Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works · Nikkatsu Edition: The Burmese Harp/Scoundrels of the Sea (VPCD-81189)

© VAP
© Nikkatsu Corporation

Description:

This is the fourth volume in a six disc series titled Akira Ifukube Unreleased Film Music Complete Works. This volume covers music from films produced by Nikkatsu and features selected cues from "The Maid's Child" (1955), "Scoundrels of the Sea" (1957), "Tear Down Those Walls" (1959), "Teikoku Bank Incident: Prisoner of Death Row" (1964), "Japanese Archipelago" (1965) and "The Burmese Harp" (1956). In all, this release contains music from six 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 · Nikkatsu Edition: The Burmese Harp/Scoundrels of the Sea (VPCD-81189)
Music by: Akira Ifukube
Number of Discs: 1
Number of Tracks: 46
Run Time: 71:13
Release Date: March 1, 1997
Retail Price: ¥2,621 (Approximately $24.31 [as of July 4, 2019])

Track List:

The following are the Japanese and English translated track lists.

Track List (Japanese)

「女中ッ子」('55.6.26)
01. 日活マーク (M1)
02. 故郷への便り (M5)
03. 子犬と走る (M6)
04. 雀捕り (M8A)
05. 運動会 (M10)
06. 初に逢いたい (M14)
07. 吹雪 (M15)
08. 子守歌 (M16)
09. 別れの日 (M18)

「海の野郎ども」('57.8.20)
10. メインタイトル (M1)
11. 黒人霊歌 (PS74)
12. クーデター勃発 (M3A)
13. 革命歌 “火よ燃えろ” (M3)

「その壁を砕け」('59.6.23)
14. メインタイトル (M1)
15. 恋人の許へ (M3)
16. ピアノソロ (M7)
17. 裁判 (M9)
18. 咲子 (M10)
19. 尾行～他殺体 (M14)

「帝銀事件 死刑囚」('64.4.12)
20. 死の訪問者 (M3)
21. 軍属ハリソン (M8)
22. 捜査の長期化 (M11)
23. 傷夷軍人 (M15)
24. 平沢家 (M16)
25. 容疑者護送 (M17)
26. 記者の葛藤 (M20)
27. 花に託して (M22)
28. 号外 (M23)
29. 判決 (M29)
30. 面会室 (M32)

「日本列島」('65.5.26)
31. 秋山の任務 (M2)
32. 水死体の謎 (M3)
33. ハーモニカ ソロ (M5)
34. 雪の葬儀 (M20)
35. ドゥビノシュカ (EX-­1)
36. 絶叫 (M26)

「ビルマの竪琴」('56.1.21)
37. メインタイトル (M1)
38. 旅愁 (M2)
39. 斥候 (M3)
40. 月の光 (M13)
41. 旅立ち (M14)
42. 水島の消息 (M12)
43. 埴生の宿 (M17)
44. 納骨所 (M25)
45. 荒城の月 (M27)
46. エンディング (M35)

※Track 37=フィルム・サウンドトラックより

Track List (English)

"The Maid's Child" (06/26/'55)
01. Nikkatsu Mark (M1)
02. News to Hometown (M5)
03. Running with the Puppy (M6)
04. Catching Sparrows (M8A)
05. Sports Day (M10)
06. Longing to Behold (M14)
07. Snowstorm (M15)
08. Lullaby (M16)
09. Day of Parting (M18)

"Scoundrels of the Sea" (8/20/'57)
10. Main Title (M1)
11. Negro Spirituals (PS74)
12. Coup d'etat Outbreak (M3A)
13. Revolution Song "Burn by Fire" (M3)

"Tear Down Those Walls" (06/23/'59)
14. Main Title (M1)
15. Off to See My Lover (M3)
16. Piano Solo (M7)
17. Trial (M9)
18. Sakiko (M10)
19. Shadowed ~ Murder Victim (M14)

"Teikoku Bank Incident: Prisoner on Death Row" (04/12/'64)
20. Visitor of Death (M3)
21. Civilian Employee Harrison (M8)
22. Prolonged Investigation (M11)
23. Wounded Soldier (M15)
24. The Hirasawa Family (M16)
25. Suspect Escorted (M17)
26. The Reporter’s Conflict (M20)
27. Leave it to the Flowers (M22)
28. Newspaper Extra (M23)
29. Judgement (M29)
30. Interview Room (M32)

"Japanese Archipelago" (05/26/'65)
31. Akiyama's Duty (M2)
32. Mystery of the Drowned Body (M3)
33. Harmonica Solo (M5)
34. Funeral in the Snow (M20)
35. Dubinushka (EX-­1)
36. The Scream (M26)

"The Burmese Harp" (01/21/'56)
37. Main Title (M1)
38. Loneliness on a Journey (M2)
39. Scouts (M3)
40. Moonlight (M13)
41. Departure (M14)
42. News of Mizushima (M12)
43. My Humble Cottage (M17)
44. Ossuary (M25)
45. The Moon over the Ruined Castle (M27)
46. Ending (M35)

Track 37 taken from the film.

Additional Notes:

As stated above, this album is the fourth 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.


Based on the 2017 four disc set Akira Ifukube: Nikkatsu Film Music Complete Works (3SCD-0032), a few cue numbers for some of the tracks on this album are incorrect. Here are the corrected cue numbers:

"Japanese Archipelago": M20 (track 34) should be M20 (First Half) [Japanese: M20 (前半)] and EX-1 (track 35) should be M-EX.
"The Burmese Harp": M17 (track 43) should be M22A and M27 (track 45) should be M26.


The tracks from "The Maid's Child" are from the overseas score recorded on February 18, 1958. The original 1955 recordings are lost.

M5 (track 33) from "Japanese Archipelago" has been significantly shortened on this album, only the last third of the cue is included. Thankfully, the 2017 four disc set Akira Ifukube: Nikkatsu Film Music Complete Works presents the unaltered cue in its entirety.

Ifukube had to adapt music from other composers for "The Burmese Harp". The following cues are the adaptations found with this release, along with the composers who originally composed them:

M2, composed by John P. Ordway.
M3, composed by Shinpei Nakayama.
M17, composed by Henry Bishop.
M27, composed by Rentaro Taki.

With the release of Three Shells' four disc Akira Ifukube: Nikkatsu Film Music Complete Works (3SCD-0032) on May 31, 2017, this album has been rendered obsolete, as Akira Ifukube: Nikkatsu Film Music Complete Works includes everything found on this album plus much, MUCH more.


Updates:

This blog post was updated on July 4, 2019, July 7, 2019 and July 9, 2019.