Top Early Game Music (1980-1984)
I stopped at 1984 since the game music world kinda blows up both for arcades and home consoles after that with the FM chips, prog-style electronic works on C64, and the Amiga. Then there's not a huge change in terms of sound quality or style (with a few exceptions like the ambient Solvalou OST and the laserdisc FMV games' OSTs) for a few years until redbook audio in games happens. I'm also aware that cutting it there means you miss out on a lot of later music that really pushes each sound chip, but I have made lists per sound chip already and they are overwhelmingly big.
-
1980:
Carnival (ARC, AY8910 at 1.193 Mhz)(Juventino Rosas - Sobre las Olas (Over the Waves))
Probably the first chip generated soundtrack which plays during gameplay while also featuring more than one harmony at the same time and being longer than 30 seconds, which is why I chose 1980 as the starting off point for this project. There's really not much more to say about this one!
Kingdom (Atari 800, Dual Track Tape)(loading theme)
Several Atari games used tapes played along with the game to add relatively high quality music, instructions or narration, though it would play between gameplay segments rather than during them. This cheesy pop track was used as a loader tune for several games by the same company, a practice that would later be emulated by Ocean for their C64 games (with the main differences being that those were chiptune tracks and ended up becoming a lot more famous).
Blasto (TI-99/4A, TI TMS9919 (early SN76489 variation))
Features one of the first three harmony tracks of decent length on the title screen, however in-game the music is one harmony only.
Rally-X/Rally X (ARC, Namco 3-channel WSG)
Short single channel bassline/piano loop in-game, polyphonic jingle before races. Both had been done before though the sound chip used is fairly advanced for its time.
-
1981:
New Rally X (ARC, Namco 3-channel WSG),In-game
Notable for featuring several tracks with more than one harmony, multiple waveforms (three I believe) and a relatively lengthy in-game track which also seems to be an original composition. The third channel of the chip appears to be reserved entirely for in-game sfx.
Sammy the Sea Serpent (Atari 8-bit, Dual Track Tape)
Snafu (Intellivision)(in-game)
Alpine Ski (ARC, 2-4x AY8910)(in-game) - 1982?
Notable for featuring more than one multi-channel in-game tracks of decent length.
Fantasy (ARC, Custom or SN76477?)(in-game)
Amidar (ARC, 2x AY8910?)(in-game)
Mouse Trap (ARC, Custom or HC55516?)(in-game, music stops sometimes?)
Venture (ARC, Custom)(in-game, "outdoors" area only)
Satan's Hollow (ARC, 2x AY8910)(in-game) - jingles only
-
1982:
While I don't know much about the full capabilities of this custom sound chip, the track used here during the instructions demo is something pretty special. A thick kick drum (probably made with a quick downward sweep of a pulse wave) and a gritty, saw-like bassline are combined to make a short and intense electro track which, while the intention was possibly to make it sound like Queen's We Will Rock You or something, ends up being reminiscent of much later bands such as Justice, MSTRKRFT and Daft Punk. Sadly, that's the one track in the game andDavid Thieldidn't really make anything like it afterwards (his work for M.A.C.H. 3 (ARC), Winter Games (A2GS etc.) and Duck Tales (AMI) is mainly orchestral and rock/pop-based, while the simple jingle from Mad Planets (ARC) might've been inspired by Pink Floyd's On The Run).
Super Locomotive (ARC, 2x SN76496 at different clock speeds)(Yellow Magic Orchestra - Rydeen cover)
A nice rendition of the new wave/synth-pop hit song using two of the chip later used in the Master System. This allowed for more advanced drums, though the second noise channel is actually just playing a hihat hit in-between beats here. What does more for the drums is the low square wave accompanying the bassdrum to beef it up a bit. For the lead, two channels playing the same thing one octave apart were combined and this roughly simulates the12.5% square wavethat the NES could play on a single channel. Also notable for the unusual "fast tremolo" effect on one instrument during the break, which remained rarely used later on.
Pengo (ARC, Namco 3-channel WSG at 96 Khz)(Gershon Kingsley - Popcorn cover)
Jungle King/Jungle Hunt (ARC, 4x AY8910)
Dig Dug (ARC, Namco 3-channel WSG)(added reverb),C64 ver. (1983, in-game)- Music plays only while moving your avatar
Moon Patrol (ARC, 2x AY8910 at 894.9 KHz)(added reverb)
Burnin' Rubber/Bump 'n Jump (ARC, 2x AY8910)(in-game)
Pole Position (ARC, Namco 6-channel stereo WSG)
Although it consists of jingles and short loops only, this is possibly the first stereo OST in a game.
Popeye (ARC, AY-3-8910),NES ver. (1983)
Journey Escape (Atari 2600)(Journey - Don't Stop Believin')(in-game)
Necromancer (Atari 8-bit, Pokey),C64 ver. (1983)
-
1983:
Interstellar Laser Fantasy (ARC, Laserdisc)
The longest and most varied OST up to this point and the Laserdisc format allowed a giant leap forward in terms of production and instrument quality. Stylistically it's also quite forward thinking for its time, featuring a number of ambient tracks (sometimes pure ambient noise), sweeping atmospheric synth parts and some semi-orchestral fanfares, while also having a distinctly game-like feel by incorporating "laser" sfx and playful staccato notes into some tracks. Good stuff.
Dragon's Lair (ARC, Laserdisc)(in-game),Intro
Galaxy Ranger (ARC, Laserdisc)(in-game)
Cliff Hanger (ARC, Laserdisc)(in-game, mostly jingles; based on Lupin III)
Astron Belt (ARC, Laserdisc)(in-game)
Cube Quest (ARC, Laserdisc)(in-game)
Esh's Aurunmilla (ARC, Laserdisc)(in-game) - 1984?
M.A.C.H. 3 (ARC, Laserdisc & AY8910 at 2 Mhz)(in-game)
Gyruss (ARC, 5x AY-8910 at 1.789 Mhz w/ DAC & 6x RC)(Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor),Medley ver.
Probably the first chiptune soundtrack with sampled percussion and stereo mixing. While it is a remix of a classical piece split into three parts it is rather detailed and seems to make pretty good use of all the 5 AY chips used, featuring echo and chorus effects as well as noise accompaniment to the sampled drums.
Spy Hunter (ARC, 2x AY-8910 & AD7533 DAC (Cheap Squeak Deluxe board))(Peter Gunn theme)
Mr. Robot and His Robot Factory (Atari 8-bit, Pokey)
Ultima III (AII, Mockingboard AY-3-8910, 1985?),C64 ver. (1984),AMI ver. (1986)(Lord British=Rule, Britannia!)
Probably the first game soundtrack where the player can manually trigger most of its songs by moving back and forth between areas in-game, and its length and variety was unmatched at the time in terms of original chiptune-based VGM. The style is mostly appropriate to a medieval fantasy setting, featuring old european folk song pastiches (possibly covers since the Lord British track is one and it was pretty common at this point in game history). Technically, it's pretty barebones and there's no percussion but we do get some effective use of echo in the mysterious Dungeons track.
The Tail of Beta Lyrae (Atari 800 XL, Pokey)(Gary Gilbertson - Passionately),Intro
Archon (C64)- 1984?,Apple II ver.,Atari 8-bit ver.
Mappy (ARC, Namco 8-channel WSG)
Albegas/Cybernaut (ARC, Laserdisc)(unreleased, in-game)
Libble Rabble (ARC, Namco 8-channel WSG)
Journey (ARC, 2x AY8910 at 2 Mhz)(Journey - Don't Stop Believin'), Tape part (Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) recording)
An early use of licensed tracks which is also notable for its variety at the time, featuring 5 different level themes and an intro/stage select track.
Aztec Challenge (C64)(added reverb & stereo)
Space Ace (ARC, LD)(in-game),Ending(later HD release)
Jammin' (C64)(in-game)
Notable for being partially interactive (themusic changes depending on which instrument you are carrying)
Frogger (C64)(Medley of covers?)
Frantic Freddie (C64)(All covers)(in-game)
Tapper (ARC, 2x AY8910?)(in-game, features stereo)
Mad Planets (ARC, DAC)(in-game)
-
1984:
Cobra Command (ARC, Laserdisc)(in-game),Ending
So here's the first use of FM synth in a chiptune-based game soundtrack, the first chiptune-based game soundtrack in stereo and, arguably, the first ambient track in a chiptune-based game soundtrack (Level 1). Pretty cool. Stylistically this one is a little unusual in that it goes for more of a classical music emulated sound in most tracks, which is reminiscent of a Warner Bros. cartoon but perhaps darker and weirder. The OST is also fairly long and with relatively long tracks for chiptunes at the time. On the downside the attempt at electric guitar in a couple of tracks is rather painful to listen to, and the FM percussion is a kinda weak but hey, it's literally the first attempt with this chip.
Starfighters (MSX, Laserdisc)(in-game),Intro (mono)- Beware theloud noisefrom the right speaker up until 2:40 and after 5:30 up until 7:43.
Thayer's Quest (ARC, Laserdisc)(in-game)
Ballblazer (C64, 1985?),Atari 8-bit ver.,Atari XE ver. (1987)
Several creative techniques are used here: Bass+backbeat drum and chords combo, echo, modulation, slides, a variety of instrument envelopes and fleshed out, "free jazz" solos. Apparently these solos are actually generated by the game itself as you play, and also affected in some way by what you're doing in the game.
Ghostbusters (C64),Atari 8-bit ver.
A solid rendition of the theme for the time, also featuring a decent voice sample at the start. What's cooler though is that the player can actually trigger this sample at will while the song is playing at the title screen. Besides that, there's not much else to it as the theme keeps playing until you beat the game and it's interrupted by a garbled sample of a scream.
Balloon Fight (ARC, N2A03),NES ver. (1985)
Tanaka's early 80s songs were pretty simple and so is this OST, but at this point I would say he was intentionally shaping a minimalistic and playful style that also suited the games he worked on rather well. Sound design-wise the main difference here is in the drums, which use noise and a square wave for short and snappy sounds that he would later re-use in Gyromite and a few other games. There's also a neat little tom solo in the middle of the bonus stage theme here, which was split into two parts for the extended NES version.
Umi Yukaba (MSX, LD)(in-game)
The Tower of Druaga (ARC, Namco 8-channel WSG)
Spy vs. Spy (C64)(slight remix,original (in-game)),NES ver. (1986)
Star Force (ARC, 3x SN76489),NES ver. (1987)
This one's notable for featuring seamless transitions between tracks as the player moves between rooms, although they're all the same tempo and have similar structure, as well as the variety of tracks for the time. It also features chorused basslines (by pairing up two channels playing the same notes and detuning each slightly), which gave them a richer sound later associated with the system. It is still pretty basic sounding though, not featuring any varied note lengths or percussion.
Pitfall II (C64),Atari 2600 ver. (custom 4 channel chip),Pitfall II (ARC, 2x SN76496 at different clock speeds, 1985)
Pac-Land (ARC, Namco 8-channel WSG)
Jet Set Willy (C64)(Beethoven),Spectrum (Beeper)
Montezuma's Revenge (Atari 8-bit)
The Staff of Karnath (C64)(Classical?)
Boulder Dash (Atari 8-bit),C64 ver.,MSX (1985)
Wizardry (AII PC (SD Music card/YM2413/OPLL FM? or midi with FM sounds added), 1984-1987?),NES ver. (1987)
Tube Panic (ARC, 3x AY8910 at 1.248 Mhz)
Archon II (C64)(same as A1 but shorter)
Trollie Wallie (C64)(Gershon Kingsley - Popcorn, Jean Michel Jarre - Equinoxe 5)
While a very short game, its OST has a surprising amount of variety in its three fleshed out tracks.
Robot Demo (Atari 8-bit Demo)
High School Graffiti Mikie/Mikie (ARC, 2x SN76496)(Beatles covers)
Ice Climber/Vs. Ice Climber (NES/ARC)- 1985?
Black Hawk (C64)(Wagner - Valkyrie)
SonSon/Son Son (ARC, 2x AY-3-8910/YM2149)
