Reviews by LaLa

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all c64 only Amiga only

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Flash Gordon (Synth Mix) - arranged by Chris Abbott and Marcel Donne

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

Pretty good, although I prefer the orchestral version on BIT3. (Yes, I know this was an early developmental version for BIT3. Its various moods are obviously the same.)
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BMX Kidz (5th Dream About Happiness) - arranged by THC FlatLine

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

THC Flatline's remix is a fine piece of work, but after LMan's remix it's apparent that it is further removed from the spirit of Yip's composition. Flatline attempted to cover Yip's famous hiscore tune here, but IMHO it was a big mistake even to think about covering this tune. It sounds just perfect on the SID chip itself, thank you, there's no need to ruin it with ugly modern samplers, workstations and virtual analog synths. =) With that said, Flatline gave it everything he could to try to create a faithful cover, and while I'm sure that in the future virtual analog synth manufacturers will use his tune to demo the capabilities of their instruments, it still falls short of Yip's amazing original. On a scale of 1-10 this cover gets 10 for effort and 10 for implementation, but since I gave Yip's SID tune a 100 to begin with… (Yes, I am being too tough on Flatline, but hey - this is what I think! 😉 It's very hard to cover tunes that exploit the capabilities of the SID chip so well.)
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Commando (StayAwhileForever) - arranged by Eitan Teomi

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

This remix has some nice touches, like the backing choir somewhere in the middle that I like a lot in it, and those improvisations on the guitar(-like) lead towards the end.
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Times of Lore 1st Part ('99 mix) - arranged by Chris Abbott

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

Wonderful guitar, and the original is so good that it'd take a genious to screw it up, but: should've used flute at the end instead of that weak pad, and pitch bend at the subtle note ends, eg. at 1:08.
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Furycalypse Now (feat. Tuomio) - arranged by Axeman

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

The most impressive thing in Axeman & Tuomio's Remix64 compo entry Furycalypse Now is definitely the guitars. Other than that it's a bit weird for my taste with its haphazard arrangement and senseless speech samples. Although I dig its drums, too.
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Sigma Seven (Chariots of Fire) - arranged by Thomas Detert

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

As a huge Vangelis fan, of course, I am very impressed by Thomas Detert's Sigma Seven (Chariots of Fire remix), which cleverly fuses the now classic Vangelis theme with Julian Breeze's composition. Like his Spellbound remix, I find this one very good, too, but also like his Spellbound remix I find it short, too.
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Mahoney - BoulderDash (Commodore 69 mix) - arranged by Mahoney

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

A vocoder-galore a capella piece by Mahoney - it is a fun little cover, I quite like it!
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Parallax (feat. Latin Loverman) - arranged by Mixer

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

Superb beginning, except for the portamentos and the pitch shifted samples that completely destroy the realism of the otherwise fantastic sounding choir. Yuck! Okay, so maybe the beginning is not so superb. But the saxophone is (or whatever that lead instrument is) - it makes a positive impact, then the trumpet sounds good, too. Unusual style coupled with the melodic part of Parallax - a sure winner.
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Spellbound (reduced) - arranged by Thomas Detert

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

Ohmegod!!! This is bloody awesome! I want the rest of it, too! If this is an aborted project - it should be finished ASAP!
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Times of Lore - arranged by Marcel Donné

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

Almost perfect. Very close to how I always imagined it…
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Instant Remedy Back in Time Live Mix - arranged by Instant Remedy

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

I quite like it! Just to prove that I don't automatically dislike every dance remix, even from a more objective point of view Instant Remedy's remix stands out with its fantastic rhythm section (I love the base drum!) and good mix of classic SID tunes (even though at times the transitions between them are questionable).
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Last V8 - arranged by Rezistah

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

Yo, dude, guess what, I made this kick-ass remix of Last V8 that makes the windows on my room vibrate - that is just *sooo* cool! … Sorry for mucking Rezistah, but this remix is somewhat primitive and it would hurt me if I took it seriously. Still, it contains elements that made me reconsider the worst possible rating for it.
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Delta (PSX Music2000 edit) - arranged by Tomsk

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

Well, first of all, Tomsk, learn that increasing the volume of your instruments won't make for a more powerful remix and it will even lead to ugly distortion like here. The human ear is a weird non-linear microphone that has a pretty powerful computer sitting behind it - and it needs more than this to trick it. Turning down the volume of this remix one will find out that it's just another Delta remix with nothing new and nothing extraordinary.
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Last Ninja (Wilderness) - arranged by Rob Steptoe

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

Wilderness it ain't - weirdness is more like it. I perceive this remix as being out of tune (or out of key?), yet, its perceived disharmonic nature is strangely appealing to my brain. Somewhat simple, at times reminding me of electronic tunes from the '70s. Not very cohesive, though, and it feels a bit like a glass that was just shattered and its pieces are falling all over the place as Rob tries to tie them together.
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Parallax (enhanced Amiga edit) - arranged by Michael Briel

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

It's tough to cover Parallax. Would you rather focus on its melody or on the fact that it's pushing the capabilities of the underlying synthetizer to the max? Would you rather cover the concept behind it or the tune's atmosphere? Amazing as it may sound, it's tough do to all this at once in a single cover. Wisely, Michael didn't try to do that, either. His focus was on recreating the notes and melodies as accurately as possible with sounds that mimic the original closely. But in the tradeoff he lost the atmosphere and the technical innovation. Still, the result is a great cover that I don't think one can appreciate without listening to it more than once.
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Aural Manouvers II (onefourty vs. seventy remix) - arranged by Wobbler

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

Is there another SID tune with the same title that I don't know about? After getting very, very excited that somebody finally thought that Neil Baldwin's fantastic tune would be good material for a remix, I kept waiting for it to appear in this dance oriented remix, and after a mere 3:42 (in this 5:08 long tune!) I finally heard traces of it behind some dumbass rap. Call me old- fashioned, but this is not how I would've remixed this tune. I even question whether this should be called a remix. The only reason I didn't give it the worst rating is because its technical quality is quite good.
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Megamix II (ReMegamix) - arranged by Michele Cinque

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

Well, I think this is a first: a cover of a C64 remix covering C64 tunes. Too bad it consists of nothing more than the original SID with added drums and a very decent bassline (although the SID sounds may have been massaged and re- arranged a bit - it doesn't sound like a 1:1 sampling of the original tune). I don't have much respect for covers like this. The bassline (probably played on a real electric base-guitar?) saves this remix from the murky depths of oblivion.
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Platoon Title Remix - arranged by CZ Tunes

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

Technically, I am not quite satisfied with this cover, and artistically I find it a bit unimaginative. The bassline is played with an annoyingly poppy sound (which would be find for the beginning, but not for the whole tune) and the drums are a bit over-the-head. I am not sure in which direction this cover wanted to go, but it definitely didn't make a big impression on me. Nevertheless, it's a good effort - just not very good.
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Commando-Capella - arranged by Igo Splashman

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

Call me egoistic, but this remix reminds me of - me! Which SID fan didn't try to whistle or sing Commando or some other SID tune to himself in his life trying to play all 3 voices with his one mouth? This cover is an enhancement of the same basic idea. My only gripe about it: after having heard May Be Bop's excellent (albeit short) a capella version, this one sounds a bit electronic. It is too obvious that it's not a live a capella choir singing it. For example, the bass line is definitely some pitch shifted samples put together, and the background folks sound just too perfect. Not to mention the lack of inhaling noises, that telltale sign of real humans singing. But it's ton of fun, regardless!
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Comic Bakery - arranged by octave sounds

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

Holy crap! This is awesome!!! Imagine a jazz band playing tune #2 of Comic Bakery in a smoke-filled restaurant and you get the idea. Nothing to criticize here, nothing is amiss - just listen to this fantastic cover played in a style unusual for C64 covers.
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Boulderdash (hippy 2001 remix) - arranged by Rob Steptoe

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

A neat idea for this tune, but I don't think it's explored to its fullest. The opening seconds are close to perfect, but I have yet to become friends with the flute-like sound, although it seems to fit in nicely. Pleasant remix, not bad at all.
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Cobra (Pass-by-cs5 mix) - arranged by J Lof

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

It sounds like this cover is sped up compared to the original, which doesn't work in its favor, especially at the fast arpeggio-like transitions in the lead. There are some nice touches here and there, like the staggered bass, but as a whole I can't say I like it.
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Commando Hiscore (bounce me this, bounce me that) - arranged by Wobbler

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

A wonderful piano piece openes this cover which is then brutally murdered by a dumb drumtrack and an overused Korg preset sound. IMHO, just the piano with a touch of strings or something would've worked better. This way it's just a chaotic piece that kills the mood of the original. Sometimes less would be more…
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Rockbuster (a little something remix) - arranged by Wobbler

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

A deservedly weird cover of a Johannes Bjerregaard tune. One of the better remixes out there with its wacky selection of instruments and overall feel, but at times it feels too weird and not quite right to me. A decent effort that falls a bit short of being really good.
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Chambers Of Shaolin Title Remix (Amiga Fight Mix) - arranged by CZ Tunes

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

Nice average remix, the lead sound is spot on, the mixing is appropriate, but this remix doesn't really stand out from the crowd. It's a solid production that is in dire need of a brilliant idea.
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Last Ninja 2 (Final Battle Rave Edit) - arranged by Jurek Raben

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

It starts out okay, but this rave style is not for LN2. It's a decent remix, and if played live, it would actually be rather enjoyable, but by itself presented as an LN2 remix it doesn't strike me as something that I would listen to more than once.
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Last Ninja 2 (Final Battle Trance Edit) - arranged by Jurek Raben

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

Starts out fine then it transforms into this technoish-trance-like piece that has next to nothing to do with LN2 any more. Sure, the melody line pops up here and there, but this style done this way is a complete misfit for this tune. This is one of those remixes that you either like or not - I am in the latter camp.
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To Be On Top - Tune 2 (Smooth Earcandy Edit) - arranged by Sonic Wanderer

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

It is more electronic than I expected it to be from the title, a very pleasant, or as the title says, smooth remix. But I feel it digresses from the original too much and thus I feel no real connection to this piece any more. Key portions of the original were left out completely, so for me this otherwise good remix lost its appeal.
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Turrican v1 - arranged by Kermit offline

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

It didn't provoke any real emotions in me until the drums kicked in, and even at that time it was a weak dance tune at most. The instrumentation is fairly unimaginative, the arrangement is rather dull and overly repetitive, but most importantly it's missing that spark that makes the best remixes really good.
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Gem X - arranged by hege

Review by LaLa, 04/02/2003

I hope one of these days I will gain an understanding of why people bother covering tunes that were remade by Hülsbeck himself ages ago. Not only Hege8 covers the same tune, he even covers it in *EXACTLY* the same style Hülsbeck did it on his CD… Sure, it's nice to do things like this to practice and/or imitate composition and arrangement techniques, but to release it to the public this way? … Maybe Hege8 never heard Chris' own remake? That would be odd, because the similarities are frightening.
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