98: Through Creamed Spinach-Colored Glasses

Lifelong gamers might like to reminisce about video game consoles past, but just by the numbers, system that got the most play back in the ’90s was the Game Boy. It outsold every console in its day, which means that a lot of players would have played famous video game franchises on the Game Boy before they played it on a standard system. This episode is all about those versions of famous series, and how the composers tasked with translating iconic VGM themes often worked wonders with the Game Boy’s more limited sound technology.

And yeah, BTW, Singing Mountain now has a Patreon.

And hey, you can also see other TableCakes Productions podcasts!

Lifelong gamers might like to reminisce about video game consoles past, but just by the numbers, system that got the most play back in the ’90s was the Game Boy. It outsold every console in its day, which means that a lot of players would have played famous video game franchises on the Game Boy before they played it on a standard system. This episode is all about those versions of famous series, and how the composers tasked with translating iconic VGM themes often worked wonders with the Game Boy’s more limited sound technology. Track listing: 0:31: Overworld / Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening / Composed by Koji Kondo, arranged by Minako Hamano and Kozue Ishikawa 1:46: The Prince’s Adventure / The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls / Kazumi Totaka 3:06: Title Theme / Final Fantasy Legend III / Ryuji Sasai and Chihiro Fujioka 4:18: C-Type / Tetris (Game Boy) / Hirokazu Ando 5:42: Darkness / The Castlevania Adventure / Kinuyo Yamashita and Satoe Terashima 7:01: Bloody Tears / Castlevania: Legends / Composed by Kenichi Matsubaba, arranged by Kaoru Okada and Youichi Iwata 10:52: Ryu’s Theme / Street Fighter II (Game Boy) / Yoko Shimomura 12:26: Guile’s Theme / Street Fighter II (Game Boy) / Yoko Shimomura 14:41: Chun-Li’s Theme / Street Fighter II (Game Boy) / Yoko Shimomura 17:19: Stage 2 (Waterfall) / Operation C / Composed by Kazuki Muraoka, arranged by Hidehiro Funauchi 19:17: Winter / Harvest Moon GB / Composed by Tsuyoshi Tanaka, arranged by Yōjirō Okino 25:18: Banquet of Nature (Nakoruru’s Theme) / Samurai Shodown (Game Boy) / Masahiko Hataya and Yasuo Yamate 28:13: Comma-Shaped Jewels (Kyoshiro’s Theme) / Samurai Shodown (Game Boy) / Masahiko Hataya and Yasuo Yamate 31:14: A Foreign Girl (Charlotte’s Theme) / Samurai Shodown (Game Boy) / Masahiko Hataya and Yasuo Yamate 34:41: Area 1 (Bionic Commando Theme) / Composed by Harumi Fujita, arranged by Kouji Murata 38:06: Dark Queen Battle / Battletoads (Game Boy) / David Wise 41:14: Napalm Man / Mega Man IV / Composed by Mari Yamaguchi, arranged by Kouji Murata 44:09: Toad Man / Mega Man IV / Composed by Minae Fujii, arranged by Kouji Murata 47:05: Dust Man / Mega Man III / Composed by Minae Fujii, arranged by Kouji Murata 50:41: Stickerbush Symphony (Bramble Blast) / Donkey Kong Land II / Composed by David Wise, arranged by Grant Kirkhope 55:02: Duke’s Theme / Battle Arena Toshinden (Game Boy) / Yasuhiro Nakano 57:57: Ellis’s Theme / Battle Arena Toshinden (Game Boy) / Yasuhiro Nakano 60:52: Kayin’s Theme / Battle Arena Toshinden (Game Boy) / Yasuhiro Nakano 63:51: Blue Mary’s Blues / Nettou Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special / SNK Sound Team 65:19: Bermuda / DuckTales 2 / Yoshihiru Sakaguchi 66:54: Ending Theme / Kirby’s Dream Land / Masahiro Sakurai and Jun Ishikawa 68:29: Main Theme / Bubble Bobble (Game Boy) / Tadashi Kimijima VGMpire’s five-part Street Fighter series: http://www.vgmpire.com/2019/09/16/vgmpire-151-street-fighter-saga-vol-1/ The episode all about Harvest Moon’s winter themes: https://singingmountainpod.com/episodes/54-harvest-moon-winter-music The Samurai Shodown episode: https://singingmountainpod.com/episodes/samurai-shodown-vgm The episode about the Donkey Kong Land games: https://singingmountainpod.com/episodes/34-big-ape-mountain Drew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/drewgmackie Singing Mountain on Twitter: https://twitter.com/singmopod On Facebook: https://facebook.com/singingmountainpod/ On iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/singing-mountain/id1252832457 On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ISyNLUc1ALxzvjBqw4ru3 On Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/m/Ifofiaeephbs27wb6cqr24dlgl4 On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/singingmountainpod/ On SoundCloud: @singingmountain On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9f9iAcO1ZMTYVH91c2Jsyw Official website: https://singingmountainpod.com/ TableCakes Productions: https://www.tablecakes.com Subscribe to the newsletter: https://tablecakesproductions.substack.com/subscribe

Track listing:

0:31: Overworld / Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening / Composed by Koji Kondo, arranged by Minako Hamano and Kozue Ishikawa
1:46: The Prince’s Adventure / The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls / Kazumi Totaka
3:06: Title Theme / Final Fantasy Legend III / Ryuji Sasai and Chihiro Fujioka
4:18: C-Type / Tetris (Game Boy) / Hirokazu Ando
5:42: Darkness / The Castlevania Adventure / Kinuyo Yamashita and Satoe Terashima
7:01: Bloody Tears / Castlevania: Legends / Composed by Kenichi Matsubaba, arranged by Kaoru Okada and Youichi Iwata
10:52: Ryu’s Theme / Street Fighter II (Game Boy) / Yoko Shimomura
12:26: Guile’s Theme / Street Fighter II (Game Boy) / Yoko Shimomura
14:41: Chun-Li’s Theme / Street Fighter II (Game Boy) / Yoko Shimomura
17:19: Stage 2 (Waterfall) / Operation C / Composed by Kazuki Muraoka, arranged by Hidehiro Funauchi
19:17: Winter / Harvest Moon GB / Composed by Tsuyoshi Tanaka, arranged by Yōjirō Okino
25:18: Banquet of Nature (Nakoruru’s Theme) / Samurai Shodown (Game Boy) / Masahiko Hataya and Yasuo Yamate
28:13: Comma-Shaped Jewels (Kyoshiro’s Theme) / Samurai Shodown (Game Boy) / Masahiko Hataya and Yasuo Yamate
31:14: A Foreign Girl (Charlotte’s Theme) / Samurai Shodown (Game Boy) / Masahiko Hataya and Yasuo Yamate
34:41: Area 1 (Bionic Commando Theme) / Composed by Harumi Fujita, arranged by Kouji Murata
38:06: Dark Queen Battle / Battletoads (Game Boy) / David Wise
41:14: Napalm Man / Mega Man IV / Composed by Mari Yamaguchi, arranged by Kouji Murata 44:09: Toad Man / Mega Man IV / Composed by Minae Fujii, arranged by Kouji Murata
47:05: Dust Man / Mega Man III / Composed by Minae Fujii, arranged by Kouji Murata
50:41: Stickerbush Symphony (Bramble Blast) / Donkey Kong Land II / Composed by David Wise, arranged by Grant Kirkhope
55:02: Duke’s Theme / Battle Arena Toshinden (Game Boy) / Yasuhiro Nakano
57:57: Ellis’s Theme / Battle Arena Toshinden (Game Boy) / Yasuhiro Nakano
60:52: Kayin’s Theme / Battle Arena Toshinden (Game Boy) / Yasuhiro Nakano
63:51: Blue Mary’s Blues / Nettou Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special / SNK Sound Team
65:19: Bermuda / DuckTales 2 / Yoshihiru Sakaguchi
66:54: Ending Theme / Kirby’s Dream Land / Masahiro Sakurai and Jun Ishikawa
68:29: Main Theme / Bubble Bobble (Game Boy) / Tadashi Kimijima

Previous Game Boy episodes:

Why does creepy music sound even creepier when channeled through a Game Boy? Maybe it’s that we still think of the Game Boy as a system we played on family trips. Maybe we think about it being more innocent, like when we were kids. Regardless the reason, when it skews sinister it gets uncomfy real fast, and this Halloween episode features some of the most unsettling music yet. BTW, this episode is limited to creamed spinach-era Game Boy and Game Boy Color only. Track listing: 0:09: Tower / Donkey Kong (Game Boy) / Taisuke Araki 3:42: Battle of the Holy / The Castlevania Adventure / Shigeru Fukutake, Norio Hanzawa and Hidehiro Funauchi 5:32: Darkness / The Castlevania Adventure / Shigeru Fukutake, Norio Hanzawa and Hidehiro Funauchi 6:48: Death Fair / The Castlevania Adventure / Shigeru Fukutake, Norio Hanzawa and Hidehiro Funauchi 7:57:Inside the Castle / Castlevania Legends / Kaoru Okada and Youichi Iwata 10:40: Hell Field / Gargoyle’s Quest / Harumi Fujita and Yoko Shimomura 12:04: Dungeon 1 / Final Fantasy Adventure / Kenji Ito 13:33: Stage 2 / Wizards & Warriors X: Fortress of Fear / David Wise 15:03: Track 4 / Hammerin’ Harry: Ghost Building Company / Ikuko Mimori 16:29: Gen-an’s Theme / Samurai Shodown / Fumito Tamayama 18:50: Big Monster Tower / Gargoyle’s Quest / Harumi Fujita and Yoko Shimomura 20:51: Caverns Theme 1 / Metroid II: The Return of Samus / Ryoji Yoshitomi 21:51: Metroid Nest / Metroid II: The Return of Samus / Ryoji Yoshitomi 22:29: Omega Metroid Territory / Metroid II: The Return of Samus / Ryoji Yoshitomi 28:03: Haunted Forest / Tiny Toon Adventures: Babs’ Big Break / Composed by Edvard Grieg, arranged by Hidehiro Funauchi 29:51: Office 4 / Gremlins 2: The New Batch / Naoki Kodaka 31:40: Level 2 Theme / The Real Ghostbusters / Unknown Composer 34:00: BGM 3 / Magic Knight Rayearth 2nd: Missing Colors / Unknown Composer 36:54: Haunted House / Looney Tunes / Manami Matsumae 40:21: Forest of Fear!! / Wario Land 3 / Kozue Ishikawa 41:27: The Pool of Rain ~ The Stagnant Swamp (Night) / Wario Land 3 / Kozue Ishikawa 43:08: Desert Ruins / Wario Land 3 / Kozue Ishikawa 45:21: A Peaceful Village ~ A Town in Chaos (Night) / Wario Land 3 / Kozue Ishikawa 47:30: Stage Theme 2 / Donkey Kong (Game Boy) / Taisuke Araki 49:28: CInnabar Mansion / Pokemon Red and Blue / Junichi Masuda 51:28: Last Fortress / Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters / Unknown Composer 55:53: Title Theme / Metroid II: The Return of Samus / Ryoji Yoshitomi 59:50: Lavender Town / Pokemon Red and Blue / Junichi Masuda 65:28: Vampire Wario / Wario Land 3 / Kozue Ishikawa 68:23: The End of the Day / Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge / Hidehiro Funauchi Listen to Singing Mountain’s other Halloween episodes: https://singingmountainpod.com/minusworld/2018/10/18/halloween And here’s that episode of my other podcast, You Have to Watch This Movie, that’s all about Gremlins 2: https://www.youhavetowatchthismovie.com/episodes/5-gremlins-2-joan-ford Drew on Twitter: twitter.com/drewgmackie Singing Mountain on Twitter: twitter.com/singmopod On Facebook: www.facebook.com/singingmountainpod/ On iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/singi…ain/id1252832457 On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ISyNLUc1ALxzvjBqw4ru3?si=OM-bFRP1RLSLkiv2XyQxNg On Google Play: play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/…bs27wb6cqr24dlgl4 On Instagram: instagram.com/singingmountainpod/ On SoundCloud: @singingmountain On YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC9f9iAcO1ZMTYVH91c2Jsyw Official website: www.singingmountainpod.com

Long live King K. Rool! In Donkey Kong Land, the Donkey Kong Country games had spinoffs on the Game Boy that tread into weird territory not covered by the Super NES version of the series. This episode looks at the original areas created for the first Donkey Kong Land and how the music for these locations tried really hard to match David Wise’s newly established Donkey Kong Country sound. Track listing: 0:09: Gangplank Galleon / Donkey Kong Country / David Wise 3:38: Main Theme Menagerie / Donkey Kong Land / Graeme Norgate 7:55: Kremlantis / Donkey Kong Land / Graeme Norgate 11:10: Chimpanzee Clouds / Donkey Kong Land / Graeme Norgate 13:56: Cavey Cavey / Donkey Kong Land / Graeme Norgate 17:17: Monkey Mountain / Donkey Kong Land / Graeme Norgate 20:33: Big Ape City / Donkey Kong Land / Graeme Norgate 23:28: Blimp Off / Donkey Kong Land / Graeme Norgate 26:02: Great Girder Grapple / Donkey Kong Land / Graeme Norgate 29:13: Oil Drum Slum / Donkey Kong Land / Graeme Norgate 32:04: K. Rool’s Acid Punk / Donkey Kong Land / Graeme Norgate 36:06: Ancient Beaver Bop / Donkey Kong Land / Graeme Norgate 38:08: Snowy Pig WIngs / Donkey Kong Land / Graeme Norgate 41:29: Hornet Hole / Donkey Kong Land 2 / Grant Kirkhope 44:49: Bramble Blast / Donkey Kong Land 2 / Grant Kirkhope 48:21: Black Ice Battle / Donkey Kong Land 2 / Grant Kirkhope 52:03: Treetop Tumble / Donkey Kong Land III / Eveline Fischer 55:45: Cavern Caprice / Donkey Kong Land III / Eveline Fischer 58:52: Hot Pursuit / Donkey Kong Land III / Eveline Fischer 61:12: Gangplank Galleon Ahoy! / Donkey Kong Land / Composed by David Wise, Arranged by Graeme Norgate 64:16: Aquatic Ambience / Donkey Kong Land / Composed by David Wise, Arranged by Graeme Norgate Drew on Twitter: twitter.com/drewgmackie Singing Mountain on Twitter: twitter.com/singmopod On Facebook: www.facebook.com/singingmountainpod/ On iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/singi…ain/id1252832457 On Google Play: play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/…bs27wb6cqr24dlgl4 On Instagram: https://instagram.com/singingmountainpod/ On SoundCloud: @singingmountain On YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC9f9iAcO1ZMTYVH91c2Jsyw Official website: https://singingmountainpod.com

This is a celebration of the sounds of the classic, green screen-era Game Boy, which can be as beautiful as what you'd hear on any fancypants console system capable of displaying full color. Thanks much to everyone who reached out with their suggestions for their favorite Game Boy tracks. Without you I wouldn't have ever learned who Yakapoo was. Track listing: 0:06: Stage 1 / Battletoads / David Wise 2:42: Link Awakens (Marin’s House) / Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening / Minako Hamano and Kozue Ishikawa 4:05: Menu / Game Boy Camera / Hirokazu Tanaka 6:36 Tal Tal Heights / Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening / Minako Hamano and Kozue Ishikawa 10:48: In Search of the Sacred Sword / Final Fantasy Adventure / Kenji Ito 13:08: World Three (Part One) / Trip World / Phase Out (Tsutomu Ishida, Masayuki Iwata and Atsushi Mihiro) 15:10: Tunnel Scene / X / Kazumi Totaka 17:37: Ancient City / Turok: Battle of the Biosaurs / Alberto José González 22:29: New Messiah (Crystal Castle) / Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge / Hidehiro Funauchi 25:41: Praying Hands (Cloud Castle) / Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge / Hidehiro Funauchi 28:38: Psycho Warrior (Rock Castle) / Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge / Hidehiro Funauchi 32:36: Password Theme / Mega Man: Dr. Wily’s Revenge / Makoto Tomozawa 35:58: Stage 2 Warehouse 1 / Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan / Michiru Yamane 38:39: Dark Road / Gargoyle’s Quest / Harumi Fujita and Yoko Shimomura 41:04: Course 3 and 7 / Motocross Maniacs / Michiru Yamane and Tsuyoshi Sekito 44:00: The Road Home (Credits Theme) / Wario Land II / Kozue Ishikawa 47:22: Credits Theme / Tail Gator / Iku Mizutani 50:09: Credits Theme / Game & Watch Gallery / Yoko Mizuta and Jin Sugita 52:12: Credits Theme / Metroid II: Return of Samus / Ryoji Yoshitomi 54:52: Beach Theme / Mole Mania / Taro Bando 58:40: Main BGM / Bubble Ghost / Hitoshi Sakimoto 63:11: Rungo’s Theme / Battle Arena Toshinden / Yasuhiro Nakano and Dōta Andō 65:48: Stage Theme 1 / The Amazing Spider-Man / David Wise 69:25: Wily Marine Fortress / Mega Man III / Kouji Murata 72:18: Coo’s Theme / Kirby’s Dreamland 2 / Hirokazu Ando and Tadashi Ikegami 73:39: Cinnabar Island / Pokemon Red and Blue / Junichi Masuda 75:28: Poochy (Forest) / Tetris Attack / Masaru Tajima, Masaya Kuzume and Yuka Tsujiyoko 79:59: Ending Theme / Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening / Minako Hamano and Kozue Ishikawa Drew on Twitter: twitter.com/drewgmackie Singing Mountain on Twitter: twitter.com/singmopod On Facebook: www.facebook.com/singingmountainpod/ On iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/singi…ain/id1252832457 On Google Play: play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/…bs27wb6cqr24dlgl4 On Instagram: www.instagram.com/singingmountainpod/ On SoundCloud: @singingmountain On YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC9f9iAcO1ZMTYVH91c2Jsyw Official website: www.singingmountainpod.com