Singing Mountain, A VGM Podcast

Yes, the Mario games have often been relentlessly cheerful, but sometimes Nintendo allows the mustachioed one and his pals to tread into darker territory. And the music that accompanies these ventures into what I call "creepy Mario" is often some of the best in the game. Featured in this episode: the most Halloween-appropriate music from Luigi's Mansion, Super Mario Galaxy, Paper Mario, Super Mario RPG and more. Track listing: 0:07: Haunted House BGM / Super Mario World / Koji Kondo 2:13: Haunty Halls Galaxy (Ghost Conveyer) / Super Mario Galaxy 2 / Koji Kondo 4:35: Castle & Fortress / Yoshi's Island / Koji Kondo 7:27: Banshee Boardwalk (Hyuudoro Lake) / Mario Kart 64 / Kenta Nagata 11:03: Haunted House / Super Mario 64 / Koji Kondo 13:08: Merry-Go-Round / Super Mario 64 / Koji Kondo 15:35: Temple Theme / Super Mario Land / Hirokazu Tanaka 16:02: Underground Theme / Super Smash Bros. Brawl / composed by Hirokazu Tanaka, arranged by by Koji Hayama 18:08: Sunken Ship / Super Mario RPG / Yoko Shimomura 21:29: Ashley's Song / WarioWare: Twisted / Masanobu Matsunaga, Yasuhisa Baba, and Masaru Tajima 25:31: Haunted Woods / Diddy Kong Racing / David Wise 29:06: Dark Hallways / Luigi's Mansion / Kazumi Totaka and Shinobu Tanaka 30:44: Main Theme / Luigi's Mansion / Kazumi Totaka and Shinobu Tanaka 32:16: Melody's Melody / Luigi's Mansion / Kazumi Totaka and Shinobu Tanaka 34:01: Crescent Moon Village / Wario Land 4 / Ryoji Yoshitomi 34:29: Twilight Trail / Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door / Yoshito Hirano and Yuka Tsujiyoko 38:16: Twilight Town / Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door / Yoshito Hirano and Yuka Tsujiyoko 39:42: Creepy Steeple / Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door / Yoshito Hirano and Yuka Tsujiyoko 42:43: Waltz of the Boos / Super Mario Galaxy / Mahito Yokota 45:40: Shifty Boo Mansion (Moving Floor at the Ghost Mansion) / Super Mario 3D World / Mahito Yokota 48:00: Twisted Mansion / Mario Kart 8 / Shiho Fujii 51:07: World of Nothing / Super Paper Mario / Naoko Mitome, Chika Sekigawa and Yasuhisa Baba 54:19: Haunted Chase / Donkey Kong Country 2 / David Wise 56:42: Shadow Queen / Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door / Yoshito Hirano and Yuka Tsujiyoko 59:25: Antechamber / Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon / Chad York, Darren Radtke and Mike Peacock 59:59: Distant Piano / Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon / Chad York, Darren Radtke and Mike Peacock 1:00:46: Gloomy Manor / Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon / Chad York, Darren Radtke and Mike Peacock 1:03:20: Old Clockworks / Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon / Chad York, Darren Radtke and Mike Peacock 1:05:44: River Twygz Bed / Super Paper Mario / Naoko Mitome, Chika Sekigawa and Yasuhisa Baba 1:07:13: Graveyard / Super Mario Land 2 / Kazumi Totaka 1:09:06: End Credits / Super Mario Bros. 2 / Koji Kondo Listen to Singing Mountain’s other Halloween episodes: https://singingmountainpod.com/minusworld/2018/10/18/halloween 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: instagram.com/singingmountainpod/ On SoundCloud: @singingmountain On YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC9f9iAcO1ZMTYVH91c2Jsyw Official website: www.singingmountainpod.com

Seiken Densetsu 3 was never officially translated and brought to the U.S., but you can still enjoy the game's soundtrack. In this episode, Drew talks about how this sequel to Secret of Mana sounds melancholy but every bit as beautiful as the original. Track listing: 0:08: Meridian Child 4:47: Witchmakers 6:14 Another Winter 8:39: Female Turbulence 9:48: Different Road 9:50: Evening Star 13:32: Lefthanded Wolf 18:44: Hope Isolation Pray 20:28: Harvest November 24:01: Innocent Water 24:02: Innocent Sea 28:31: Weird Counterpoit 31:28: Electric Talk 37:02: Few Paths Forbidden 38:45: Decision Bell 40:57: Breezin' 43:38: Religious Thunder 46:52: Long Goodbye 48:48: Angel's Fear (All tracks were composed by Hiroki Kikuta and are from Seiken Densetsu 3.)

Discussed herein: The likely (but not yet proven) connection between the original Legend of Zelda and the British rock band Deep Purple, as well as Koji Kondo's past in a cover band, those people who don't regard video game music as being as legitimate as "real" music, and Hayley Mills, for some reason. Track listing: 0:05: April / Deep Purple 2:03: Smoke on the Water / Deep Purple 3:00: Hush / Deep Purple 5:45: Dungeon Theme / Legend of Zelda / Koji Kondo 7:57: Death Mountain Dungeon Theme / Legend of Zelda / Koji Kondo 12:04: Title Theme / Shin Onigashima / Koji Kondo

The flute noise from the original Legend of Zelda has resurfaced in later games, woven into the soundtrack in sometimes hard-to-notice ways. In this episode, I'm attempting to round them up, all while celebrating Koji Kondo and the other composers who have defined this series' sound. (Note: This episode has been updated from the version I originally uploaded to include a track from Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.) Track listing: 0:06: Title Theme / Legend of Zelda (FDS) / Koji Kondo 3:34: Overworld Theme / Zelda II: The Adventure of Link / Akito Nakatsuka 5:56: Grass Land / Super Mario Bros. 3 / Koji Kondo 8:17: Light World Dungeon / Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past / Koji Kondo 11:14: Title Theme / Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time / Koji Kondo 15:15: Forbidden Woods / Legend of Zelda; The Wind Waker / Kenta Nagata and Koji Kondo 18:58: Wind Ruins / Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap / Mitsuhiko Takano 20:49: Shrine / Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild / Manaka Kataoka 26:50: Fortune Teller / Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past / Koji Kondo 28:35: Dark World / Switched on NES / Switched on NES: A Link tp the Past

A little something extra! Here's all the tracks from episode five (plus a few more that got cut from the final edit) mixed together into one uninterrupted longplay. Think green. Chill out. Norfest Forest / Terranigma / Miyoko Takaoka and Masanori Hikichi Secret of the Forest / Chrono Trigger / Yasunori Mitsuda Forest Interlude / Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest / David Wise ??????? Powell, the Moonlight Forest / Seiken Densetsu 3 / Hiroki Kikuta Windy Cliffs / Do-Re-Mi Fantasy / Jun Chikuma Elf Forest / Shining Force II / Motoaki Takenouchi Water Goddess Mitula / Shining Force II / Motoaki Takenouchi Still of the Night / Secret of Mana / Hiroki Kikuta Black Forest / Suikoden / Miki Higashino, Tappy Iwase, Hiroshi Tamawari, Hirofumi Taniguchi and Mayuko Kageshita Lost Woods / Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past / Koji Kondo Faron Woods / Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess / Toru Minegishi, Asuka Ota and Koji Kondo Beware the Forest Mushrooms / Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars / Yoko Shimomura A Wish / Secret of Mana / Hiroki Kikuta Mystical Forest / Final Fantasy VI / Nobuo Uematsu 5 a.m. (Rain) / Animal Crossing: New Leaf / Manaka Kataoka, Atsuko Asahi and Kazumi Totaka Forest of Illusion / Super Mario World / Koji Kondo 42:04: Forest of Cutting Shadows / Chrono Cross / Yasunori Mitsuda

It's hot, and I'm taking refuge from the heat with some of the most beautiful forest themes composed in video games. Among the titles featured: Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, Donkey Kong Country 2 and Shining Force. Stay cool. 0:10: Norfest Forest / Terranigma / Miyoko Takaoka and Masanori Hikichi 4:34: Secret of the Forest / Chrono Trigger / Yasunori Mitsuda 8:17: Forest Interlude / Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest / David Wise 12:22: Powell, the Moonlight Forest / Seiken Densetsu 3 / Hiroki Kikuta 15:49: Windy Cliffs / Do-Re-Mi Fantasy / Jun Chikuma 18:42: Elf Forest / Shining Force II / Motoaki Takenouchi 19:29: Water Goddess Mitula / Shining Force II / Motoaki Takenouchi 21:20: Still of the Night / Secret of Mana / Hiroki Kikuta 28:09: Lost Woofs / Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past / Koji Kondo 28:18: Faron Woods / Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess / Toru Minegishi, Asuka Ota and Koji Kondo 32:09: Beware the Forest Mushrooms / Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars / Yoko Shimomura 34:54: Mystical Forest / Final Fantasy VI / Nobuo Uematsu 37:47: 5 a.m. (Rain) / Animal Crossing: New Leaf / Manaka Kataoka, Atsuko Asahi and Kazumi Totaka 39:49: Forest of Illusion / Super Mario World / Koji Kondo 42:04: Forest of Cutting Shadows / Chrono Cross / Yasunori Mitsuda

It's a deep dive into the wonderfully weird music of Nintendo's Earthbound/Mother 2, but it's also a personal essay of sorts, as Drew tracks his association with a Ric Ocasek song that he didn't even know he knew. Track listing: 0:07: Battle With Kraken / Earthbound / Hirokazu Tanaka and Keiichi Suzuki 1:55: One Day for Sure (Threed) / Earthbound / Keiichi Suzuki 4:15: Battle With an Unsettling Opponent / Earthbound / Hirokazu Tanaka and Keiichi Suzuki 5:54: Onett's Arcade / Earthbound / Hirokazu Tanaka and Keiichi Suzuki 703: Get on the Bus / Earthbound / Hirokazu Tanaka and Keiichi Suzuki 9:01: Dead End Chaos Theater / Earthbound / Hirokazu Tanaka and Keiichi Suzuki 10:55: Boris' Cocktail / Earthbound / Hirokazu Tanaka 12:01: Moonside Swing / Earthbound / Hirokazu Tanaka 15:26: Keep on Laughin' / Ric Ocasek 17:12: Magicant / Earthbound / Hirokazu Tanaka 18:50: Crossing Over Space and Time / Earthbound / Hirokazu Tanaka 20:30: The Place / Earthbound / Hirokazu Tanaka 21:29: Deirdre / The Beach Boys 22:16: Dr. Andonuts' Lab / Earthbound / Keiichi Suzuki 25:20: Moonlit City Roa / Legend of Mana / Yoko Shimomura

The Great Giana Sisters is a Commodore 64 title best known for imitating Super Mario Bros., but the game's soundtrack is actually pretty awesome. In this episode, we look at how the Great Giana Sisters music makes for a handy entry point into the work of one of the most talented video game composers around: Chris Huelsbeck. Track listing: 0:03: Overworld / Great Giana Sisters / Chris Huelsbeck 3:33: Title Theme / Great Giana Sisters / Chris Huelsbeck 5:53: Castle Theme / Great Giana Sisters / Chris Huelsbeck 7:44: 'Dark/Cute' / Great Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams / Chris Huelsbeck 9:03: Stage One Theme / Hard 'n' Heavy / Chris Huelsbeck 10:20: Stage Two Theme / Hard 'n' Heavy / Chris Huelsbeck 11:46: Title Theme / The Baby of Can Guru / Chris Huelsbeck 14:10: Title Theme / Dulcedo Cogitationis / Chris Huelsbeck 17:36: Stage One Theme / Jim Power in Mutant Planet / Chris Huelsbeck 22:14: BGM 1 / Gem'x / Chris Huelsbeck 20:38: Title Theme (The Final Fight) / Turrican 2: The Final Fight / Chris Huelsbeck Drew on Twitter: twitter.com/drewgmackie Singing Mountain: @singingmountain 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/

Music is a big part of the Mega Man games, in more ways than you might think. This episode looks at the relationship between the games' stage music and the boss waiting at the end of those stages. The goal here is Splash Woman's theme from Mega Man 9, about which Drew has some crazy, unfounded theories. Track listing: 0:06: Needle Man / Mega Man 3 / Harumi Fujita 3:51: Pharoah Man / Mega Man 4 / Minae Fujii 4:51: Shade Man / Mega Man 3 / Yuko Takehara, Toshihiko Horiyama and Makoto Tomozawa 6:18: Charge Man / Mega Man 5 / Mari Yamaguchi 7:22: Maze of Death / Mega Man 9 / Yu Shimoda 8:26: Splash Blue (Splash Woman) / Mega Man 9 / Hiroki Isogai 11:21: Hornet Dance (Horney Man) / Mega Man 9 / Hiroki Isogai 14:05: Aqua Man / Mega Man 2 / Takashi Tateishi 15:52: Aqua Vistas / Ecco the Dolphin (Sega CD) / Spencer Nilsen Drew on Twitter: twitter.com/drewgmackie Singing Mountain: @singingmountain 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/

The first episodes kicks off with a track from Super Mario RPG. This selection quickly told players how this game would be a radical departure for a Super Mario game, and more than twenty years later, I still have it stuck in my head. Track listing: 0:08: Welcome to Booster Tower / Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars / Yoko Shimomura 2:15: Inside the Earthen Pipe / Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars / Yoko Shimomura 4:07: The Sword Descends / Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars / Yoko Shimomura 4:41: The Starlight's Flower / Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars / Yoko Shimomura 7:04: Singing Mountain / Chrono Trigger / Yasunori Mitsuda Drew on Twitter: twitter.com/drewgmackie Singing Mountain: @singingmountain 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/