The GHZ Forum

*deep breath*

Okay...seeing as I haven't been slained as being a newbie to this board, and seeing as I have yet to make an actual topic here for the 1st time, I figured now would be the time for me to get a little dirty and throw my peices of thought out onto the fray. It's obvious what I am going to talk about, so let's just get straight into it, shall we?

I noticed that the one thing that we never really touch down on alot is the music of the Sonic games we've all played over the years. Matter of fact, we're so damned focus on how a game should look and play that when it actually comes down to what we think of the soundtrack, there's not much we compliment or complain about. Still, you just have to ask yourself: wouldn't a game, like Sonic 2k6 for example, at least be a little more enjoyable if you had the oppertunity to put whoever you wanted into the musical production?

Think about it - your own personal artists & groups outside of the game industury making tracks for the one game series we all care about (at least here) for us to listen to as we dash, slam, spin, and slaughter wave after wave of mechinical meyham. Not just talking about taking a track from one album and slapping it into the game just because 'it fits', but actually giving the artist a chance to create original and exclusive tracks just for the many who decides to pick up on whatever title Sega plans on making us choke down on. It wouldn't matter how unfantomable the game is at that point, because at least there's something pleasent you can listen to as you end up getting killed for the umptenth time trying to make that one jump that glitches out on you*.

My point? Just an act of wanting the opinion of you all of who would you personally like to see producing music for the series...which is also the question. *ahem!* So yes, who you like to hear?

And for the record, my top pick would be RJD2. If you need a reason, pick up a copy of Marc Ecko's Getting Up and just play around for a moment. The man knows how to make his music work for a game!

*Just using that as an example...it WOULD matter how crappy a game is, despite a good soundtrack. Just take a look at The Getaway: Black Monday!

Linkin Park, definitely. They have an utterly unique sound coupled with amazing vocal performance, topped off with some of the deepest, most inspired lyrics being written in the music industry today. Linkin Park understands the world's youth like no other band to ever exist in history.

We've really gotta talk about your alcohol problem, Holic.

LINKIN PARK SUCKS

I think Hideki Naganuma would be awesome.

or those guys that made that song "jerk it out," The Caesars.

Rick Wakeman, the legendary keyboardist of YES, and Steve Vai.

A little Amon Tobin, a little Go! Team, a little Ratatat, a little Battles...

Ratatat sounds like it'd be great for Knuckles or in a cave level or something. I can really see most of those other bands making a great song for a boss battle.

I have actually thought about this before. I just can't think of any of the artists right now. I think I was thinking more along the lines of particular songs they already have.

But off the top of my head I think Dragon Force would be comical. And Rage Against the Machine would be nice.

Esrever wrote:A little Amon Tobin, a little Ratatat, a little Battles...

You are a man of fine taste.

Anyway, I say they should just bring back Naofumi Hataya/Masafumi Ogata. No one is ever going to top them.

The Rasmus would be awesome doing a song for Shadow...it fits their style...

How about people who actually compose for video games as their career because it's what they do and they're good at it?

I think they have a good system of getting "real artists" to do the themes and video game musicians for the music. Because you do not get paid royalties for this shit, which is really what keeps more mainstream artists from participating.

(I hate it when people refer to their own favorite esoteric bands and get all uppity when no one knows who they're talking about, so all links in the following section are to the US iTunes store for sampling purposes so you know what I'm talking about. If you don't have iTunes, don't bother with the links.)

But as far as character themes, Butch Walker could probably whip up a kick-ass theme for Sonic (Hell, he could probably just recycle My Way and it'd fit). k-os' organically mystic hip-hop would be a perfect match for Knux, and Bad Religion could actually make Shadow seem like a legitimate renegade vigilante instead of some mopey bitch. BNL (think Falling for the First Time) or Ben Folds both may have been able to whip up a great Tails theme six years ago, but they've mellowed and matured out of the whimsical naiveté that would fit him. Got no clue on this one. Ike Reilly Assassination had some great R&B flourishes on their last album (You're So Plain) that, if handed off to a competent female vocalist (why not bring Kay Hanley back in, actually?) would suit Amy just fine.

I'm a whore for Shoji Meguro. And I love Yoko Kanno's unpredictability, too.

Personally, I'd like Masato Nakamura. Some Go! Team would be nice, though.

Hmmm I've given this a lot of thought too and I have to agree with Frieza. As I listen to any Rick Wakeman, I immediatly picture a whole game level, as pathetic as it can be. Same thing with Joe Satriani, if you ever listen to "Surfing With The Alien"s second track "Ice 9" you have a perfect factory-like Sonic level, something along the lines of Scrap Brain or Metropolis Zone. The rest of the CD is amazing as well, and there are boss tunes and special zone tunes, and also an ending tune.

Some say the songs from Sonic 3 we all know and love were being composed by Michael Jackson until a certain point, nevertheless he seems to have done a great job. Maybe that should be taken back?

But this is all old school Sonic music. If we were to make a game with songs along the line of Adventure and Heroes, then maybe, just maybe, I'd go with The Who for the intro, I agree with Dack that Bad Religion should be in it, but for Sonic (Shadow shouldn't even be in a game, but if he did, his theme should be a lot more weird), Rush for Eggman, or maybe Kraftwerk for the boss song. A little Metallica would never hurt for Knuckles too, or maybe Anthrax. Of course, I'm talking about bands that would probably never do it.

I have no idea who would make a song for Tails. Frankly, I'd rather if he hadn't any, or maybe just instrumental.

How about some Phillip Glass for the ending song?

I'd love to see something orchestrated though, I don't think it's ever been done before in a Sonic game. I wouldn't mind if, say, Ennio Morricone or Danny Elfman did the soundtrack.

EDIT: I just remembered of Joe Hisaishi, which would be a delight. His songs are so scrumbulescent that I can barely move.

I think Jack Johnson could do a good job with a theme for Tails.

Danny Elfman would certainly give a Sonic game a completely different flavor than the other games. I think that could be pretty interesting.

Hahaha. Somehow you are right about Jack Johnson.

Van Halen's Jump would be perfect.

I don't think classic rock suits Sonic. I'm mostly with Esrever on pop-electronica or more unconventional stuff being compatible. Stuff you might hear at a, a rave or something. I'm familiar with hardly any such artists, however. Ratatat, sure. Blue Man Group, maybe? Stomp?

Frankly, I'd comfortable with most any form of music as long as it's decent and (unless it's done tastefully) without vocals.

The Pillows would be incredibly fun.

As much as I love The Pillows (only part of FLCL that was any good was its soundtrack in my opinion), I'm getting really, really tired of rock music in Sonic games. Sonic Rush (and to a much lesser extent, Sonic Heroes) was a step in the right direction to the more electronica-based music of the 16-bit games.

I don't know how I feel about The Pillows in a Sonic game, though I do really enjoy them. Same with straight on electronica/techno.

Some techno/rock on the other hand could work.

Mastur, obviously. He is clearly the only choice.

Tsuyoshi-kun wrote:As much as I love The Pillows (only part of FLCL that was any good was its soundtrack in my opinion), I'm getting really, really tired of rock music in Sonic games. Sonic Rush (and to a much lesser extent, Sonic Heroes) was a step in the right direction to the more electronica-based music of the 16-bit games.

I remember really liking the song from City Escape in the SA2 demo that came along with PSO. I thought that the song without any lyrics really reminded the old Sonic tunes. Then the lyrics came along, talking about rainbow and stuff, and it kinda sucked.

Majestic Joey wrote:Van Halen's Jump would be perfect.

Heheh, you are not the first to think that:

http://www.kidcarpet.co.uk/media/jump.mp3

Majestic Joey wrote:Van Halen's Jump would be perfect.

I think Dreams would make a good ending theme.

<I>Yeah, you reach for the golden ring
Reach for the SKYYYYYY!!!</I>

Tsuyoshi-kun wrote:Sonic Rush (and to a much lesser extent, Sonic Heroes) was a step in the right direction to the more electronica-based music of the 16-bit games.

Electonica-based? I never got that impression at all. I don't feel that Senoue's power-chord-based riffs sans melody that surfaced in SA2 are appropriate either, but the synthy jazz-tinged pop numbers in SA1 were the closest they ever came to the 16-bit music.

they should just use the tunes remixed on OCRemix.

iMushroom is the coolest remix in the history of everything.