What is this thing, exactly?
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Simply put, this is a huge effort in making a definitive list of the 100 best NES tracks ever (plus 15 runner-ups), according to members of the awesome video games and music forum The Shizz.
A lot of work has been put into this by many people, as can be seen
here,
here, and
here.
Thousands of ratings cast after a forced listening have been weighed for 1725 NES tracks in order to find the best ones. This is the result. Starting from October 28th 2011, 5 tracks are to be revealed every day.
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Additional notes
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- The anonymized rating database will be made available when every track has been revealed, so that anyone can do their own analysis of the results.
- In some cases (Castlevania 3, notably), both the japanese and american versions of the same track have been rated; only the best of the two will be included in these results.
- We did our best to provide accurate information about every track. In case of a factual mistake, typo or anything that might be worth correcting, please post about it in the discussion thread on The Shizz.
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Credits
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In no particular order, here is a partial list of those who helped make this project a success:
- Shizz helpers: Jace, Norrin_Radd, bucky, dennis, raubhimself, ella guro, and others I may be forgetting (for reviews, track research, hosting space, NSFE tagging, and more), and all those who rated tracks.
- Thanks to: p1xl (for FlashNSF), Disch (for Not So Fatso), blargg (for being an audio god)
- Love to: the music greats of one of the best video game systems ever. Every NES music composer was truly an admirable artist. OK, most of them.
- Myself (juef): because I probably wouldn't have done this had I known how much work and time I put into it!!
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I hope you enjoy this project and discover many great NES tracks!!
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#115 - Shatterhand
Area D
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Shatterhand |
| Track title: |
Area D |
| Game release year: |
1991 |
| Composers: | Iku Mizutani, Koichi Yamanishi |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 2)
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Review by Jace:
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Mizutani ALWAYS pays off. An extremely intricate song that rewards focused listening with lots of great details and unexpected turns of phrase, as well as patience if your listening is highly tuned toward hooks. The real buttercream doesn't splooge out until about 40 seconds, but there's all kinds of intrigue in every other corner of this song. Thus is the Mizutani way. |
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#114 - Crisis Force
Advanced City (Stage 1)
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Crisis Force |
| Track title: |
Advanced City (Stage 1) |
| Game release year: |
1991 |
| Composers: | Kenichi Matsubara, Y. Manno, J. Chuuma |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 1)
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Review by Norrin_Radd:
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Manic! Possibly among the most manic songs on the entire system. Where do I begin? I guess most obviously, the drums: that is a thrash drum beat, in an NES game, and one of the very few I can recall, sprinkled with some of the most high energy drum fills and rhythmic ad-libs the NES has ever seen. Every section ends with a unique drum fill/transition. And they are amazing! Continuing with the manic pace of this song, there is the triangle wave. This thing is absolutely out of hand. Go ahead and solo the triangle wave for this song in the NSF and just listen to how much is going on. It's unbelievable! Lastly, this song features some of the most impressive square wave production techniques on the system (I know, how many times will I say that?!) But it's true! One of the best songs the NES has to offer, right here. |
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#113 - Super C
Military Fortress (Stage 2)
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Super C |
| Track title: |
Military Fortress (Stage 2) |
| Game release year: |
1990 |
| Composers: | Hidenori Maezawa, Motoaki Furukawa |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 4)
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Review by Jace:
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The polyrhythmic bassline! Maezawa-sama seemed to be angry about something when composing this one, though that can be said of much of his Contra work. Clever nods to the stage 1 music from Contra provide appropriate fanservice. This tune is a great display of Maezawa's mastery of rhythm and strange, aggressive transitions. |
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#112 - Bad Dudes
Stages 2, 5
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Bad Dudes |
| Track title: |
Stages 2, 5 |
| Game release year: |
1990 |
| Composers: | S. Saki, T. Miura, Y. Suzuki, Y. Takahama, I. Uchida, Y. Nakamura |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 3)
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Review by Jace:
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Like many others on the list, this song rewards patience and focused listening. That might sound ridiculous when you're talking about a loop of music that is just over a minute long, but it's easy to start wanting instant payoffs when you listen to a lot of NES music. The opening riff here consists of generic, bone-headed power chording, but quickly escalates into a nice exercise of the uniquely NES take on "epic metal" tropes popularized in series like Mega Man, Contra, and Castlevania. Noise channel drum fills are a welcome detail, as are the messily arpeggiated chords near the end of the loop. Nice work, Data East! |
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#111 - The Goonies II
Good Enough (Main Theme)
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
The Goonies II |
| Track title: |
Good Enough (Main Theme) |
| Game release year: |
1987 |
| Composer: | Satoe Terashima |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 3)
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Review by Jace:
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Texturally, one of the most simplistic pieces on this list, exhibiting hardly anything in the way of technical/programming wizardry. However, melodically and compositionally, I think it's one of the most memorable and intricate pieces of short music I've heard in my life, and certainly one of my favorites for the NES. What I love about great simple melodies is that they seem very deliberate. The notes that aren't played contribute as much as the ones that are. In a mere 47 seconds, this piece takes a handful of exciting and propulsive turns overshadowing any other content in the game in terms of complexity and imagination. |
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#110 - Shatterhand
Area B
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Shatterhand |
| Track title: |
Area B |
| Game release year: |
1991 |
| Composers: | Iku Mizutani, Koichi Yamanishi |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 3)
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Review by Jace:
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Even an "average" Mizutani tune has more creativity and energy in every phrase than any piece of music most musicians will ever create. It's true that I love hyperbole, but I pretty much mean it here. A relatively average (but slaying) entry from the master. Just his use of delay alone gives every track a sense of refinement that keeps his compositions from being boxed in with the vast ocean of generic NES "metal." |
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#109 - Mega Man 3
Top Man
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Mega Man 3 |
| Track title: |
Top Man |
| Game release year: |
1990 |
| Composer: | Yasuaki Fujita (BUNBUN) |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 6)
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Review by Norrin_Radd:
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TOP MAN! More of that fantastic Mega Man 3 chorus! This is not a super flashy track, like some of the other Mega Man 3 songs. But this song is very well written. I think that is actually its strongest feature. The rhythmic break downs from section to section provide very classy transitions, and the actual chordal progressions from one part to the next is nothing short of masterful. |
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#108 - Contra Force
Level 1
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Contra Force |
| Track title: |
Level 1 |
| Game release year: |
1992 |
| Composers: | Kenichi Matsubara, Tomoya Tomita |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 4)
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Review by Jace:
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I consider this to be a bit of a "hidden gem" in the world of Contra music. The melodic content isn't particularly catchy, but I imagine that this song would slay as a straight cover by a rockin' live band. Cool time signature experimentation in the grand Contra tradition. |
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#107 - Journey to Silius
Stage 3
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Journey to Silius |
| Track title: |
Stage 3 |
| Game release year: |
1990 |
| Composers: | Mabocha N, Marumo, Naoki Kodaka, Nobuyuki Hara,
Shinichi Seya |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 4)
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Review by Jace:
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There seems to be an entire sub-world of video game music cover bands somehow referencing or even entirely devoted to the world of Mega Man; I believe that the same could be true of Journey to Silius if it contained more songs and, beyond that, spurred an ensuing vast series of titles containing music as simultaneously emotional and apocalyptic as the utterly unique compositions in this too-short game. As it stands, there is only one Journey to Silius and that makes it all the more magical. This song tugs the eyes of my heart toward the sky with a single fist raised, and it's probably the least affecting of the major tunes in the game. |
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#106 - Rollergames
Final Showdown (Last Boss)
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Rollergames |
| Track title: |
Final Showdown (Last Boss) |
| Game release year: |
1990 |
| Composers: | Katsuhiko Suzuki, Shigemasa Matsuo, Atsushi Fujio,
Norio Hanzawa | | Screenshot: | The Video Game Museum |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 7)
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Review by Jace:
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This track is the essence of a bunch of bad dudes rolling in and beating your ass with increasing ferocity until they run out of energy and slowly wipe the sweat and blood from their brows. I have no idea when or where this plays in the game and what's happening on screen, and it doesn't matter. That's one of the coolest things about the best classic VGM; this music was clearly crafted with great deliberation and stands on its own as art, almost completely outside the specific context of "video games." |
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