The World of Japanese Film and Television Scores: Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Shochiku Edition: Wolf, Slay the Setting Sun (VPCD-81187)

© VAP
© Shochiku Co., Ltd.

Description:

This is the second volume in a six disc series titled Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works. This volume covers music from films produced by Shochiku and features the score to "Wolf, Slay the Setting Sun", A.K.A. "The Last Samurai" (1974). Also features selected cues from "The Woman Running on the Shore" (1964), "The Woman in the Typhoon Belt" (1948), "Free School" (1951) and "Shambles" (1950). In all, this release contains music from five films. Music by Akira Ifukube. All music is in mono.

Album Information:

Label: VAP
Album Title & Catalogue Number: Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Shochiku Edition: Wolf, Slay the Setting Sun (VPCD-81187)
Music by: Akira Ifukube
Number of Discs: 1
Number of Tracks: 47
Run Time: 67:50
Release Date: March 1, 1997
Retail Price: ¥2,670 (Approximately $24.84 [as of October 12, 2019])

Track List:

The following are the Japanese and English translated track lists.

Track List (Japanese)

「狼よ落日を斬れ」('74.9.21)
01. メインタイトル (M1)
02. 雨の夜 (M2)
03. 父の死 (M3)
04. 虎之助の過去 (M4)
05. 池本茂兵衛 (M5)
06. 修行時代 (M6)
07. お秀 (M7)
08. 伊庭道場 (M8)
09. 女剣士 (M9)
10. 箱根山中の戦い (M10)
11. 中村半次郎 (M11)
12. 密偵 (M12)
13. 次の時代とは (M13)
14. 法秀尼 (M15)
15. 西郷吉之助 (M16)
16. 礼子 (M17)
17. 夜襲 (M18)
18. 先生の仇！(M19)
19. 鳥羽伏見の戦い～江戸へ (M20)
20. 嵐の前 (M21)
21. 怒濤編タイトル (M22)
22. 将軍江戸を去る (M23)
23. 近藤の首 (M24)
24. 上野戦争 (M25)
25. 礼子の死 (M26)
26. 復讐鬼 (M27)
27. 沖田自決 (M28)
28. 函館へ (M29)
29. 東京明治六年 (M30)
30. 半次郎との再会 (M31)
31. お秀との再会 (M32)
32. 髭を剃る半次郎 (M33)
33. 敵討ち～鹿児島へ (M34)
34. 半次郎の回想 (M35)
35. 決闘 (M36)
36. 西南戦争 (M38)
37. エンディング (M39)

「渚を駈ける女」('64.9.12)
38. メインタイトル (M1)
39. 出征壮行会 (M3)
40. 波止場 (M4)
41. アトリエ (M5)
42. 波濤の中へ (M10)
43. 夕陽の教会 (M12)
44. エンディング (M13)

「颱風圏の女」('48.9.3)
45. メインタイトル (M1)
～海上の銃撃戦 (M2)

「自由学校」('51.5.5)
46. メインタイトル (M1)

「てんやわんや」('50.7.25)
47. メインタイトル (M1)

※Track 45~47=フィルム・サウンドトラックより

Track List (English)

"Wolf, Slay the Setting Sun" (09/21/'74)
01. Main Title (M1)
02. Rainy Night (M2)
03. Father's Death (M3)
04. Toranosuke's Past (M4)
05. Mohei Ikemoto (M5)
06. Training Period (M6)
07. Ohide (M7)
08. Iba Dojo (M8)
09. Lady Swordsman (M9)
10. Battle in the Hakone Mountains (M10)
11. Hanjiro Nakamura (M11)
12. Spy (M12)
13. The Next Era (M13)
14. Hoshuni (M15)
15. Kichinosuke Saigo (M16)
16. Reiko (M17)
17. Night Attack (M18)
18. Sensei's Foe! (M19)
19. Battle of Toba-Fushimi ~ To Edo (M20)
20. Before the Storm (M21)
21. Angry Waves Chapter Title (M22)
22. The Shogun Leaves Edo (M23)
23. Kondo's Neck (M24)
24. Ueno War (M25)
25. Reiko's Death (M26)
26. Demon of Vengeance (M27)
27. Okita's Self-Determination (M28)
28. To Hakodate (M29)
29. Tokyo in the Sixth Year of the Meiji Era (M30)
30. Reunion with Hanjiro (M31)
31. Reunion with Ohide (M32)
32. Hanjiro Shaves (M33)
33. Revenge ~ To Kagoshima (M34)
34. Hanjiro's Recollection (M35)
35. Duel (M36)
36. Southwest War (M38)
37. Ending (M39)

"The Woman Running on the Shore" (09/12/'64)
38. Main Title (M1)
39. Campaign Farewell Party (M3)
40. Wharf (M4)
41. Atelier (M5)
42. Into the Waves (M10)
43. The Church at Sunset (M12)
44. Ending (M13)

"The Woman in the Typhoon Belt" (09/03/'48)
45. Main Title (M1)
~ Shootout at Sea (M2)

"Free School" (05/05/'51)
46. Main Title (M1)

"Shambles" (07/25/'50)
47. Main Title (M1)

Tracks 45 - 47 are taken from the films' audio tracks.

Additional Notes:

As stated above, this album is the second of a six volume series titled Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works. The volumes in this series consist of:

Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Daiei Edition: Zatoichi Series/Nemuri Kyoshiro Series (VPCD-81186)
Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Shochiku Edition: Oh Wolf, Slay the Setting Sun (VPCD-81187)
Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Toei Edition: Shinran/Thirteen Assassins (VPCD-81188)
Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Nikkatsu Edition: The Burmese Harp/Scoundrels of the Sea (VPCD-81189)
Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Iwanami Films Edition: Sakuma Dam Trilogy (VPCD-81190)
Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Seiji Fujishiro Shadow Puppet Play: The Humpbacked Pony (VPCD-81191)

The series has been occasionally listed as the Film Composer Selection series at some websites (I myself have been guilty of this). However, this isn't entirely accurate as the Film Composer Selection series spans across a sizable number of VAP's releases.

Photo Gallery:

Here is a photo gallery of my copy of Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Shochiku Edition: Wolf, Slay the Setting Sun (VPCD-81187). The photos I initially took of the album while still sealed ended up looking completely terrible. I didn't realize this until after I unsealed it, so I put the album back into its shrink wrap and retook the photos. The results, however, were pretty much the same. The photos were taken on October 1, 2019.

The unopened package that the album arrived in.
© Brandon O'Brian

The album (protected with cardboard) out of the package.
© Brandon O'Brian

Front of the album, partially unsealed.

Back of the album, partially unsealed.

Front of the album, unsealed and without obi.
© VAP
© Shochiku Co., Ltd.
© Brandon O'Brian

Back of the album, unsealed and without obi.

Back of booklet, and disc.

Booklet front (page 1).

Track list (page 2).

Booklet back (page 20), featuring scripts for "Wolf, Slay the Setting Sun" (1974).

Obi (the inner side of the obi is blank).

Updates:

This blog post was updated on July 4, 2019 and July 10, 2019.

Additional updates occurred on October 12, 2019, which include a revised English translated track list and a photo gallery of the album.

Pages

Monday, July 11, 2016

Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Shochiku Edition: Wolf, Slay the Setting Sun (VPCD-81187)