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Here it is, possibly the weirdest tie-in album ever. You’ve seen music devoted to Muppets, Teletubbies, Power Rangers, Powerpuff Girls, and any number of other bizarre mascots. But what about a modern-day musical tribute to Pac-Man and his fellow retro-video game stars? That’s the idea behind this limited edition Japanese CD licensed by the jolly joystick giants at Namco, one of the few game manufacturers to have weathered the various storms of the game industry, so naturally the album focuses on the characters of Namco’s arcade game properties some two decades ago.

Naturally, your ability to get anything out of this album will rely very heavily upon your ability to handle house music, as well as how familiar you are with the sounds of various and sundry video games which are now, technically, old enough to drink.

The “Pac-Man Remix” is whimsical, funny, and loaded with audio samples from the game, but when one takes into account that everyone from Aphex Twin to D.J. Maui has already mined that territory adequately, I’m not sure this mix stands out. The track devoted to obscure sequel/upgrade kit New Rally-X is a little more low-key, with game samples not making their first appearance until nearly two minutes into the proceedings. This trend is carried further in the first track devoted to Galaga, my favorite game ever to emerge from Namco’s stable, in which no samples or even musical themes from the game appear, resulting in some rather repetitive dance music with no audible ties to its inspiration. The guitar-driven Dig Dug tune bears somewhat more resemblance to the omnipresent tune that accompanies the game of the same name. The second Mappy mix brings actual samples of the game’s sounds back to the fore, along with appropriately sped-up “mouse” voices counting off “1, 2, 3, 4!” at various intervals throughout the song - though the mind-bendingly staccato drum machine beat tries even my patience. The mix devoted to Xevious leans heavily on samples, and is actually one of the best tracks of the whole collection. The honors ultimately go to the “Pac-Man Remix” and the eight-minute “Galaga: Tiny Voice Production Remix” - which even quotes the musical greeting from Close Encounters Of The Third Kind along with various game sounds (!). Those two tracks are really the epitome of what I was expecting - no, scratch that, hoping for - with this CD.

So, to wrap it up, will anyone aside from me enjoy this CD? Well, it’s entirely possible that I may be the only one. Even thought I walked into this one with an open mind, such tracks as the “Galaga: Feel Like Makin’ Jazz” mix and the “Mappy: Latin Makes You Happy” Remix (both, incidentally, remixed by Akakage) suffer from a total disconnect from their titular inspiration, and made me want to hit the “skip track” button on my CD player. On the other hand, I was greatly relieved that Ryosuke Imai’s Galaga remix, the best thing on here, was also the longest track on offer. But in some ways…the music from the various Namco Museum games for the Playstation is superior, sticking much more closely to the source material musically, if not necessarily using samples. (Why Namco didn’t throw this in as a bonus, or perhaps as a proof-of-purchase premium, with its aforementioned retro game collections is a mystery to me. That’s their target audience!) The packaging is eye-catching, and includes a sticker of the colorful cover art (dozens of CGI Pac-Men wearing headphones and eating musical notes).

This is one of those way-way-out-there entries in my vast library which, like Sharkbait’s Blowtorch Facelift CD, will probably mean something different to everyone who hears it. I liked most of it, but it’s not going to be everyday listening - the mood would definitely have to hit me to sit down and pour some of these tracks into my ears.

1. Mappy: Latin Makes You Happy Remix - remixed by Akakage (6:23)
2. Pac-Man Remix - remixed by Yoshihiro Sawasaki (4:27)
3. New Rally-X: Checkered Flag Mix - remixed by Yoshiaki Onishi (6:00)
4. Galaga: Feel Like Makin’ Jazz Mix - remixed by Akakage (6:24)
5. Dig Dug: Pro Action Replay Remix - remixed by Takeo Sasada (3:05)
6. Mappy Remix - remixed by Yoshihiro Sawasaki (5:09)
7. Xevious: Maximum Power of Triple Z80 Remix - remixed by Seiya Nakano (4:38)
8. Galaga: Tiny Voice Production Remix - remixed by Ryosuke Imai (8:01)

Released by: Pony Canyon, Inc.
Release date: 1998
Total running time: 44:07

Much criticism has been levelled at this double-CD release purporting to offer listeners “every note of music from The Phantom Menace, and for the life of me, I still have yet to figure out why. Not quite two years ago, I got into a pretty public debate with Film Score Monthly’s Lukas Kendall about whether or not we deserved a two-CD set containing Episode I’s full score in May, 1999. Instead, Sony gave us a single-CD edition, containing several concert versions and suites combining music from unrelated scenes. Now, I was always a big fan of the original Star Wars soundtrack double LP, back in the days before you could actually put the entire score (plus extras) on two CDs - I have some of those concert suites memorized. I don’t object to suite CDs, so long as the original score is available somewhere. So, despite the objections of quite a few really finicky fans, we finally have that full score release for The Phantom Menace.

So what’s their problem? It seems that some listeners are critical of the edits made to the music for the movie, and would rather hear the original session masters as recorded, prior to being chopped up for placement with scenes of the film that they weren’t necessarily meant to accompany. I can buy that complaint, actually. It was neat hearing the huge amount of stuff that was left out of the opening scenes of The Empire Strikes Back. But at the same time, if this is all we get, I’ll be satisfied. (Not that I’m holding my breath, mind you - three seems to be the magic number for Star Wars soundtracks, as all of the original trilogy soundtracks evolved slowly from abridged LPs to expanded Anthology box set releases to Special Edition full score releases. I’m sure that late 2001 or early 2002 will see the release of, at the very least, a single CD with “outtakes and unused music, heard here for the first time ever!”)

While some reviewers have commented on the blatant sound of the edits, I was only bothered by a very small number of the edits in the music. They don’t exactly stick out like a sore thumb…for the most part. A few of them did get my teeth grating, but not a large enough number to have me using the CDs for a frisbee.

If I have but a single complaint about the Ultimate Edition, it’s the packaging. The double-CD set and 64-page booklet are crammed into what I would charitably describe as a flimsy cardboard package which will not, mark my words, stand up to average jewel case wear and tear for very long. I would much rather have had the traditional double-size 2-CD jewel case with a removable booklet. Granted, the booklet is too thick to be squeezed into a slimline double jewel case. The booklet itself is also part of my complaint: it was originally promised to be a lavish exploration of the making of the music, which practically screams “extensive interview with John Williams,” something I was really looking forward to. Instead, the book is a lazy effort, with a large, page-filling color still from the movie to accompany - get this - each track title. The booklet was truly my biggest disappointment for this package. But my jewel cases tend to sit still and gather dust anyway, and Williams has been interviewed elsewhere about Phantom Menace. The music itself is a four-star special, not to be missed.

Some of the highlights omitted by the original single-disc release include the complete pod race sequence (”Anakin Defeats Sebulba”), the ominous “Anakin Is Free” (a rousing choral reading of the Force theme as Anakin turns to leave his mother behind), and “The Racer Roars To Life” / “Anakin’s Midi-Chlorian Count”, a beautiful piece which goes some way toward confirming my theory that the new composition at the end of Return Of The Jedi: Special Edition will be heard in the next two movies as the more mature Anakin’s theme.

Disc one
1. 20th Century Fox Fanfare (0:23)
2. Star Wars Main Title (1:24)
3. Boarding The Federation Battleship (2:31)
4. Death Warrant For Qui-Gon And Obi-Wan (1:18)
5. Fighting The Destroyer Droids (1:44)
6. Queen Amidala Warns The Federation (2:23)
7. The Droid Invasion (1:00)
8. Swimming To Otoh Gunga (0:56)
9. Inside The Bubble City (3:05)
10. Attack Of The Giant Fish (1:37)
11. Darth Sidious (1:04)
12. The Giant Squid And The Attack On Theed (1:18)
13. Qui-Gon And Obi-Wan Rescue The Queen (2:09)
14. Fighting The Guards (1:42)
15. Escape From Naboo (2:04)
16. Enter Darth Maul (1:07)
17. The Arrival At Tattooine (2:28)
18. Street Band Of Mos Espa (1:17)
19. Padme Meets Anakin (1:12)
20. Desert Winds (1:28 bonus track)
21. Jar Jar’s Run-In With Sebulba (1:18)
22. Anakin’s Home And The Introduction To Threepio (2:42)
23. Darth Sidious And Darth Maul (1:12)
24. Talk Of Podracing (2:59)
25. Watto’s Deal / Shmi And Qui-Gon Talk (2:24)
26. Anakin, Podracer Mechanic (1:38)
27. The Racer Roars To Life / Anakin’s Midi-Chlorian Count (1:24)
28. Darth Maul And The Sith Spacecraft (1:00)
29. Mos Espa Arena Band (0:53)
30. Watto’s Roll Of The Die (1:59)
31. The Flag Parade (1:14)
32. Sebulba’s Dirty Hand / Qui-Gon’s Pep Talk (1:37)
33. Anakin Defeats Sebulba (2:17)
34. Hail To The Winner, Anakin Skywalker (1:13)
35. The Street Singer (1:13)

Disc two
1. Anakin Is Free (5:04)
2. Qui-Gon And Darth Maul Meet (1:48)
3. Anakin And Group To Coruscant (4:11)
4. The Queen And Palpatine (0:41)
5. High Council Meeting (2:37)
6. The Senate (1:12)
7. Anakin’s Test (3:41)
8. Qui-Gon’s Mission / Obi-Wan’s Warning (3:47)
9. Nute And Rune Confer With Darth Sidious (0:29)
10. The Queen And Group Land On Naboo (2:19)
11. Jar Jar Leads Group To The Gungans (2:25)
12. War Plans (2:31)
13. Darth Sidious Receives News Of The Gungan Army (0:25)
14. The Gungans March (0:57)
15. The Queen And Her Group Sneak Back To The Palace (0:18)
16. The Battle Begins (0:24)
17. The Republic Pilots Take Off Into Space (1:26)
18. Activate The Droids (0:44)
19. The Gungans Fight Back (0:24)
20. The Duel Begins (0:51)
21. Anakin Takes Off In Spaceship (0:47)
22. The Duel Continues (0:59)
23. The Battle Rages On (1:59)
24. Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan And Darth Maul Continue Battle (1:22)
25. Qui-Gon, Darth Maul And The Invisible Wall (0:14)
26. The Gungans Retreat And The Queen Surrenders (2:18)
27. The Death Of Qui-Gon And The Surrender Of The Gungans (2:28)
28. The Tide Turns / The Death Of Darth Maul (3:24)
29. The Queen Confronts Nute And Rune (1:47)
30. The Funeral Of Qui-Gon (1:18)
31. The Parade (1:24)
32. End Credits (8:14)
33. Duel Of The Fates - Movie Dialogue Version (4:21 bonus track)

Released by: Sony Classical
Release date: 2000
Disc one total running time: 57:13
Disc two total running time: 66:49

Never heard of Gatchaman? Oh, yes you have. Gatchaman is the story of five highly-trained young people, given state-of-the-art equipment and Earth’s most advanced spacecraft, the God Phoenix. Their mission is to employ their dual skills - ninja fighting and scientific knowledge - to defeat the evil Sosai X, who endlessly conjures up elaborate schemes in an effort to conquer Earth. It’s just possible that this early 70s anime’ series was the birth of the five-kids-in-spandex genre that later gave rise to such godawful live-action train wrecks as Power Rangers and VR Troopers. It’s also just possible that you remember the English dubbed version from the early 80s, retitled Battle of the Planets.

Bob Sakuma’s oft-recycled music accompanied both the Gatchaman team and their American counterparts (a.k.a. “G-Force”), and anyone who spent any time with the show will recognize the melodies and cues lined up on this survey of the show’s music.

I’ll be up-front and advise you to steer clear of this if you are not a Gatchaman/Battle of the Planets fan. This album is loaded with really, really short cues, all crammed into longer tracks. Some of the pieces on this selection of background music are over in all of three seconds - such is the brevity of music composed for animation. Some of the music is really a bit dated too - one doesn’t hear quite so much Hammond organ in science fiction (or, for that matter, animation) these days.

That said, there is a lot of very interesting music here, and some of it stands up quite well. This, along with the Space Battleship Yamato (a.k.a. Star Blazers) soundtrack, may be enough to help you journey back to those post-grade-school afternoons of your youth.

It’s also worth noting that your favorite pieces of music from Battle Of The Planets might not be present here; the Americanized version of the series had music added by U.S. composer Hoyt Curtin, and Curtin’s music - including the Battle Of The Planets theme song - is not represented on this CD. (The original Gatchaman theme, however, is almost disturbing - its title translates to “Destroy Gallactor!” and it is cheerfully sung by a children’s choir.)

Almost all of the non-vocal music from the Gatchaman soundtrack was recently included on a semi-official Battle Of The Planets CD, though this album remains the only place to find the vocal tracks.

1. Prologue (1:27)
   1. Science Ninja Team (0:10)
   2. Gatchaman main theme - Destroy Gallactor! (1:17)
      performed by Columbia Cradle Club
2. Emblem G (3:16)
   1. The White Shadow (0:04)
   2. International Science Organization (0:38)
   3. Birdstyle (0:45)
   4. Scramble (0:53)
   5. Gather God Phoenix (0:53)
3. Gallactor Versions (3:56)
   1. Dangerous (0:47)
   2. Zero Angle (1:38)
   3. Sniper (0:33)
   4. Death Clash (0:30)
   5. Iron Beast (0:21)
4. Fighting Phoenix (3:28)
   1. Snack Jun (0:16)
   2. Gatchaman Attack (1:28)
   3. Birdmissile (0:29)
   4. And Then…Victory (0:40)
   5. Return To The Sunrise (0:33)
5. Coral Reef (0:28)
6. Crescent Moon (3:24)
   1. Good Morning Phoenix (0:52)
   2. Morning Service (0:33)
   3. Croissant (0:21)
   4. At Dusk (0:42)
   5. Goodnight Seahorse (0:49)
7. Behind Shaded Eyes (3:46)
   1. Shadow Of Gallactor (0:26)
   2. Burning City (0:30)
   3. Into Dark Depths (0:35)
   4. The Hidden Devil (0:24)
   5. A Night Of Unrest (0:53)
   6. Devastation Of The Earth (0:45)
8. Katse, The Helmet Strap Tightens (0:33)
9. Gatchaman (0:05)
10. Fighter G (4:00)
    1. Invasion Assault (0:38)
    2. Army Corps (0:34)
    3. Capture (0:41)
    4. Pursuit (0:33)
    5. A Sudden Change (0:16)
    6. Violent Force (0:10)
11. Red Illusion (4:40)
    1. Red Wing (0:06)
    2. Red Partner (2:17)
    3. Red Memory (1:00)
    4. Red Impulse (1:11)
12. Alone On The Earth (0:52)
13. A Pledge To The Open Sky (3:13)
    1. Surrender To Fate (1:16)
    2. Strong Flapping Wings (0:43)
    3. Stable, Lifting Wings (1:10)
14. 0002 (3:48)
    1. Unknown Figure (0:29)
    2. Mutant (0:50)
    3. Cross Karakorum (0:47)
    4. A Living Island (0:34)
    5. Target X (0:16)
    6. Rushing In (0:39)
15. The Phoenix Can (3:30)
    1. Visiting Tomorrow (0:23)
    2. We Are The Flock… (1:06)
    3. Daybreak (0:42)
    4. The Immortal Ninja Team (1:10)
16. Epilogue (1:28)
    1. Ending Theme Song: Gatchaman’s Song (1:28)
       performed by Masato Shimon & The Columbia Cradle Club

Released by: Columbia Nippon
Release date: 1981 (re-released on CD in 1995)
Total running time: 42:59

Now discontinued by Eagle Records, a small label which has unleashed a small slew of ELO live albums in recent years, this two-disc set is a compilation of live cuts as originally broadcast on BBC Radio’s In Concert series.

The first disc kicks off with an extended jam built around what would appear to be an early version of “Boogie #1: From The Sun To The World” from ELO’s second album. The lyrics are wildly different, as are large portions of the lengthy solos, some of which sound like they were kept in mind during the making of On The Third Day. Moog synths and the glorious sound of the group’s early (pre-Mik Kaminski) string section battle it out for prominence. Kuiama turns into a surprisingly relaxed jam, with the three-piece string section shining once more until just before the end of the song (at which point they go hideously out of key). “In The Hall Of The Mountain King” suffers a similar fate - starts out strong, becomes a great chugging Russian dance of sorts, and then falls apart right before the end. By the time “Roll Over Beethoven” rolls around, the group has gotten the hint - it doesn’t last as long as the other numbers, and doesn’t outstay its welcome.

Then we travel forward in time by about a year with a nice rendition of “Ocean Breakup / King Of The Universe”, the indecipherable opening medley from ELO’s third album, On The Third Day. Following the album’s running order, this segues into a low-key (and on-key) “Bluebird Is Dead” and “Oh No, Not Susan” (the latter complete with non-radio-friendly F-word in its lyrics!). Jeff Lynne’s vocals during this live set start out very much in the background, often overshadowed by the instruments, but his performance becomes much more assured by the time “New World Rising” arrives. By this point, Mik Kaminski has joined the band, and after the Third Day medley and a brief introduction of the band members, he takes center stage with his self-penned classical hoedown solo. Another performance of “Mountain King” proves to be a little more polished, and leaps abruptly into a rumbling cover “Great Balls Of Fire”.

The second disc leapfrogs past Eldorado and starts with “Fire On High”, the chugging instrumental which inaugurated 1975’s Face The Music LP. The hard-rocking “Poker” is next up, though this rendition seems to be dominated more by synths than electric guitars. But it’s not until “Nightrider” that the band really starts to shine. The excellence carries over to the band’s second crack at a Third Day medley, with even the between-song interludes from the album spreading out into a luxurious jam highlighting the abilities of the string trio. That portion of the band continues to carry things along into “Bluebird Is Dead” and “Showdown” (and I’ll still take live Showdown over the album version any day). A pre-recorded “Eldorado Overture” leads into a fair reading of “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” (though I still question the need to insult the listener’s intelligence - or waste his time - by not editing pre-recorded bits out of live albums). “Poor Boy (The Greenwood)” fares much better on stage, though its string parts - arranged for a full orchestra - seem to be a little more than the group’s live string trio can handle. One of my favorites from Eldorado, “Illusions In G Major”, relies much less on the string section and turns out to be the best number in the Eldorado set. After Bev Bevan tries to rouse a seemingly lethargic audience, the band launches into “Strange Magic” - in which Bev’s bass backing vocals can be heard much louder than Lynne’s lead! The audience finally wakes up and claps along to “Evil Woman” before Bev even picked up his sticks, and audience participation night continues into the final number, a killer “Ma-Ma-Ma Belle” jam.

This two-disc document of early live ELO is bound to be of interest to ardent fans as well as collectors, now that it has been discontinued from the Eagle Records catalogue. But it’s not the rollicking, polished live set one hears on Live At Winterland - and, thankfully, nor is it the over-polished, largely pre-recorded, uninspiring set from the Live At Wembley CD and DVD. If nothing else, Live At The BBC helps one gain a greater appreciation for drummer Bev Bevan and the three-part string section that represented ELO’s orchestral ambitions on stage, both before and after the orchestra became a literal one on the group’s albums. But more casual listeners, and even some fans, may be appalled by the string section’s misfires in the earlier material. Perhaps this one could have been pared down to the second disc by itself.

Disc one
1. From The Sun To The World (11:39)
2. Kuiama (10:26)
3. In The Hall Of The Mountain King (8:10)
4. Roll Over Beethoven (5:09)
5. King Of The Universe (4:54)
6. Bluebird Is Dead (4:09)
7. Oh No Not Susan (2:43)
8. New World Rising (6:39)
9. Mik’s Violin Solo / Orange Blossom Special (2:37)
10. In The Hall Of The Mountain King (4:56)
11. Great Balls Of Fire (3:25)

Disc two
1. Fire On High (5:35)
2. Poker (4:20)
3. Nightrider (4:59)
4. On The Third Day medley (13:14)
5. Showdown (4:45)
6. Eldorado (6:05)
7. Poor Boy (The Greenwood) (2:43)
8. Illusions In G Major (3:39)
9. Strange Magic (3:37)
10. Evil Woman (5:19)
11. Ma-Ma-Ma Belle (5:32)

Released by: Eagle / Edel
Release date: 1999
Disc one total running time: 64:49
Disc two total running time: 59:50

John Williams’ first project after the universally-acclaimed Star Wars soundtrack couldn’t have been much more different from George Lucas’ space opera. Williams provided some very challengingly abstract music, as well as some wonderfully intelligent melodies, for Steven Spielberg’s definitive UFO film Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.

It could be argued that, with the cacophonous bursts of atonal sound that occur frequently in the first half of the movie, Williams ventured into more mature musical territory than he did with Star Wars, but he also created plenty of memorable motifs, which took over the bulk of the score as Richard Dreyfuss’ character embarked on a quest to find the truth.

Included on the CD is the complete end suite in which aliens and humans attempt to communicate with one another through a musical sequence almost sounding like dueling tubas. Though it has been re-recorded on various soundtrack collections (among them Silva’s Space and Beyond), the original has a unique sound and stands out as one of the highlights of both movie and soundtrack.

The extensive final cue, which picks up when human test pilots volunteer to serve as “exchange students” - leaving Earth aboard the aliens’ ship to learn about their culture - and continuing right on through the end credits, contains some of the most memorable and beautiful music ever created for a film. The gentle rendition of “When You Wish Upon A Star” surprised me when I first heard it, but it also fits perfectly, lending an air of innocence to the benign alien encounter, a nice shift away from the abstract horror of the movie’s first reel.

I can’t recommend this soundtrack highly enough.

1. Opening - Let There Be Light (0:46)
2. Navy Planes (2:07)
3. Lost Squadron (2:23)
4. Roy’s First Encounter (2:41)
5. Encounter At Crescendo Summit (1:21)
6. Chasing UFOs (1:18)
7. False Alarm (1:42)
8. Barry’s Kidnapping (6:19)
9. The Cover-Up (1:26)
10. Stars And Trucks (0:44)
11. Forming The Mountain (1:50)
12. TV Reveals (1:50)
13. Roy And Gillian On The Road (1:10)
14. The Mountain (3:31)
15. Who Are You People? (1:35)
16. The Escape (2:18)
17. The Escape - alternate cue (2:40)
18. Trucking (2:01)
19. Climbing The Mountain (2:32)
20. Outstretch Hands (2:48)
21. Light Show (3:43)
22. Barnstorming (4:26)
23. The Mothership (4:34)
24. Wild Signals (4:12)
25. The Returnees (3:45)
26. The Visitors / Bye / End Titles: The Special Edition (12:31)

Released by: Arista
Release date: 1978 (special edition released in 1998)
Total running time: 77:21