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MAD
MAX ON CD
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[Lethal Xcess]
Back to march 1993. Two years after the release of Lethal Xcess game (sequel to
Wings of Death as everyone knows :), Jochen Hippel and Christoph Remspecher made
studio arrangements of the game tunes, planing a CD release of those.
Unfortunatly, probably due to a lack of interest or budget from Thalion at this
time for a production of this kind, those tracks have never been released to
public... until 2003, ten years later, thanks to the webmasters of Lethal Xcess
Website and The Thalion Source.
All the original tunes have been arranged, giving you eight tracks to enjoy
(intro, menu, five levels and ending) for a duration of approx. 30 minutes.
These arrangements aren't plain boom-boom remixes or simple "MIDI-remapped"
covers. And although no live-instrument is used, some research has been made on
the instruments selection and each track sounds different from the others.
There are a few loosy vocal samples placed here and there in some of the tracks.
I don't understand those as it's german speech but they just sound loosy... ;)
Hopefully there aren't more than six of those over the whole album.
Not every part of the original tune or melody is covered and there's most of the
time one single progression in the levels arrangements when there are three or
four in the original pieces. Some melodies have been slightly changed too.
My favorite track here is level three, the most progressive track of the album,
it even got as much progression as the original tune.
The most "closer to the original" arrangement is the menu theme.
It's a really enjoyable album and worth listening for anyone who played the game
or heard the original tunes. :)
Grab it as MP3 at : http://lethalxcess.atari.org/
[Hippel Remixed]
Note: It seems i got the first release of this CD as there's ten tracks on it
when the internet page lists twelve.
From 1994 to 1998, Mike Weling made various covers of game tunes composed by
Jochen Hippel, using MIDI equipement (a software sequencer, an expander and a
drum machine). In 2001 he released a CD(r) with those, through The Thalion
Source website.
Those tracks definitly sound like typical MIDI covers, no big surprise about the
instruments used and about the arrangements. Anyway these are still enjoyable as
is.
The most improved cover is the Amberstar game-over tune which starts as a nice
piano arrangement.
Along those covers come three personal compositions by Mike Weling. The first
one is a (typicaly german-sounding ;) dance tune, the second one is relaxing
piece and the last is a slow mellow tune.
Info about getting it (in german) : http://home.wtal.de/gmb/Hippel/JHremix.htm
[>-------------------------------------------------------) 01/02/04 Dma-Sc (--<]
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