MEMORABLE MELODIES

FIVE CLASSIC TUNES THAT BRING THE NOSTALGIA FLOODING BACK

TUNE

Main Theme

COMPOSER

Rob Hubbard

There are any number of games you could have chosen to represent Rob Hubbard’s work, but we particularly like the frenzied accompaniment to Monty Mole’s third outing. The lengthy piece incorporates a number of amazing sections, including a memorable ‘guitar’ solo in the middle.

TUNE

Overworld Theme

COMPOSER

Koji Kondo

This jaunty little theme definitely feels like the right fit for a game that plunges you straight into the deep end of an adventure, with nothing but some weaponry and your wits to protect you. Though the tune lasts just 40 seconds before looping, it remains the basis for the series’ themes to this day.

TUNE

Magical Sound Shower

COMPOSER

Hiroshi Kawaguchi

At a time when music was still a luxury in many games, Kawaguchi’s access to arcade hardware allowed him to do pioneering work with FM synthesis and even add a choice of soundtracks. When we daydream of sunny shores lined with palm trees, this is our musical accompaniment.

TUNE

Title theme

COMPOSER

Adam Gilmore

Time and talent can do great things, and by the late Eighties Adam Gilmore had really learned to wrestle the best from the Atari 8-bit’s POKEY chip. The title theme for Draconus really made the old hardware sing, and set the tone for the game – which it had to, since there was no in-game music.

TUNE

Main Theme

COMPOSER

Bomb The Bass/david Whittaker

Adapting the track Megablast (Hip Hop On Precinct 13) was a stroke of genius for the always trendy Bitmap Brothers. As well as being one of the earliest signs of the licensed music boom that would happen in the Nineties, it was something that demonstrated the power of the 16-bit machines.