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Commando (Little Noise Mix) - arranged by BoulderDash(CZ) offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Of the many ways Commando can start, a lot choir drone is one of the most unexpected, particularly when it goes into a Jarre-like beginning. The choir sounds cheap, and so doesn't really convey the mystery that it's trying to. Then in comes a sped-up version of the SID with some drums. And… er… that's more or less it, except for the disastrous synchronisation of the melody voice with everything else. Occasionally extra SID voices come in to further maim this already bludgeoned piece. While I was reviewing this in my house, I heard slammed doors all over the house as the piece went on. Incredibly, this one contrives to get more and more ear-battering as it goes on, which considering how it starts is a great feat. OUCH! The piece starts out as a 6, and then dives throughout the tune. |
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Last Ninja (Analog Synthmix) - arranged by BetweenzoneReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Some drum lines funk, some don't. This does. Forget about the grandeur of sweeping landscapes, this is Ninja funk. A slightly out-of-time lead filters its way through the tune playing the intro. At 1:17 the tune finally gets started, but the lead doesn't quite work: it's just a little too raw, though you can hear what it's trying to do. Unfortunately when the tune starts, the driving force of the intro drums is lost. Partly that's because the bass and drums don't mesh properly and interact a funky fashion. Ben's guitar solo in the original piece was always a bit out-of-place stylistically, but here, though skilfully played by a human, has way too much modulation, and so sounds ill. Somehow if that bass and those drums could work together, this would have been funky mutha. But instead it leaves me strangely disappointed, especially considering their previous Ninja cover (Wilderness). A superior rework of a samey tune let down by the drums. |
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Delta - arranged by octave sounds offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 A Delta cover that on the surface appears to do the right things: there's the dance breakbeat, the lead is correct, and it's all there structurally. Problem 1 is that the bass doesn't get the most important bit right: that bass run down in the fourth phrase of the verse. If a cover gets that right, it's home free. This doesn't. It's important because the soul of the piece is in this section: it's the first technical test of how well an arranger has understood the piece. Problem 2 is the lead instruments are undynamic, sluggish and generally over-reverbed (hey, sounds like Back in Time 1, hehehehe), and just don't caress the ear like they should. Lead instruments should be pleasant to listen to, not a chore. If you can overlook the accuracy problem, not a bad download. |
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Dizasterblaster - arranged by Max Levin offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 A surprising choice for a tune cover (and a tune I've never heard before). It's a standard Lazy-Jones style romp with New-Order-esque chords (normal Cm, Eb, Bb, Cm stuff). Not a rich source of creative material. As such, this cover (which attempts to dancify it up) does the best it can with the material: dancey bass, fast beat, pianoey house style lead. It doesn't do anything wrong, but equally people are not going to dance in the streets to this: the rhythm is not quite dancey enough, the bass instrument conflicts with the bass drum, and the whole thing sounds too cute to move a dance floor. It's possible to do a better cover of this in the same style (better arrangement, better samples), but frankly I can't see why anyone would bother. It's a cute tune, and should be left that way. |
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Arkanoid Intro (Longer RnB Version) - arranged by MistaDistahReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 This is a cover which, for me, took some time while listening to it to establish its identity. There are some distinct Dr Who moments, along with a general efficient and satisfying treatment of the tune. A lot of the original spaciousness in Martin's tune is initially lost, and the breakbeat performing the drums isn't as apocalyptic as you'd expect. So the cover takes time to grow. But towards the middle and end, it finally persuades you. Repeated listening is a necessity, but a rewarding one. The start could still be more persuasive though, especially the bass, which is too light and hollow. There's also a disturbing drop of one or two bars which makes the chords sound wrong at about 0:42. Initially it sounds like the tune is wrong, but then you realise it's merely repeated too early. 1:22 is when the cover becomes memorable. Well worth your listening ear. |
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Something Stranger - arranged by FeekZoidReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 And Microprose Soccer begat… well, sometimes an idea floats across the Universe, and hits the right person. In this case, that idea was a Microprose Soccer subtune, and the person was Feekzoid. A simple riff that sounds like it came from a Pong game has an entire space station built around it: SFX, vocoded space vocals, whistling wind, beautiful pads, and an entire song structure. It should have been on a Jarre album, but of course, Feekzoid hates Jarre 😊 Probably just as well it wasn't then. Just download it: it's not a tune you'd heard in its original form, but it's a great space overture, which builds and builds into a prog rock masterwork: military drums, wonderful powerchords and a theme which never seems to end. One of the best C64-related MP3s ever created. |
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The Analogue Ninja - arranged by FeekZoidReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Do they play this theme to Ninja babies? A musical box version of the Last Ninja, complete with pizz. strings and some gorgeous instrumentation. At 0:35 it stops being so cute and begins to develop a dark side. Further developments take the piece through an Art of Noise section, replete with banging drums and timpani and piano. An odd combination but it works here. It's weird, but it works. |
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The Vindicator - arranged by FeekZoidReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Hmm, didn't like the original, and this cover doesn't persuade me to like it, though it does get much better after the first minute or two. I do however see the improvements that have been made to the tune, and the feel of this cover is such that it hangs together nicely. There's even some cello and strings in there: always a sign of class. It's too muffled in production for me to be totally happy with that, but it's a worthy download if you like the original. STRANGE ending! If you like the original, try it. |
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7 On The Top (tune 3) - arranged by FerraraReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Dramatic though very compressed-sounding intro conveys a dramatic intent to this cover. A very 90s-sounding chime-lead does the melodic work, and the drums and bass keep the tune moving. It's a strained sound coming from this cover, as if the sounds were too big to fit into it: that makes it less punchy than it could be. There's a very '80s teen film feel to this'. At least one of my toes was tapping. |
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Last Ninja 3 (tune 7) - arranged by FerraraReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Ear caressing strings and choir, and cavernous taikos convey a wonderful atmosphere, though the sound is overemphasised in the sensitive mid EQ range, which makes it slightly painful to listen to. A suitable bell arpeggio continues the theme, and the piece then goes seriously Terminator-esque and heavy: very atmospheric. This is film soundtrack stuff. Quality download: don't miss it. |
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Last Ninja 3 (tune 8) - arranged by FerraraReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Slightly tinny beginning (which sounds like a Jarre end-of-album track, strangely) removes some of the suspense and power from this otherwise very nicely arranged cover. There's some real emotion here, struggling to get out. At 1:02, some serious synthy bass works with a church-organesque sound to give a very Vangelis feel. A dodgy pitchbend is needed in the subsequent melody for accuracy, but should have been echoed more, since it doesn't sound right this dry. A varied tune, it's difficult to keep the momentum up, and there are parts where you think 'what's going on here'. The main verse could have been even more powerful with more equipment thrown at it, but what's here is genuine art. A download for fans of real melody. |
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Chimera - arranged by BozReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Hey, there's SID in them thar tune. Essentially this one is a hyped up SID in XM (no small achievement, I guess). 100% accurate, with some nice extra tracks and SFX doing the business. Although the swirls lack some of the fluidity of the SID (mostly because Rob didn't retrigger the ADSR envelope when he was doing them, whereas here Boz is forced to use individual notes), the whole cover hangs together and conveys the SID nicely. Not the ultimate Chimera cover, but satisfying and accurate, and therefore soul-satisfying. And it must have been a BUGGER to do those swirls. A soul-satisfying treatment of one of Rob's more unusual tunes. |
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Comic Bakery - arranged by BozReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Very accurate version of Galway's classic: painstaking recreation of every pitch bend and vibrato. Fairly nice breakbeat, possibly the piano-type sound could have been more synthy. Follows the original accurately, with occasional well-placed additions. Any deficiences in this cover are again in the XM format: yes, it's been overshadowed by Instant Remedy and Danko, but it's a good cover of a classic song. Overshadowed by better produced covers, but still delivers the goods. |
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Detergent - arranged by BozReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 The 80s return with Boz's version of one of the most racy pieces from The Mighty Bogg's 'Album 2'. Nice muted 80s sound, with flowing synth pads, a straightforward but soft-touch synth lead, occasional ringmod SID and some nice filtering, lead to a quality cover, well worth the download. Quality cover of an racy tune by an unusual composer. |
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Elektra Glide - arranged by BozReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 To get you in the mood for this cover are some whiney engine FX. Really, there's only one way to do Elektraglide without messing with it, and this is it. The XM format ensures average production values, but Boz's extended mix will not disappoint the fan of this piece, though to be fair it won't knock their socks off either. A safe and thorough cover (though was that an unusual chord I heard in there in the bridge section? I guess it's a matter of opinion! Safe cover for fans of the original. |
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Human Race (Tune 4) - arranged by BozReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 More of a reworking of the SID with some chords filling in the obvious melodic sections: the individual parts hold up well accuracy-wise. An original idea is to have a kind of grunting sound here and there to indicate primitive humans. A safe but unexciting cover. A safe cover for fans of the original. |
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Max Headroom (Low Bridge Ahead mix) - arranged by BozReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Some nice FX and a Whittaker bassline play round your head, as this quite light piece wends its merry way into a more bassy section. A sid-like lead takes over, and all of the Whittaker twiddles are there. The burble chords are nicely (if subliminally) rendered, and the drums are very Whittaker-esque, with those typical breaks… At 2:00 it becomes clear that there's an 80s breakbeat vibe happening, later accompanied by single voice Whittaker things. Think of this as a 12' development. Not startling, but a pleasant download. |
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Monty on the Run (highscore) - arranged by BozReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 With a breakbeat and a woman? With the laid back organ, the SID riff present and correct, this pushes all the right buttons to give a retrospective feel to this. Something has ended, we think. And we'd be right. The lead when it comes in is a sax: always a brave or foolish choice of instruments. Here is just about works, though I would have preferred something slightly less icky. Suitable synths play the famous bendy bits, and despite breakbeating this rhythmically straight piece, this is a very pleasant way to spend 6:23 (!). The easiest MOTR High score to listen to. |
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Golden Axe - arranged by MakkeReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 A great guitar intro sets the scene nicely. The cover itself is suitable Maniacs of Noise: bouncy bass and choppy chords with a boom-tss drum. As such, it's flawless. However, the tune isn't the most interesting in the world, so Makke has done the best he could with the material. If you're fond of MoN covers, this one's superior. A superior MoN cover. |
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KnuckleBusters Y2K - arranged by Fash offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Knucklebusters is very easy to ruin. And… poof! It just was. Imagine if you will me wincing in a corner, and you've got my reaction to this remix. Detail? Well, timing sucks, the rhythm is wrong, the synths are irritating and the whole remix hangs together worse than a group of friends in a scary movie. Pretty bad. |
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Samurai Warrior (BadKarma Mix) - arranged by BoulderDash(CZ) offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 OK. Let's take a relaxed Samurai game with a spiritual attitude (and one of my favourite games). Let's force-feed it Red Bull and Espresso, and take it to a local loop factory. SID + Drums. Supremely pointless, badly chosen SID… this makes a mockery of anything the original SID stood for. The piss, here, is being taken mightily. Bad in all senses. You wouldn't even dance to it, so what IS the point?? Duck and cover! Incoming travesty!. |
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Bulldog - arranged by BozReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 A good cover, but an aging one. From Boz's tracker days, it's an accurate rendition that strains at the boundaries of the format (and the cheap samples) to project some emotion. Occasional ear-candy extra tracks hint at what might have been with more production and equipment. General lack of variety across the cover in dynamics and arrangement relegates this to merely 'nice', but still worth a download if you like Dave W's work. A respectful cover which makes a so-so tune more palatable. |
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Ark Pandora - arranged by Fash offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Terrible. Timing is bad, and the SID sounds much better and more balanced than this. Music is about orchestration, correct instruments, harmony and timing. This is devoid of all of these qualities, and the second part of the tune is truly horrific. I hear barrels being scraped. |
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Gyruss - arranged by Fash offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 A bad conversion, badly done. Excrement of the highest order. Drums are inappropriate, the lead instruments are unclear and the arrangers has no feel for the tune: this is one of the most famous tunes ever, and Sky's treatment of it was inspirational. This is not. Just pointless. |
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Human Race (Goldrunner) - arranged by Fash offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Pretty much each voice of the SID played with different instruments. No additions, no extra material, no extra interest. A rework without much merit, except for the echo lead which is OK. Uninteresting. |
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Return Of The Mutant Camels - arranged by Fash offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 The intro instrument called upon to play the beginning big drums to this piece isn't a drum! In addition, this Peruvian tune has been sucked dry of emotion: the Ben Daglish tune cleverly used vibrato and flutes to convey a beautiful place. This is hell by comparison. It's lucky the Incas are dead: they would have hated this. |
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Thundercats - arranged by Fash offlineReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Interestingly the ID3 tag for this used to say 'Unknown Artist'. Good description of Rob Hubbard. Still, what of the cover? Well, it's the SID but without any of the performance or dynamics. Complete waste of time, and part of it are truly dreadfully inaccurate. Rob Hubbard turns in his… seat. |
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Armakunis Journey - arranged by FeekZoidReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Anything with journey in the title had better be epic! Luckily this is. A simple start has Ben's subtune 3 loading music nicely echoed across the landscape. Then some floating chords come in with the echoes and beautifully complement the SID. At 1:30, in comes a stirring military drumbeat to convey us to the next floaty part of the tune: reminds me slightly of Bolero! Building on that atmosphere, beautiful choirs crash in to convey the scale of the epic journey of the title. Let's face it, it's a classic remix. It tries to convey emotion and it succeeds. Yet it's a simple cover. Classic download. |
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Beastie Boys (B) - arranged by FTCReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Big chords and an odd splatty sound give this a unique sound. Again, good use of delay gives the tune a wide-open and interesting sonic feel. It's definitely not flat! This is a very disposable cover in the sense that it doesn't really leave its mark on me musically: the original tune sees to that. But as a happy use of 1:55 of my life, I'm OK with it. There's nothing here to dislike, and a lot to enjoy. It's an odd tune to cover though. Happy happy happy. |
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Arkanoid 2010 - arranged by FTCReview by Chris Abbott, 23/01/2003 Arkanoid is a very difficult piece to cover. Having done so myself a number of times it's very difficult to balance the delicacy of the ethereal part of the tune with the apocalypse caused by the bass and drums of the SID. This one captures neither very well, and adds some odd melody. When the good bits of a cover are the bits in the original SID, then you know something's up. An OK Arkanoid with oddities. |
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