ReMix:Mega Man 2 "The Quick and the Blue" 4:03

By The Megas

Arranging the music of one song...

"Quick Man Stage"

Primary Game: Mega Man 2 (Capcom , 1988, NES), music by Manami Matsumae, Takashi Tateishi

Posted 2010-09-06, evaluated by djpretzel


More Megas? Hell yes. We played 'Monsteropolis' as folks were shuffling in to our recent PAX panel (thanks all who showed up, including AE with his misinterpreted hand gestures), and I for one have certainly been looking forward to posting something else from them ever since. We get our chance, as Greg writes:

"Hey guys - we've been wanting to submit another song to OC ReMix for a while now, and I think this is a good one to submit We just released an acoustic remix of our Get Equipped album, entitled Get Acoustic. In addition to the acoustic instrumentation, we added synth orchestral elements. The song we're submitting is The Quick and the Blue/Quickman - hope you guys enjoy!"

Spoiler: We did. Not all albums/bands can successfully rock the acoustic transition, although some (10,000 Maniacs' MTV Unplugged comes to mind) actually sound better. The Megas can certainly walk both sides of the street, as this track proves; besides a perfect title that reminds me of Gene Hackman's best performance as a villain, this acoustic rendition of their 'Quickman' arrangement places the vocals/lyrics center stage. That might be a very dangerous and/or negative thing, if this band weren't all about writing awesome, contextual, well-constructed stanzas of personified lyrical Mega Man glory. Some people don't really care or pay attention to lyrics, but I certainly do, and I dig what these guys are cooking up - in my opinion it's a big part of what allowed a successful transition to acoustic. The synth/orchestral elements aren't as strong and pronounced as they could be - I would have liked a more prominent, articulate cello part for this arrangement, in particular - but that's a smallish nitpick to an enjoyable, creative cut off an enjoyable, creative album. Adjective recycling FTW.

If for some reason The Megas have escaped your attentions or you're not much into rock/metal and prefer acoustic, this should be an excellent introduction to their stuff. You can get the full physical album + other albums & merch at their online store (their newest EP, Sparked a War, includes their first take on Mega Man 3), or check out their Bandcamp site for lossless downloadable versions. Great stuff from a visionary, conceptual group that makes it all somehow work, perfectly, through their music & words.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Rhellik
on 2021-07-23 03:17:47

The moment when you remember there was a really awesome remix somewhere on OCRemix and after wading through hundreds (or tens) of songs because you can't remember the name or the original song, then you find it and listen to it with headphones and tears rolls down your eyes to this emotionally filled story.

This is one of the many remixes that pop into my head from time to time, and it's a really special one.

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RiverSound
on 2015-12-02 04:32:40

Can I just start by saying how much I love this song? I mean it's so tightly arranged, performed and produced that it's easy to love the song just on those merits, but where this remix really shines is the story. It's rare to have the narrative match the arrangement so perfectly... I genuinely feel like I'm not only listening to a great piece of music, but a story of epic proportions that bring Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns to mind, especially the final duels and what leads up to them. You simply can't not get emotionally invested.

And since people in this thread have taken a habit of picking a favorite line from the song... Well, this one for me embodies the final moments of a warrior who knows that eventually, someone will come who is stronger - or in this case, faster - than he is, and accepting that inevitable fate with dignity.

My circuits slow

I'm not scared anymore

I see the faces of my brothers that have fallen before

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Black_Doom
on 2015-12-02 03:12:25

Incredibly catchy song. I love such soulful songs a lot - and this one in particular is a great example of how to create a track with lyrics that doesn't cause much hate (I belive it's true :D). "My circuits slow..." part is probably the best here. Definitely a higlight of GA.

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Sibre
on 2014-10-03 15:37:26

Just discovered this piece, and I'm really digging it! Mostly due to the fantastic lyrics. Sympathy for a sub-boss - who'd have thought it?

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Crulex
on 2012-09-15 19:25:34

This one surprised me because it was one of those songs that really told the freakin' story and does it well. That's what was so interesting to me, because usually it's the music that I look to (or listen to, rather) first, then the lyrics. But with this one, it was the opposite. The lyrics painted the picture of the battle perfectly, and the music just sorta matched the tone. Brilliant. I really loved that about this ReMix. Kinda interesting that the lyrics kinda fell out of line as Quickman died. That was cleaver as hell. The Megas picks up a decisive musical win here and this is definitely going in my recommended list.

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AMT
on 2011-02-13 16:01:05

This song is great- it has some of the best lyric writing I've heard on this site. Awesome job, I love it!

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42
on 2010-12-26 18:43:08

Hee-hee, I agree with Kizyr and DarkSim; my favorite lyrics are

My circuits slow

I'm not scared anymore

This is the moment that we have been created for

for also their reasons about how it deals with destiny. But what I like here is how Quick Man is also rising to meet his destiny (the "not scared anymore" part and how it's repeated mantra like).

There's also just a bunch of little things in the narrative painted here that I like too, such as how the battle between Mega Man and Quick Man is given as much time as the rest of the narrative else even though such an actual battle would only last seconds, if that makes sense.

This is probably my favorite track from The Megas; I still like the non-acoustic version better though because it just reaches higher levels of tension that this one doesn't. Still, this is a really good version, and I hope that this does get more people interested in The Megas like Annihilation of Monsteropolis did for me. :-D

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FenixDown
on 2010-12-16 22:07:22

I found the lyrics of this arrangement to be my favorite aspect of this mix. I liked how Quickman was portrayed as the hero defending his town from the outsider Megaman; it's not the approach many would consider. The instrumentation added to the Western theme of the song nicely. Another win for The Megas.

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DarkSim
on 2010-12-16 16:39:25

Errr woops, so you did! My mistake, I reviewed a lot of stuff yesterday and must have missed it.

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Kizyr
on 2010-12-16 15:21:03
A great line no-one's mentioned yet - your choice of the word "created" here is a stroke of genius. It implies a destiny; an inevitability about the situation that no matter how hard he tries, the Quick Man will never win, so his efforts are in vain. We know this, he knows this, yet he still tries, and we empathise with him.

...I quoted those exact same lines in the previous page as my favorite lyrics in the entire piece.

For the exact same reasons, no less. That's why this is my favorite that The Megas have done--though the one based on the level select theme approaches it. I could get all Asimov on an interpretation of the lyrics here, too, based around just those three lines--something about the implicit analogy between robots' programming and humans' destiny/fate gets to the sci-fi fan in me. KF

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Sansato
on 2010-12-16 01:51:04

I actually purchased the entire album from iTunes a while back, but this is still my favorite track from it. For me, the lyrics invoke the theme of a wild west showdown at high noon. The brass helps with that as well. Death does wear blue, and this song is great. Not exactly epic, but close to it.

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DarkSim
on 2010-12-15 10:43:18

This mix took me by surprise - I really didn't expect to be moved by the lyrical content of a game remix, but the effort put in and the vocal harmonies just get me every time. I'm completely enraptured by the storytelling and desperation of the Quick Man, the song's tragic hero. I've never even played a Mega Man game, but the song's so well written I don't have to have done, and that's got to speak volumes. I also barely notice the instrumentation, but upon closer listen I love the acoustic bass.

I definitely hear the Killers reference in there, which is probably my only criticism, as it sort of "breaks the 4th wall" in the storytelling as my brain associates it with Mr Brightside, and I'm momentarily distracted.

My circuits slow

I'm not scared anymore

This is the moment that we have been created for

A great line no-one's mentioned yet - your choice of the word "created" here is a stroke of genius. It implies a destiny; an inevitability about the situation that no matter how hard he tries, the Quick Man will never win, so his efforts are in vain. We know this, he knows this, yet he still tries, and we empathise with him.

Thankfully, next on my OCR playlist is a halc/ben briggs mix to cheer me up again after this song's totally swept me off to a distant emotional plane. Clever, compelling stuff.

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rahmoon
on 2010-09-29 16:29:27

I didn't know what to expect when I saw it was an acoustic mix, but this definitely gave me chills as I listened to it. One of the only things I didn't like was the end narrative; I mean, I enjoyed the epilogue of the story, but my own personal preference would be to have it sung lyrically, like the rest of it, like in a more minor key or something. But really and truly, that's all I took exception to, everything else was pretty darn awesome. I'm definitely checking out The Megas, I really enjoyed this concept.

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Martin Penwald
on 2010-09-20 14:28:14

Guitars and vocals are nice, but what really makes this mix stand out are the lyrics. Damn, are they awesome. The way the story of Quickman and Megaman is told, the slow part around 3:00, the final showdown...I'm usually rather hesitant to use the word "epic", especially on the internet, but in this case, I don't have any problem doing so.

Stellar work, guys.

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stealthchicken
on 2010-09-15 03:06:46

I'm normally far too lazy to post on here but you guys really deserve some praise on this one. I must admit that at first I wasn't really into the song because I normally prefer the likes of Halc, PrototypeRaptor, chthonic, and bLiNd. But after listening to the lyrics the whole way through I was completely hooked.

The acoustic western feel just goes SO well with the song and it's lyrics it's nuts. And the lyrics themselves just blow me away. It makes me feel for the Quick Man's plight and I can so easily picture the story you're trying to tell.

"My circuits slow. What they said is a lie. The shots are heard and the bullets scream death as they fly."

"I'm not scared anymore. I join the ranks of my brothers that have fallen before." - TRULY epic job guys.

*Edit* I checked out your album and it was alright. To me though, it just seems that this song has a certain polish to it that some of your other tracks lack. I'd easily spend $20+ on an album with more tracks like this and LOVE it!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Mega Man 2 (Capcom , 1988, NES)
Music by Manami Matsumae,Takashi Tateishi
Songs:
"Quick Man Stage"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Acoustic,Acoustic Guitar,Vocals: Male
Additional:
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original

File Information


Name:
Mega_Man_2_The_Quick_and_the_Blue_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,916,298 bytes
MD5:
b4504c1753c2747278b8cd3a73633c0f
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
4:03

They say he appeared in a doorway
Boomerangs at his sides.
The fate that he would defy...
A mega man is coming to die!

Wait now, there's too much at stake now
There he goes...
He looked to the distance and cried,
"The man in blue has arrived!"

Quick on the draw
In this town, I am the law.
Is what they say true?
Does death wear blue?
Can he fall?

It was then
That the crowd saw the quick man.
He knew that he couldn't tell them
He was the quickest of all...
Would this be the day that he falls?

Wait now, there's too much at stake now
A cold wind blows...
He looked at the crowd and he cried,
"The moment of truth has arrived!"

Quick on the draw
In this town, I am the law.
Is what they say true?
Does death wear blue?
Can he fall?

My circuits slow
I'm not scared anymore
I see the faces of my brothers that have fallen before

My circuits slow
I'm not scared anymore
Reach for my weapon and in turn you're reaching for yours

My circuits slow
What they said is a lie
The shots are heard and the bullets scream death as they fly

My circuits slow
I'm not scared anymore
This is the moment that we have been created for

My circuits slow
My moment has come
Your speed means nothing if it's death that you're running from

My circuits slow
I'm not scared anymore
I join the ranks of my brothers that have fallen before

You're too quick on the draw...
Burn this town - there is no law.
What they say's true -
Death does wear blue.
He can't fall...

Featured on album...

get acoustic


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Published 2010-02-04
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