The Television Series
In 1974, the animated television series "Space Battleship Yamato" (Japanese: 宇宙戦艦ヤマト) premiered in Japan. Although not an immediate hit, it later became a massive pop culture phenomenon, and a few years later was dubbed in English and programmed in the United States as "Star Blazers" (where it accumulated many more fans, including myself). The first season of this show portrayed the adventures and struggles of a naval "Star Force" as it traveled to the faraway planet Iscandar, hoping to bring back a cure to a radiation disease which was being visited upon the Earth by hostile aliens, the Gamilas ("Gamilons"). The namesake ship, the "Yamato" (renamed the "Argo" in the English version), was basically a refurbished WWII battleship, retrofitted with alien (Iscandarian) technology in order for it to be able to travel intergalactic distances. In contrast to previous animated programs, the show was written to appeal to adults as well as children, and featured complex, mature themes as well as more realistic battle scenes. Perhaps most uniquely to American audiences, it also played out as a serial, with episodes continued on from each other - in other words, a space opera.
The Score Releases
The music for Space Battleship Yamato was composed by Hiroshi Miyagawa, who started his career gaining notoriety for his jazz and pop-inflected compositional style (an excellent overview can be read at CosmoDNA). However, his greatest claim to fame is easily his Space Battleship Yamato music, and his music cues here are as instantly recognizable to fans of the show as the music of Star Trek or Star Wars is to fans of those programs. Essentially consisting of 3 seasons of TV, one telefilm and 2 original film features, Space Battleship Yamato has a long and varied discography, but there have been 3 main "editions" of soundtrack collections in the last 20 years or so.
In the mid-1990's, Columbia Japan released a series of CDs basically reproducing LP releases from the previous decade. These are sometimes referred to as the "BGM" (background music) series. Consisting of 6 score CDs, these releases gathered a selection of cues from each series or film and often sequenced them by musical themes or moods. For example, on the "Yamato: New Journey" BGM release, 5 versions of the "Goruba" theme are grouped together, followed by 4 variations of the "Parting" theme. This created a sense of "musical suites" based on melodic ideas or moods.
In 2000, a much larger amount of music was released in the form of the "Eternal Edition" series, which spanned 9 discs of film score (now organized in chronological sequence), 2 discs of vocal songs, and 1 orchestral "image" disc (basically a kind of symphonic "music inspired by"). The only drawback to the Eternal Editions was that most of the cues were often grouped together into single tracks of 2 to 5 cues. Another unique feature here was that in productions where original score was complemented with tracked music from a previous film or series (such as Eternal Edition 2/3: Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato), unlike most Western soundtracks, these score releases included the previously-released material. In fact, if a cue was reused in the same film, it would actually be included a 2nd time on the same soundtrack. One could consider these to be basically a "isolated scores".
Starting in 2012, the "Sound Almanac" series was begun, and this iteration is probably as comprehensive as Space Battleship Yamato music will ever get. Ultimately spanning 30 CD releases (and 1 recent triple disc "addendum"), this effort included both expanded film score editions (with essentially all cues individually indexed) as well as symphonic rearrangements, synthesizer arrangements, live concerts and even "story" productions (including dialogue and sound effects). Cues tracked in from previous productions were not re-included (ie - no repeats), leaving more room for unreleased original score. This round of releases is also notable for being easily available to residents of the US, since they are all downloadable from the iTunes store for a very reasonable 9.99 per album.
In the large table below, I analyze the score release for the 1st Space Battleship Yamato series (and probably the most iconic for most fans). This release (seen above) is listed in the iTunes store as "Starblazers Sound Almanac 1974, Vol. 1: Starblazers BGM Collection (Eternal Edition)". Featuring the complete 1st series underscore (excepting a few bits of tracked library music), the first 50 tracks are individually indexed music cues, followed by 21 "stingers"/scene-bridging cadences in 4 grouped tracks, and then finally 3 tracks of unused bonus tracks (an edit, an alternate mix, and and an extended loop). Below are descriptions of the 50 music cues which make up the main fabric of the program and which episode they first occur in. The titles are mostly English translations of "official" titles, but a few are renamed to better match the cue content or a more meaningful scene. The first column is the track's number on the Sound Almanac release. The second column is the track number from the 1995 Space Battleship Yamato BGM Part 1 release (if it was even included on that release). The bottom 2 entries are the opening and closing theme songs, which are unfortunately not included on the Sound Almanac release, but are included on the 1995 BGM Part 1 release.
Cue Appearances and Episode Cue Programming
In the research portion of compiling the below table, it was necessary to note down the appearance of each cue in every one of the 26 episodes of the initial TV series. A nice side result of this effort is a spreadsheet which can be manipulated to produce some useful "bonus tables".
The Cue Appearances Table displays a list of every episode and scene where a track was used (ie - it lists the first 50 tracks from the Space Battleship Yamato Sound Almanac 1974-1 CD with all of the Season One episodes and sequences where they were each used.. This is nice because when listening to a track, the listener can revisit all of the scenes listed for it and create a kind of "mental montage". This should make AMVs much easier to create!
The Episode Cue Programming Table is organized by episode, and every cue used in an episode is listed in chronological order. In other words, if one wishes to hear the underscore just for Episode 8 in story sequence, this table can be used to create an iTunes playlist for that. iTunes also has the feature "Add to Up Next", which can be used to create a temporary episode playlist "on the fly". Personally, this is the only instance where I've found this particular iTunes feature useful.
| SA | BGM | Cue | Title | Episode of 1st Appearance | Musical Elements |
| 1 | 2 | A-4 | The Universe Spreading Out into Infinity | Ep 1: Captain Okita reflects on the Gamilas attacks on Earth (narrated historical montage). | Lush rock ballad (piano, strings, etc). Outside of the Space Battleship Yamato opening theme song, this beautiful cue (featuring a wordless female vocal) most epitomizes the romance of the Yamato series. |
| 2 | 6 | I-1 | Woman of Iscandar | Ep 1: On Mars, cadets Kodai and Shima find a beautiful, strange envoy from the planet Iscandar, who has been killed in a spaceship crash. | Exotic melody on ethnic winds and vibes |
| 3 | 29 | D-1B | Somber Yamato | Ep 1: Kodai's brother Mamoru refuses Okita's order to retreat from the Gamilas forces at the Battle of Pluto. | Sad strings w. Yamato opening theme motif, bass pedal pulse, isolated high piano chords, then low brass accents (often used in many grim situations). |
| 4 | A-3B | Crossing The Beautiful Ocean | Ep 1: Starsha's message from Iscandar invites the Earth heroes to come pick up the Cosmo DNA, which can save the Earth from the Gamilas radiation poisoning. The scene visually features a star map over a blue, ocean-like background. | Pleasant theme on flute/vibes. Two other variations of this melody are also used (see trks 36 & 43) | |
| 5 | 3 | D-3 | Yamato Rises!! (Yamato Sleeps in the Setting Sun) | Ep 1: As the sun sets, Kodai
& Shima discover the rusting hulk of the naval battleship Yamato, half-buried in
the desolate landscape (with ending narration). | Anthemic, slow march. This cue is probably the most stirring of the many military-themed cues, and is derived from the Yamato opening title song. |
| 6 | 26 | A-5 | Alignment of the Carriers | Ep 2: Kodai & Shima (joined by Dr Sado and Analyzer) ride an aircar to Earth HQ. The title comes from the opening of Ep.22, where the Yamato prepares for its greatest battle against the carrier fleet of General Domel at the Rainbow Star Cluster. | Funk, first half with active bass line and slow brass swells, second half with sparse bass/drums and electronic sirens |
| 7 | 18 | A-2 | The Silence of Space | Ep 2: Okita reflects on the history of the battleship Yamato during WWII. One of this cue's most memorable uses is in the eerily quiet aftermath following the destruction of Gamilas, as Kodai regrets the wastefulness of war. | Hesitant melody on synth, flute, vibes, etc… |
| 8 | B-4B | Craters of the Moon (with Rhythm) | Ep 2: Flashback: The historical ocean battleship Yamato is deployed on a suicide mission. | Rock beat with organ in alternating triplet and duple figures | |
| 9 | 15 | D-2 | Damaged Yamato (Yamato’s Bolero) | Ep 2: Flashback: As the Yamato sinks, the captain stays with the ship. | Funeral march based on Yamato opening theme (often used for grim situations). |
| 10 | 31 | O-1 | Procession of Yamato's Crew | Ep 3: The Yamato crew parade through the streets towards the Yamato launch site | Yamato opening theme as mid-tempo march with staccato "B" theme in high strings |
| 11 | U-2 | Organ, Bright, 8-Beat | Ep 3: When Okita gives Kodai and Shima a tour of the Yamato, they encounter Yuki and Dr Sado. | Bright organ-driven funk, often used for scenes of relaxation (or "character" moments). | |
| 12 | U-1 | Tour of the Yamato | Ep 3: Okita gives Kodai and Shima a tour of the Yamato (used in only 1 episode). | 12-bar blues on bass and hi-hat | |
| 13 | 22 | F-3 | Suspense B | Ep 2: Gamilas soldiers plan their attack on the still-grounded Yamato. | Low strings/snare, then high piano/vibes pattern and siren sounds, then brass figures. Used often as suspense underscore. |
| 14 | 4 | F-4 | Yamato Departs the Earth | Ep 2: After going up a tilted elevator, Kodai and his friends reach the Yamato bridge and meet Okita and Yuki. Okita explains Yamato's mission to save the Earth (also used very memorably in Ep. 3 as the Yamato emerges from a massive hyper-missile explosion). | Brass, string swells, leading into bright, mid-tempo rock with winds |
| 15 | 5 | U-3 | Enter Desslar | Ep 4: On Gamilas, Leader Desslar and his subordinate Hisu discuss the Yamato's progress. | Semi-improvised figures on wah guitar, piano, drums, bass. Used for many Gamilas leadership discussion scenes. |
| 16 | 10 | L-1 | Black Tigers | Ep 4: The Yamato's "Black Tiger" fighter squadron engages Gamilas forces. | The "main" action cue, based on brass, timpani, vibes, snare, fanfares, rising wind/string patterns, etc… |
| 17 | 28 | V | Warp | Ep 4: Yamato warps. This cue was only featured in one actual warp sequence, but was so effective, it is instantly recognizable as "warp" music. | Eerie piano/vibes and cymbals in even rhythm with somewhat sinister electric guitar figures |
| 18 | B-3 | Fresh Falling Stars | Ep 6: Due to a malfunction, the ship's internal gravity is lost. | Isolated cymbal rolls over string tremoli with rising/falling piano patterns, ending with harp | |
| 19 | U-4 | Tension (Funk) | Ep 1: On Earth, Okita, Kodai, Shima and Yuki wait for translation of the Iscandarian message capsule (the cue title is from its rerecording on the Yamato 2199 OST). | Slow funk with organ, bass, drums, guitar | |
| 20 | B-1 | Keep Watching the Stars | Ep 3: On the tour of the Yamato, Okita stops in the muzzle of the Wave Motion Gun and explains what it can do. | High, chiming textures, with short brass figures | |
| 21 | 21 | A-1 | Suspense A | Ep 4: Science Science Officer Sanada explains how the warp system works. | Winds/strings based on 2-chord patterns with bass melody, flute ornaments, etc… (suspense underscore) |
| 22 | P-1 | Suspense (C) | Ep 7: On the Gamilas Pluto base, Generals Schultz and Ganz discuss their long-range missiles and the radioactive planet bombs they have been raining down on Earth. | Cymbal rolls, synth/bongo figures with brass accents (suspense underscore, somewhat more alien-sounding). | |
| 23 | 12 | M-1 | Romance | Ep 9: While the Yamato hides in an asteroid field from the Gamilas forces, Sanada works on a new asteroid-based defense design. | Melody on flute/oboe/glockenspiel with electric piano chords |
| 24 | TM-2 | Scarlet Scarf (with Rhythm) | Ep 6: Kodai reluctantly leaves the discovery of his brother's crash site and the Yamato leaves Saturn's moon, Titan. | Theme from "Scarlet Scarf" (end credit theme song, slow rock) featuring oboe. Several variations of this song are featured in the underscore. | |
| 25 | N-1B | Yamato's Sorrow (oboe ver.) | Ep 1: At the Battle of Pluto, Kodai's brother's ship is apparently destroyed by the Gamilas fleet. | Forlorn, solo oboe arrangement of Yamato opening theme | |
| 26 | 16 | F-1C | Great River (Saga) - Yamato Theme | Ep 2: On the Yamato's bridge, Okita vows to complete the mission to save Earth (followed by ending narration). | Slow rock with wah guitar and cupped brass, strings, ending in Yamato opening theme with lush strings (and subtle chorus) |
| 27 | F-5 | Solar Suspense | Ep 5: The Yamato enters Jupiter's thick atmosphere, which hampers radar. The title comes from Ep.20, where the Yamato is almost crushed by a descending artificial sun. | Slow suspense, low brass and snare, Yamato opening theme on synth | |
| 28 | 11 | UN | Search Ship | Ep 1: Kodai and Shima launch from Mars to join Okita's battleship, which is returning from the lost Pluto battle. | Bright funk, brass figures |
| 29 | V-B | Gravitational Field | Ep 5: The Yamato shudders and takes engine damage due to influence from Jupiter's gravity field. The cue title here is my own choice. | Even hi-hat/piano rhythm in a 2 chord pattern | |
| 30 | B-4 | Craters of the Moon | Ep 8: On the surface of Pluto, Kodai's team finds the Reflex Gun exhaust port. | Organ/glockenspiel/cymbal hits in alternating triplet and duple figures over brass figures | |
| 31 | 20 | C-2 | Abandoned City (Empty Streets) | Ep 5: The Yamato tracks Jupiter's floating island, and prepares to destroy it with the Wave Motion Gun. | Low piano chords ornamented by xyloph., muted brass, chromatic piano, string tremoli |
| 32 | A-4B | The Universe Spreading Out into Infinity (without strings) | Ep 13: In a flashback to Earth, Kodai's brother suggests to Kodai that he join the space academy, but Kodai resists. | Universe Spreading intp Infinity theme (trk 1) without string background | |
| 33 | 9 | G-2 | The Fleet Assembled | Ep 2: When attacked by Gamilas forces, Okita orders Kodai & Shima to man the bridge controls. The Yamato emerges from the rubble and hovers. The cue title is from its most memorable use in a sequence from Ep. 21, as General Domel assembles his carrier fleet on Gamilas for a final grand battle with the Yamato. | Military suspense music with timpani, snare, brass |
| 34 | F-1A | "Original" Yamato Theme | Ep 4: Kodai launches with the Black Tigers to provide cover for the Yamato as it prepares for warp. | Upbeat Yamato opening theme with galloping guitar intro, typically looped | |
| 35 | 23 | H-1 | Launch of the Recon Ship | Ep 1: On Mars, Kodai and Shima go out to intercept a Gamilas spy plane. | Tense funk, brass figures |
| 36 | 17 | A-3 | Crossing The Beautiful Ocean (with Rhythm) | Ep 2: The crew celebrate destroying a Gamilas carrier. | Ocean theme (trk 4), mid-tempo soft rock arrangement |
| 37 | 19 | B-5 | Fields of Green | Ep 4: The bridge crew nervously prepare for a warp. | Flute melody over slow wah guitar & bass, chimes, then brass. This cue is often used for fairly "light" scenes. |
| 38 | B-2 | Suspense of the Crimson Star | Ep 5: On Jupiter, Yamato's engine repairs are completed, as a Gamilas base fires missiles at them. Like "Solar Suspense", this cue's title comes from its memorable use in Ep.20, where a mobile artificial sun threatens the Yamato. | Low brass and strings/hi-hat rolls, building to churning strings and a brass cadence | |
| 39 | D-1 | Gamilas Decides War | Ep 2: Okita monitors the progress of preparations for the trip to Iscandar. | Pulsed piano chords, synth, brass figures, dirge-like | |
| 40 | 8 | H-2 | Sortie of the Enemy Fleet | Ep 8: While submerged under the sea of Pluto, the Yamato destroys approaching Gamilas subs with torpedoes. | Action cue with fierce brass, drums, strings, etc |
| 41 | 27 | P-3 | A Desperate Situation | Ep 1: Okita's Earth forces are outgunned by the Gamilas fleet at Pluto. | High strings/brass, snare, cymbals, low string figures (often used for grim situations getting worse). |
| 42 | 25 | N-1 | Yamato's Sorrow | Ep 1: On Earth, Kodai finds out about the fate of his brother and resents Okita. | Sad version of Yamato opening theme on trumpet with vibes, then winds/strings |
| 43 | A-3B(2) | Crossing The Beautiful Ocean (lush strings) | Ep 12: On the rear observation deck, Yuki tells Kodai of her secret wish towards the nearby "Prayer Star" Orion (only used once). | "Ocean" theme featured on lush strings | |
| 44 | J-4 | Scarlet Scarf (guitar) | Ep 10: When Okita allows the crew a final communication to Earth before the Yamato goes out of range, Kato searches for Kodai. Kodai declines when it is his turn to call Earth (he has no one on Earth to receive his call). | "Scarlet Scarf" on acoustic guitar over sustained organ chords | |
| 45 | J-2 | Sorrowful BG | Ep 14: This cue plays over ending narration with a montage of a desolate Earth and the mention of a new year (2200). | Slow rock with melody starting on solo oboe, then flute, then strings and rhythm section, uses partial motifs from Yamato theme. Gorgeously beautiful. | |
| 46 | 13 | J-2B | Shocking Scarf | Ep 6: On Titan, upon finding his brother's crash site, Kodai calls out his brother's name, looking around. | Trembling strings on Scarlet Scarf motif |
| 47 | D-3B | Yamato Rises! The Yamato Sleeps Under the Setting Sun (Short) | Ep 7: Desslar is informed of the apparent sinking of the Yamato on Pluto (with ending narration). | Short version of Yamato Rises! (trk 5) | |
| 48 | 14 | N-3 | Scarlet Scarf (strings) | Ep 4: The crew observe the desolate, irradiated planet Earth from space. | "Scarlet Scarf" in a lush string arrangement. |
| 49 | 7 | J-2(2) | Yamato Returns Home (Sorrow) | Ep 4: With time running out before a scheduled warp, a damaged Black Tiger has trouble returning to the Yamato landing bay. | Another beautiful sad theme, with a winding string melody, eventually joined by a low counter-melody |
| 50 | 24 | F-1B | Original Yamato Theme (alt ending cadence) | Ep 8: While Kodai's ground team searches for the Reflex Gun on the surface of Pluto, the Yamato surfaces from the sea in order to make the gun fire and give away its position. | Upbeat Yamato opening theme with galloping guitar intro (same as trk 34) but with a more final ending cadence |
| 1 | Opening theme: Space Battleship Yamato (Vocal: Isao Sasaki) | Images of Yamato launching and a shot of the bridge. This opening sequence can be seen on YouTube: | The 1st 3 episodes feature an acappella male chorus preceding the entrance of the main vocal. From episode 3 to 20 the acappella intro is replaced with an alternate instrumental intro (used for all of the Star Blazers intros), sometimes with an additional opening chord stinger. The acappella intro returns in Eps 21-25. 26 has no opening title sequence. | ||
| 32 | Ending theme: "Scarlet Scarf" (Vocal: Isao Sasaki) | Montage of spacescapes going
away from the irradiated Earth, journeying to Iscandar, and then back to a
restored Earth (kind of a spoiler, huh?). This closing credits sequence can be seen on YouTube here. | Soft pop-rock ballad |
Track 55 is Unused Cues: March of the Yamato's Crew (Short).
Track 56 is Launch of the Recon Ship (B Type) (H-1C).
Track 57 is a Bonus Track: Yamato Arrival (2-chorus version of the original Yamato theme).
There are still just a few items leftover from the BGM and Eternal Edition releases of Series 1 music which are not included on the Sound Almanac release:
Additional Tracks
| BGM Part 1 | 1 | 1:25 | Space Battleship Yamato (TV
Size Vocal Opening Theme, instrumental B opening for Ep 4-20) |
| BGM Part 1 E.E. 1 |
32 15 |
1:18 | Scarlet Scarf (TV Size Vocal Ending Theme) |
| E.E. 1 | 1 | 1:19 | Space Battleship Yamato (TV
Size Vocal Opening Theme, acappella A opening for Ep 1-3, 21-25) |
Space Battleship Yamato:
Symphonic Suite
Symphonic Suite
| Trk | Title | Dur | Music Sequences/Sub-Timings |
| SBY-SS 1 | Overture | 5:27 | 0:00:
Suspense A 1:00: The Universe Spreading To Infinity (w female vocal) 2:39: Overture (based on Yamato title and Universe Spreading themes) |
| SBY-SS 2 | The Birth | 4:33 | 0:00:
Somber Yamato 0:50: The Silence of Space 1:25: March transition (Earth Defense Force fanfare) 2:00: Variations on Yamato and Great River Saga themes 3:02: Yamato Main theme |
| SBY-SS 3 | Sashia | 1:43 | 0:00:
Woman of Iscandar (expanded with strings, winds) |
| SBY-SS 4 | Trial | 2:44 | 0:00:
Suspense B 0:50: Search Ship 1:25: Suspense B reprise 1:35: Damaged Yamato (Yamato’s Bolero) |
| SBY-SS 5 | Take Off | 3:00 | 0:00:
The Yamato Departs the Earth (short version) |
| SBY-SS 6 | Reminiscence | 2:16 | 0:00:
Yamato’s Sorrow with guitar replacing trumpet 0:27: Orchestra enters |
| SBY-SS 7 | Scarlet Scarf | 4:32 | 0:00:
Scarlet Scarf (strings) 0:48: Uptempo arr 1:45: Ballad, ending in trumpet cadenza 3:40: Uptempo arr reprise, ending in guitar solo |
| SBY-SS 8 | Decisive Battle | 4:40 | 0:00:
CHALLENGE: Launch of the Recon Ship 0:32: SALLY: Sortie of the Enemy Fleet 1:41: Black Tigers 3:11: VICTORY: Great River (Saga) |
| SBY-SS 9 | Iscandar | 3:37 | 0:00:
Crossing The Beautiful Ocean 0:49: Crossing The Beautiful Ocean (with Rhythm) |
| SBY-SS 10 | Recollection | 3:22 | 0:00:
Shocking Scarf (intro) 0:24: Yamato Returns Home (Sorrow) (guitar solo) 1:15: Yamato Returns Home (Sorrow) (viola solo) 1:59: Yamato Returns Home (Sorrow) |
| SBY-SS 11 | Hope For Tomorrow | 5:14 | 0:00:
DREAM: The Universe Spreading To Infinity (w female vocal) 1:31: Transition 1:51: ROMANCE (w male and female chorus) 3:59: ADVENTURE: The Universe Spreading To Infinity/Yamato (variation w mixed chorus) |
| SBY-SS 12 | Starsha | 3:15 | 0:00:
Starsha (orchestral soft rock) |
Below is a listing of how the Series One cues were used in the Space Battleship Yamato compilation movie which truly launched the franchise. It's interesting to see how certain scenes work (for better or worse) when paired with different music cues than what was originally used in the TV series.
Space Battleship Yamato Film Sequence
Other Resources/Links
For more detail (and I mean MUCH more) on the music of Yamato, it's highly recommended to check out CosmoDNA, far and away the best website and news source on all things Space Battleship Yamato. On one of my other blogs (Ed Quits Smoking), I also have a complete synopsis guide to the various Space Battleship Yamato TV series and films. The following entries in this blog's "Music of Space Battleship Yamato" series are:
- Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato
- Space Battleship Yamato: Series 2
- Yamato: The New Voyage
- Be Forever Yamato
- Space Battleship Yamato: Series 3
- Final Yamato
iTunes Listings:
Pity I came across this too late. It does not seem to be available on Itunes America. And $24 per CD for 30+ CD's is too much.
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