Review: Galaxy Force II / Thunder Blade / Streets Of Rage II vinyl video game soundtracksGigslutz

Growing up in the 80’s with a Commodore 64, loading cassettes into the tape deck that used to load video games in about the time it would take to cook a 3 course meal and maybe even run a marathon, the wait for the visual fun to start was only part of the enjoyment that unfolded.

Video game soundtracks were as pleasurable as the visuals that were on display. Some of my favourite video game soundtracks include Sonic and Outrun, which is where Data Discs come into the picture. Having released a bunch of video game soundtracks including Sonic and Outrun on vinyl the label continues to churn out top notch material.

Two of their latest releases include Galaxy Force II & Thunder Blade and Streets Of Rage 2 pressed on 180g vinyl. Both classics of their time now lovingly remastered onto vinyl. SEGA Japan had a bunch of musicians to rival the best samba, jazz funk and electro line ups with an exciting edge to the recordings these fitted perfecting into the background of the games, but also fill the speakers nicely as they now fill their own spotlight via these releases.

Galaxy Force II (1988) ad Thunder Blade (1987) fill a side each of the vinyl for the first time ever. Composed by video game master composers Koichi Namiki, Katsuhiro Hayashi and Tohru Nakabayashi bringing together a bright mixture of space funk, fusing Chris Lowe synthesizers, Stephen Morris drums and Bootys Collins type fat back slap bass, plus instrumentation including shakers, cowbells plus a brass sections straight out the top draw. There are also vague similarities to the work of New Order and The Pet Shop Boys amongst the dynamite selection of tracks on offer.

Streets of Rage II is of a similar cloth but with an 80’s rave tip. Pin point beats with suck the listeners in with whistles and illuminous gloves. Rewind the clock to the early 90’s this soundtrack would not be out of place in the back catalogue of 808 State or in the Hacienda. Included with this release are demos, alternate versions and unused compositions, which delve into the mind of its creator Yuzo Koshiro as the somewhat Godfather of game soundtracks. A master of this trait, this release takes you to a universe not entirely of this world but to an 8 bit one dreamt of by every kid of the 90’s.

To think that these were primitive times of the video game age mixing this type of highly talented and well versed music into the imaginative soundtrack only leads to the legend of the game becoming even more hallowed as originally thought. Both releases have been carefully remastered from the original tapes and arcade machines, with approval from the video game boffins from SEGA plus archive prints available with the vinyl, this is a treat not only for fans of the games but also those that like to reminisce about all things retro.

You can purchase these soundtracks from the Data Discs website