So, I’ve released an album of TV Themes and talk about my motivations in a podcats. If you’re not interested in the why’s and wherefore’s then maybe you should skip this podcats.
The next ‘cats will be about games. I swear.
So this is what I’ve been up to for a large part of the last year and a bit. It’s been put aside for a few days here and there, making way for other projects, but it’s out.
Retro Crowd (a nom de musique) TV Classics. 20 of my favourite TV Themes (yes, most of those Themes of the Week posts on the controller1 twitter feed).
I like certain old TV shows that have character that survived them even when they become horribly dated. Also, having a great theme tune helps.
I’ll put out a podcats this week to discuss the album and why it is the way it is. It is vaguely game related in its origins.
It’s on the controller1 label, distributed by CDBaby and available there, Amazon MP3 and iTunes
Yes, a free track from the Christmas Reboot Album
Joy to the World by controller1.com from the Christmas Reboot album
Controller1.com has released its first album, a seasonal roundup of Christmas Carols recorded by Jacques Poutine and his Retro band in a retro-inspired fashion. It’s available on most digital vendors (or will be) and subscription services but it’s available now on our distributor’s website, cdbaby. It may even be cheaper through cdbaby at US$4.99.
Click here to see Christmas Reboot
Today, I’d like to share with you some of my favourite Videogame Soundtracks for a generation of gamers who think the answer has either Band, Hero or Singstar in the title.
Some of these are title tracks that you hear every time you boot up the game and some from early levels that you play over and over. Familiarity may be a big part of why everyone loves them but they have to be good to start with.
First up is Jet Set Radio (AKA Jet Grind Radio)
Jet Set Radio burst forth in 1999 with it’s infectious mix of remixes and Japanese Electronica. Whilst the sequel has has good tunes in its own right, it’s the original that still sounds the business. The game itself is great but it’s the soundtrack that stands the test of time long after the disc has gathered a think layer of dust.
Medal of Honor
Michael Giaccino (who did ALIAS, Lost, Star Trek, etc) contributed one of the finest WWII themes ever and every time you watch Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan, you wish it had this music appended to it. It’s not just the fabulous theme tunes, but the soundtrack is so old skool you, you can see yourself standing dazed on the beaches of Normandy, looking for your arm.
Next up is the Metal Gear Solid soundtracks
The music for the various iterations has been handled by several of Konami’s internal artists with many of the later games using Harry Gregson-Williams, a respected action-movie composer. The original theme tune is still my favourite though it similarity to a traditional Russian piece of music has meant it is MIA from MGS4.
Donkey Kong Country
Rare appears on lists of best music rather more than they do on lists of best games. But their back catalogue is spectacular. I love the main DK theme but it’s actually the first level music I like the most (mainly from its use in DK64)
Duke Nukem
This is the Megadeth version of the theme tune. Sometimes I find the best way to find out how good an 8bit song is to see if people can update with modern synths/real instruments and not sound worse. This is one case where the original was attempting something very particular with limited hardware.
Guitaroo Man
Catchy as all fuck. Like syphillus in a Bangkok brothel.
Banjo Kazooie
Rare again. About the only thing I liked about Nuts and Bolts was the way the music was redone without the limitations of system memory and MIDI.
Katamari Damacy
This tune brings a smile on my dial whenever I hear it. The game may have gone from masterful to just meh but this music is fantastic. I will never buy a J Pop album but these songs are tempting.
Voodoo Vince
What? Well Voodoo Vince was a decent platformer from Microsoft for the original Xbox with a beautiful New-Orleans style jazz soundtrack. I don’t normally like New-Orleans style jazz soundtracks but this a good ‘un.
Still Alive (Portal)
Big shock this is here. I also like the theme music from TF2 despite despising the game.
No One Lives Forever
so TF2 shows I like faux 60′s spy themes. Sue me.
In the same vein- Space Channel 5
It’s actually remixed 1000 times in Space Channel 5, but Mexican Flyer is by Ken Woodman and His Piccadilly Brass circa 1966.
And how could you not have:
Samba De Amigo
This kind of breaks the rule but I like how music in games can make you like something you previously hated. I despised Samba De Janeiro when it was a huge summer hit in Europe around 97/98. yet I liked it when it was on the Dreamcast. I’d never listen to Offspring, but I can’t image Crazy Taxi without them. And I can’t play Tony Hawk 1 or 2 without those songs.
Yes, I also love Mario and Zelda tunes, but you’ve heard them all a million times anyway. We’ll hear from Cameron in time when he shares his picks. That will be in about two months time once we finish swapping floppies
Reviewed on Xbox 360. Also on PS3, PS2, Wii
Well, Guitar Hero for rock fans who only like Aerosmith. That should cut down the need for things like advertising, sales, etc.
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock developed by former Tony Hawk developers Neversoft, puts paid to the rumour that the Guitar Hero series would be milked into the ground. They managed to keep the series humming along quite nicely. But then Guitar Hero Aerosmith comes out as a full price game, completely screwing up the first sentence
So really, it’s just Guitar Hero III with Aerosmith models on stage whenever you play an Aerosmith song. And do you want to know why I like GH Aerosmith compared to III? Its purely down to musical taste. I’m not a huge Aerosmith fan, but I love the type of rock they play.
GH III was weighed down by too much modern crap and indie bands which are like modern crap but not as popular.
It could have just been a downloadable pack, there’s really little reason for this not to have been the case, apart from money. It its first month, this game did not appear very highly in the NPD sales figures for NA, but considering the only costs in this game are a bit of licensing of Aerosmith’s tunes, I can’t see Activision stopping anytime soon.
Why should you play this? If you like hard rock, ’70s rock or if you just like Aerosmith. Or if you love GH and want more of the same. Now since the next iteration of Guitar Hero adds bass, drums and a mike, this is the last time the guy with the axe is the star of the show.
C1 Rating: 1/3 (Aerosmith fans should make this a 3/3 however)
