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OCR01346 - Sonic the Hedgehog "Live at the Springyard"


djpretzel
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you call that a remix? i hated it. it needs to be more upbeat and techno. too slow for my taste.
sorry, i am having problems.

Quoted for noncontextual emphasis.

I really liked the idea. I get the feeling that spring yard was originally supposed to be something like what Harmony has made it into.

Good work, man.

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OMG. This is aMAzing. I listend to Harmony's first SOM song and was blown away by how deep and intricate the musical atmosphere was, but here we have something that completely blows any atmospheric OCR piece away... this my friend is stellar work, you have GOT IT. Harmony, please continue making your music because you are one hell of a musical pimp. I love the sweet and delicate guitar playing so don't ever leave that out of any of your songs! Very very cool.

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j00 r the pwnt.

Very nice drum programming, extremely nice harmonization and pretty cool soloing too. It's a shame the guitar sounds unprofessional due to lack of equipment. Everything sounds very smooth both rhythmically and harmonically and well... it just WORKS, even though it's pretty complex. Credit is even more deserved given the transmogrification of the original implied here. I have some minor gripes, but I already told you that in the WIP forums. All in all, greatness.

The "yeah" during the drum "solo" at the end is an instant classic :D

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Oh my gosh... This is so. damn. good.

Smooth jazz is all they listen to here in Baltimore, so when I heard this track, I actually laughed out loud. The solos are excellent, and that slurred "dyahhhh da da da da da dowww" right before the bosa nova section was so perfect.

The mix reminds me a lot of Andreas Vollenwieder, swiss harpist, for some reason. Especially his album "Caverna Magica." Have a listen.

http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1058242

(Maybe I'm just losing it?)

A+ :D

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Wow. This is the first of it's kind for me. I've really enjoyed this remix since getting it. So smooth, and eloquent, makes you wanna break out the good scotch and just chill out. The jazz/samba/Vegas hotel lobby musak thing is really just nice, I can't comment on that enough.

Good flippin' stuff, Harmony

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  • 6 months later...

I'm not sure if I've jumped to conclusions, or perhaps missed some crucial announcement or discussion recently, but I was somewhat saddened when I heard that Harmony was withdrawing from the judges panel due to time-constraints. I hope it doesn't mean that we've heard the last from him remix-wise. But, if so, he has already given many (me certainly included) three wonderful remixes to enjoy.

As for this remix, I haven't been to one of these in ages. …Ahem. But all contextual kidding aside, this one might not have the trickling instrumental textures of his first, or the scale and production of the third, but I still think it's his best.

Its biggest strength, I think, is its creativity and interpretation. Though it arguably doesn't switch genres from the original "Spring Yard Zone" tune and, retrospectively, it seems like that track was screaming for this very sort of arrangement all along, it certainly brings a great deal of life and atmosphere to it. The way in which this remix was done results in what I think is one of the most fitting and unique video game music arrangements available so far.

The little ambient touches with the audience were pulled off well, and seem both comical and serious at the same time. Rather than merely sounding cliché and unconvincing (as such approaches are often prone to), they are largely responsible for imparting much of the aforementioned atmosphere, as if we are all being treated to the performance. The opening cleverly incorporates the "SEGA" soundbite most of us are so familiar with, and the subsequent lounge vocals are nearly perfect. The lyrics, which some might denounce as corny, are (in my opinion) very appropriate and tie the remix more closely in with the game in a serious yet light-hearted way.

The instrumental voicing is soft and nicely laid-back. The drums would be better served if they were actually played live and not just sampled (which I imagine is an obvious and unreasonable criticism given the assumed limited resources of Mr. Bush in this case), but the programming is still done well. (I especially like some of the semi-subtle flourishes, like the ride cymbal bell on the off-beats from 3:51 to 3:54.) The vibraphone has a similarly MIDI-ish sound, but I actually kind of like it in this piece. It works. The jazz guitar playing is simple but great, and reminds me of Pat Metheny in many parts.

Fortunately, with all of these strengths, the structure and pacing of the arrangement brings it all wonderfully together. Blending some of the prototypical techniques of smooth jazz with Harmony's unique take on the source track, it stays fresh and maintains an easy forward drive from beginning to end. It keeps a cohesive groove and consistent style, all while wandering about with pretty melodic lines and textures, and at the same time not taking itself too seriously. My minor gripes are ultimately not really even gripes at all. Creative and stylistic. Excellent.

… … …

By the way, I didn't see the lyrics posted anywhere (I apologize if I overlooked them), so I went ahead and had a quick couple of listens and jotted them down myself. Most of it was pretty straightforward, but the scatting was pretty tricky to discern accurately. I think I got it down fairly true-to-form, though:

SEGA!

(Oooowaahoooo)

(Oooooooooooo)

(Oooowaahoooo)

(Oooooooooooo)

Oh let's go, Sonic

Dr. Robotnik, nooo

C'mon let's go, Sonic

Don't let Robotnik go-oooh

[vibraphone solo]

(daht-dow, zaht-dow)

Oh let's go, Sonic

Dr. Robotnik, nooo

Oh let's go, Sonic

Don't let Robotnik go-oooh

[guitar and piano break]

(yaah-daht-dow, yaah-daht-dow, yaah-daht-dow)

(yaah-daht-dow, yaah-daht-dow)

Oh let's go, Sonic

Dr. Robotnik, nooo

C'mon let's go, Sonic

Don't let Robotnik go-oooh

(yaah-daht-dah-daht-dah-daht-dah-daht-dow)

(naah, naah, naah)

(daah, daah, daah)

(naah, naah, naah)

(naah, naah, naah)

[break section]

(shoobwah-doo-bwah-doo-doo-zwah-daht-dah-dow)

(shibbity-bop-boo-doo-zwhee-daht-doo-doo-daht-doo)

(zooboobity-bop-bah-doo-doo-doo-dit-doo-doo)

Come on, Sonic, gooo

[drum fill outro]

Sonic, Sonic, oooh

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Am I one of the few who thinks that production quality isn't the only thing that matters? I mean, sure this song sounds great but... c'mon, the vocals are all so damn cheesey and I find it almost grating to listen to. Is that just me? I'm not against vocal ReMixes by any means (I absolutely love Harmony's "Dragon's Song") but I totally put this on the same level as "A Frog, a Sword and a Spoony Bard" (which I find to be one of the worst mixes on the site by the way).

I honestly wish I didn't feel this way, I tell you. The song sounds so damn good.

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Amazing piece..

The vocals are the icing for me.. "Doooctor Robot-nik nooooooooooo.....".. So good...

Shhteve put it well:

Something OCR can never have enough of: Smooth jazz mixes. Especially ones like this. I think it's safe to say you've set the standard for smooth jazz pieces, and set it high, I might add.
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  • 4 weeks later...

This really isn't bad at all. Lyrics are kindof corny, but it fits so I like it. Nice atmosphere, too, really sounds as if I was at some lounge listening to it performed live.

I'm glad you didn't go overboard with it, like some people would, and add in background shouting/clapping every few seconds; which ruins it. You did it only at fitting moments.

If I had one complaint, it's the beginning recitation of the Sega sound..It's good, but if you're listening to the song on repeat, it's kindof grating.

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  • 5 months later...

Well isn't this nice, it's good to eventually see some 100% homemade remixes around here, and in this case, also performed live. f I think about it now, turning the Spring Yard Zone Theme into mellow and smooth blues/jazz was a good idea, since the end result worked real nice.

Instruments like paino, keyboards and drums are well appreciatd,but I can't really hear much of the acoustic guitar, except for the moment at 1:47. The voices sounds very cheezy, and they didn't necessarily need to sing so often as in this song since you don't hear the music in the background as good. However, when it comes to mellow live performances such as this one, you really do need a choir to add some reality to it. And the opening with SEEEEEEGAAAAAA was pretty humorous. :lol:

you call that a remix??? i hated it. needs to be more upbeat and techno.too slow for my taste.

I think you've missed the main idea with this site. It's about re-arranging videogame music into any type of music style, not just techno.

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  • 3 months later...
Am I one of the few who thinks that production quality isn't the only thing that matters? I mean' date=' [i']sure this song sounds great but... c'mon, the vocals are all so damn cheesey and I find it almost grating to listen to. Is that just me? I'm not against vocal ReMixes by any means (I absolutely love Harmony's "Dragon's Song") but I totally put this on the same level as "A Frog, a Sword and a Spoony Bard" (which I find to be one of the worst mixes on the site by the way).

I honestly wish I didn't feel this way, I tell you. The song sounds so damn good.

And what about the rest of the song besides the vocals? There are many other parts of the song. Regardless, I would say they are a little bit excessive at times, but they really give the whole song its structure, since the instrumental breaks that follow them are so well done.

I like that part at 1:07 that sounds like this Cave Story song, which just so happened to also have a smooth jazz remix by Rexy. Sonic Story.

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