LMH Mixtape #288: Castle Areas 2

Castles are a common setting in video games and this was the second time the Legacy Music Hour took on this topic, including all of the variety that comes with it.  A certain style may come to mind when you think of "castle" music, and there is certainly some of that in this mixtape, but castle themes can range from grand and regal to creepy or gloomy and even directions you might not expect.  For example, "Dark Castle" from Tenshi no Uta: Shiroki Tsubasa no Inori goes on an epic "rock opus" journey and "Stage 8 (In the Castle/Tension/Sucker Puncher/Completed)" from Stone Protectors has a futuristic, almost sci-fi sound to it.  You never know what you'll find, so let's explore some castles!

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MANATREE'S AWARDS & COMMENDATIONS

Instant Favorite: Stone Protectors - Stage 8 (In the Castle/Tension/Sucker Puncher/Completed)

Another Favorite: Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals - Castle

Most Rockin': Tenshi no Uta: Shiroki Tsubasa no Inori - Dark Castle

Track listing and original episode:

https://www.legacymusichour.com/2025/09/episode-288-castle-areas-2.html

LMH Mixtape #287: Buttz

Episode 287 was a free play featuring a great assortment of third and fourth generation video game music.  "State of Mind" from Hany on the Road is a really fun PC Engine track that sounds very motivational.  "Title" from Mega Anser is a short but mysterious and intriguing track that will leave you wanting to hear more.  "Hustle Maruyama" from Dynamite Headdy has an absolutely frenetic energy that goes full sci-fi meltdown at the end.  There's a lot to enjoy here, so get off your "buttz" and jump into this mixtape!

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MANATREE'S AWARDS & COMMENDATIONS

Instant Favorite: Hany on the Road - State of Mind

Another Favorite: Mamono Hunter Yohko: Dai 7 no Keishou - Scene 5: Snow and the Stars

Love those guitars: Flying Hero: Bugyuru no Daibouken - High in the Sky ~ Act 6

Track listing and original episode:

https://www.legacymusichour.com/2025/08/episode-287-buttz.html

LMH Mixtape #286: Interesting Music

This episodes's topic was an interesting one.  While open to interpretation, the general idea is simply tracks that are... well, interesting, whatever that means.  Maybe it means music for a more open-minded ear or maybe it just means pieces that do something cool or unusual and that stand out in a weird way.  "Paper Route" from Paperboy 2 lays down some distinctly Seinfeld-esque bass guitar.  "Theme of Psycho Soldier (1st Area)" from the 1987 arcade game Psycho Soldier has a full vocal track, which is not something you hear very often from this era.  And "Fiddler’s Green" from New Horizons will surprise you with some unexpected style changes.

So give it a shot and see if you can figure out what the topic is really about and maybe note how many times you find yourself thinking "hmm, that's interesting."

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MANATREE'S AWARDS & COMMENDATIONS

Instantly Interesting: Psycho Soldier - Theme of Psycho Soldier (1st Area)

Interestingly Funky: Paperboy 2 - Paper Route

Unexpected Ragtime: New Horizons - Fiddler’s Green

Track listing and original episode:

https://www.legacymusichour.com/2025/06/episode-286-interesting-music.html

Episode 294: Talking Hands

Lots of trailing pieces from last month (that is, familiar game titles) in this installment of the Legacy Music Hour, even though it is a free play.  For starters, Rob, Brent, and Gabe debate whether or not a track is Asiatic sounding (again, that's not the topic this episode).  They talk about meter and melody and the like.  And anyway, they also talk about other stuff and play good music as usual.  Full track listing below.

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Game - Composer - Track - Company - Console - Year (North American release unless otherwise indicated)

King of Kings - Hirohiko Takayama - Title Screen - Atlus/Namco - Famicom - 1988

Ganbare Goemon Kirakira Douchuu: Boku ga Dancer ni Natta Wake - Kazuhiko Uehara, Yukie Morimoto - Planet Impact Town - Konami - Super Famicom - 1995

Jewel Master - Motoaki Takenouchi - Talk to the Wind - Sega - Genesis - 1991

Radia Senki: Reimei-hen - Keiji Yamagishi (More Yamasan), Hiroshi Miyazaki (Miya), Kaori Nakabai (Kaorin), Rika Shigeno (Rikarin) - Unknown Village Elfas - Tecmo - Famicom - 1991

Rushing Beat Shura - Atsuyoshi Isemura, Hyu - Mutant's Dungeon - Jaleco - Super Famicom - 1993

Crack Down - Yasuhiro Kawakami, Mecanoize (arr.) - Ambush - Sega/Sage's Creation - Genesis - 1991

Shackled - Azusa Hara, Michiya Hirasawa - Brey Wood Theme (Title Screen) - Data East - arcade - 1986

JB: The Super Bass - Eurhythm - JB Pro Shop - Gaps/Naxat Soft - Super Famicom - 1995

IronSword: Wizards & Warriors II - David Wise - Wind Mountain/Earth Caves - Rare/Acclaim - NES -1989

Monster Pro Wrestling - Kanta Watanabe - Title - Lenar/ASK - PC Engine - 1991

Socket - Fumito Tamayama, Yoko Suzuki, Shigenori Masuko, Yasuyuki Hamada - High Speed Area - Vic Tokai - Genesis - 1994

Nage Libre: Seijaku no Suishin - Yusuke Takahama, Michihiko Shichi - Map 1 - Varie - Super Famicom - 1995

Yuu Maze (Youmais) - Masahiko Takaki, Isao Mizoguchi (I. Mizuguchi) (arr.), Noboru Koshinaka (Koshi) (arr.) - Main BGM - Daiei Seisakusho/Taito - Famicom Disk System - 1988

Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master - Masayuki Nagao, Hirofumi Murasaki, Morihiko Akiyama - My Dear D - Sega - Genesis - 1993

LMH Mixtape #285: Sega Versus Nintendo

Much like a SNES logo in the Sega font, the tracks for this episode were 50% Sega, 50% Nintendo, and 100% bonk.  Starting off with a killer track from Totally Rad, from the good folks at Jaleco (haa-lee-co)!  "Industen" is a fully orchestrated and epic piece from Actraiser 2 by none other than the famous Yuzo Koshiro.  "Mexico" from Saturday Night Slam Masters has a classic old west style that really shines on the Genesis hardware.  There's no need for a console war when both sides have such bangers, so check out this mixtape that brings the best of both worlds.

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MANATREE'S AWARDS & COMMENDATIONS

Instant Favorite: Totally Rad - Prologue/Cutscene 3, 5 and 6

Another Favorite: Super Fire Pro Wrestling Special - World Championship Victory

A distinctly Konami Jam: TwinBee 3: Poko Poko Dai Maou - Final Stage Normal (Stage 5)

Track listing and original episode:

https://www.legacymusichour.com/2025/06/episode-285-sega-versus-nintendo.html