 | Album Title: Retro Remix Revue Volume 1 (Digital Edition) |
| Record Label: Retro Remix Revue | |
| Catalog No.: iTunes | |
| Release Date: September 16, 2008 | |
| Purchase: Buy at iTunes |
Overview
Retro Remix Revue is a project spearheaded by Blaine McGurty and Davis Jones. Blaine McGurty, who has a degree in Jazz Studies, is behind all the arrangements and also plays the keyboard. Davis Jones is behind the mixing, mastering, and recording of all the arrangements. Retro Remix Revue Volume 1 is an ambitious project that arranges many classic game music pieces in a variety of styles. This release features the 12 arrangements from the original digital release, though a physical release was later published featuring a bonus track from Mega Man 2. How well do these arrangements compare to those in the industry? You’ll just have to read on to find out! You might just be surprised.
Body
Once upon a time, there was a period in gaming when most people fell in love with video game music. This era was known to many as the Genesis/SNES era. It’s obvious that Blaine and Davis also fell in love with video game music at this time, or at least the music made a lasting impression on them. Most of the arrangements on this album come from a plethora of Super Nintendo titles and, to a lesser extent, Sega Genesis and Nintendo 64 titles. With such a diverse set of titles, one might also expect a diverse collection of arrangements. Fortunately, there are a variety of styles to be found on the album as well. Opening the album, “Overworld BGM ~ Ending,” is a fun, jazzy take on two of the most popular themes from Super Mario World. The key factor in this arrangement is definitely the piano, and it helps to recreate that playful Mario sound while at the same time offering a bit of deviation from the melodies. Mario seems to get the most playtime on this album, with additions from Super Mario Kart and Mario Paint, both of which offer some excellent arrangements of the source material, but the true star of the Mario universe on this album, at least to me, is the arrangement of “Dire, Dire Docks” from Super Mario 64. Starting with some nice natural sounds, the tranquility of this arrangement soon becomes apparent. As with the other Mario piece, the piano is the star of the show and helps to craft a very ethereal soundscape. The track eventually picks up in pace and the piano is replaced with some synthesizer, but it still makes for a beautiful track and it is one of my favorites on the album.
Another gaming icon featured on the album is Sonic the Hedgehog. Both of the arrangements, “Green Hill Zone” and “Chemical Plant Zone,” recreate the Genesis sound quite nicely. More straightforward than some of the other arrangements, they both instill a sense of nostalgia. “Green Hill Zone” features a nice synth solo that adds to the bubbly nature of the entire arrangement. There is also a synth solo in “Chemical Plant Zone” that definitely gives a sense of urgency while at the same time adding a subtle jazz element to the arrangement. In addition, there is a nice drum solo to bridge between the synth solo and the melody. It’s a bit drawn-out, but does add something you don’t hear in many arrangements these days. These two arrangements are quite fun, even if they don’t stray too far from the source material.
Two other Nintendo icons also get their spot in the sun. Unfortunately, there is only one piece from each series. Perhaps one of the most famous Donkey Kong Country pieces is arranged here. Having heard an arrangement of this piece already this year in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, I was interested in hearing how Blaine decided to arrange “Stickerbrush Symphony.” Unlike the other arrangement, which focused a lot on strings, this arrangement keeps with the ethereal soundscape offered by the original. In addition, the combination of piano, trance-like effects in the bass line, and futuristic synth makes for a nice homage to the original. It’s definitely a keeper in my book! The other iconic series, The Legend of Zelda, has a nice two-piece medley from Ocarina of Time. The first piece takes one of the ocarina melodies, “Zelda’s Lullaby,” and translates it to a tranquil piano piece. Its simplicity reflects the inherent beauty found within the melody. As the track progresses, it moves into a tropical arrangement of “Zora’s Domain” that adds some nice textural contrasts through steel drums and acoustic guitar, while emphasizing the importance of the melody once more. It’s a beautiful arrangement and a fitting way to end the album.
Now, you might be thinking, “I’ve heard a lot of piano mentioned in this review, but is there anything else on there besides that?” Well, the answer to that is, “Yes.” Some of my favorite arrangements are rock-based. F-Zero‘s most iconic piece, in my opinion, “Big Blue,” is probably my second favorite on the album. Fast-paced synth and rock bring the sound from the SNES to life, and while at first it doesn’t sound particularly different from the original, it throws a curveball with an extremely long guitar solo that amps up the energy even further. I’m really impressed with the solo, too, because it manages to contain all you’d expect—fast guitar noodling—while also throwing tidbits of the melody in there as well. Now if they can do something like this for the Mega Man series next time, I’d be truly impressed! The other arrangement belongs to “Ken’s Theme” from Street Fighter II. I’m surprised they chose this one rather than “Ryu’s Theme” or “Guile’s Theme,” but I’m glad they did. The percussion and the bass riffs are what make this arrangement stand out in my eyes. They have so much power behind them and really accentuate the melody, which has a power all its own. As you’d suspect, there is another kickass guitar solo in this one as well, and it’s even more impressive than the one in “Big Blue.” Out of all the pieces on the soundtrack, this has to be the highlight for me.
Summary
In this day and age, arranged albums are few and far between, unless, of course, you are Motoi Sakuraba. Even then, most arranged albums by professional game music artists tend to focus more on the current line-up of games rather than taking something from the past and giving past tunes a facelift. Fortunately, there’s Retro Remix Revue Volume 1 to fall back on if you’re looking for an arranged album that not only pays tribute to the classic tunes we grew up loving from games such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario Bros., but also offers a wide range of musical styles. Blaine McGurty and Davis Jones originally arranged and mixed video game music for fun; their first official release is a wonderful pick if you’re looking for entertaining arrangements. More importantly, you won’t find any arranged albums that cover such a diverse selection of classic video game music. Do yourself a favor and pick this album up. It’s worth the price.
