Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – “Gerudo Valley” (Koji Kondo)

The final piece in the ‘cowboy’ set, while not being the end of all cowboy music that’s out there in games, is a real classic that might have been overlooked as fitting in this genre – “Gerudo Valley” from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time(1998). This is a fantastic tune depicting dusty Gerudo Valley, guarded by the Amazonian Gerudo warriors, who don’t take kindly to men (even if that ‘man’ happens to be a 7-year-old boy). Once again, Kondo demonstrates his ability to compose a piece that fits the atmosphere of trudging through a dusty canyon with a mud-and-brick city built into the cliff faces and inhabited by fearsome warriors, with a catchy tune to match.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – “Gerudo Valley” (Koji Kondo)

“Gerudo Valley” has a wonderful driving beat perfect for dancing, almost as if Kondo is channeling Ricardo Montelban to dance in those boots of his (it’s more likely wood blocks or sticks clapped together). This sound is persistent throughout the piece and gives it a great ethnic feel, which when coupled with the guitar and trumpet, has a distinctly Spanish taste to it. So when you think ‘western’, this is probably more a Mexican western or one set in Spain. The piece is but built around a few central notes and progresses through multiple variations on this theme to create a rondo effect.

“Gerudo Valley” is also one of the most popular tracks from Ocarina of Timeand has been remixed dozens of times, garnering eight mixes on Overclocked ReMix alone, of which Scott Peeples’ is probably the best. There was anorcehstrated remix on Hyrule Symphony (1999), which is a lovely violin and cello rendition, complete with string-plucking. Both Ocarina albums should still be available for purchase through CD Japan, Play Asia, and other stores.

Mega Man 6 – Intercontinental Contenders – “Silver Setting Sun” (Vurez)

What’s this? Two tracks by Vurez in two days? No, scratch that – two WESTERN tracks in two days!? Yes, Vurez composed not one, but two western-themed tracks (actually three if you remember “New Mexican Thunderbird“). Vurez seems at his best when he’s using the acoustic guitar – “Silver Setting Sun” simply oozes the American Southwest and the glory of the spaghetti western soundtrack. It is the most western-ish of Vurez’s pieces, and the fine use of western soundtrack staples – acoustic guitar, flute, trumpet, drums, and choral – all converge to create a tour de force of cowboy glory based off the original theme of “Tomahawk Man”, the cowboy-themed robot master from Mega Man 6 (1993).

Mega Man 6 – Intercontinental Contenders – “Silver Setting Sun” (Vurez)

The main loop of “Silver Setting Sun” is 1:19 in length, and there are several imaginative variations on the theme used throughout the track along with plenty of original material. The foundation of the song is a fantastic, deep drum with a steady beat that, again, gives the driving sense of cowboys on horseback. The flute and choral chanting provide a sense of exoticism, while Vurez’s trumpet adds nobility, heroism, and the rugged American male (idealized of course), particularly in the solo beginning at 2:05. Later on in the piece at 3:24, there is a choral solo, which is actually a recording of Vurez singing into the mic. He has a wonderful voice which integrates excellently into the rest of the piece. Finally, at 4:10, there are choral ‘bum bum bum’s (a kind which was later used in “Ride to Demonhead”) which fade the song out into the sunset. (Incidentally, the theme is kind of ironic because Tomahawk Man is modeled after an Indian warrior.)

Mega Man 6 was blessed with being released towards the end of the NES’s lifespan, which means that by this time Capcom’s composers, such as the game’s composer, Yuko Takehara (Mega Man 10, Mega Man X)

Clash at Demonhead – “Ride to Demonhead” (arr. Vurez)

Vurez’s rendition of “Ride to Demonhead” from the NES oldie Clash at Demonhead (1990) is a dark, awesome cowboy piece. Vurez packs so much atmosphere and emotion into his pieces that it’s always great to hear new works from him.

Clash at Demonhead – “Ride to Demonhead” (arr. Vurez)

The overall tone of “Ride to Demonhead” is sorrowful, morose, and gruelingly serious. There’s fantastic whistling, Vurez’s trademark acoustic guitars, and a chorus of ‘bum bum bum’s to get you on the trail. You can almost hear the wind howling and picture dagger-like wind blowing gray dust up the treacherous haunted path as a posse rides hot on the tail of the outlaw (or more likely as Billy “Big Bang” Blitz, the intrepid hero of the game, slogs his way to the crest – actually, I was a little surprised at how much detail was put into the plot of what is essentially just an average adventure game).

The song takes a detour at about 1:35 with some original and inspired material before returning to the main theme again at around 3:00. There’s some nice dark material here as well as a wonderful spaghetti western trumpet solo at 1:50 followed by a combination whistling and acoustic guitar playing a variation on the theme at 2:09 and some nice baritone choral support at 2:25. The church bells emphasize the gothic nature of the track. When the main theme kicks back in, it is highly stylized, with more acoustic guitars spinning like tumbleweeds. Throughout the entire piece is a nice, driving beat that characterizes much cowboy music – the sense of riding onward on a mission. Definitely made of cool.

Clash at Demonhead is a pretty bizarre game by Vic Tokai. Sadly, there doesn’t appear to be any credits anywhere, so I don’t know who the original composer was. The original version of the song is fairly catchy, which is probably why Vurez decided to mix it. However, I don’t think it’s got the kind of atmosphere he put into this piece. Talk about love. Anyway, you can check the original music in context here, starting about 3:00.

Sunset Riders – “Shoot-out at the Sunset Corral”

Last week’s Outlaws piece put me in the mood for some more Western music, so I decided to upload a few over the next few days, starting with the Level 1 theme from Sunset Riders (Arcade, 1991). Sunset Riders was part of a small genre of Western-themed games that has appeared from time to time, the latest of which include Red Dead Revolver 2, Red Steel 2, and Call of Juarez. There is definitely a desire for cowboy-themed games out there, and Sunset Riders filled this niche back in the 90s with an awesome title screen of cowboys riding into a flaming sunset and a stampede of cattle you could run on. I remember playing this at the arcades with my friend and pumping tons of quarters into the machine – it was loads of fun, though today it plays more like a simpler version of Contra. The soundtrack was released on Konami Game Music Collection 5 (1992), which has a pretty awesome cover that oddly enough looks like it depicts a Japanese cowboy! (Actually, reminds me a bit of Curse of the Black Tiger.)

Sunset Riders – “Shoot-out at the Sunset Ranch” (Motoaki Furukawa)

“Shoot-out at the Sunset Ranch” is once again a fast-paced shoot ‘em up tune perfect for stage 1. It has the cheesy trumpets and a driving metallic drums that keep the pulse going and sound like a posse on horseback. The high-pitched strings that seem ripped straight out of Super Contra are great punctuation to this rockin’ cowboy tune. The theme is supported by rock guitars too in the second half of the song. Really makes you want to strap on some irons and leap on a horse to go chase down the bad guys! Things seemed so much simpler back then…

Sunset Riders saw releases on the Super Nintendo and the Genesis. Despite censoring some of the ‘naughtier bits’ (the cowboys no longer kiss the ladies – lame!), the SNES version had superior graphics and audio. This version of the main theme is from the Arcade version. The SNES audio is much closer to the Arcade version, retaining that Super Contra sound. The drum samples also sound a little better in the second half of the song, particularly the high hat. The Genesis version has a dirtier, more metallic instruments, dropping the dramatic riffs of the Arcade for the Genesis’s graty sound. I was never a big fan of the Genesis sound system, and here’s a good example of why. You can compare the SNES version with the Genesis version here.

Motoaki Furukawa has been in the games industry since 1986 working on Konami’s arcade games. You can thank him for Super Contra and Ajax as well as later titles such as Snatcher and Castlevania 64. His music has been published in plenty of albums. He’s got a musical style distinct from Hidenori Maezawa (who actually served as sound advisor on Sunset Riders). He has since gone independent.

Sparkster (SNES) – “Lakeside (Stage 1)”

Konami produced many great soundtracks throughout the years, but some of them have been a bit forgotten. One classic from the early 90s, Sparkster (1994) appeared on both the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo.  Though cut from the same thread as Sonic the Hedgehog, Sparkster gives a different feel to the ‘lovable rodent with attitude’ genre that emerged at the time, standing out for its use of a jetpack and sword – and everyone knows jetpacks are inherently cool. The trouble is, the games for some reason didn’t catch on, but remain classics of the time. Sparkster’s upcoming reappearance on XBLA and PSN breathes new hope into this forgotten franchise. While the main theme to the SNES and Genesis versions of the game is similar, the SNES version is far superior due to the bolder synths used.

Sparkster (SNES) – “Lakeside (Stage 1)”

“Lakeside” has the great adventurous feel you would expect from a game starring a knight with a jetpack launching into the blue. Fantastic trumpet and string synths here are supported by the steady rhythm of the bass line. The trumpet is incredibly bold, with unabashed heroic fifths. If you listen carefully, at 0:19 and 0:33, you’ll hear the strings to kick in with a nice flourish. The second part of the song beginning at 0:36 is dominated by strings. The entire piece gives a sense of floating and sailing at high speeds. This carefree, adventurous hero music is perfect for an opening stage, and fully embraces the feel of flying through the air at high speeds on one of the coolest means of transportation ever invented.

This is a very solid example of standard vgm, but there’s ultimately no harm in that – it’s ultimately accomplishing what the medium does best, and that’s providing fast-paced major-key action music.

The Genesis version isn’t as bold as the SNES one (the two games were actually quite different, with the SNES version considered the better of the two – and this was the closest anyone could get to Sonic without owning a Genesis). Akira Yamaoka and Michiru Yamane’s rendition is a bit more fully developed and has the nice grating sound you expect from the Genesis, along with some great drum synths. Also worth a listen.

Golden Axe – “Wilderness” (Tohru Nakabayashi)

One thing Sega is known for is their arcade games the late 80s and early 90s. Though they did rather poorly on the console side into the 90s, Sega’s golden age came in this period of arcade development and porting of the arcade experience to the home on the Sega Genesis. One of these longstanding series was Golden Axe, a barbarian beat ‘em up that first appeared in the arcades in 1990. Its first level theme, “Wilderness” is a very memorable piece that perfectly captures that sense of Conan, though not full-on with the blood and trumpets of Taito’s Rastan. The piece was composed by Tohru Nakabayashi (Galaxy Force, Virtua Racing) and is available on the awesome Golden Axe The Music (2008), which collects the soundtracks to the entire series and is bookended with some great Frazetta-esque artwork.

Golden Axe – “Wilderness” (Tohru Nakabayashi)

“Wilderness” is structured around a central theme that is repeated three times in the loop. This section, breathing adventurous barbarian action, lasts about 26 seconds, and its repetitions give the track and almost rondo-like effect while simultaneously making it more memorable. The B (0:26), C (1:18), and D (2:15) sections of the song each build on those main notes, building to a high point of action before leveling off. What results is a pretty long and relatively dynamic loop about 2:28 in length. This means that in a standard playback, the main section is played seven times. It works because the main section is great fun and is interspersed with enough other tunes to help prevent listener fatigue.

The drum samples in the Golden Axe soundtrack are one of the best parts, sounding like they came right out of the Stone Age. The war drum produces a great beat, and the dull, muted sound of the instruments adds to the feel.

Now with these chiptunes, it’s hard to tell exactly what kind of instrument is being used (are those trumpets, rock guitars, or what?)

WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos – “Lordaeron Fall” (Glenn Stafford)

While “Lordaeron Fall” is not the best Humans track on WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos (2002; I think this title goes to “Blackrock & Roll”), the piece contains a special standing for me as it is a remix of the “Humans 2” track from WarCraft II (1996), probably the most recognizable theme from that game. Whereas in WarCraft II the theme represents an kingdom growing to the height of its power to ruthlessly repel an invader, the theme is reprised in “Lordaeron Fall” after Prince Arthas returns to the kingdom and, cursed by the sword Frostmourne, slays the king and pillages the city, leaving it in ruins. It is important to note that Glenn Stafford composed both the original version of this theme and its remix.

WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos – “Lordaeron Fall” (Glenn Stafford)

“Lordaeron Fall” begins with a low blare of trumpets that begin playing the opening notes of the Humans theme from WarCraft II. 30 seconds in, the main melody begins with “Humans 2″ played low on the clarinet, supported by strings and trumpets, building to a height with trumpets at 0:55. However, the notes never resolve into the main theme and instead die down at 1:10-1:30 into a dirge where the kingdom in ruins is surveyed. The theme is reprised again at 2:40 in minor key with strings, ending with the low tolling of bells at 3:40.

The theme first plays as the survivors fight their way out of the burning city that is now filled with the undead, and in subsequent missions thereof. If “Humans 2″ is an army at the height of its power, then “Lordaeron Fall” is a kingdom that has suffered a grave defeat and fall from glory. Recovering from its wounds, its soldiers march onward to regain honor and security. “Lordaeron Fall” thus probably gains more of its impact through its history and references to the original track than as a standalone piece; I think I enjoy it more for its familiarity.

The WarCraft III soundtrack came packaged with the collector’s edition. Being a huge WarCraft fan at the time, I picked up that version, and so have a copy of the album (I was fairly disappointed with the game though). However, the soundtrack is available on iTunes for $9.99, which isn’t bad as there are a few good tracks here. In Europe, a special two-disc album was created with music ‘inspired by’ the game.

Ultima IX – “Stones (Chamber)” (George Oldziey)

“Stones” is one of the most endearing vgm songs ever composed – in fact, it was memorable enough to have its own fansite, which contains many versions of the song. The original version was written for Ultima VI: The False Prophet (1990) by David Watson (Ultima VII, Stonekeep). (David is represented by the character “Iolo” in the game.) As a rarity for vgm, this piece also contains lyrics penned by Watson’s wife, Kathleen Jones (“Gwenno”), though they are not sung in any of the official versions. This rendition is from Ultima IX: Ascension (1999), the series’ ill-fated swan song and was composed by George Oldziey (Wing Commander 4, Red Faction: Guerilla). I can’t say which version out of all the fan mixes is best, but I happen to like this official version the most.

Ultima IX: Ascension – “Stones (Chamber)” (George Oldziey)

“Stones” is a medieval elegy or lay, played on flute, harp, and strings. It has a deep sense of nostalgia but also loss and sadness for beauty and the past. These are reflected in the lyrics, which ask and mourn for the builders of mysterious Stonehenge-like structures that stand on the plains of Wiltshire, though these lyrics are unnecessary to communicate the song’s sadness. The recording of this piece is pretty high quality as you can hear the breath of the flutists before they play. Reportedly, it was performed by a 50-piece orchestra.

Ultima is one of the most famous and groundbreaking RPG series ever produced. However, because it was a computer RPG, many console fans have never been exposed to it despite its profound influence on the genre. Some of the other tracks on this album have a great medieval feel, and some are reminiscent of music for Christmas time, particularly “Britain Positive”, due mainly to the instrument selection. ”Valoria Ships” is another of my favorites from this album.

Finally, here are the lyrics. The poetry itself contains a great deal of emotion, but also a reference to the deep history of the game’s world, Brittania – and also, perhaps, a sense of the lost history of our own world. It makes me wonder what our own civilization will leave behind, and if anything is left, what people 2500 years from now will think of us. You can either sing along or imagine a famous bard telling the tale:

Long ago ran the sun on a folk who had a dream
And the heart and the will and the power:
They moved the earth; they carved the stone; moulded hill and channeled stream
That we might stand on the wide plains of Wiltshire

Secret of Mana – “Star of Darkness” (Hiroki Kikuta)

Secret of Mana (aka Seiken Densetsu 2, 1993) was one of the classic SNES Squaresoft RPGs that is still fondly remembered today (though I personally didn’t find it very appealing beyond the battle system and the three player option: the story was pretty trite, down there with Illusion of Gaia). Regardless of what you think of it though, Hiroki Kikuta‘s (Seiken Densetsu 3, Koudelka) soundtrack was pretty good, though perhaps a bit overly cheerful in places – so “Star of Darkness” seems kind of odd in that setting!

Seiken Densetsu 2 – “Star of Darkness” (Hiroki Kikuta)

I think I like “Star of Darkness” so much because of its atmosphere, this overarching feel of a long, desperate slog (or perhaps a crusader’s march) up the steps of this dark pyramid beneath the evil starlight. The minor key and heavy strings weigh down on the listener, making it an effort to stand strong against the enemy and thus showing the heroes’ great determination. The build of the piano, which in some ways reflects the stairs of the temple and in others the distant and twinkling spirit of Mana, builds in the intro and is sustained throughout the loop while the drumbeat and bells give the track a great dirge-like quality.

The rest of Seiken Densetsu 2 is of high quality as well, so certainly is worth checking out. I think you can also still buy the actual album from some places, as it has been reprinted several times. There are of course some classic pieces such as “Angel’s Fear” which is probably the most popular Mana song, but I happen to like “Star of Darkness” better. There are a few good remixes of “Star of Darkness”, particularly “Distorted Star” by Graylightning and Snappleman.

Hiroki Kikuta has an excellent series of soundtracks, the latest of which is Tiara (coming out sometime this year). VGMdb lists several interviews with him, including one of Secret of Mana and his collaboration with Yuko Shimomura on Alphabet Planet. He’s even got a homepage, but it’s all in Japanese!

Donkey Kong Country 3 – “Rockface Rumble” (Eveline Fischer)

On a bit of a Donkey Kong Country spree this week – today is “Rockface Rumble” from Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie’s Double Trouble (1996), one of the last titles on the SNES. This is also one of the better pieces from a soundtrack (and gameplay, for that matter) that didn’t have nearly as an appeal feel as the two previous games – but it still makes for some of the best mountain climbing music in a videogame.

Donkey Kong Country 3 – “Rockface Rumble” (Eveline Fischer)

“Rockface Rumble” begins with some wind SFX for a David Wise trademark start, but this time it’s his collaborator from Donkey Kong Country, Eveline Fischer (Donkey Kong 64, Kameo). The bulk of this song is controlled by a powerful set of heavy drums, with flutes and strings used for melodic emphasis rather than main melody, which is filled by the drums. Later on, a rock guitar is added with the same effect to fill out the end of the piece. The instrument collection – in particular the drums – give a great sense of mountain music, the drums giving the height and weight of the rocks with flute and strings illustrating the high peaks, driving the player indominatably and steadily upward. Ultimately, I think the best part of the song is the drums - it’s a really great beat that holds the whole thing together and as a rarity makes up the core of the melody with the other instruments only adding color and emphasis to it. Those qualities also make the track memorable. However, the loop is kind of short at only 1:07, but it’s a sweet minute of music.

Like yesterday’s Daily, this is an spc rip rather than from the album – the original version has a longer fade-out of about 30 seconds rather than the 10 used in the spc.