GUEST GAME - Wing Commander 1

GUEST GAME - Wing Commander 1
You can listen to and download my version of the music here:
Wing Commander - Orchestral Suite

Original Composer(s): Dave Govett, George "The Fatman" Sanger

Originally released in 1990, Wing Commander was the game that put Chris Roberts on the map and known as "World War II in space".  WC had a very colorful cast of characters which the player could interact with in between missions... and my favorite part.. when you died, there was actually a full on funeral ceremony in your honor.  Still gives me chills!  This is one of my all time favorite games and something that I just HAD to take a stab at for this blog!

More info can be found HERE

For this ReOrchestration, I went right for the jugular with extremely aggressive arrangements of the Menu March, Scramble!, Spaceflight, and Funeral cues.  When I sat down to orchestrate these themes, I really wanted to approach this as if it were a Jerry Bruckheimer film from the 90s and as if Hans Zimmer had scored it. All of which accounts for the crazy brass / string staccatos and booming male choir throughout!

For reference, you can listen to the original Amiga version of the theme here:
Wing Commander March - Original Version

Police Quest III - Highway Pursuit

Police Quest III - Highway Pursuit (In Pursuit)
You can listen to and download my version of the music here:
Police Quest III - Highway Pursuit

Original Composer: Jan Hammer

Yes, THE Jan Hammer.. as in the composer behind the original Miami Vice television show in the 80s!

Produced by Jim Walls for Sierra and originally released in 1991.  More about this game can be read HERE

Wow, Jan Hammer had some REALLY strong action themes in this score.  The "In Pursuit" cue has an amazingly epic bassline which I've ReOrchestrated for an aggressive string section and have overlayed even more aggressive brass adding to the aggressiveness.  How aggressive.  Anyway, if you're a fan of Mark Mancinas Bad Boys score or any number of Trevor Rabin scores you're bound to really dig this one!

There are the usual embellishments throughout, but this new version still retains the main vibe of the original while totally ditching the "happier" motif that comes in later on in the original.

For reference, you can hear a version of this theme as performed on the Roland MT - 32 here:
In Pursuit - Original MT-32 version


All songs and screen captures are Copyright 1986-1998 Vivendi Universal / Sierra On-Line / Dynamix, Inc. All rights reserved

GUEST GAME - Pitfall 2 - The Lost Caverns
You can listen to and download my version of the music here:
Pitfall 2 - The Lost Caverns - March

Original Composer(s): David Crane

Originally released in 1984, Pitfall 2 is the sequel to the original Pitfall.  This was one of the first large scale platforming games ever released on a home console and extremely unique in that you could actually backtrack and the game itself was fairly open (though remaining linear in fashion).  Pitfall 2 also sported a handy checkpoint system... which most likely saved many atari controllers from being slammed into the wall.  More about this game can be read HERE

Yup, David Crane, the game's programmer, composed this highly hummable tune!  No offense to all of my coder pals and other code monkeys out there.. but usually most of them aren't exactly musically gifted.  This is an extremely strong theme from the grandaddy of all adventure games ... Pitfall 2 - The Lost Caverns.  For Guest Game #2, I have chosen to ReOrchestrate one of my all time favorite video game themes... which surprisingly is really never remixed or orchestrated.  You've all heard it, you've all wondered what it would sound like orchestrated... well here ya go!

For reference, you can listen to the original Atari 2600 tune here:
Pitfall 2 Theme - Original Version

Heart of China - Rough Takeoff

Heart of China - Rough Takeoff
You can listen to and download my version of the music here:
Heart of China - Rough Takeoff

Original Composer(s): Christopher Stevens and Don Latarski

(taken from abandonia) Heart of China was released in 1991 by Dynamix, which was an subsidiary of Sierra and usually developed the company's action oriented games. Therefore you get some nice action sequences within the game, which can fortunately be skipped. A big achivement for all hardcore adventurers among us. The game also contains Sierra-typical elements. So you should better save often...  

You can read more about this awesome underrated game (and even DOWNLOAD IT legally) HERE

This ReOrchestration showcases the very purpose of this blog.  Taking a handful of classic in-game motifs and themes to create something wholly different... a piece which which serves to rescore an embellished sequence in the game.  For the purpose of this piece, the main characters Jake "Lucky" Masters and his Ninja friend Chi are stopped by immigration at the airfield in Hong Kong and then make a break for the plane.  Traditional chinese instruments are peppered throughout accompanying a large orchestra and several extremely memorable themes / motifs from the game are utilized.  In this cue, you'll hear a rousing version of the main title theme, a reworking of the original "Immigration" cue heard at the start, and the bassline from "Flight to Chengdu".


For reference, you can listen to the themes referenced in this cue via Quest Studios here:
Main Title Theme

Immigration

Flight to Chengdu

Red Baron - Intro March

Red Baron - Intro March
You can listen to and download my version of the music here:
Red Baron - Intro March

Original Composer: Cayanie Music

Created by Damon Slyle and released in 1990, Red Baron was a WW I flight simulator and extremely ambitious for its time.  More about this game can be read HERE

For this ReOrchestration, I wanted to do something which was a complete about face from the very Zimmerish Police Quest material I've been doing.  The march from Red Baron is some amazingly thematic material and very much deserved an update and reworking.  The main theme is now performed by a large trombone section.. which sounded very german and villainous to me.  Given the actual red barons track record during the war... this very much seemed appropriate.  If you're a fan of Jerry Goldsmith film scores from the 1980s, you're bound to enjoy this one!


For reference, you can listen to a version of this theme as it was originally heard in the game via youtube:
Red Baron - Intro March - Original Version

Police Quest III - Crash Scene

Police Quest III - Crash Scene / The Accident
You can listen to and download my version of the music here:
Police Quest III - Crash Scene

Original Composer: Jan Hammer

Yes, THE Jan Hammer.. as in the composer behind the original Miami Vice television show in the 80s!

Produced by Jim Walls for Sierra and originally released in 1991.  More about this game can be read HERE

This is an interesting piece and something I wanted to take a stab at from the start.  It's got an amazing bluesy / rock vibe and, in my head anyway, sounded like some of the guitar heavy Hans Zimmer scores from the early 1990's such as K2 and Drop Zone, which is the exact approach I took when reorchestrating this piece.  This new version features some live guitar work (performed by yours truly) and has a really cool cinematic rock vibe about it.  Overall, it's pretty much a note for note recreation of one my favorite tunes from PQ3.

For reference, you can hear a version of this theme as performed on the Roland MT - 32 here:
Crash Scene - Original MT-32 version


All songs and screen captures are Copyright 1986-1998 Vivendi Universal / Sierra On-Line / Dynamix, Inc. All rights reserved

GUEST GAME - Fate of Atlantis

GUEST GAME - Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

Original Composer(s): Clint Bajakian, Peter McConnell, and Michael Z. Land

Released in 1992 by Lucasarts, Fate of Atlantis was praised by critics and honestly... one of my favorite Lucasarts adventure games.  Of course I'm a bit bias as I'm a HUGE Indiana Jones fan at heart.  But I digress, the music heard in FOA is stunning and was just begging for a full remake / re orchestration pass... which is precisely what I've done.  In this very special first "Guest Game" post, I've got up for download my 30 minute album which I completed last year based on a handful of memorable themes from the game.  For the most part, many of the themes were left untouched and quite simply just updated for a modern orchestra set up so they should be instantly recognizable by you fellow fans of this incredible game.  In other cases (such as "Fight at the Dig") I embellished the source material a bit adding in my own flare.

My orchestrated version of this score is now going to be released on itunes and Loudr as it is being published by JOYPAD RECORDS

Stay tuned!

Tracklist (original titles from game score represented in parenthesis)

1.  The Raiders March (main titles)* - 2:23

2.  Map Screen - :30

3.  Kerner and Trip To Iceland (Kerner steals the statue)* - 3:13

4.  Sophias Presentation - 2:19

5.  Streets of Monte Carlo (monte carlo car chase) - 1:47

6.  The Unfortunate Death of Dr. Jones* - 1:24

7.  Fight at the Dig (fight music)* - 1:31

8.  The First Ring of Atlantis - 3:13

9.  Crab Raft - 2:25

10. Lava Maze - 2:54

*-Contains portions of The Raiders March by John Williams

all themes from the game itself are copyright lucasarts and lucasfilm ltd