Friday, May 30, 2008

3/8/08 CMT II Soundtrack: "Comic Mission"

This is the fourth of the four soundtracks for the second Comic Making Tournament: "Comic Mission." The name is inspired by the "spycraft" songs that comprise much of the first half of the disc.

Track listing (artist/source - song name):

1. Superman Returns - Main Titles
2. Jurassic Park - Main Theme
3. Back to the Future - Main Theme
4. Mission Impossible - Movie Theme
5. Read or Die OVA - Read or Die no Teema (Long Version)
6. R.O.D. TV - R.O.D. (Opening Version)
7. Revolutionary Girl Utena - Campus Dandy
8. Revolutionary Girl Utena - The Akio Car Theme
9. Cowboy Bebop - Tank!
10. Cowboy Bebop - What Planet is This
11. R.O.D. TV - R.O.D. no Theme (I Love Hong Kong Version)
12. Scott Peeples - Gerudo Valley (OC Remix)
13. Ghost in the Shell - Rise
14. KOTOKO - Snow Angel
15. Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - God Knows...
16. School Rumble - Scramble
17. School Rumble 2 - Sentimental Generation
18. Yu-Gi-Oh! GX - Kaisei Josho Hallelujah
19. Genshiken - My-pace Daiou
20. Neon Genesis Evangelion - Good, or Don't Be
21. Neon Genesis Evangelion - Heady Feeling of Freedom
22. Beatles - Golden Slumber
23. Beatles - Carry That Weight
24. Beatles - The End
25. Star Wars: A New Hope - Throne Room & Credits

I picked John Williams for the first two tracks to stand strong: both themes convey majesty and grandeur. Track 3 follows in a similar vein, even though the source is certainly different. I probably should've used the main titles from Star Wars as a way to bookend the disc and make the opening a Williams trilogy; this is something I'll change next time.

Tracks 4 through 11 weave the spy themes of Mission Impossible and Read or Die with several pieces of jazz. This is meant to get kids' toes tapping a little as they work. Track 12 slows things down before the disc transitions into up tempo celebration pieces.

Track 13 ties back into the espionage theme thanks to its source, with track 14 flowing from it thanks to the similar sound. Tracks 15 through 19 were intended to represent a "party like" atmosphere through exuberance. Tracks 16 and 17 didn't really work, so they'll probably be replaced.

Tracks 20 - 25 are the grand finale of the four soundtrack set. 20 and 21 are simple guitar and piano pieces, relaxing the students as they near completion of the tournament. 22 - 24 are familiar to any fan of the Beatles: they're the last three tracks of Abbey Road. Track 25 uses John Williams once again to tie everything together with a sweeping coronation and procession.

In the next version of this CD, I'll try to use more Cowboy Bebop and theme songs, such as Indiana Jones. Instrumental themes are very good for CDs like this, so I'll probably increase their use on the other discs, as well.

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