30 December 2011

Live Event: MAME THAT CHUNE on 1/21/12

The Legacy Music Hour and SF Sketchfest present MAME THAT CHUNE, a video game music game show and dance party with Brent Weinbach and Rob F.!  MAME THAT CHUNE is "Name That Tune" for video game music of the 8-bit and 16-bit era.  Before the show starts, audience members will have an opportunity to enter a drawing to compete.  Three audience members will be selected to compete along with three comedian contestants: Sal Calanni, Jeff Reitman (Wackygamer Podcast), and Adam McLaughlin (Wackygamer Podcast).  So get there early if you want to compete.

Also included are two side contests, which audience members can enter as well: VGM Karaoke, where contestants sing along to a video game track of their choice with either prepared written lyrics, lyrics you make up on the spot, or humming along gibberish. Audience will vote by applause on the winner, based on overall performance and ability to sing along with the melody of the piece.  And finally, there's Legacy Dance: Battle Mode, which is a video game music dance battle.

After the game show is over, the DANCE PARTY begins and will last for about an hour.  The music will ONLY be video game music from the 8-bit and 16-bit era. No remixes, no covers, no adaptations of non-video game music -just pure, original, dancy music from the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, TurboGrafx-16, Game Boy, and more!

Again, sign up at the beginning of the night to become a possible contestant for the contests.   Prizes courtesy of Golden Star Games in Los Angeles, CA and Destiny Games in Canton, MI.


The Legacy Music Dance Party
MAME THAT CHUNE
January 21st, 2012
5:30pm - 7:30pm (NOTE EARLY SHOW)
$10.00, 21 and over
Hemlock Tavern
1131 Polk St.
San Francisco, CA 94109

28 December 2011

Episode 61: Animals

The theme of Episode 61 is Animals, that is, animal-centric games or portions of games.  Brent and Rob also talk about the gifts they received (or didn't receive) for Christmas.  Full track listing below.



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

Donald Duck Mahou No Boushi - Takahisa Hirano, Takeshi Miura - Monstrous Creatures - Epoch - Super Famicom - 1995

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest - David Wise - Stickerbush Symphony - Rare/Nintendo - SNES - 1995

Rocket Knight Adventures - Masanori Oouchi, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Masanori Adachi, Aki Hata, Michiru Yamane - Stage 5-2 - Konami - Genesis - 1993

Lion King II - unknown - Qin's Tomb - unknown - Mega Drive (China) - unknown

Battletoads - David Wise - Wookie Hole - Rare/Tradewest - NES - 1991

Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 2 - unknown - Stage 2: Sewer - Capcom - NES - 1994

Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse - Matt Furniss - The Prince and the Pauper - Sony Imagesoft - SNES - 1994

Rockin' Kats - Tsukasa Masuko (Macco) - Sky Ace - Atlus - NES - 1991

Tenchi Souzou - Masanori Hikichi - Willful Lion - Quintet/Enix - Super Famicom - 1995

Ecco Jr. - Andy Armer DMP, Gabor Foltan, Laszlo Fazekas - Home Sea, The Sea of Music, Melodic Waters - Novotrade International/Sega - Genesis - 1995

Daffy Duck in Hollywood - Matt Furniss - Options/Game Over - Probe Entertainment Limited/Sega - Mega Drive (Europe) - 1994

Garfield: Caught in the Act - Dwight Stone, Jeffrye Tveraas - Count Slobula's Castle - Sega - Genesis - 1995

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - Koji Kondo - Flower Garden - Nintendo - SNES - 1995

Snake Rattle 'n' Roll - David Wise - Level 6, 9, and 10 - Rare - NES - 1990

Star Fox - Hajime Hirasawa - Sector Y - Nintendo - SNES - 1993

24 December 2011

Video: Secret of Santa

Here is Brent Weinbach's Secret of Mana Christmas story, Secret of Santa, as mentioned in Episode 60.  Previous experience playing Secret of Mana recommended:

21 December 2011

Episode 60: Free Play 6

Brent and Rob play whatever they want for Episode 60.  They also do another round of VGM Karaoke.  This time, Rob experiments with a new sort of lyrical approach while Brent presents a very special Secret of Mana based Christmas song.  Happy holidays!  Full track listing below.



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

Master of Monsters - Hayato Matsuo (comp., arr.), Koichi Sugiyama (advisor), Hitoshi Sakimoto (arr.) - Standing in the White Fortress (BGM 05) - Renovation - Genesis - 1991

Sonic Blast Man II - K. Watanabe, Naoto Yagishita - Plane - Taito - SNES - 1994

Asterix - Alberto José González - Rome - Infogrames/Bit Managers - Game Boy (Europe) - 1993

Tales of Phantasia - Motoi Sakuraba, Shinji Tamura, Ryota Furuya - Lake on Ymir - Namco/Wolf Team - Super Famicom - 1996

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Iku Mizutani, Kinuyo Yamashita - Cave - Natsume/Bandai - SNES - 1994

Crusader of Centy - Motokazu Shinoda - Water Lily - Nextech/Atlus - Genesis - 1994

Platoon - Jonathan Dunn (New) - Ending - Sunsoft/Ocean Software - NES - 1988

Insector X - unknown - Silent Mad Service (Round 3: In the Sewers) - Hot-B (dev.)/Sage Creations (pub.)/Taito (licensed by) - Genesis - 1990

Great Greed - Gaspar Sanz, Katsuro Tajima (Chopin) (arr.) - Españoleta (Title Screen) - Namco - Game Boy - 1993

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Koji Kondo - Majestic Castle - Nintendo - SNES - 1992

Romancing SaGa - Kenji Ito - Sailing the Ocean - Square - Super Famicom - 1992

Treasure Hunter G - Hitoshi Sakimoto - Hamarira Hahihi - Sting/Square - Super Famicom - 1996

Blaster Master - Naoki Kodaka - Area 2 - Sunsoft - NES - 1988

14 December 2011

Episode 59: Square Squared

For Episode 59, Brent and Rob revisit the focus of Episode 5, Square (and Squaresoft), the legendary company specializing in role-playing games such as Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger.  Basically, it's Square part 2, or Square 2, which makes it look like it could be called Square Squared, thus the title of the episode.  This time, Brent and Rob delve into lesser known Square titles, mostly stuff that was only released in Japan, and in turn, discover some wonderful gems.  Full track listing below.


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

Live A Live - Yoko Shimomura - Captain Square - Square - Super Famicom - 1994

Thexder - Hibiki Godai - Main Stage Theme - Game Arts/Square - Famicom - 1985

Treasure Hunter G - Hitoshi Sakimoto - Emperor of Balladry - Sting/Square - Super Famicom - 1996

Treasure Hunter G - Mitsuhito Tanaka (John Pee) - The World's Cavern 1 - Sting/Square - Super Famicom - 1996

Seiken Densetsu 3 - Hiroki Kikuta - Harvest November - Square - Super Famicom - 1995

Romancing SaGa 3 - Kenji Ito - Magical Tank Battle - Square - Super Famicom - 1995

Rudra no Hihou - Ryuji Sasai - Sword of the Valiant - Square - Super Famicom - 1996

King's Knight - Nobuo Uematsu - Final Stage - Square - NES - 1989

Secret of Mana - Hiroki Kikuta - Tell a Strange Tale - Square - SNES - 1993

JJ - Nobuo Uematsu - Invincibility - Square - Famicom - 1987

Romancing SaGa 3 - Kenji Ito - Gen's Castle Battle - Square - Super Famicom - 1995

Romancing SaGa - Kenji Ito - Theme of Aisha - Square - Super Famicom - 1992

Hanjuku Hero: Aah, Sekai yo Hanjuku Nare...!! - Koichi Sugiyama - Faraway Hometown of the Egg - Square - Super Famicom - 1992

Front Mission: Gun Hazard - Nobuo Uematsu - Richard Millman - Square - Super Famicom - 1996

The Final Fantasy Legend - Nobuo Uematsu - Furious Battle - Square - Game Boy - 1990

07 December 2011

Episode 58: Military and War

A-TEN-HUT!  At ease, listeners.  For this mission, Lieutenant Weinbach and Sergeant Switch focus on games (or parts of games) that have a significant connection to military or war content.  Now drop down, grab your radio, and settle into your foxhole, privates.  ENJOY-HUT!  Full track listing below.



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

Silent Service - David Wise - gameplay - Rare/Ultra Games - NES - 1989

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero - Nobuyuki Shioda (Shiochan) - Fang/Buzz Boar/Pogo Battle Ball (Invincibility) - KID/Taxan - NES - 1991

Liberty or Death - unknown - Ending (Britain Wins) - Koei - Genesis - 1994

Famicom Wars - Hirokazu Tanaka - Red Star - Nintendo - Famicom - 1988

1943: The Battle of Midway - unknown - Boss BGM 2 (Sea Battle) - Capcom - NES - 1988

G.I. Joe: The Atlantis Factor - Yusuke Takahama - Route 03/10: Aqueduct - KID/Capcom - NES - 1992

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero - Yusuke Takahama (Takaha) - Boss Battle III - KID/Taxan - NES - 1991

Operation Europe: Path to Victory 1939-45 - Yuji Ohno - Air Commander - Koei - Genesis - 1994

Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf - Michiru Ooshima - Mongolian Strategy - Koei - Genesis - 1993

Stealth - unknown - Ending - Hect - Super Famicom - 1992

Liberty or Death - unknown - American Strategy - Koei - SNES - 1994

Sgt. Saunders' Combat! - Masumi Takimoto (Hiroo Tengenji), Yoshiaki Kubotera, Masanori Hikichi, Tomohiro Endoh - gameplay - ChickenHead/ASCII - Super Famicom - 1995

P-47: The Freedom Fighter - Sizlla Okamura (Shizura Okamura) - Area 2 - Aicom - PC Engine - 1989

P.T.O. II: Pacific Theatre of Operations - Yoichiro Yoshikawa - American Weapon Production - Koei - SNES - 1995

Super Street Fighter II - Yoko Shimomura, Ippo Yamada (arr.) (?) - Guile - Capcom - Super Famicom - 1994

30 November 2011

Episode 57: TurboGrafx-16

The focus of Episode 57 is the TurboGrafx-16 (and PC Engine -AND the SuperGrafx).  Brent and Rob choose only music from this marginalized console.  Full track listing below.



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

Battle Ace - unknown - Act 3 - Hudson Soft - SuperGrafx - 1989

F1 Circus - Hiroshi Ogawa - World Champion - Nihon Bussan/Nichibutsu - PC Engine - 1990

Bloody Wolf - Shogo Sakai, Takafumi Miura, Yuji Suzuki, Yusuke Takahama - Stage 1 - Data East - TurboGrafx-16 - 1990

Silent Debuggers - Shogo Sakai, Masaaki Iwasaki (Koremasa), Takafumi Miura (Atomic Takafumi),Yusuke Takahama, Yuji Suzuki - Opening - Data East - TurboGrafx-16 - 1991

New Adventure Island - K. Sakata - Stage 2-3 - Hudson Soft - TurboGrafx-16 - 1992

Image Fight - Masahiko Ishida - Stage 2 (Flight Over the City) - Irem - PC Engine - 1990

Barunba - M. Itoh, H. Nishikawa - Stage 1 - Namco/Zap Corp. - PC Engine - 1990

Dragon Spirit - Shinji Hosoe (Megaten Hosoe) (comp., arr.), Astron Ishii (arr.), Yoshinori Kawamoto (Kawagen) (arr.), Kazuo Noguchi (Thunder Noguchi) (arr.) - Paleozoic Era (Area 1) - Namco - TurboGrafx-16 - 1988

Dragon Spirit - Shinji Hosoe (Megaten Hosoe) (comp., arr.), Astron Ishii (arr.), Yoshinori Kawamoto (Kawagen) (arr.), Kazuo Noguchi (Thunder Noguchi) (arr.) - Jungle (Area 3) - Namco - TurboGrafx-16 - 1988

Dragon's Curse - Shinichi Sakamoto - Forest Theme/Mind of Hero - Hudson Soft - TurboGrafx-16 - 1991

Neutopia - Tomotsune Maeno - Credits - Hudson Soft - TurboGrafx-16 - 1990

Zero4 Champ - Tsukushi Sasaki - Zero 4 Champ! - Media Rings - PC Engine - 1991

Blazing Lazers - Masatomo Miyamoto (Miyamo), J.T.S, Masanobu Tsukamoto (Mats), Sydon Inoue (Sydon), Ozono, Keiji Takeuchi (Takeuchi) - Area 6 - Hudson Soft/Compile - TurboGrafx-16 - 1989

Super Star Soldier - Nozomu Nakahashi, Keita Hoshi - Ending - Kaneko/Hudson Soft - TurboGrafx-16 - 1990

Splatterhouse - Katsuro Tajima - Ending - Namco - TurboGrafx-16 - 1990

23 November 2011

Episode 56: The Old West

Howdy, pardners!  Boss Brent and Switch the Kid rustle up the roughest, toughest Western music to ever stampede out of a game console.  In other words, the topic of Episode 56 is music from Western themed games and levels.  So get your spurs on and hold on to your hoss as Boss & The Kid ride with you into the sunset!  Yee-haw!!  Full track listing below.



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

Lucky Luke - Alberto José González - Credits - Bit Managers/Infogrames - Game Boy (Europe) - 1996

Day Dreamin' Davey - Paul Webb - Wild West Theme 2 - Sculptured Software/HAL Laboratory -  NES - 1991

Time Lord - David Wise - Dead Man's Gulch, Western U.S.A. (1860 A.D.) - Milton Bradley/Rare - NES - 1989

Live A Live - Yoko Shimomura - Sancho de Los Panchos - Square - Super Famicom - 1994

Sunset Riders - Motoaki Furukawa, Naohisa Morota (arr.) - Introduction - Konami - SNES - 1993

The Lone Ranger - Yoshinori Sasaki (Moai Sasaki), Kenichi Matsubara, Kozo Nakamura (La Nakamur), Tomoya Tomita (Gorgeous Tomita), Kenji Fukui, Satoko Minami - Town Theme 2 - Konami - NES - 1991

Gun.Smoke - Junko Tamiya - Title Screen - Capcom - NES - 1988

Sunset Riders - Motoaki Furukawa, Masahiro Ikariko (arr.), Hideto Inoue (arr.) - Gunfight at the Sunset Corral (Town Stage 1) - Konami - Genesis - 1993

Cowboy Kid - Masaharu Iwata - Stages 1, 3, 6: Slash Joe/Billy Morgan/Keith - Pixel/Romstar - NES - 1992

Gun.Smoke - Junko Tamiya - The Boulders (Stage 2) - Capcom - NES - 1988

Lethal Enforcers II: GunFighters - Tsuyoshi Sekito, Yuichi Sakakura - Bank Robbery (Stages 1-1, 1-3) - Konami - Genesis - 1994

Tin Star - Chris Jojo, Matthew Cannon, Suddi Baval - Title Screen - Software Creations - SNES - 1994

Animaniacs - Kiyoshi Murai (Kiyoshi "K-Mu" Murai) - Studio 3 (Part 2) - Konami - Genesis - 1994

Lethal Enforcers II: GunFighters - Tsuyoshi Sekito, Yuichi Sakakura - Stage Holdup (Stage 2), Train Robbery (Stage 4) - Konami - Genesis - 1994

Wild Guns - Hiroyuki Iwatsuki, Haruo Ohashi - Finale - Natsume - SNES - 1995

16 November 2011

Episode 55: Fire and Lava

In Episode 55, Brent and Rob embrace a hot topic.  Not a controversial topic, just literally hot.  That is, they share tracks from only fire/lava stages in video games.  What a nice, toasty way to get in to the cooler, Fall season!  And, for your convenience, The Legacy Music Hour has included a photo of Omar Sharif at the end of this post.  Feel free to use that photo appropriately.  Full track listing below.



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

Life Force - Miki Higashino, Hidenori Maezawa (arr.), Shinya Sakamoto (arr.), Satoe Terashima (arr.), Atsushi Fujio (arr.) - Planet Ratis (Stage 3) - Konami - NES - 1988

Thunder Force III - Toshiharu Yamanishi - Venus Fire (Stage 2: Gorgon) - Technosoft - Genesis - 1990

Gradius II - Shinji Tasaka, Motoaki Furukawa, Kenichi Matsubara, Seiichi Fukami - Burning Heat (Stage 1) - Konami - arcade (Japan) - 1988

Mega Man 2 - Takashi Tateishi - Heat Man - Capcom - NES - 1989

Battletoads - David Wise - Volkmire's Inferno - Rare/Tradewest - NES - 1991

Sonic 3D Blast - Tatsuyuki Maeda - Volcano Valley Zone 2 - Sega - Genesis - 1995

Rocket Knight Adventures - Masanori Oouchi, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Masanori Adachi, Aki Hata, Michiru Yamane - Stage 3 - Konami - Genesis - 1993

Jurassic Park - Sam Powell - Volcano - BlueSky Software/Sega - Genesis - 1993

Ristar - Tomoko Sasaki - Round 3-1 (Busy Flare) - Sega - Genesis - 1995

Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos - Ryuichi Nitta (Shitamachi Kajiya), Mayuko Okamura (Mayu) - Blazing Inferno (Act 4-1) - Tecmo - NES - 1990

Granada - Motoi Sakuraba - Bumpy Road (Stage 8: Volcano) - Wolf Team/Renovation - Genesis - 1990

F-Zero - Yumiko Kanki - Fire Field - Nintendo - SNES - 1991

Blaster Master - Naoki Kodaka - Area 7 - Sunsoft - NES - 1988

Gaiares - Shinobu Ogawa - Mission 5 - Telenet Japan - Genesis - 1990

Tetris Attack - Masaya Kuzume - Blaze Stage - Nintendo - SNES - 1996

Super Metroid - Kenji Yamamoto - Norfair Ancient Ruins Area - Nintendo - SNES - 1994

Axelay - Taro Kudou - Burning - Konami - SNES - 1992


09 November 2011

Episode 54: Elevator Music 2

Brent and Rob revisit the topic of Episode 7: Elevator Music.  Elevator Music is a good thing.  It's kind of jazzy.  It's also kind of cheesy and synthetic, but in a good and interesting way.  Some people think Elevator Music is boring.  Not The Legacy Music Hour.  Elevator Music is the best.  Full track listing below.



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

Chou Kyuukai Miracle Nine - Naofumi Hataya - Unknown (Sound Test 06) - Sega - Mega Drive - 1995

Star Fox - Hajime Hirasawa - Training Mode - Nintendo - SNES - 1993

Casino Kid - Toshio Murai - Password Get - Sofel - NES - 1989

Rockman and Forte - Akari Kaida - Tenguman - Capcom - Super Famicom - 1998

HAL's Hole in One Golf - Jun Ishikawa (?) - Robert - HAL Laboratory - SNES - 1991

HAL's Hole in One Golf - Jun Ishikawa (?) - Sunset - HAL Laboratory - SNES - 1991

Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf - Tokuhiko Uwabo - BGM 2 - Sega - Genesis - 1989

Chrono Trigger - Yasunori Mitsuda - Wings That Cross Time - Square - SNES - 1995

Body Count - Steve Collett - Map Screen - Probe Software - Mega Drive (Europe) - 1994

Faxanadu - Jun Chikuma - Town - Hudson Soft - NES - 1989

HAL's Hole in One Golf - Jun Ishikawa (?) - Runaway - HAL Laboratory - SNES - 1991

Itadaki Street 2: Neon Sign wa Bara Iro ni - Kyohei Tsutsumi, Koichi Sugiyama (advisor) - Fresco - Tomcat System/Enix - Super Famicom - 1994

Casino Kid - Toshio Murai - Casino Floor - Sofel - NES - 1989

International Superstar Soccer Deluxe - Hideyuki Eto, Harumi Ueko, Tomoya Tomita - Further Challenges - Konami - SNES - 1995

Battle Grand Prix - Yusuke Takahama - Race Theme 2 - Hudson Soft - SNES - 1993

02 November 2011

Bonus: Brent Weinbach VGM Dance Mix Vol. 1

The Legacy Music Hour presents Brent Weinbach's first installment of continuous dance party music comprised of only 8-bit and 16-bit era video game music.  No remixes, no covers, no adaptations of non-video game music -just pure, original, dancy music from the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and Sega Genesis!


31 October 2011

Episode 53: Scary Music

Not to be confused with horror themed games, Episode 53 features scary and spooky sounding music, just in time for Halloween.  The Legacy Music Hour dares you to listen to this episode in the dark!  Full track listing below.



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

Clock Tower - Kouji Niikura - Don't Cry, Jennifer - Human Entertainment - Super Famicom - 1995

Dungeon Explorer - Tsukasa Masuko (Tukasa Macco) - Dungeon - Atlus/Hudson Soft - TurboGrafx-16 - 1989

Ghouls 'n Ghosts - Tamayo Kawamoto - Beelzebub (Stage 5 Boss) - Capcom - Genesis - 1989

Pokémon Blue Version - Junichi Masuda - Lavender Town - Game Freak/Nintendo - Game Boy - 1998

Tenchi Souzou - Miyoko Kobayashi - Wandering Spirits - Quintet/Enix - Super Famicom - 1995

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse - Jun Funahashi, Yukie Morimoto, Hidenori Maezawa - Demon Seed - Konami - NES - 1990

Demon's Crest - Toshihiko Horiyama - Catacombs of the Dead - Capcom - SNES - 1994

Little Samson - Kazuhide Sasuga, Yukimari - Floating Castle pt I - Taito - NES - 1992

Secret of Mana - Hiroki Kikuta - Oracle - Square - SNES - 1993

Bram Stoker's Dracula - Matt Furniss - Stage 4-2 - Sony Imagesoft - Genesis - 1993

The Battle of Olympus - Kazuo Sawa - Tartarus - Broderbund - NES - 1990

EarthBound - Hirokazu Tanaka - Giygas' Intro - Nintendo - SNES - 1995

Super Metroid - Minako Hamano - Maridia Rocky Underwater Area - Nintendo - SNES - 1994

Dungeon Explorer - Tsukasa Masuko (Tukasa Macco) - Boss Destroyed - Atlus/Hudson Soft - TurboGrafx-16 - 1989

Splatterhouse - Yoshinori Kawamoto - Poltergeist (First Part) - Namco - TurboGrafx-16 - 1990

27 October 2011

Episode 52: Best Of Year In Review

Brent and Rob countdown towards the new year of The Legacy Music Hour by sharing their TOP TEN video game music tracks from the last 51 episodes.  The music selected is only stuff they discovered within the last year and that was played on the podcast, meaning if they already had prior knowledge of a soundtrack before a year ago, that soundtrack would not be eligible for this episode.  Partial track listing below.



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

Super Mario World - Koji Kondo - Staff Roll/The Yoshis are Home/Cast List - Nintendo - SNES - 1991

22 October 2011

Bonus: F. Switch Dance Mix Uno

As a gift to the listeners, Brent and Rob have decided to release full uninterrupted sets of music from the 8-bit and 16-bit era.  These are sets that were originally debuted at the Legacy Music Dance Party.  This first set of music is from Rob F. Switch and includes tracks from Sega Genesis, NES and SNES.  See if you can guess which tracks are included.  Playing this set while dancing and/or driving is highly recommended!  Enjoy.


19 October 2011

Episode 51: Girls, Girls, Girls

Female composers are the focus of Episode 51.  In a few cases, men were involved with the arrangement and sound design, but as far as the actual compositions go, every single piece of music played on this episode was composed by a woman.  And, a good share of the major companies are represented: Nintendo, Konami, Capcom, Taito, and Hudson Soft.  Full track listing below.



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

SimCity - Soyo Oka - Capital - Nintendo - SNES - 1993

Street Fighter II Turbo - Yoko Shimomura - Chun Li - Capcom - SNES - 1993

Strider - Harumi Fujita - Australia, Japan, and Los Angeles - Capcom - NES - 1989

Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf - Michiru Ooshima - Opening Theme - Koei - Genesis - 1993

Legendary Wings - Tamayo Kawamoto, Manami Matsumae (arr.), Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (arr.) - Area 4 - Capcom - NES - 1988

Double Dribble: The Playoff Edition - Miki Higashino (M. Yanagisawa), Masanori Adachi - Quarter Ending Theme - Konami - Genesis - 1994

Faxanadu - Jun Chikuma - World Tree - Hudson Soft - NES - 1989

The Great Circus Mystery Starring Mickey & Minnie - Makoto Tomozawa - The Frozen Plains - Capcom - Genesis - 1994

Street Fighter II Turbo - Yoko Shimomura - Balrog - Capcom - SNES - 1993

Castlevania: Bloodlines - Michiru Yamane - Iron-Blue Intention (Stage 4) - Konami - Genesis - 1994

Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi - Yuka Tsujiyoko (Yuka Bamba) - Battle Map 1: Player Attack - Nintendo - Famicom - 1990

Ghouls 'n Ghosts - Tamayo Kawamoto - Unused (Name Entry, 2nd or Below) - Capcom - Genesis - 1989

Little Nemo: The Dream Master - Junko Tamiya - Nightmare Land (Dream 8) - Capcom - NES - 1990

Thunder Fox - Kazuko Umino - Ending - Taito - Genesis - 1991

Life Force - Miki Higashino, Hidenori Maezawa (arr.), Shinya Sakamoto (arr.), Satoe Terashima (arr.), Atsushi Fujio (arr.) - Thunderbolt (Stage 5) - Konami - NES - 1988

13 October 2011

Episode 50: Free Play 5

Episode 50 means another free play episode!  Brent and Rob celebrate without a cake but with Nintendo collector cards.  Of course, they play and talk about good video game music too.  The free play episodes are meant to have no topic restrictions, but this episode ends up being about vampires, which works out, because Halloween is coming up in a couple weeks.  Full track listing below.



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

Tales of Phantasia - Motoi Sakuraba - The Stream of Time - Namco/Wolf Team - Super Famicom - 1996

Sutte Hakkun - Akito Nakatsuka - Stage 10 - Nintendo - Super Famicom - 1998

Winning Shot - Shogo Sakai - Intro - Data East - PC Engine - 1989

Nosferatu - Masanao Akahori - Main Theme - SETA - SNES - 1995

Wonder Momo - unknown - Intermission 3 - Namco - PC Engine - 1989

Rygar - Michiharu Hasuya (T. Hasuya) - Cave - Tecmo - NES - 1987

Soul Blazer - Yukihide Takekawa - The Shrine of the Master - Quintet/Enix - SNES - 1992

Quartet - Katsuhiro Hayashi - Oki Rap (without voice) - Sega - arcade - 1986

Fatal Labyrinth - E. Fugu - Staff Roll - Sega - Genesis - 1991

Ghost House - Hiroshi Kawaguchi - Stage BGM - Sega - Sega Master System - 1986

The Sword of Hope - Hiroyuki Masuno - Title Screen - Kemco - Game Boy - 1991

Sandra no Daibouken: Valkyrie to no Deai - Norihiko Togashi, Nakanobu, Ebihara - Dark Cloud - Namco - Super Famicom - 1992

Wonder Momo - unknown - Ending - Namco - PC Engine - 1989

Final Fantasy II - Nobuo Uematsu - Airship - Square - SNES - 1991

Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest - Ryuji Sasai - Fossil Labryrinth - Square - SNES - 1992

05 October 2011

Episode 49: Koichi Sugiyama

For Episode 49, Brent and Rob focus on famed Dragon Quest composer Koichi Sugiyama.  After a healthy and established musical career in television and pop music, Sugiyama started composing music for video games when he was already in his 50's, and even now at age 80, he still composes music for the Dragon Quest franchise.  Full track listing below.  NOTE: The Japanese versions of the Dragon Warrior games were actually released a few years before they were released in North America, so keep that in mind when looking at the year as the music is the same for both versions.



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

Dragon Warrior - Koichi Sugiyama - Unknown World/Overworld - Chunsoft/Nintendo - NES - 1989

Dragon Warrior - Koichi Sugiyama - Tantengel Castle (Throne) - Chunsoft/Nintendo - NES - 1989

Dragon Warrior II - Koichi Sugiyama - Recounting the Journey - Enix/Chunsoft - NES - 1990

Dragon Warrior III - Koichi Sugiyama - Heavenly Flight - Enix/Chunsoft - NES - 1991

Dragon Warrior IV - Koichi Sugiyama - Tomboy Princess' March (Alena) - Enix/Chunsoft - NES - 1992

Dragon Quest V - Koichi Sugiyama - Taking to the Skies - Enix/Chunsoft - Super Famicom - 1992

Dragon Quest VI - Koichi Sugiyama - Inviting Village - Enix/Heartbeat - Super Famicom - 1995

E.V.O.: Search for Eden - Koichi Sugiyama, Motoaki Takenouchi (arr.) - Undersea Maze - Enix/Almanic - SNES - 1993

Monopoly - Koichi Sugiyama - Game on 1F - Tomy - Super Famicom - 1993

Hanjuku Hero: Aah, Sekai yo Hanjuku Nare...!! - Koichi Sugiyama - Ah, May the World be Half-Boiled...! - Square - Super Famicom - 1992

J.E.S.U.S.: Kyōfu no Bio Monster - Koichi Sugiyama - Main Theme - Enix/King Records - Famicom - 1989

Tetris 2 + BomBliss - Koichi Sugiyama - In-Game 6/Staff Roll - Chunsoft/BPS - Famicom - 1991

Akagawa Jirou no Yuurei Ressha - Koichi Sugiyama - Quiet Morning ~ At the Station - Mighty Craft/King Records - Famicom - 1991

Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon - Koichi Sugiyama - Volcanic Zone - Chunsoft - Super Famicom - 1993

Syvalion - Hayato Matsuo, Koichi Sugiyama (advisor) - Chapter 1 - Toshiba/Taito - Super Famicom - 1992

Master of Monsters - Hayato Matsuo (comp., arr.), Koichi Sugiyama (advisor), Hitoshi Sakimoto (arr.) - Into the Deep Blue Sky (BGM 06) - Renovation - Genesis - 1991

Master of Monsters - Hayato Matsuo (comp., arr.), Koichi Sugiyama (advisor), Hitoshi Sakimoto (arr.) - Large Green Meadow (BGM 04) - Renovation - Genesis - 1991

Itadaki Street 2: Neon Sign wa Bara Iro ni - Kyohei Tsutsumi, Koichi Sugiyama (advisor) - Well, Then - Tomcat System/Enix - Super Famicom - 1994

Dragon Warrior IV - Koichi Sugiyama - Balloon's Flight - Enix/Chunsoft - NES - 1992

J.E.S.U.S.: Kyōfu no Bio Monster - Koichi Sugiyama - gameplay - Enix/King Records - Famicom - 1989

Dragon Warrior IV - Koichi Sugiyama - Cursed Towers - Enix/Chunsoft - NES - 1992

Dragon Warrior II - Koichi Sugiyama - All Hope is Lost... - Enix/Chunsoft - NES - 1990

Dragon Warrior - Koichi Sugiyama - Title Theme - Chunsoft/Nintendo - NES - 1989

28 September 2011

Episode 48: Keith Apicary and Nathan Barnatt

Episode 48 is almost like two episodes in one, lengthwise and content-wise.  The Legacy Music Hour welcomes retro video game expert and star of the ongoing documentary Talking Classics, Keith Apicary.  Then, Brent and Rob welcome a second guest, sketch comedian and actor, Nathan Barnatt.  In preparation for the recording, Keith and Nathan sent Brent and Rob a list of games to choose music from, so Keith and Nathan not only act as guest commentators, but also act as guest game curators.  Full track listing and Keith/Nathan links below.



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

Road Rash - Rob Hubbard - Sierra Nevada - Electronic Arts - Genesis - 1991

Rambo III - unknown - Ending - Sega - Genesis - 1989

M.U.S.H.A. - Toshiaki Sakoda - For the Love of... - Seismic/Compile - Genesis - 1990

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - Tatsuyuki Maeda, Sachio Ogawa, Masanori Hikichi, Miyoko Takaoka, Jun Senoue - Angel Island Zone 1 - Sega - Genesis - 1994

Cyborg Justice - András Magyari, Brian Coburn - Level 5 - Novotrade/Sega - Genesis - 1993

Solar Striker - T. Osada - Ending - Nintendo - Game Boy - 1990

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Mutsuhiko Izumi, Miki Higashino, unknown - Krang - Konami - arcade - 1989

Skitchin' - Jeff van Dyck - Bellybutton Lint - Electronic Arts - Genesis - 1993

Comix Zone - Howard Drossin - Episode 2, Page 1-3 (Last to Follow) - Sega - Genesis - 1995

Flashback: The Quest for Identity - Jean Baudlot, Fabrice Visserot - Conrad's Memories - Delphine Software International/U.S. Gold - Genesis - 1993

Sonic the Hedgehog - Masato Nakamura - Special Stage - Sega - Genesis - 1991

Solar Striker - T. Osada - Stage 6 - Nintendo - Game Boy - 1990

Flashback: The Quest for Identity - Jean Baudlot, Fabrice Visserot - Ending Theme - Delphine Software International/U.S. Gold - Genesis - 1993

Skitchin' - Jeff van Dyck - Psycho Deep Fry - Electronic Arts - Genesis - 1993


Relevant Links:

For more information on Keith Apicary, check out...

http://www.gametrailers.com/game/talking-classics/14202

For more of Nathan Barnatt, visit...

http://www.youtube.com/barnatt

22 September 2011

Episode 47: Taito

Brent and Rob spend Episode 47 listening to music from legendary video game company Taito.  Great music, that's all!  Full track listing below.

 

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

Growl - Yasuhisa Watanabe - Theme of Kain - Taito - Genesis - 1991

Master of Weapon - Pinch Punch (Yoshinori Ohashi, Kenji Nishi, Chisa Ichikawa) - BGM 1 (Act 2) - Taito - Mega Drive - 1991

Darius Twin - Norihiro Furukawa (Wiz. Master), Pochi - Karudo - Taito - SNES - 1991

Demon Sword - unknown - Crystal Stolen - Taito - NES - 1990

The Ninja Warriors - Hisayoshi Ogura - Are You Lady? (Stage 2) - Taito - arcade - 1988

Dungeon Magic: Sword of the Elements - Kiyohiro Sada - Ending - Natsume/Taito - NES - 1990

Darius Plus - Hisayoshi Ogura - Cosmic Air Way (Zone C) - Taito - PC Engine - 1990

Little Samson - Kazuhide Sasuga, Yukimari - Easy Ending - Taito - NES - 1992

Syvalion - Hayato Matsuo, Koichi Sugiyama (advisor) - Chapter 4 - Toshiba/Taito - Super Famicom - 1992

Syvalion - Hayato Matsuo, Koichi Sugiyama (advisor) - Title - Toshiba/Taito - Super Famicom - 1992

Insector X - unknown - Farewell Insector (Ending Theme) - Hot-B (dev.)/Sage Creations (pub.)/Taito (licensed by) - Genesis - 1990

Fire Mustang - Kazunori Hideya (HIDE-KAZ) - Stage 2 - NMK/Taito - Mega Drive - 1991

Thunder Fox - Kazuko Umino - Old War Field (Stage 1) - Taito - arcade - 1990

Estpolis Denki II - Yasunori Shiono - The Earth - Neverland/Taito - Super Famicom - 1995

Bubble Bobble - Tadashi Kimijima - Pressing Forward - Taito - NES - 1988

14 September 2011

Episode 46: Role-Playing Games

Finally, a Legacy Music Hour episode dedicated to RPGs, and decidedly, Brent and Rob stay clear of Nobuo Uematsu and only cover one Square game in order leave room for lesser known composers and role-playing titles.  Brent and Rob also talk about magic tricks, blowing cartridges, and give the listeners a custom audio greeting card to send to friends!  NOTE: That's a real rabbit in Rob's hat.  Also, Rob be looking swole.  Full track listing below.



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

The Sword of Hope - Hiroyuki Masuno - gameplay - Kemco - Game Boy - 1991

Phantasy Star - Tokuhiko Uwabo - Lassic - Sega - Sega Mark III - 1987

Phantasy Star IV - Izuho Numata (Izuho Takeuchi) - Pain - Sega - Genesis - 1995

Tenchi Souzou - Miyoko Kobayashi - Unforeseen Occurrence - Quintet/Enix - Super Famicom - 1995

Soul Blazer - Yukihide Takekawa - Lonely Town - Quintet/Enix - SNES - 1992

Madou Monogatari: Hanamaru Dai Youchienji - Akiyoshi Nagao (Einosuke Nagao), Tsuyoshi Matsushima - Infant Magic School - Compile/Tokuma Shoten - Super Famicom - 1996

Dungeon Explorer - Tsukasa Masuko (Tukasa Macco) - gameplay - Atlus/Hudson Soft - TurboGrafx-16 - 1989

Last Bible III - Hiroyuki Yanada - Shark Ship - Atlus - Super Famicom - 1995

Great Greed - Katsuro Tajima (Chopin) - Final Area (Part 2) - Namco - Game Boy - 1993

Soul Blazer - Yukihide Takekawa - Lostside Marshes - Quintet/Enix - SNES - 1992

Tales of Phantasia - Motoi Sakuraba, Shinji Tamura, Ryota Furuya - Mystic Forest - Namco/Wolf Team - Super Famicom - 1996

Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi - Yuka Tsujiyoko (Yuka Bamba) - Battle Map 2: CP Attack - Nintendo - Famicom - 1990

Might and Magic: Gates to Another World - Rob Wallace, Brian Howarth - Outside - New World Computing/Electronic Arts - Genesis - 1991

Live A Live - Yoko Shimomura - Prelude to the Demon King - Square - Super Famicom - 1994

Illusion of Gaia - Yasuhiro Kawasaki - The Secret of Nasca - Quintet/Enix - SNES - 1994

07 September 2011

Episode 45: Western Composers

For Episode 45, Brent and Rob listen to music composed by western composers only.  They also come up with a new name for the show.  Full track listing below.



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

A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia - Mark Van Hecke - Earth - Absolute Entertainment/Imagineering Inc. - NES - 1989

Battle Squadron - Ron Klaren, Rob Hubbard (arr.) - Game Over - Electronic Arts - Genesis - 1990

Secret of Evermore - Jeremy Soule - Flying - Square - SNES - 1995

Erik the Viking - Neil Baldwin - Days Of Ocean Blue - Eurocom - NES - 1992 (unreleased)

Sky Shark - Tim Follin, Masahiro Yuge, Tatsuya Uemura - Stage 1 - Software Creations/Taito - NES - 1988

The Incredible Crash Dummies - Geoff Follin - BGM 1 - LJN/Software Creations - NES - 1993

Anticipation - David Wise - Green Puzzle - Rare/Milton Bradley - NES - 1988

RoboCop Versus The Terminator - Mark Miller, Tommy Tallarico - Victory - Virgin Games - Genesis - 1994

Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse - Matt Furniss - Inner Sanctum - Sony Imagesoft - SNES - 1994

Snake Rattle 'n' Roll - David Wise - Level 8: Snake Lakes - Rare - Mega Drive (Europe) - 1993

NHL 96 - David Whittaker - Season - Electronic Arts - Genesis - 1995

Toughman Contest - Brian Schmidt - Old Theme - Electronic Arts - Genesis - 1995

Maniac Mansion - Dave Hayes - Dave - Jaleco/LucasArts - NES - 1990

Star Wars - John Williams, Marshall Parker (arr.) -  Han Solo Music - JVC/Beam Software - NES - 1991

Total Recall - David Warhol - Martian Mining Town (Mars) - Acclaim/Interplay - NES - 1990

Asterix - Alberto José González - Game Over/Continue - Infogrames/Bit Managers - NES (Europe) - 1993

Clay Fighter - Mitchell Stein, Brian Luzietti - Taffy - Interplay - SNES - 1993

03 September 2011

Bonus: Funny Music Original Recording

The following recording is a supplement to Episode 44: Funny Music.  It is the original recording that was not used due to technical difficulties.  Shortly after the episode was recorded, it was realized that the guest microphones were not working properly and that the two guests, Jacob Sirof and Kevin Shea, were barely audible.  A few weeks later, the episode was re-recorded and released as Episode 44.  However, The Legacy Music Hour wasn't entirely satisfied with the second recording and felt that this first recording was funnier, more fun, and had an overall better energy.  And so, even though it is hard to hear the guests, The Legacy Music Hour has decided to release the recording anyway (without the music tracks and with a lot of volume level adjusting) as a bonus episode, so that listeners can get a sense of how the episode should have been.  But make sure to listen to Episode 44 first before listening to this one.


31 August 2011

Episode 44: Funny Music

Usually, Brent and Rob share what they think is really good music.  In this episode, however, good music isn't necessarily the goal.  This time, the focus is on music that sounds funny (though most of the tracks in this episode are very good nonetheless).  They also welcome two stand-up comedians as guest commentators, Jacob Sirof and Kevin Shea, to help flesh out the funny theme.  Full track listing below.

NOTE: This was their second attempt at recording this episode, because the first time they recorded it, Jacob and Kevin's microphones didn't work.  The Legacy Music Hour believes the first recording was funnier, fresher, and overall more fun than this one, so even though you can't hear Jacob and Kevin very well, the talking parts from the original recording will be released in a couple days, so stay tuned for that.  In the meantime, check out this "second try" episode, which isn't as funny and fun, but, here it is anyway.



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

Jurassic Park - Sam Powell - Sega Logo - BlueSky Software/Sega - Genesis - 1993

Pilotwings - Soyo Oka - Bonus Game - Nintendo - SNES - 1991

NFL Sports Talk Football starring Joe Montana - Sam Powell - Title Screen - BlueSky Software/Sega - Genesis - 1992

Mick & Mack as the Global Gladiators - Tommy Tallarico - Story Line - Virgin Games - Genesis - 1992

Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls - unknown - Cody's Nutron Grill - Leland Interactive Media/Tradewest - Genesis - 1994

The Battle of Olympus - Kazuo Sawa - Argolis - Broderbund - NES - 1990

Beast Wrestler - Shinobu Ogawa, Takaharu Umezu - Shop - Telenet Japan - Genesis - 1991

Clay Fighter - Mitchell Stein, Brian Luzietti - Title Screen - Interplay - SNES - 1993

Armadillo - S. Big Land (Shunichi Ooshima?) - Bonus Points/New York Map - AIM/IGS - Famicom - 1991

Blaster Master - Naoki Kodaka - Area 4 - Sunsoft - NES - 1988

Madou Monogatari I - Tsuyoshi Matsushima, Polygon Junkie - Ra-ra's Theme - Compile - Mega Drive - 1996

International Superstar Soccer Deluxe - Hideyuki Eto, Harumi Ueko, Tomoya Tomita - Main Menu - Konami - SNES - 1995

Beast Wrestler - Shinobu Ogawa, Takaharu Umezu - Training - Telenet Japan - Genesis - 1991

Cho Aniki: Bakuretsu Rantou Hen - Sanae Kasahara, Taku Iwasaki, Don McCow - Big Flower Field - Masaya - Super Famicom - 1995

DynamiTracer - Nobuo Uematsu - Monster Stomac - Square - Super Famicom Satellaview - 1996

24 August 2011

Episode 43: Ice and Snow

Brent and Rob take a break from the summer heat to explore the music of ice and snow levels in 8-bit and 16-bit era games.  Grab a cup of cocoa, put on your ski jacket, and take nice, cool listen to this episode of The Legacy Music Hour.  Full track listing below.



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

Donkey Kong Country - Eveline Fischer - Ice Cave Chant - Rare/Nintendo - SNES - 1994

Super Mario Bros. 3 - Koji Kondo - Ice Everywhere - Nintendo - NES - 1990

Final Fantasy V - Nobuo Uematsu - Walking the Snowy Mountains - Square - Super Famicom - 1992

Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest - Yasuhiro Kawakami - Dungeon and Waterfall - Square - SNES - 1992

Secret of Mana - Hiroki Kikuta - Eight Ringing Bells (Ice Palace) - Square - SNES - 1993

Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos - Ryuichi Nitta (Shitamachi Kajiya), Mayuko Okamura (Mayu) - Battling Precariously (Act 2-2, 4-2, 5-1a, 7-2) - Tecmo - NES - 1990

Seiken Densetsu 3 - Hiroki Kikuta - Another Winter - Square - Super Famicom - 1995

Snow Bros.: Nick & Tom - Osamu Ohta - Stage Theme 3 - Toaplan/Tengen - Genesis - 1993

Hudson's Adventure Island - Jun Chikuma - Ice Caverns - Hudson Soft - NES - 1988

Jungle Strike - Brian Schmidt - Campaign #6 Intro - Electronic Arts - Genesis - 1993

Battletoads - David Wise - Ice Caves - Rare/Tradewest - NES - 1991

Clay Fighter - Mitchell Stein, Brian Luzietti - Bad Mr. Frosty - Interplay - SNES - 1993

Sandra no Daibouken: Valkyrie to no Deai - Norihiko Togashi, Nakanobu, Ebihara - Haunted Forest - Namco - Super Famicom - 1992

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - Brad Buxer - Ice Cap Zone 2 - Sega - Genesis - 1994

Brain Lord - Masanao Akahori - Romus' Ice Castle - Produce/Enix - SNES - 1994

Donkey Kong Country - Eveline Fischer - Northern Hemispheres - Rare/Nintendo - SNES - 1994

DuckTales - Hiroshige Tonomura - The Himalayas - Capcom - NES - 1990

19 August 2011

Episode 42: Boss Music

In Episode 42, Brent and Rob focus solely on boss music.  Final bosses, regular bosses, mini-bosses -they welcome bosses from all walks of life.  They also share stories about crash cymbals and good deals and they talk about other stuff, as usual.  Full track listing below.



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

Donkey Kong Country - David Wise - Gang-Plank Galleon - Rare/Nintendo - SNES - 1994

Alcahest - Jun Ishikawa - Alcahest (First Form) - Square/HAL Laboratory - Super Famicom - 1993

Midnight Resistance - Azusa Hara, Tatsuya Kiuchi, Hitomi Komatsu, Hiroaki Yoshida, Hitoshi Sakimoto (arr.) - In the Forest (Boss 2) - Data East - Genesis - 1990

Final Fantasy II - Nobuo Uematsu - Boss - Square - SNES - 1991

Super Castlevania IV - Masanori Adachi, Taro Kudou - Dracula Battle - Konami - SNES - 1991

Seiken Densetsu 3 - Hiroki Kikuta - The Sacrifice, Part Three - Square - Super Famicom - 1995

Altered Beast - Tohru Nakabayashi, Kazuhiko Nagai (arr.) - Gaum-Hermer (Boss Theme) - Sega - Genesis - 1989

Secret of Mana - Hiroki Kikuta - Danger - Square - SNES - 1993

Streets of Rage - Yuzo Koshiro - Big Boss - Sega - Genesis - 1991

Märchen Adventure: Cotton 100% - Kenichi Hirata - Mini Boss Battle - Datam Polystar - Super Famicom - 1994

A Nightmare on Elm Street - David Wise - Boss Battle - Rare/LJN - NES - 1990

Bonk's Adventure - Tsukasa Masuko, Hirohiko Takayama - Boss - Red Company/Atlus - TurboGrafx-16 - 1990

Kirby Super Star - Jun Ishikawa, Dan Miyakawa - Boss Battle - HAL Laboratory - SNES - 1996

Rocket Knight Adventures - Masanori Oouchi, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Masanori Adachi, Aki Hata, Michiru Yamane - Final Boss - Konami - Genesis - 1993

Fester's Quest - Naoki Kodaka, Nobuyuki Hara - Boss - Sunsoft - NES - 1989

Sunset Riders - Motoaki Furukawa, Masahiro Ikariko (arr.), Hideto Inoue (arr.) - The Great Petal (Sir Richard Rose) - Konami - Genesis - 1993

Contra - Kazuki Muraoka, Hidenori Maezawa (arr.) - Base Boss - Konami - NES - 1988

10 August 2011

Episode 41: Only In Japan

Brent and Rob explore music from games only released in Japan (during the 8-bit and 16-bit era).  The spirit of Milli Vanilli also makes an appearance to embrace this music from the Land of the Rising Sun.  Full track listing below.



Game - Composer - Song - Company - Console - Year

Magical Pop'n - Ichirou Ishibashi - Mystic Forest - Pack-In-Video - Super Famicom - 1995

Cutie Suzuki no Ringside Angel - Don - Pin Her Down! - Asmik Corporation/Copya System Ltd. - Mega Drive - 1990

Madou Monogatari: Hanamaru Dai Youchienji - Akiyoshi Nagao (Einosuke Nagao), Tsuyoshi Matsushima - Village - Compile/Tokuma Shoten - Super Famicom - 1996

Crisis Force - Kenichi Matsubara, Yasuhiko Manno, Jun Chuuma - Stage 1: Advanced City - Konami - Famicom - 1991

Super Back to the Future II - Hitoshi Sakimoto - Round 3-4 - Toshiba EMI - Super Famicom - 1993

Sangokushi Retsuden: Ransei no Eiyuutachi - unknown - Introduction - TOSE/Sega - Mega Drive - 1991

Donald Duck Mahou No Boushi - Takahisa Hirano, Takeshi Miura - The Magic Hat - Epoch - Super Famicom - 1995

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters - Kenichi Kamio - Statistics (?) - Konami - Game Boy (Japan) - 1998

Star Ocean - Motoi Sakuraba - Innocence - tri-Ace/Enix - Super Famicom - 1996

Barunba - M. Itoh, H. Nishikawa - Stage 2 (Reefer Area) - Namco/Zap Corp. - PC Engine - 1990

Sutte Hakkun - Akito Nakatsuka - Stage 1 - Nintendo - Super Famicom - 1998

Crisis Force - Kenichi Matsubara, Yasuhiko Manno, Jun Chuuma - Stage 7: Inside the Lair - Konami - Famicom - 1991

Hameln no Violin Hiki - Yoshiyuki Mori - Lake - Enix - Super Famicom - 1995

A Ressha de Ikou MD - Takaharu Umezu - Game Theme 01 - Artdink/Sega - Mega Drive - 1992

Akumajou Special: Boku Dracula-kun - Shinji Tasaka, Satoko Minami - Robot Battle (Stage 9) - Konami - Famicom - 1991

Barunba - M. Itoh, H. Nishikawa - Final Boss - Namco/Zap Corp. - PC Engine - 1990

Rockman and Forte - Naoshi Mizuta - Museum - Capcom - Super Famicom - 1998

Magical Hat no Buttobi Turbo! Daibouken - Anzaki Waraco - Sub-Window, Bonus Race - Vic Tokai - Mega Drive - 1990

Final Fantasy II - Nobuo Uematsu - Ancient Castle - Square - Famicom - 1988

03 August 2011

Episode 40: Free Play 4

Brent and Rob celebrate Episode 40 with more great tunes and another installment of Mame That Chune!  Full track listing below.



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

Power Blade 2 - Kinuyo Yamashita - Stage 4 - Taito - NES - 1992

Super Nazo Puyo 2: Ruru no Tetsuwan Hanjyou ki - Tsuyoshi Matsushima, Akiyoshi Nagao (Einosuke Nagao), Superkenta, BA.M - Overworld - Compile - Super Famicom - 1996

Madou Monogatari I - Tsuyoshi Matsushima, Polygon Junkie - Opening (Part 2 - Dark Noble's Theme) - Compile - Mega Drive - 1996

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters - Miki Higashino - Continue - Konami - Genesis - 1993

Captain America and the Avengers - Tomoyoshi Sato, Tatsuya Kiuchi, Shogo Sakai, Hitoshi Sakimoto - Almost Victorious - Data East - Genesis - 1992

World Boxing - Koichi Yamanishi - Title (?) - TSS - Famicom - 1990

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Fighting Edition - Hiroyuki Iwatsuki, Haruo Ohashi - Airport - Natsume/Bandai - SNES - 1995

Pocky & Rocky - Hiroyuki Iwatsuki - Haunted House - Natsume - SNES - 1993

Crüe Ball - Brian Schmidt - Feeding Frenzy (Volume Level 9) - Electronic Arts - Genesis - 1992

Quartet - Katsuhiro Hayashi - Sky (Stage 5) - Sega - arcade - 1986

To The Earth - unknown - Main BGM - Nintendo - NES - 1989

Battle Grand Prix - Yusuke Takahama - Race Theme 6 - Hudson Soft - SNES - 1993

Lotus II: R.E.C.S. - Patrick Phelan - Miami Ice - Electronic Arts/Gremlin Graphics - Mega Drive (Europe) - 1993

Stinger - Kiyohiro Sada (Charley Sada), Shinya Sakamoto (Rusher Shinya), Satoe Terashima (Brilliant Satoe), Kinuyo Yamashita (Yamako), Giant Ken - Final Stage Normal - Konami - NES - 1987

After Burner II - Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Noriyuki Iwadare (arr.) - After Burner - Sega - Genesis - 1990

Nightshade - Marshall Parker - Metro City Sewers - Beam Software/Ultra Games - NES - 1992

Madou Monogatari I - Tsuyoshi Matsushima, Polygon Junkie - Main BGM 1 (Floors 1-10) - Compile - Mega Drive - 1996

Legendary Wings - Tamayo Kawamoto, Manami Matsumae (arr.), Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (arr.) - Area 1 - Capcom - NES - 1988

Super Tennis - Yoshiki Nishimura - Ending - Tokyo Shoseki/Nintendo - SNES - 1991

27 July 2011

Episode 39: Side-Scrolling and Platforming

Brent and Rob share some great tracks within the side-scroller/platformer category.  They also partake in another exciting edition of VGM Karaoke!  Enjoy.  Try to enjoy.  Full track listing below.



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

Super Mario World - Koji Kondo - Castle - Nintendo - SNES - 1991

Super Mario All-Stars - Koji Kondo, Soyo Oka (arr.) - Lost Levels Title - Nintendo - SNES - 1993

Rocket Knight Adventures - Masanori Oouchi, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Masanori
Adachi, Aki Hata, Michiru Yamane - Stage 1-1 - Konami - Genesis - 1993

Valis III - Hisao Inoue, Jun Hasebe, Shingo Murakami, Takaharu Umezu, Michiko Naruke, Minoru Yuasa - Joshou-Cham no Theme - Telenet Japan - Genesis - 1991

Magical Pop'n - Ichirou Ishibashi - Around the Castle (Level 1) - Pack-In-Video - Super Famicom - 1995

Time Lord - David Wise - Castle Harman, England (1250 A.D.) - Milton Bradley/Rare - NES - 1989

Mega Man V - unknown - Uranus - Capcom - Game Boy - 1994

Eek! The Cat - Barry Leitch, Dean Evans (arr.) - Zoo - Ocean - SNES - 1994

Legacy of the Wizard - Yuzo Koshiro (comp., arr.), Mieko Ishikawa (comp.) - Overworld - Falcom/Broderbund - NES - 1989

Majyuuou - Tomohiro Endo, Hiroshi Izuka - Ice Palace - KSS - Super Famicom - 1995

Kirby's Adventure - Hirokazu Ando - High Hills - HAL Laboratory - NES - 1993

Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind - Matt Berardo, Rudy Helm - Shadow Bopping (Shadow Shirt Theme) - Accolade - Genesis - 1993

Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts - Mari Yamaguchi - Castle of the Emperor (Stage 6) - Capcom - SNES - 1991

James Pond: Underwater Agent - Richard Joseph - From Three Mile Island With Love - Electronic Arts - Genesis - 1990

Plok - Tim Follin - Beach - Tradewest/Software Creations - SNES - 1993

Dynamite Headdy - Katsuhiko Suzuki (Nazo² Suzuki), Aki Hata, Norio Hanzawa (NON), Yasuko, Koji Yamada (Kouji) - Crosswalk of Love - Treasure - Genesis - 1994

Sonic & Knuckles - Tatsuyuki Maeda, Sachio Ogawa, Masanori Hikichi, Miyoko Takaoka, Jun Senoue - Mushroom Hill Zone 1 - Sega - Genesis - 1994

20 July 2011

Episode 38: New Age Music

In this soothing yet provocative episode, Brent and Rob explore new age music found in video games of the 8-bit and 16-bit era.  They discuss Turkish baths, "junk," and more.  Put on your avocado mask, cucumber slices on your eyes, and RELAX to the sounds of The Legacy Spa.  Full track listing below.



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

Chrono Trigger - Yasunori Mitsuda - Memories of Green - Square - SNES - 1995

Secret of Evermore - Jeremy Soule - Ebon Keep (Town) - Square - SNES - 1995

Ys III: Wanderers from Ys - Mieko Ishikawa - Premonition (Styx) - Riot - Genesis - 1991

Ecco the Dolphin - Spencer Nilsen, Brian Coburn, András Magyari - Welcome to the Machine - Novotrade International/Sega - Genesis - 1992

Junction - unknown - Background 1 Ocean - Micronet/Konami - Genesis - 1990

Equinox - Tim Follin - Atlena (excerpt) - Sony Imagesoft - SNES - 1994

Final Fantasy III - Nobuo Uematsu - Awakening - Square - SNES - 1994

Secret of Mana - Hiroki Kikuta - A Prayer and a Whisper - Square - SNES - 1993

Ys III: Wanderers from Ys - Mieko Ishikawa - Key of Light - Riot - Genesis - 1991

Last Bible III - Hiroyuki Yanada - Brantika - Atlus - Super Famicom - 1995

Chrono Trigger - Yasunori Mitsuda - Secret of the Forest - Square - SNES - 1995

Donkey Kong Country - David Wise - Aquatic Ambiance - Rare/Nintendo - SNES - 1994

The Karate Kid - Hirohiko Takayama - Title - LJN - NES - 1987

Star Ocean - Motoi Sakuraba - Guitar 2 - tri-Ace/Enix - Super Famicom - 1996

Final Fantasy III - Nobuo Uematsu - The Mines of Narshe - Square - SNES - 1994

EarthBound - Hirokazu Tanaka - Dr. Andonut's Lab - Nintendo - SNES - 1995

Ys III: Wanderers from Ys - Mieko Ishikawa - Sentimental Twilight - Riot - Genesis - 1991

Alice no Paint Adventure - Takahisa Hirano, Takeshi Miura - Cloud Kingdom - Epoch - Super Famicom - 1995

Final Fantasy II - Nobuo Uematsu - The Lunarians - Square - SNES - 1991

13 July 2011

Episode 37: Movies

Lights, camera, video game music!  Brent and Rob take a look at some of the finest 8-bit and 16-bit era music from games based on major motion pictures.  So grab a bowl of popcorn, maybe a box of Red Vines, and enjoy the feature presentation!  Full track listing below.



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

Rambo - Tohru Hasahe, Minki Motoyama - Headquarters/Safe Zone - Acclaim/Pack-In-Video - NES - 1988

Rambo III - unknown - Missions 2 (Part 1) and 6 - Sega - Genesis - 1989

Ghostbusters - Kazuhiko Nagai (Nav.) - 1st Case: Home Sweet Home - Sega - Genesis - 1990

Batman - Naoki Kodaka, Nobuyuki Hara - Stage 1 - Sunsoft - NES - 1989

Gremlins 2: The New Batch - Naoki Kodaka, Nobuyuki Hara, Shinichi Seya - Ventilation Shafts - Sunsoft - NES - 1990

Platoon - Jonathan Dunn (New) - Title Screen - Sunsoft/Ocean Software - NES - 1988

Super Back to the Future II - Hitoshi Sakimoto - Round 3-1 - Toshiba EMI - Super Famicom - 1993

The Terminator - Matt Furniss - Time to Escape - Virgin Games - Genesis - 1991

Willow - Harumi Fujita - House, Item and Dialogue Theme - Capcom - NES - 1989

The Karate Kid - Hirohiko Takayama - Daniel in Okinawa - LJN - NES - 1987

Godzilla: Monster of Monsters - Masatomo Miyamoto - Earth - Toho/Compile - NES - 1989

Die Hard - Junichi Saito, Masaki Iwamoto, Hitoshi Saito - In-Game - Activision/Pack-In-Video - NES - 1992

A Nightmare on Elm Street - David Wise - Town of Elm St. - Rare/LJN - NES - 1990

Jurassic Park - Sam Powell - River - BlueSky Software/Sega - Genesis - 1993

The Goonies II - Satoe Terashima - Caves - Konami - NES - 1987

Dirty Harry - Steven Samler, Elliot Delman - Alcatraz - Mindscape - NES - 1990

Top Gun: The Second Mission - Hidenori Maezawa, Yuichi Sakakura, Harumi Ueko - Missle Arm - Konami - NES - 1990

The Untouchables - Keith Tinman - Title - Ocean - NES - 1990

Total Recall - David Warhol - Earth - Acclaim/Interplay - NES - 1990

06 July 2011

Episode 36: Kinuyo Yamashita

Brent and Rob focus on famed Castlevania composer, Kinuyo Yamashita.  Through an exclusive interview with Yamashita-san herself, the Legacy Music Hour reveals some very interesting information regarding the composer credits of Castlevania.  Special thanks to Kinuyo Yamashita for taking the time to do this interview and prepare her answers in English.  Text version of the interview and track listing below.



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

Castlevania - Kinuyo Yamashita - Heart of Fire (Stage 5) - Konami - NES - 1987

Arumana no Kiseki - Kinuyo Yamashita - Stage 5 - Konami - Famicom Disk System - 1987

Mega Man X3 - Kinuyo Yamashita - Opening - Capcom - SNES - 1996

Castlevania - Kinuyo Yamashita - Walking Edge (Stage 4) - Konami - NES - 1987

Power Blade - Kinuyo Yamashita - Sector 7 - Taito - NES - 1991

Esper Dream - Kinuyo Yamashita - Main BGM - Konami - Famicom Disk System - 1987

Medarot: Kabuto Version - Kinuyo Yamashita - gameplay - Natsume - Game Boy - 1997

Medarot: Kabuto Version - Kinuyo Yamashita - gameplay - Natsume - Game Boy - 1997

Mega Man X3 - Kinuyo Yamashita - Gravity Beetle - Capcom - SNES - 1996

Power Blade - Kinuyo Yamashita - Sector 5 - Taito - NES - 1991

Power Blade - Kinuyo Yamashita - Stage Select - Taito - NES - 1991

Medarot: Kabuto Version - Kinuyo Yamashita - gameplay - Natsume - Game Boy - 1997

Arumana no Kiseki - Kinuyo Yamashita - Stage 1, 4, and 6 - Konami - Famicom Disk System - 1987

Power Blade - Kinuyo Yamashita - Sector 1 - Taito - NES - 1991

Interview with Kinuyo Yamashita:

Brent: At Konami, you were given the alias "James Banana."  Do you know why Konami picked that name for you?

Kinuyo Yamashita: No, I don't know why they chose the name James Banana.

Brent:
Aliases for video game music composers were common in the 1980s, especially at Capcom.  Why did video game music composers use aliases for the credits instead of their real names?  How come there wasn't better record keeping when it came to crediting composers?

Kinuyo Yamashita: The Japanese style is very different from the USA.  They are a lot more reserved and don't want to give away their secrets.  So I guess they felt like they had to protect their talent.  And so they used fake names.

Brent: Looking at video game music from the 80s and early to mid-90s, there were so many prominent female composers.  It seems like at least half of my favorite composers are women.  In comparison, there aren't really any prominent female composers in film music.  Why do you think that is?  Why were there so many female composers working on video games during the 8-bit and 16-bit era?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Haha, I don't know the answer to those questions.  But I would like to compose music for films!

Brent: Who are some of your favorite composers from the 8-bit and 16-bit era?  Were there any composers or soundtracks that were an influence on you?

Kinuyo Yamashita: No, I don't really have any influences.  And I don't know all the composer's names.  I played the game called "Mother" in Japan.  I thought that game had great music.  And Mario and Megaman I like as well.

Brent: During the 8-bit and 16-bit era, did you compose on real instruments and then adapt it to the hardware, or did you compose the music from the hardware itself?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Yes, I would compose the music on a keyboard first.  Then I would have to convert the notes to hex numbers.  And program them into the computer.

Brent: Did you play the game first without sound?  Or did you compose the music from storyboards, screen shots, and/or illustrations?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Usually I can't play the game first.  I am given a story or screen shots like you said.

Brent: As someone who was active in the mid-80s and is still active today, how has technology influenced the way you compose?  Has your compositional technique evolved over time as a result of technology?  Has it evolved as a result of something else?  Or is your approach the same as it has always been?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Technology has greatly changed my composition technique.  With 8-bit music, the sounds had to be programmed.  And I could only use 4 sounds at one time.  So the hardware had a lot more limitations.  Now it's more simple.  I can just play the music on the keyboard.  And have it record directly into the computer.  Now it's a lot more user friendly.  Software allows me to sequence everything easily.  There are almost no musical limitations.

However, with all the advancements in technology.  The arrangement of music became more complex.  Because there are endless possibilities.  So I sometimes get help arranging my music now.

Brent: With regards to the level design, how much did the visual setting of the level factor into the music composition?  For example, the first level of Castlevania takes place in a house.  Does the "house setting" factor into the composition at all?  When you composed the music for that level, were you specifically writing something that you thought would fit a house environment?  Or for the third level, did you write something that you thought would fit an outdoor/balcony/patio-type environment?  Or was this stuff irrelevant?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Yes, I would see the image of the stage.  For example, the stage that has water.  I try to put the the water atmosphere into the music.  And the stage that near the final stage.  I give the music a more tense feeling.  The music is matched with the intensity of the game.

Brent: Did you ever think that the music for Castlevania would become as popular as it is today?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Honestly, no I never thought it would be so popular.  It was a very busy time.  So I was working on a lot of games.

Brent: When you were composing music for earlier video games, did you ever think the music was too good for a video game?  In other words, were you ever discouraged that only a relatively small amount of people would be hearing music that you put so much work into and were proud of?

Kinuyo Yamashita: No, it didn't matter how many people heard my music.  I was glad to work on all the games.

Brent: What was Satoe Terashima's involvement with Castlevania?  Did she
compose any of the music?  Or did she only do sound effects and programming?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Terashima-san composed some music from Castlevania.  She didn't make the sound effects.  We didn't collaborate, we made songs separately.  So all the music from Castlevania is from Terashima-san or me.

Brent: Can you list the songs you composed for Castlevania?  And can you list the songs Terashima-san composed?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Terashima-san composed Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 6, and Ending.  I composed Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5, Boss, Dracula, and Dracula 2.

Brent: After working at Konami, why did you decide to go freelance? Were there things at Konami that you didn't like?

Kinuyo Yamashita: When I worked at Konami, the expectations were very high.  The long hours were too difficult for my body.  So I had to leave.  I went to another smaller company working on video game projects.  When that ended, the people I worked with wanted me to work at Taito.  But it was in Tokyo, and I didn't want to move there.  So I became freelance by default after that.

Brent:
What was it like working freelance in comparison to working at Konami?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Freelance composing is good becaue I can work at home.  But it's inconsistent work.  So that part is a challenge.

Rob: In another interview, you mentioned that you wanted to work on Castlevania II, but were removed from Castlevania to work on other stuff.  Who was the superior that removed you from Castlevania II?  Has he worked on other games?

Kinuyo Yamashita: I don't remember the superior's name.  He directed me to work on other games.  And, I don't remember who composed music for Castlevania II.

Rob: Hideo Kojima was working on Metal Gear around the time you were employed by Konami.  Were you ever asked to participate in the composition of that soundtrack?

Kinuyo Yamashita: He was a peer of mine at Konami.  But I have never composed music for Metal Gear.  But I would love to work on one of the new Metal Gear games.

Brent: Aside from the technical and synthetic aspect, do you think that there is a difference between video game music and non-video game music?  In other words, is there something compositionally and structurally unique about music made for video games?

Kinuyo Yamashita: I think that video game music is similar to film music.  It's different from popular music with singers.  Music doesn't usually stand out in video games.  It's made to go along with the movement of the characters.  But some important scenes from the game make it memorable.

Brent: Did you play video games during the 8-bit and 16-bit era?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Yes, I played some video games.  Usually I played the games I composed music for.  I would have to check the game for bugs.

Brent: What are your favorite games?

Kinuyo Yamashita: I once played "Mother" in Japan.  I thought the story, music and program were good.  And "Medarot" in Japan, which is "Medabots" in the USA.  I beat the game many times to watch the ending, haha.

Rob: What's your favorite Chopin piece?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Nocturne.  Mainly the 3/4 rhythm music, etc.  Also, I like the intense Beethoven.

Rob: Do you think 8-bit and 16-bit music can be romantic?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Yes, it can be romantic.  PSG is inorganic.  But the sound becomes sharp and soft by changing its data.  I liked to make that data.  Also, I think it depends on the listener.  If the music is heard while having a romantic experience, it can take them into it.  But haha, I don't usually think romantically about it.

Rob: Are you married?

Kinuyo Yamashita: Yes.

Brent: Why did you move to the United States?  More specifically, why New Jersey? 

Kinuyo Yamashita:
I moved to New Jersey because that's where my husband lives.

Brent: Well, that's about all the questions we have for you.  Is there anything you would like to mention or promote?

Kinuyo Yamashita:
Please donate to Japan!