ReMix:Super Thunder Blade "Blue Chopper" 1:44

By Joe Redifer

Arranging the music of one song...

"Stage 4"

Primary Game: Super Thunder Blade (Sega , 1988, GEN), music by Koichi Namiki, Sting Saito

Posted 2002-03-24, evaluated by djpretzel


I joked with Joe when he sent this in that he was getting to cover all the great Sega classics while I was busy running the site, which is actually true, but I'm glad he is (lord knows, with all youse Mega Man and Squaresoft fanatics out there, someone gotta represent SEGA 'round here!) This is a short bit from Thunder Blade - it's listed as Super Thunderblade because the music is actually the same for the arcade and Genesis versions. Actually, I'm still not exactly sure what was 'Super' about the Genesis port, myself, as the software scaling implementation couldn't match the arcade original. There was a cool bug in this game where you could get stuck in front of a tunnel if you were going slow enough or something and just sit there and rack up points until you had a zillion lives. Yes, this is indicative of how I spent my youh - finding bugs in Genesis games, while the other kids were outside playing in that 'sunlight' thing I've heard a lot about. No regrets :) But I digress. Joe's mix is a straghtforward rock/pop mix with some nice twists - namely, the weird synth effect that enters at 0'15" and goes up and down in an odd swirling gurgle - very cool, nice touch. Main melody is carried by an electric piano, but it doesn't sound like your typical rhodes - interesting patch. Altogether, a good, brief arrangement of a song that I remember and would never have guessed anyone would ReMix, which is always great to see. Also, the bass is quite solid and sits right where it should, forming a solid foundation for the track.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 14 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Marmiduke
on 2011-02-11 11:08:53

Hahaha. I just love it when a mix like this comes on. SO HARSHLY juxtaposed to the amount of quality production available on the site, and yet... I find myself enjoying this 5 times as much as almost everything else.

I mean, let's face it. This is borderline brutal listening by today's standards. But the bizarre combination of Genesis-era samples, insane unhinged synths and that undeniably sinister yet joyous melody creates something unforgettable. It can't be healthy to enjoy it as much as I do. /plays it again.

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Level 99
on 2010-12-27 17:40:53

Okay....umm, this chopper is on drugs and needs to be grounded a bit. The hihat distorts and is distracting, the flange effect is WAY out of proportion, and the mixing in general is iffy. Guess I'm not a fan of what was done here, is what I'm saying. Not horrendous but it did make me feel seasick while sitting still.

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Vilecat
on 2010-12-27 17:39:34

Meeeeeeeh dunno...

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Bahamut
on 2009-09-21 11:41:47

Man this didn't age terribly well.

Don't really have much to say except poor samples, rough production, and an almost non-existent arrangement.

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justinj212
on 2009-01-15 01:59:55

The track definitely has its own unique sound to it, I wasn't too crazy about the high-pitched synth around 0:15 but it was certainly a memorable track. good job!

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evktalo
on 2008-12-11 16:17:10

There indeed is a strange "creepy" quality to this track. At first I didn't like this at all, but now I have to listen to it a couple of times again. The weird "signature sound" helps. Sounds like the original has a lot of potential. Despite the aged sounds, the beat and bass sound pretty good in this one. I don't like the strings much, they sound like a blanket that's been thrown over the track.

--Eino

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DragonAvenger
on 2008-09-08 20:37:18

Bass-line's pretty cool. Keeps the track moving.

Nothing really grabbed me in this one. The synthy thing was cool at first, but I didn't find it really enough to keep me interested. From the sounds of the other reviews this is more of an 'upgrade', and there's nothing wrong with that. Just not the track for me.

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Palpable
on 2007-12-12 15:08:02

This song is all about those pitch-bending synths. It's a very unusual sound that lends the song a memorable hook. The rest is sort of MIDI-ish, true, but I like that I can find something cool in every one of these old mixes I go back through.

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Blake
on 2006-12-28 12:42:03

From the get go I'm digging the beat. And I like the useage of what seems to be the game's SFX. Not much variation between the two series of verse and chorus. Overall nice to listen to.

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OA
on 2006-12-26 13:59:10

The sound quality is a bit midi on this, but the melody is really nice, and while I don't think it'd meet the OCR standards today, it is definitely enjoyable to listen to. The strange rising and falling synth seems a bit strange, but after a few listens, it really endears itself, and becomes something to look forward to.

It's a shame the track is so short though, the ending is nonexistent. :/

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Less Ashamed Of Self
on 2004-08-01 02:32:04

I really really like this mix. There's something delightfully creepy in those raising/lowering bizarre synth noises. It's like haunted pseudo voices calling to me. It creeps me out and I like it. I just d/led it yet I've listened to it 10+ times already.

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DarkWolf
on 2003-07-11 09:48:48

This song brings back memories of flying helicopters into those weird pipes. The remix captures the original almost perfectly. If you're lucky enough to own the cart, fire it up and compare the two.

Actually, I'm still not exactly sure what was 'Super' about the Genesis port...

The Genesis version is different compared to the Master System version. I suppose they didn't want to confuse the two.

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Liontamer
on 2003-04-23 14:10:45

I thought this was a keeper. For a lot of the older games on the Genesis, the sound production was pretty crappy. So while this mix doesn't particularly vary up the original melody, Joe's choice of instrumentalization here, and in his ReMix of Herzog Zwei's "A Breach Of Contract," makes the music sound the way it should have been intended to sound. Listening to the original GYMs, I think you can understand what I'm talking about. The use of synths here also sound fairly full as compared to more non-organic sounding synths, despite the reverb.

Super Thunder Blade doesn't have many mixable themes, in my opinion, but I'm glad Joe came out and did the Level 4 music, since it is pretty good. It's a brief mix, but check it out.

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orkybash
on 2002-05-24 20:50:35

Super Thunder Blade 'Blue Chopper'

This mix from Joe, while pretty good for what it is, is overall rather unremarkable. The only thing that really stuck with me is the the synths that pitch bend up and down in the background, and I found those kinda annoying anyway. So while some may like it, I'll pass.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Super Thunder Blade (Sega , 1988, GEN)
Music by Koichi Namiki,Sting Saito
Songs:
"Stage 4"

Tags (1)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Additional:
Time > Duration: Short

File Information


Name:
Super_Thunder_Blade_Blue_Chopper_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
2,573,660 bytes
MD5:
16eb8bdd09f3c7467b50b1f02c2e48bb
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
1:44

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