Jimmy the Lip

Oh, I'm certainly glad this one got through the Judges so fast. I listened to this when AmIEvil put it up on the forums for public comment, and since I loved it then, I love it now. The rising brass and intro help to build up to the song itself, and when it gets in, there's no stopping it. The saxophone tes this bluesy gem, with brass blares and rolls in the background to add to the effect. An organ comes in at about the :55 mark, giving a little more variety to the piece and keeping it from getting too repetitive - that is, if it could possibly get repetitive. The jazzy riff with the improv sax therein is very snazzy, and during the last forty-five seconds the brass takes backseat to a somewhat eclectic organ solo in the foreground. AmIEvil has always put out quality ReMixes, and jazz mixes are usually some of my favourites, so this lives up to all expectations. "Battle Rocks" has a very realistic, human feel to it and the instrumentation is very well done both in arrangement and the quality of the sound. This one is definitely one that'll be staying on MY playlist for some time to come. Thanks, djpretzel. Thanks AmIEvil. Thanks OCR!

OCR's resident site administrator, DJ Pretzel, puts forth an excellent take on the Dire, Dire Docks/Jolly Roger Bay theme from Super Mario 64 in his ReMix "Sunken Suite". The song starts off with a lead-in apparently composed by Pretzel himself, which is in itself very well-done, before the theme breaks out into the music from Super Mario 64 itself. The piano is accompanied by samples of supporting strings and something in the way of a "distant guitar", so to speak (DJ Pretzel named the sound as vibes, I believe) as well as an English Horn, which I would not have been able to pick out had not the ReMixer mentioned it in his own review. A drumbeat in the backround comes into the piece about two-thirds through and gives the piece a much more lively feel while still keeping in with the general ambience of Pretzel's rendition of that unforgettable underwater theme from SM64. The piece closes with the piano slowly playing out a few bars of the tune before this superb song finally closes. The Dire, Dire Docks theme was probably the best song in SM64 in the way of composition and giving a real ambience to the levels in which it was included. That theme stuck in my mind the first time I heard it played in Jolly Roger Bay six or seven years ago now, my introduction to the Nintendo 64, and has been embedded in my memory ever since. DJ Pretezel does justice to one of Koji Kondo's most atmoshperic pieces with his "Sunken Suite", and I thoroughly enjoy it. I recommend that you download this one, as it is one of OCR's site administrator's best ReMixes and is worthy of recognition by all accounts.

McVaffe's return to OCR was quite a fitting piece to announce his rearrival on All Hallow's Eave of last year. "Gift From Moscow" begins with a harpsichord playing a forty-five second introduction before going into Tetris' unforgettable title theme. The second part is then performed by a lone piano before another short intro sounds and percussion and bass join the mix. A smashing accordion picks up the lead melody from there, playing in a stunningly traditional style that makes the tune sound almost as if it came right out of Eastern Europe itself. The harpsichord picks up again with the bass, percussion, and accordion still in the background until it goes extensively into the tune played during part of the piece's intro. This Slavic-themed gift ends with the harpsichord on its own once again, slowly playing out the very last notes in a pretty, slow-tempo version of the second song from the piece's intro. "Gift From Moscow" is certainly a great tune at least for me, because I am an avid fan of Germanic and Slavic traditional music and the baroque-to-early-classical themes of that forerunner of the piano, the harpsichord. McVaffe arranged Tetris' main theme so to make it appear as if it may never have been a video game theme at all, but rather a pleasant folksong from Poland or Chzekoslovakia, and used very high-quality sounds to complete the effect. This is a terrifically splendid rendition of that unforgettable block-breaking theme, and I strongly reccommend you at least give it a try. I can almost guarantee that you will enjoy it as immensly as I did.

Russel Cox is, quite simply put, probably my favorite ReMixer on OverClocked ReMix. I was raised on orchestral music, mainly classical, and have harboured a love for orchestral works in general ever since. And so when I discovered this fellow's work, I immediately fell in love with it and hold his ReMixing abilities over any other that puts forth their work on this site. Though I have never played the game Ninja Gaiden, it does not take the experience of a thing such as a game or a film to enjoy the themes from said game or film. "Death of a Legend", Mr. Cox's take on a theme from Ninja Gaiden, starts off with either a clarinet or an oboe (I really never can tell) with string backup until the strings break in and play the theme for maybe half a minute. The tone of the song changes then, and the oboe/claranet reenters in a higher key along with the strings. After the end of this section begins a section in which there is a much more film-like quality to the piece with brass backup and a bass drum providing a beat. This section ends and leads into some low key strings and then a lone flute with a harp in the background. "Death of a Legend" combines sadness and a sort of resolute determination and just a touch of triumph, if a musical arrangement can be described in such terms: a very emotional piece. It sounds like it could be part of a soundtrack to a film and, from personal experience, I know that it would make and makes smashing background music while reading (and good background music, in my opinion, is required for the full enjoyment of a good book). Since I first wrote this I have used it as background for the Lord of the Rings during the trek to Mordor, and it fits perfectly: sad, depressing, hopeless, and yet the tiniest glimmer of good on the horizon, a shaft of sunlight peeking through the clouds. (I'm a hopeless Tolkien nut; so sue me.) As with all of Mr. Cox's arrangements, this is a first-class ReMix and is worthy of downloading by all means.

The Forest Maze theme from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was an excellent theme, exemplifying the ambience, for want of a better word, of that game. The tune was adventurous with just a touch of forboding, as if some hidden fear lurked in the shadows of the trees as you ventured through the tangled forest... maybe a bit dramatic for a Mario game, but the theme did work. And "Geno's Woods" takes that adventurous, almost midieval theme and adds to it, creating a piece worthy of inclusion in a revamped SMRPG:LotSS for the GameCube or a later system. The woodwinds play a key role in this arrangement, dominating the melody and occasionally suplemented by strings in the background. The ambient sounds at the beginning of the piece are a nice touch, and the entire song flows very smoothly. It is really a shame that Orkybash couldn't have made this song a bit more lengthy, the piece's total time clocking in at one minute and forty-two seconds, as "Geno's Woods" really is a very fine ReMix worthy of recognition and recommended for downloading. At least in the humble opinion of this reviewer, though my opinion may not be held in high esteem in comparison when compared with many others that haunt this site. No matter - it's still a brilliant bit of work.

Yoshi's Rag is one my favorite ReMixes that has come out of this site, period. It is very realistic and incorporates naught of the techno genre, which is pleasing to those of us who you might call "music purists". This piece fits very well the atmosphere of the original game in its light-heartedness and fun air. The piece starts off with a ragtime-style piano and light percussion until it is joined by the bass at about the 25" mark. The piece pulls into a higher key for the last thirty seconds or so before ending at a total of 1 minute and 30 seconds, and for the quality of the piece this is far too short a length. McVaffe is highly acclaimed in the ReMixing circle, and rightly so, not just for this mix but for his others. If the site administrator decided to make an album of this site's best, Yoshi's Rag would be a prime contender. A great piece of music ReMixed flawlessly by the incomparable McVaffe. Not quite as rowdy as McVaffe's "Phazeremix Rag", but for all intents and purposes I believe I prefer this piece over his ragtime mix from Super Mario Bros. 2. A recommended download for all.

McVaffe is (or at least was) one of the more prolific contributors here on OverClocked ReMix, and that is certainly not a bad thing. So saying, the piece Bukki's Tango is a very well-done piece by most standards. The string introduction was excellent, very befitting of the atmosphere that the original Booster's Tower imposed on the player. The drums that come in after about the 45' mark were not required though and took away from the classical effect that could have been achieved by our McVaffe. The strings and clarinet/oboe (I can't tell which off the top of my head; leaning towards the latter) compliment each other well, and the drums and other effects work, but if the drums had been left out the piece would have taken on a very nice and well-appreciated classical air. Oh well. When one has the occasion to get such an excellent piece, one must take the bad with the good, must one not? All in all, Bukki's Tango was a very nice piece assembled by one the best ReMixers on OCR, the highly-acclaimed McVaffe.

Being a patron of both OverClocked Remix and VGMix with a broad listening range and a particular appreciation of orchestral pieces, I must say that Mr. Cox’s “Farewell, Star Guardian” from the Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is one of the best orchestral arrangements of a video game piece that I have ever heard, and that is saying something. The piece comes in with a delicate celeste that gradually gives way to pizzicato strings and a harp, making the intro sound very similar to a music box. From there, the arrangement progresses to a string ensemble with occasional brass backup and an oboe playing the lead melody. The song slows down a little past the halfway mark, losing instrumentation until only the original celeste remains, but it quickly changes to a much livelier pace and goes into full-blown orchestration. This well-executed piece ends with much the same sort of music box tone with which it began. I have heard many orchestral arrangements of selections from video game scores, including all the Orchestral Game Concert albums, and I believe that this piece tops even some of the pieces from OGC, at least in execution and arrangement. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars had one of the best soundtracks for any game on a Nintendo system, and I believe that Mr. Cox’s professional-quality orchestral arrangement of one of the best pieces from the score more than does it justice. There really should be more orchestral pieces of this calibre on this website (other than Mr. Cox’s other admirable orchestral arrangements, which are all very high calibre).