MIDI Week Singles: "Zoness" - Star Fox 64 (N64)

"Zoness" from Star Fox 64 on the Nintendo 64 (1997)
Composer: Hajime Wakai
Record Label: Pony Canon PCCG-00421
Game Developer: Nintendo

First off, did you know that with this song (and 22 others), this was Hajime Wakai's first soundtrack that he composed?  Sure he worked on Yoshi's Story doing sound effects, but this, right here is his first soundtrack.  Damn.

That aside, the music used in the Zoness stage in Star Fox 64 was probably my favorite track from the entire game.  Coupled with the fact that Zoness was one of those stages that you had to make the conscious decision to go to meant that you either enjoyed the level, enjoyed the music or you hated it and wanted to get to Sector Z to finally destroy both of those damn missiles before one of them collided with the Great Fox.  

But for me, it was the music in Zoness.  After completing the game you were awarded with being able to listen to the soundtrack and I don't know why I never got around to purchasing the soundtrack when I first had the chance, but since then I've been able to acquire the whole thing and this was the first song I listen to upon fixing all the ID3 tags; or maybe I made that part up, but it sounds good anyway.



~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
Instrumental

MIDI Week Singles: "All I Need Is 30 Deaths" - F-Zero X (N64)

"All I Need Is 30 Deaths" from F-Zero X on the Nintendo 64 (1998)

F-Zero X Original Sound Track

Record Label: Pony Canon (PCCG-00459)

Composers: Taro Bando & Hajime Wakai

Game Developer: Nintendo EAD

Now, anyone familiar with the F-Zero franchise will probably be wondering why I chose such a random song from such a large catalogue of recognizable music.  Simply put, until last week, my brain had misinformed me about the origins of this particular song.

Up until last week, I was convinced that the melody from this track (starting at 0:22) was from Faceball 2000.  How sure was I about this apparent fact?  I would have put money on it.  I have been so sure that this song was used in Faceball 2000 that since the first time I heard it, probably back in 1999 that I absolutely knew that this song was in that SNES game from 1992.

That is, until last week when I went looking for it.  

Can you blame me though?  Listen to that odd little bit of melody that lasts a mere 10 seconds.  Now go back to last weeks MWS and tell me that this melody would not have worked perfectly in Faceball 2000.  I am just a bit sad that this has not been the case.

Nevertheless, I find this to be a pretty catchy little ditty that lasts 10 seconds amidst rising driving chord progressions (pun not intended).  And despite this song being an original composition and not based off of a weird and quirky soundtrack from 11 years prior, I still like it.



~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
Running In Circles