CD

Anime, Editorial, Game Music

Video Game Soundtrack Collectors on Facebook

March 14, 2019 | Ryan Paquet | 2 Comments Share this

Over the past couple of months I have not had much time to write articles here at OSV. Although I haven’t been writing about game music I have been engaged with many collectors of game music through a group on Facebook called Video Game Soundtrack Collectors. The group was created in November 2018, and has grown to over 160 members who have been sharing images of their video game music collections.

Included amongst the Facebook group are OSV alumni and members of The Materia Collective who are very passionate collectors. For me, being a member of this group has allowed me to discuss and share details of my favorite anime and game soundtracks with fellow enthusiasts. I’ve also helped others track down some items, and was at long last able to acquire a CD I’d been seeking for years with a help of a member living in Japan. You may recall I wrote about the album Passion released by the Eminence Symphony Orchestra in an article titled Lost in Time: The Chrono Cross Arranged Album. After posting about my desire to own this album, a group member located it and it’s now a treasured CD in my collection.

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Although I’m not a big fan of Facebook as a platform, I am a member of the group under an alias account. If you are a video game soundtrack collector, on CD, vinyl or have a love of game music I encourage you to check out this group. You can access the group as long as you have a Facebook account at the link below, you’ll be prompted with a couple questions prior to being granted access: What is your favorite game soundtrack, and what is your more sought after game soundtrack?

Facebook Group Link: Video Game Soundtrack Collectors

I hope to see you there. Are you a member of another soundtrack collectors group? Please tell us about it!
Game Music, Japanese

1996 PaRappa the Rapper OST Getting a Reprint in May

March 30, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on 1996 PaRappa the Rapper OST Getting a Reprint in May Share this

First announced back at PlayStation Experience in December, PaRappa the Rapper Remastered on PlayStation 4 is now nearly upon us. For a change, the HD treatment is kind of a big deal here. Due to the differences between the CRT televisions of the 90’s and our modern digital screens this landmark rhythm game hasn’t been easy to pick up and play in years. Sharper visuals, enhanced audio with new alternate tracks, and display modes to make the game more approachable are all in store when it launches in the U.S. on April 4th.

For the game’s Japanese release Sony is bringing one more part of the original PaRappa experience back to life: the music. The game’s 44-track album, originally released in December of 1996, is being reprinted by TEAM Entertainment in its entirety. To be sold on disc for around $20, the album will go on sale May 24th, about a month after the remastered game’s release in Japan.

I’m not holding out much hope but there is a possibility we may see the album released as one of Sony’s music apps on the PlayStation 4 outside of Japan. Right now the only bonus we’ve got is a pre-order discount for PlayStation Plus members and a boring static theme. There is a demo you can play right now though, so if this post stirred up your PaRappa nostalgia you can get a quick hit for free right here.
Game Music

Yooka-Laylee Game Soundtrack Now Available for Pre-Order

February 21, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Yooka-Laylee Game Soundtrack Now Available for Pre-Order Share this

Ahead of it’s April 11th release date, the original game soundtrack for Yooka-Laylee is now available for pre-order. The spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie, composed by Grant Kirkhope and David Wise, has been an anticipated release since it’s Kickstarter wrapped up funding in 2015, with it’s colorful cast and fun gameplay reminiscent of it’s Rare predecessor.

With the game’s release right around the corner, Laced Records has thrown up the game’s soundtrack for pre-order in multiple formats, including digital, CD and double LP releases.

‘Tis a beautiful thing!https://t.co/q33ar1kba6 pic.twitter.com/yVPO2uUAsy

— Grant Kirkhope (@grantkirkhope) February 21, 2017

The Yooka-Laylee soundtrack will release ahead of the game itself on April 7th, which you can head over to Laced Records now to pre-order for yourself and get ahead of the crowd.
Experimental, Game Music

Soundtrack to Ubisoft’s Steep out now on CD

February 20, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Soundtrack to Ubisoft’s Steep out now on CD Share this

To say Ubisoft’s extreme sports title, Steep, had a compressed PR cycle is quite the understatement. The game was revealed to the world at E3 2016 and released just six months later amid the madness of the holiday shopping season. If you weren’t paying close attention you could easily have missed the original soundtrack behind the din of it’s licensed playlist that featured in the trailers.

The original soundtrack from European post-rock collective, Zikali, has been out there for a while on the major streaming services but Sumthing Else Music Works has announced they’re once again teaming up with Ubisoft for a physical release. Available from Sumthing Else for $10 digital and $15 on disc, the 19-track album features a surprisingly emotional score to what looks, at first glance, to be an Xtreme Sportz title that fell out of 2002.

“The musical artistic direction consists of the encounter between a post-rock formation (drums, bass, guitars, synths), to which is added an orchestral dimension (strings, brass) and a set of original instruments (hang drum, duduk) that define the sound identity of the project,” explains Zikali. “The energy of the rider is represented by a modern and electric sound associated with the action; And the orchestra characterizes the different places (summits, narrow corridor or wide spaces) by the variety of its modes of play, bringing a strong emotional dimension.”

As described, the music is full of subtle sound combinations from airy and atmospheric twinkles to explosions of heavily effected guitars driven by a pounding percussion. It’s been a pleasant, if not totally cohesive, surprise as I’ve listened throughout the day. If you were looking for more from last year’s soundtrack to No Man’s Sky’s there’s definitely some of that vibe among the first half of the playlist.

You can give the whole soundtrack a listen on YouTube, Spotify, Deezer and Tidal or pick up the digital version from Google, iTunes or Amazon.
Film, Television

The Soundtrack from Ducktales The Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp has finally been released!

February 8, 2017 | Ryan Paquet | Comments Off on The Soundtrack from Ducktales The Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp has finally been released! Share this

The soundtrack to Ducktales The Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp has at long last been released on CD. Growing up it was one of my favorite Disney animated films, and the music was what made the film special. It is a large scale adventure score that has some nods to the theme from the TV series.

A favorite project of composer David Newman, who considered it, “Like a dream experience for me.” Newman was afforded considerable freedom to write what he felt was most appropriate without interference. “It was lovely.” Newman scores for a large orchestra, writes wall-to-wall music, including several lengthy sequences. Strong degree of musical architecture results. Music often twists and turns on a dime, racing forward, stopping suddenly for quick pauses then continuing onwards. Excitement is name of the game! Vibrant recording by Tim Boyle made at Evergreen Studios in Burbank over 6 days in June 1990. Entire album is presented in crisp stereo sound from complete digital 2-track scoring session masters with 3 additional cues derived from the 30 its Dolby SR-format analog mixes, all courtesy Walt Disney Records. John Takis provides descriptive liner notes, Kay Marshall fashions gorgeous, colorful “flipper” cover. Choose your favorite! David Newman composes, orchestrates, conducts. Intrada Special Collection CD available while quantities and interest remain!

Intrada Records

The CD is available for purchase directly from Intrada Records’ website for $21.99. I’ve already ordered my copy. Here’s hoping we’ll see more music from Ducktales released in the future.

Is this a soundtrack you’ll be ordering?
Game Music

Community Question: If they released [GAME SOUNDTRACK] on LP, would you make the jump to vinyl?

November 21, 2016 | Ryan Paquet | 8 Comments Share this

If you’ve ever read any of my posts on OSV you’ll know that I am Compact Disc (CD) man, in my opinion it is the definitive physical media. However, with the abundance of titles coming out on vinyl in gorgeous packages I am starting to wonder what I would do if my favorite game album did come out on LP?

So simple question, if you’re a CD or digital music fan. Is there an album that, if it was release on LP would make you consider getting a record player?

For me there’s two possibly scenarios that would push me over the edge.

Scenario 1: AZEL: Panzer Dragoon RPG (Panzer Dragoon Saga) by Saori Kobayashi and Mariko Nanba got an official LP release. The above image is something I threw together quickly, but I think it would be a pretty sweet album cover.

Scenario 2: Tengen makes 45 releases of their black cart game soundtracks on 45s. The package must include Fantasy Zone, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Heck, if they even sold a portable turntable that looked like a bootleg cartridge, I would surrender to vinyl.

As I don’t think either of the above options will happen any time soon, what are the dream albums that would make you jump to vinyl? Let us know!
Television

Lakeshore Records to release MR. ROBOT Soundtrack in Digital, on CD and Vinyl LP in June

May 25, 2016 | Ryan Paquet | Comments Off on Lakeshore Records to release MR. ROBOT Soundtrack in Digital, on CD and Vinyl LP in June Share this

Lakeshore Records has finally confirmed the official release date of the soundtrack to the phenomenal USA Network TV series Mr. Robot. The shows music was composed by Mac Quayle and features a unique use of electronic sounds to bring the score to life. For me personally I consider it to be the best electronic score produced for television since Joseph Trapanese’s work on Tron: Uprising. Lakeshore Records revealed the CD album designs this morning which is a clear nod to classic Atari game boxes.

Lakeshore Records will release a two-volume soundtrack for the Golden Globe® and Peabody Award-winning USA Network series Mr. Robot, digitally on June 3, and on CD June 24. A special LP package will be released later this year. The albums feature original music by series EMMY®-nominated composer Mac Quayle (“The People v. O.J. Simpson”, “American Horror Story”, “Scream Queens”). The second season of MR. ROBOT premieres on USA Network Wednesday, July 13 at 10/9c.

You can preview the first track from the soundtrack in the Youtube video below:

You can pre-order the albums on Amazon. Did you watch Mr. Robot? What did you think of the music in the series?