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Which Monkey Island has the best Soundtrack?

MusicallyInspiredMusicallyInspired
edited September 2009 in Tales of Monkey Island
Speaks for itself. I included 3 different versions of SMI because they all have a different approach and the CD and SE have more tracks than the disk versions do. I think I've gotta go with the SMI:SE. It has the best of both worlds of the CD and disk releases incorporating some of the musical ideas from the disk version that weren't in the CD version but presented in the same way that the CD version was.

MI2 follows a very very close second, though. What can I say? I like the classics.

Comments

  • coolsomecoolsome
    edited September 2009
    I love the music in CMI
  • FarlanderFarlander
    edited September 2009
    I will say Escape. I actually do like all the MI music, but it is Escape I listen to the most.
  • Rather DashingRather Dashing
    edited September 2009
    Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge has the best game soundtrack. It built on the respectable, wonderful base of Secret of Monkey Island. But more than that, it innovated. iMuse was introduced, creating music that conformed to the context of what was happening on-screen. That does a LOT for atmosphere, and it really emphasizes what it means to construct a score specifically for an interactive medium. It added amazing themes, and gave depth to the already amazing Secret themes.

    Basically, LeChuck's Revenge's score evolved marvellously, and created something amazing in the process.
  • Bigfoot77Bigfoot77
    edited September 2009
    As much as I love having live instruments in Curse of Monkey Island, I still have to say that LeChuck's Revenge takes the cake for me. Being a musician myself I just feel that the music in that game really sets the tone and atmosphere perfectly.

    With that being said, imagine what it would have been like if it was possible to use live instruments in LR back then! :)
  • Secret FawfulSecret Fawful
    edited September 2009
    For me I would say that the LeChuck's Revenge score is just classic. I hate the Escape From MI score, it wasn't memorable to me.

    I am still undecided on the Tales soundtrack; it has some gems such as the Marquis theme and De Cava's shack, but time will tell.
  • LaserschwertLaserschwert
    edited September 2009
    For me it was a hard choice, but I ultimately picked CMI. While LCR has my favorite compositions, the whole package of CMI - including the use of live instruments - wins. LCR's soundtrack at the recording quality and style of CMI would be the BEST.
  • Ash735Ash735
    edited September 2009
    I picked Curse, but bloody hell I had to ponder on the choices for a very long time, LeChucks Revenge has a brilliant soundtrack, and so does Tales up to now. But considering I haven't heard all of what tales has to offer yet, Curse felt like a better package. Escape has a few great tracks too, but the mix of many different composers throws the style around too much, Michael Lands work on Melee Island is pretty great whilst other areas like Monkey Island felt flat and Lucre Island felt like it overused the same notes in most of it's songs.
  • FarlanderFarlander
    edited September 2009
    but the mix of many different composers throws the style around too much

    Which reminds me, considering that not every MI score was purely Michael Land's work, is there somewhere information on to who wrote what game tracks?
  • Ash735Ash735
    edited September 2009
    In an interview with Clint Bajakian:
    In our forum, many people have wondered which composer wrote which tune in Escape from Monkey Island. Could you give us an example or two?

    In order to best suit the dramatic styles for each area in the game, to have as sensible a production process as possible and to ultimately create a varied but cohesive score, the score was broken up essentially along geographical boundaries in the game. The fact that there were separate islands and distinct areas within those islands made it very feasible to approach it this way. As I was lead composer, I composed music across all areas, but in general the break down is as follows. Michael Land handled most of Melee Island, Peter McConnell the "back side" of Lucre Island, myself the "front side, or town" of Lucre, Michael Lande, Jambalaya Island (of course, Peter did Stan!) and Anna Karney, Monkey Island. I wrote all the cutscene music except Toothrot's 'Ozzie story' which Anna composed.
  • FarlanderFarlander
    edited September 2009
    Ah, thanks. But what about MI2 music? It was ML, PMcC and CB work, AFAIK, is there somewhere info on that?
  • niktheblakniktheblak
    edited September 2009
    The MI2 soundtrack has the best and most memorable songs, but the CMI soundtrack as a whole has the best execution, so I chose CMI. I would love to hear the MI2 soundtrack arranged for real instruments though. MI2 also benefited from the smooth cross-fade style tune changes from screen to screen made possible by LucasArts' iMuse, a really marvelous piece of technology that, sadly, is now defunct due to the death of MIDI. I really miss iMuse and I think the current trend of looping static PCM soundtracks in games is a huge step backwards.

    CMI definitely has the best version of the title song.
  • Ash735Ash735
    edited September 2009
    I can't find any but I'd assume the set up would be the same, each guy took one island as the music style on each island is pretty different, with the main composre overseeing the rest like Dinky, etc, would be nice to find out who done the Underground Tunnels theme at the end though!
  • FuryFury
    edited September 2009
    They're all good, but probably curse. It had A Pirate I was Meant to Be, a song that holds a very special place in my heart.
  • HaydenHayden
    edited September 2009
    I said Tales, there's a lot of cool and different music in there and we aren't even half way through!
  • DangermouseDangermouse
    edited September 2009
    Curse for me, LeChuck's Revenge was fantastic, but there is no comparison for live instruments.
  • JakeJake Telltale Alumni
    edited September 2009
    Most of my favorite memorable Monkey Island tunes come from the soundtrack to the second game, and the huge amounts of interactivity put it over the top. I love the soundtracks to all the MI games for different reasons -- Monkey 1's is the most fresh and pure, being the original of course, and Monkey 3's just sounds amazing from a fidelity/production standpoint, and is so moody and atmospheric while being really backgroundey, and Escape's has some clever stuff that I like (most notably the underwater theme, Pegnose Pete's theme, and the clarinet solo during Stan's music), but the combination of the super ominous LeChuck stuff throughout the game, the atmosphere of Scabb, Booty, and Phatt island's music, Largo LaGrande's theme, etc, etc, etc, and the amazing iMuse-fueled interactivity give Monkey 2's soundtrack a special place in my heart which I doubt any other game can supplant.

    I do have to say, I love that some of the music Michael Land is writing for Tales totally harkens back to the weird meandering style of some of the Monkey Island 2 tracks -- the sort of minimal jungley stuff especially.
  • QwazinQwazin
    edited September 2009
    Monkey Island 2 is definetley in a league of it's own both musically, storywise and graphically. It's just so damn weird. I love it to death.
  • FrownFrown
    edited September 2009
    Monkey Island 4, no doubt.

    I dunno, it's just... amazing. *sigh*
  • FuryFury
    edited September 2009
    Micheal Land is probably the most talented music person pants out there.
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