| Album Title: Mega Man Arrange Version Special CD Vol. 1 |
| Record Label: Capcom |
| Catalog No.: CAPCOM-003 |
| Release Date: January 1, 1992 |
| Purchase: Buy Used Copy |
Overview
This album could be considered the first official Mega Man / Mega Man-themed arranged album. Arranged by Alph-Lyla, Capcom’s in-house sound team, Vol. 1 contains a multitude of styles and is brief but satisfying. How do these arrangements treat the originals?
Body
On this album, the listener will be exposed to a variety of styles: a Latin-flavored arrangement, a soft and serene arrangement, a fusion of jazz, rock, and synthesizers, a primarily rock-focused arrangement, and an arrangement with progressive rock, classical, and jazz influences. If you’re a fan of variety, this is definitely for you. Unlike later arrangements of the series, doujin and official alike, each track is arranged in a way that fits the original theme perfectly. On the whole, I think this album is spectacular.
Cutman’s stage theme is brought to life in “Red Hot Paradise”. With the aforementioned Latin flavor, there is a heavy focus on brass, piano, and xylophone. “The Ending Battle” is an arrangement of the Mega Man 2 ending theme. It’s a very soft arrangement with a focus on synthesizers and piano. “Spark of Sorcery” is an excellent translation of Sparkman’s stage. It focuses on synthesizers and piano in the early sections; throw in a random guitar solo, and you definitely have a winner.
Skullman’s arrangement, “Soldier of the Underworld,” is by far my favorite arrangement on this album. To me, this is what Tohru Iwao’s Mega Man 1 ~ 6 Rock Arrange Ver. should have sounded like. While there is a nice mixture of synth and rock elements, the electric guitar sections accent the original melody very nicely. “Strange Stone Puppet,” the arrangement belonging to Stoneman, is also quite good. It focuses on jazz elements, combined with an unexpected violin solo. There are even sections that have a very prog-rock sound to them.
Summary
In the end, I recommend this album if you can find it. Each arrangement fits the original perfectly, and offers a very diverse array of styles. In fact, if I could find this, I’d buy it just for the Skullman Stage arrangement. To me, between Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, it is the hands-down best track to feature an arrangement. I’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who would dislike this album.
