin' / Reprise (1993)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Big Daddy Kane.  When I started listening to hip hop in 1990, Big Daddy Kane seemed really lame to me.  The albums he had out during this time were Taste of Chocolate and Prince of Darkness and when I was 13 years old I couldn't tell the difference between any of his videos and when something like Father MC came on Yo! MTV Raps.  I thought there was too much R&B influence and it seemed like everything was a love song.  In the parlance of the era, it was pretty wack.

I didn't really know anything about his earlier records where he was considered one of the elite lyricists in the early stages of the Golden Era.  There was no internet to check anything out and I wasn't about to spend my hard earned lawn mowing money on a 3 year old record that maybe was better than the stuff I was hearing.  Not to mention the pages of The Source were littered with articles taking shots at his smooth lover persona.  When Looks Like A Job For... came out in 1993, I was pretty unaware of it being any different than what I had heard previously.

I have been rereading old issues of The Source lately and came across an interview with Kane in a 93 issue talking about this record.  He pushed back hard enough on his reputation at the time that I figured I'd give it a chance.  I'm glad I did, this record is really good.  It's not as cutting edge or innovative as other records that were hitting in 1993, but it's a mighty fine, straight up hip hop record.  The production is strong, if not remarkable, all the way through and Kane can more than hold his own on the mic.  The bulk of the album is about Kane reminding folks that he's an MC that shouldn't be messed with and he does that well.

The only bad thing I can say about the album is there is one song, "Very Special," that is exactly everything I ever hated about Big Daddy Kane and the entire sub-genre of romantic rap music.  It's just the dirt worst R&B production, complete with the crooning backing oohs and ahhs.  The raps are silly and delivered at a snails pace.  It's the only song like this on an otherwise great record, but it grinds everything to a screeching halt.  Aside from that, wonderful stuff and I'm glad I was able to hunt down a copy of this in really nice condition.  It's probably a record overdue for a reissue.

Big Daddy Kane - Looks Like A Job For..:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kE1j_NqoraDG5yxhGL6xdy85owsjoFCRA

Godzilla 2000: Millennium Soundtrack LP - Black w/ Orange and Black w/ Yellow Vinyl (/2000)

Death Waltz / Mondo (2023)

Even though they left Godzilla vs Biollante out of their Heisei series soundtracks (I'm not going to let that one go), that didn't stop Mondo and Death Walt from digging int the Millennium series of films at the same time.  Once again, these weren't released in chronological order and they also never released on of the soundtracks from this series either, but I'll try to add some order to the chaos by starting with the soundtrack for the first film in the series Godzilla 2000: Millennium.

The movie holds a special place in my heart as it was the first real Godzilla film I got to see in a movie theater (1998 remains a fever dream).  I think the last time a Godzilla movie played in American theaters before this was Godzilla 1985, which neither of my parents took me to.  Granted, the version I got to see of Godzilla 2000 in the theaters was a dubbed version (Let's Get Ready to Crumble, as the poster said), it still made the movie special and take on a larger than life feel.

The movie itself is fine.  I actually like the human story quite a bit with the dude and his daughter running the self made Godzilla tracking business that's one step ahead of the government.  The heelish government guy also does a lot of the heavy lifting in this movie pulling over dramatic faces when the plot points hit.  The Godzilla suit design is great, but the building smashing is only OK.  He's also got a monster fight with Orga, which is pretty boring if I'm being honest.  Still, a solid if not spectacular film.

The soundtrack is by Takayuki Hattori, of Godzilla vs Space Godzilla soundtrack fame.  Like that soundtrack, this one is kind of boring.  It's mostly kind of quite for the bulk of the movie and really only gets goinf when it brings in some of the classic Ifukube music from earlier G movies.  The vinyl on this is lovely, though I'm not sure the cover artwork itself feels like it fits the vibe of the movie even though the plastic clear slipcover thing is pretty neat.  I'm just happy it exists at all, which is more than I can say about two other soundtracks that Mondo should have released.

Godzilla 2000: Millennium:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbiNOQhDiCE&ab_channel=LandWarriorII

Scientifik - Criminal LP - Clear w/ Splatter Vinyl (/50)

de Rap Winkel (2019, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

The story of Scientifik is one of those ones that is a little difficult to unravel with information on the internet.  it never ceases to amaze me how little actual information is left on out there as websites wither on the vine and fade into oblivion.  I can only imagine that will happen with this site eventually someday as well.  A far cry from the cries of 'it will be on the internet forever' that once were prevalent.

Anyway, Scientifik recorded this album in the early 90s.  It may have been released in 1994, or maybe it was just supposed to be released.  It seems that the original label that was putting it out went under, but on discogs a cassette version exists as does a white sleeve with sticker LP.  Son't know what actually happened, but for sure this was not released with much fanfare in 1994.  It took years for labels to get it together for a reissue and that's happened several times now.  This version is from 2019 on de Rap Winkel, though it was recently reissued again and should be easier to track down than my copy was when I picked it up a couple of years ago.  Yes, this is another one that has lingered in the piles for a while.

And why has it lingered?  Because it's consistently good, but never really rises to great for me.  I like it, I have nothing bad to say about it, but I also don't get particularly excited about it.  The production is strong, but the songs are on the slower side of things and have more in common with the beats of 1995 and beyond than a lot of what was happening in 93 and 94.  So maybe this one was ahead of the time with Diamond D, Buckwild and even RZA handling beats.  It's never so slow that it isn't enjoyable, I just like some higher BPMs in my production.

Scientifik is great on the mic.  He weaves together stories with showy lyrical structures that never get in the way of the narrative.  When combined with the grimy production, it's definitely a vibe and has a sinister undertone without being over the top or campy.  A really strong overall package.  Like I said, I can't really say anything on here is bad or even less than very good, but it never totally connects for me to make it elite.  Regardless, it is a record I will want to listen to from time to time and I'm glad to have it available on the shelf.

 Scientifik - Criminal:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nTijSXdF0Nlw1r8mvWePTdDtLSo0qU3EM

Shipyards - About Light LP

Waterslide / Imakinn (2024, Reissue)

Here we have the companion to last Monday's post.  About Lights is the second Shipyards full length and has also been lovingly brought to vinyl for the first time by the kind folks at Waterslide and Imakinn.  The album originally came out in 2014 and while it was their sophomore effort, it was the first album of theirs that I had heard.

And I just loved it.  It's that strain of melodic punk that firmly fits into the Snuffy Smile vein that started in the 90s.  It's everything that I love about Japanese punk rock.  They're writing catchy punk songs, but these songs are crafted so expertly and played so perfectly it's just stunning.  Everything about it is pefect.  The recording and performances are rough enough that they're authentic, but it never sounds lo fi or under recorded.  Every song rides that line and the end result is everything that I love about this style of music.

I don't feel that there are many bands making records like this anymore.  To be fair, even this one came out 11 years ago at this point.  Regardless, Shipyards should be lauded and celebrated for crafting the perfect 90s punk record that just so happened to have come out in 2014.  I can only hope that at some point we'll get another gem like this from them.  I'll be anxiously waiting.

Shipyards - About Light:
https://watersliderecords.bandcamp.com/album/shipyards-about-lights

The Funk Family - Everything'll BeFyne 3xLP

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90s Tapes (2025, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

90s Tapes brings us another of their fabled 'indie' releases, this time diving into a time period I am always keen on exploring, the early 90s.  While the album didn't see the light of day until much later with the release of a CDr version in 2008, 90s Tapes sets things right by giving it their typically lavish treatment on vinyl.  The material on this Funk Family LP was originally recorded between 1991 and 1993 if the internet is to be believed.  Even if the years aren't spot on, you can tell just by listening to the production that it's of that general era.  

And it's really nice production.  The bulk of the album was produced by Tony D and he turns in an album full of beats that are predominantly uptempo and hard hitting.  The Funk Family are from New Jersey, so you're getting that authentic East Coast boom bap sound.  It provides a canvas for the MCs to let loose on.  While I admittedly have a difficult time following who is rapping when all the time, anytime someone is on they're bringing a fast paced, lyrically complex style.  Had this been released in 1992 or 1993 and gotten the right kind of exposure, I can really see this being the sort of thing that the underground scene would have gravitated towards.  The Funk Family would eventually morph into Blaque Spurm, but this early stuff is what resonates the most with me.

As usual, 90s Tapes crushes it with a triple LP crammed full of the original tracks from the CDr release, remixes and previously unreleased songs.  They continue to set the standard and The Funk Family is a welcome addition to my shelves.

The Funk Family - Everything'll BeFyne:
https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/everythingll-befyne

Shipyards - Night of Fire LP

Waterslide / Imakinn (2024, Reissue)

I couldn't have been more excited when I found out that Waterslide records was going to reissue the two amazing Shipyards records on vinyl.  There's a specific strain of Japanese punk rock that is peerless when it comes to bands that I love, but it is also a scene that has not had nearly as many full length vinyl releases as others that I enjoy.  There's the occasional release here and there, but for the most part, CD is still the king.  I'm hopeful that the release of the two Shipyards records, the first of which I'm writing about today, will usher in a golden age of reissues.

Night of Fire originally was released in 2012, though I didn't hear it until after I had gotten a hold of their second album.  It's a classic melodic punk album that brings together all of the elements that makes me love bands like this.  The album is full of riffs that follow unique chord changes that keep you guessing.  The impassioned vocals that are a little strained at times, but never dissolve into screaming for the sake of it. Everything just feels genuine in a way that keeps me engaged.  And the incredible hooks and choruses always get my head nodding or drumming along on my steering wheel or whatever other surface is around when I'm listening.

I realize that this album is a little old at this point as 2012 was 13 years ago, but this still feels like a new record to me.  It's the sort of thing that I can go back to over and over again and it always sounds fresh and relevant.  I'm glad they have two albums out (the second of which I'll write about next week), but it just makes me wish they had more and that other bands were following suit and making incredible music like this.

Shipyards - Night of Fire :
https://watersliderecords.bandcamp.com/album/night-of-fire

Godzilla vs Destroyah Soundtrack LP - Pink & White Swirl Vinyl (/2500)

Death Waltz / Mondo (2021)

Godzilla vs Destroyah was the final movie in the Godzilla Heisei series and it was a pretty big deal when it came out in Japan in 1995.  I remember reading about it in the G-Fan zine that I used to buy at the old comic shop at the Rockaway mall.  Toho made a huge push that Godzilla was going to die and the plan was to put Godzilla movies on ice for a while so that Tristar could launch their American Godzilla series.  That may not have ended up being the best idea in the world, but I can see why they wouldn't want competing Godzilla franchises happening at the same time in 1995.

I just rewatched the movie this week after not having seen it for quite some time.  I have watched it more recently than some of the others, but it's been at least 15 years.  While it's definitely not my favorite Godzilla movie, it's one of the better Heisei entries for sure.  And following on the heels of Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla, it feels like a masterpiece even though it has its share of flaws.  It's a solid movie though, and a good way to close out this era of Godzilla.  I still don't like how it leaves Godzilla Jr. as the character to leads the next era of Godzilla, but then that idea was completely dropped when the Millennium series started.

For the soundtrack Akira Ifukube is back.  As he should be for this Godzilla's swan song.  The soundtrack is strong, leaning heavily on older motifs while still bringing in some new ideas.  There isn't a bad Godzilla soundtrack from the Heisei era, but at the same time I don't find that any of them stands head and shoulders above any other.  I do tend to listen to Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla '93 the most, simply because it's my favorite movie of the series.

Death Waltz and Mondo do a great job with the vinyl for this as usual.  Again, I do wish there was more consistency in the artwork for each release, but as a standalone piece it is very nice.  This wraps up the Mondo Heisei Godzilla soundtracks, so it's only fitting that I once again say that it's ridiculous that they never released Godzilla vs Biollante on vinyl so that I could have a complete set of Heisei soundtracks.

Godzilla vs Destroyah Soundtrack:
https://youtu.be/iq2-f43x6IA?si=ydIlH901AXlapGIo