Various - Sid Chip Sounds:The Music Of The Commodore 64

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5...according to our Business Lady on Tue 14 Feb, 2012.

Not sure if it's necessary to review this little beauty. In my mind you'll either want this or you won't, you either love the sound of Bob Yannes SID chip or you don't, you either think video-game composers are underrated compositional genius's or you don't, you either played videogames as a kid or you didn't. It's as simple as that. I guess there's plenty of kids out there that may not have heard these jams or are too young to have ever played the original games so, if you want some insight into why people are still churning out Chip-Tune/8-bit/Gabba jamz or why DJ Scotch Egg and Crystal Castles sound the way they do then the songs contained here (and off course the composers themselves) may go some way to explaining the phenomena. Some of the era's finest composers and games are represented here: Ben Dalglish's 'Last Ninja' themes, Ron Hubbard's (generally considered a master i field) 'Sanxion' and 'Commando' themes, Martin Galway's 'Comic bakery' and 'Wizball', Tim & Geoff Follin's 'Gauntlet 3'...the list goes on. All of these composers overcame mad odds to create these technology defying masterpieces and it's a credit to the modern world that these tracks would find themselves remastered (the audio quality is ridiculously good) for vinyl in 2012. Unbelievably good. Thanks Robot elephant. Makes me wanna boot up the old machine and rock The Great Giana Sisters. Can't wait to get home now. P.s keep an eye for the 'Smoke On the Water' and 'War of The Worlds' bits kids.

The ever enigmatic Robot Elephant Records release ‘SID Chip Sounds – The Music Of The Commodore 64’, a compilation of music from classic Commodore 64 computer games. The 18 original pieces of music have been remastered for this release on gatefold double vinyl, CD and download. When people talk about “Commodore 64 music”, it’s easy to forget they’re not talking about a musical style: they’re talking about a delivery mechanism. What that convenient phrase hides is the sheer amount of originality and creativity that went into creating the music for games on the Commodore 64. The majority of games produced for the Commodore 64 made use of the machine’s revolutionary SID chip, devised by engineer Bob Yannes who later co-founded the Ensoniq digital synthesizer company, and named by PC World Magazine as one of computing's most important inventions. Although it was advanced for the time composers had to overcome many challenges. For example, the hardware only allowed three voices at once so composers assigned one voice to play quick arpeggios so listeners believed they were hearing sustained chords. It’s well documented that humans are at their best when overcoming limitations or under deadline, and the classic C64 composers pared music to its essence. They had their own sounds and their own way of playing them. Revolutionary composers such as Martin Galway, Rob Hubbard, David Whittaker and Ben Daglish rose to prominence during the 80s for their technology defying masterpieces whose sounds ranged from simple clicks and beeps to complex musical extravaganzas. Included on this compilation is some of their most celebrated work including music from games ‘Arkanoid’, ‘Comic Bakery’, Last Ninja’ and ‘Sanxion’. Influence in modern music is widespread. The sub genres of 8-bit, chiptune, gabba; the lo-fi sounds of DJ Scotch Egg, the rapid arpeggios of Rustie, Crystal Castles’ warped glitches and even the beats of international pop hits such ‘TiK ToK’ by Kesha are all informed by developments made during the early years of home gaming. As relevant as ever, ‘SID Chip Sounds – The Music Of The Commodore 64’ is a vital collection for fans of remarkable electronic music whether retrospective or modernist.

Tracklisting:

A1/ Ben Daglish - Last Ninja (Wastelands)
A2/ Ben Daglish - Last Ninja (Wilderness)
A3/ Ben Daglish - Trap
A4/ Chris Huelsbeck - Giana Sisters (Intro)
B1/ Chris Huelsbeck - Katakis (Song 3)
B2/ David Whittaker - Glider Rider
B3/ David Whittaker - Panther
B4/ Tim & Geoff Follin - Gauntlet 3(1)
B5/ Tim & Geoff Follin - Gauntlet 3(2)
B6/ Tim Follin - LEDStorm (Title)
B7/ Jeroen Tel – Cybernoid 2
C1/ Martin Galway - Wizball [*vinyl only]
C2/ Martin Galway - Comic Bakery
C3/ Martin Galway - Parallax
C4/ Martin Galway - Arkanoid
D1/ Matt Gray - Dominator (Song 2)
D2/ Matt Gray - Last Ninja 2 (Song 2)
D3/ Rob Hubbard - Commando
D4/ Rob Hubbard - Sanxion

Gareth said:

This is a great review of an incredible album. As you say, the quality of the work that has gone into this release is astounding. Equal to the achievements of the best releases on Trunk or Finders Keepers.

So, what do you think? Best reviewer each month gets £10 off their next order!