Exit Stage Left/Curtain Call: A 'Credits' Themed OCR Album -- Vibe Check + Participation Inquiry

[mo.oorgan]

I'm "filled with determination" (💖) after partaking in OCR's 25th anniversary hangout in Discord, and after not watching Survivor as intended, and further not working on any of my three DoD entries like I was supposed to, I decided to write up an outline + checklist for what would be needed to run a project, to stop the inspiration in my head from swirling around like a whirlpool.

The idea came as an almost random strike of inspiration; I know there was a direct reason why I came up with this, but I truly can't remember the chain reaction of thoughts that led me to it (if anyone remembers why I spilled this tangent, feel free to remind me, lul). But the main reasons for wanting to do this are:

• Now that TimeShift, an album celebrating the past 25 years, is complete, it would feel almost thematically appropriate to have an album that "signs off" on that sentiment, welcoming an era of the next 25 years to come.
• Credits songs tend to be a soft spot for VGM composers, often resulting in source tracks that are really damn good.
• If I were to direct a "first" album project, I would love to do one that invites multiple games and genres to be valid for submission.

The idea is to have a 25-track album (one track per year) with an aim for a 12-month completion date (four deadlines; three months per deadline) that invites people to remix any game's credits theme.

The name Exit Stage Left originates from theater terminology for "get off the stage, according to the actor's left," was popularized by Snagglepuss in the '60s and further solidified by Rush in the '80s. While this was my initial thought, I'm not entirely committed to the name, but I’m also not against it. I'm open to suggestions. Curtain Call could also be a more appropriate name, given that the premise of the album is to share gratitude for the hard work of everyone over the years and the musical inspiration they've provided, as well as to extend thanks for the community still being supported (and supportive) to this day. The phrase is synonymous with "Take a Bow," which fits the album's sentiment a bit better, but I feel like Exit Stage Left has an aura of swag surrounding it that I can't deny. It's kind of a toss-up at the moment.

Regardless, the album would have bear visual themes to stage performance and theater, but I strongly emphasize that this would be in visual/grammatical style alone, as I would much prefer a wide variety of styles and genres be spread across the project (I can't say I personally would be interested in a 'Theater Soundtrack' style compilation album, not to mention how difficult that would be to produce). Any vibes, as long as the source plays during the Staff Roll at the end of a game/campaign**.
 

Various Considerations:

• Some games reuse title themes/other source tracks as their credits theme, and these wouldn't be eligible unless there's a valid reason to appeal the rule.

  • e.g., Sonic Adventure 2 uses "Live and Learn" as the title theme, in mid-game cutscenes, and as one of the two credits songs. I would theoretically deem this a conditional approval if the ReMix emphasizes the lyrics of the song to it as the credits theme. Metroid Prime's "Staff Credits", however, is 99% exactly the same as the Title Sequence with 0 differences except the very ending of the song; this is a case where I would feel more inclined to make an exception, but will likely request a different song be selected unless it can be properly contextualized as a 'credits' style song (I am referring to this as the 'Metroid Prime Clause'**.)

  • Animal Crossing is a little different, where the music that plays in the credits sequence depends on what song you request from K.K. Slider, meaning that Animal Crossing games have 50+ different 'credits' tracks. My rule of thumb for this would be that if the song is one that you can hear outside of the credits, then it would be denied. That said, if you request a made up song (or misspell a song name), then K.K. Slider will play up to ~3 different source tunes that cannot be heard anywhere else in the game; this I would feel more welcome to allowing as a viable selection.

• Some games have their credits sequence as an optional selection from either the Title Screen or from the Settings menu (such as games like Balatro, Stardew Valley, or Slay the Spire).

  • If the game has a unique source track for the credits, this will be viable; however, if the game just continues using the track that was playing from when you clicked into the option, then that would be a no-go. (thank you for pointing this out Dyluck!!)

• Some games feature multiple credits sequences with distinct tracks.

  • e.g., Sonic Adventure 2 includes "Hero" and "Villain" storylines, each with unique credits themes. Both would be acceptable source candidates. However, for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, where the credits sequence transitions through "Lost Woods," "Zelda's Lullaby," and "Chamber of Sages," the remix would need to embody the transitions between these songs and emphasize the parts unique to the credits version. A remix solely of "Lost Woods" or "Zelda's Lullaby" wouldn't qualify.

• Some credits sequences use multiple tracks. As long as the credits are rolling, the track is acceptable as a source.

  • e.g., Sonic Adventure 2’s credits include "Ending (Credits)" and "Live and Learn"; both would qualify. Conversely, in Donkey Kong Country, the fake-out credits during the King K. Rool fight wouldn’t qualify, but "The Credits Concerto" would

• Aligning with OC ReMix's rules, the song must be originally composed for a game, not composed and then used in a game (thank you for reminding me Seph!)

• It would be great to pull in some deep-cut OCR alumni for this project, but realistically, this may not be entirely possible. Still, it would be neat if an album about credits themes featured some long-standing names credited on the project itself.

• If this project is successful and well-received, I’d consider a follow-up album with the same format for title themes. But for now, I’m opting not to think too hard about that, but ultimately is why I feel motivated to enforce the 'Metroid Prime Clause'**.
   

But yeah, that's the idea! Please let me know if this is something you'd be interested in participating in, so I can attempt a rough headcount! Or further, if you have any feedback, thoughts, ideas, or questions, don't hesitate to share them ✨ ✨

Edited Friday at 08:08 PM by mo.oorgan
Rules/Considerations Updates!

[pixelseph]

I'm all in on this concept! Some of my favorite tunes are the credits themes and I don't see enough representation for them (SotN's ending theme, "I Am the Wind", or Metal Gear Solid 2's "Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday" are great examples).

[JSABlixer]

Consider my interest piqued! I'm in

[Dyluck]

I am thrilled and humbled that TimeShift is a stepping stone for your inspiration. 

I love the concept. Ending credits are, after all, what many of us aim towards. You may, though, want to add a proviso about non-linear games such as simulators and strategy games where the credits are often found by selecting them on the title screen... they may or may not have their own theme that plays.

Given the complexity of this, I wouldn't recommend necessarily enforcing a 12-month limit for this one. It took about three months before I had sufficient sketches of ideas for TimeShift, a few months later I had a couple of WIP's to send off to make the project official, and then as the deadline approached in September there was a last-minute rush of new material. And even then I had to wait for things to be finalized. I'm not saying "don't do it" but be mindful that the short timeframe will impose its own set of challenges.

I'm definitely interested in this album idea, though, and I'm already thinking about ideas...

[mo.oorgan]

Thank you all for expressing your enthusiasm!! It seems like this should be a pretty viable project to launch and complete, but I do want to try and rope in a couple more people before I start getting super official with everything though.

@Dyluck :') Glad to hear so, it was a pleasure to work on TimeShift with you at the helm! I updated the post to include what you were saying about Credits that were accessible through Main Menu/Options selections, and explained some of the nuance behind it; good thinking on pointing that out!

I can also see what you're saying in regards to the timeline, and that insight is highly regarded and duly noted!! My intention was to give everyone a year to come up with a final draft and run the project from 01/012025 to 01/012026, and not really stress any of the mid-point deadlines (just the final one lmao) too much. I'll likely change the wording to emphasize that intention a bit more clearly, but ultimately if there's any reason to extend the actual final deadline, I'd certainly have no problem doing that, and would evaluate that likely at the beginnings of July and October (or subsequently as needed). Not even just with yours, but also with DFW's Double Wing Damage, it seems like there's a lot of last second activity to navigate (myself included, given I arrived to the projects so late!), so I guess there's a certain degree of that which I expect, but I also want to actively brainstorm what would help guide and mitigate that through the process as much as possible.

Edited Friday at 08:34 PM by mo.oorgan

[Dj Mokram]

This seems like an opportunity to delve into Indian folklore instruments to arrange the credit theme of a 16-bit game very dear to my heart. This is why I love these OCR albums: they are the perfect excuse to try concepts I wouldn't otherwise have dared to try on my own. 😉

Best advice I can give ya @mo.oorgan is to try and enlist someone with some experience as a co-director. At first it will seem manageable on your own, but especially if you've got an aggressive timeline for this many tracks, there's a lot of administrative and HR tasks that can drain your artistic soul dry. Best of luck, and maybe I'll join the effort if/when this gets going. 💪

[GCJ]

This seems like a fun concept! There's already one game's credit song that has really meant a lot to me this past year, so I'd be very interested in remixing it for this.

[mo.oorgan]

@Dj Mokram Ooooh yes, I feel you about the stylistic experimentation; I'm super curious which source you're thinking about, and hope I get to find out at some point 👀 The album seems to be lacking in this type of representation so far, so it'd be welcome with open arms if you decide to join up at some point. Bird is absolutely the word!

I also really appreciate the ultra-valid & aptly-stated advice, and I definitely resonate with the implications behind what you're saying. That notion is starting to make itself known, and I'm working on ways to streamline/mitigate some of these things to a degree, but I also can also see that good planning can only accommodate for so many things. I at least have a few levels of consultation to help guide some decisions, but I agree and think a co-director would be a key step in ensuring this comes together in a smoothly (esp if the scope of the project continues to grow beyond the initial expectation 😅).


@GCJ That's stellar!! 😎 Thanks for extending your desire to participate; I like the style and energy behind your posted ReMixes, and could see you being a great fit to the project! I'll be reaching out to you on Discord momentarily to discuss it a bit further here~

[The Coop]

Not sure if my work would qualify in terms of clearing the OCR bar as it were, but I'm interested in this. Hell, I just did a credits remix for the upcoming An OverClocked Christmas album that comes out in a few days (and it ticks off all of the boxes for this project).

[NarnianWarrior]

Like I said in the Discord server, I'm potentially interested! One question: are you cool with me incorporating musical ideas from other VGM tracks that aren't credits themes? The track I plan to remix is quite short and doesn't have much to work with, so I may end up using a theme or two from other tracks in the same OST that would go well with it. I could easily get away with not doing this, so don't worry about saying no if it would compromise your vision.

Edited 13 hours ago by NarnianWarrior

[mo.oorgan]

@The Coop I personally don't see why not! I would say reach out to me on Discord so we can discuss this a bit further here! : )

@NarnianWarrior Totally understandable! The main thing is that the "Credits" related source is a majority of the track heard in the final product (65% to 75%). It can be less if the 2nd song is also a credits theme, though! I'll reach out to you on Discord to discuss it in a bit more detail ✨