Streets of Rage Soundtracks Available To Download On BandCamp.

The early to mid 90's were a great time for gaming but it was still seen as a childish past time by many. When the Playstation released it tapped into to the burgeoning dance market where House and Trance tracks were popular and consistently hitting the charts. It seemed like a perfect mix; edgy games and oh-so-zeitgeisty music. However before Sony's miracle machine we 16-bit gamers did have a saviour of coolness and that was the inimitable Yuzo Koshiro. The composer behind the first two Streets of Rage games was a pioneer when bringing the sounds of the clubs into games. The Streets of Rage soundtracks are amongst the most highly regarded of the 16-bit era and rightly so. Whilst The Orb, The Prodigy and Orbital were getting into the charts, Koshiro was applying the music styling of the genre into his soundtracks.

I have all three albums and they are great, especially the first two that hold a special place in my heart.

I have all three albums and they are great, especially the first two that hold a special place in my heart.

His three albums have been released on vinyl by DataDiscs and I have all 3 (I have linked my reviews of all three albums below) but recently the albums have been put up for purchase on BandCamp. At just 6 GBP a piece I’d say that it’s a bargain and with the imminent release of Streets of Rage 4, it’s a great time to revisit these astonishing albums.

Streets of Rage Soundtracks on BandCamp

Okami Soundtrack Released on Vinyl

Okami is one of gamings most beautiful examples for the argument of video games as art. The imagery from the game is stunningly presented in a traditional Japanese brushstroke form and the music is a collection of traditional instruments and modern synthesizer sounds, recalling a dreamily imagined Japan that has never truly existed.

Data Discs is releasing a 4 disc pressing of the remastered soundtrack for the game and I for one am intrigued and excited. According to Data Discs:

OKAMI is presented as a quadruple LP boxset, comprising over two hours of newly remastered music and packaged in a spot-varnished hardboard slipcase. It is accompanied by a 40-page artbook and double-sided lithographic print, featuring original illustrations from the CAPCOM archives in Japan. A download code for the album in both lossless and lossy formats is also included. Available in the following editions:
  • 4 x 180g Frosted Clear with “Cherry Blossom Pink” and “Amaterasu White” splatter (LIMITED EDITION)
  • 4 x 180g Frosted Clear

Pre-orders are open for Data Discs customers and I've already placed mine. At a hefty £64.99 it is a high asking price, but for the soundtrack to one of my favourite games (and soundtracks) of all time that seems like a price worth paying. Once I recieve my copy I'll do a review of it right here on this page, just like I have for my other soundtrack reviews (which you can check out below if you like).

For a listen to some of the soundtrack check out the official Data Discs Soundcloud page.

Okami Vinyl

The Mysterious Cities of Gold Soundtrack on Vinyl

I am a huge fan of the animated series Mysterious Cities of Gold, it is my favourite programme of ALL time and was a formative part of my childhood; single handedly igniting my interest in anime, manga, South and Central American cultures and synthesizer music (It's why I love Jarre, Vangelis and Oldfield).

In my mancave I have a MCOG medallion, an original cel, a French book discussing the making of (even though I haven't studied French since my GCSE's 20 years ago) and a model of the golden condor. However no mention of The Mysterious Cities of Gold would be complete without a mention of the mesmerising soundtrack. There have been some amazing soundtracks for TV shows over the years but the synthesizers and futuristic sounds used in the soundtrack gave this series a unique, mesmerising atmosphere all its own.

Wagram have re-released the original French soundtrack, which contains all the key themes and tunes from the series. The track list is:

Track 1 Cités D'or

Track 2 Thème De Zia

Track 3 Thème De Tao

Track 4 Thèmes D'Esteban

Track 5 L'aventure De Tao

Track 6 Le Vol Du Condor

Track 7 Heureux Esteban

Track 8 L'aventure D'Esteban

Track 9 Tristes Cités D'or

Track 10 En Naviguant

Track 11 Les Incas

Track 12 Esteban Dans La Ville

Track 13 La Tempête

Track 14 Les Dieux Des Incas

Track 15 Les Aventures Electroniques

Track 16 Les Cités D'or (Instrumental Version)

The vinyl was re-released on 15th December 2017 but I only got around to getting it recently. I've reviewed the soundtrack before but only on CD. This vinyl has a lot of great tracks but is by no means complete. The most glaring omissions is St. Elmo's Fire (also known on other versions of the soundtrack as La Passage Secret), known to many fans as the Song of Mysterious Awesomeness. The sense of awe and wonder this music piece brought in me at the time was palpable, I would shake with excitement as this track was reserved for only the most special moments of the series. It is used when a new discovery is made or when the characters experienced a grand phenomena. The juddering driving synths mixed with the whoozy flow of the main tune lend the piece an otherworldly air which perfectly suited the air of mystery. I have extremely powerful memories of this track as this music was used on the maiden flight of the golden condor. The point when the machine comes online for the first time and flies is etched in my memory. I've seen this episode more than any other (I watch the series annually) but I still get goosebumps when the music kick in. The link to this moment is below and I would recommend you watch it (it kicks in at 56 seconds).

Shadow of the Colossus Soundtrack on Vinyl

Shadow of the Colossus is one of my favourite games of all time. This is in no small part due to the phenomenal soundtrack which was created by Kou Ootani, who also soundtracked the wonderful Haibane Renmei (one of my favourite animes). The Ico OST is scarce but perfectly pitched for key events, like the original Prince of Persia game. However the Shadow of the Colossus has an emotive score full of longing but also adventure, it suits the mood perfectly and the soundtrack is a master class in scoring for a game and shows how much the perfect soundtrack can add to the impact of a game.

When iam8bit announced that they were doing a vinyl release of the soundtrack mid-last year I pre-ordered it and lo, a mere 10 months or so later the vinyl has finally arrived and definitely looks the part. I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet due to having a busy weekend with the family but I know the album well, as long as it wasn't pressed too hot it should be great. Check out my pics below and my links to other SOTC related articles I've written.