Author Topic: The Arcade Soundtrack (Read 5701 times)

Vulgar Soul · « **on:** November 08, 2011, 01:14:47 am »

Hey y'all!

I'm puttin together an "Arcade Party" Playlist and wondered to myself, what do other people "hear" when they think of the arcades?

Let's build an arcade soundtrack together!

Name any songs that remind you of being at the arcade!

They don't have to be video game or arcade themed (so be a little more creative than some Buckner & Garcia) and they don't necessarily have to be your personal favorite songs. They can be whatever genre! It can be retro or contemporary. They can be fast, heavy, some slow jams, or some real guilty pleasure pop ish you wouldn't wanna be caught dead humming.

Songs that instantly remind you of a fun, endless night with friends and family at the arcade!

Besides hearin some great music, I'm curious to see what "sound" and atmosphere we all associate with the arcades.

Rene & Angela - I'll Be Good

D Train - You're The One For Me

Evelyn King - Love Come Down

Yaz - Situation

Patrice Rushen - Forget Me Nots

Shalamar - For the Lover in You

Can't have an Arcade soundtrack without some Cars!
The Cars - Let's Go

...Or DEVO!
Devo - Whip It

Al B Sure - Nite and Day

Mary Jane Girls - In My House

Pet Shop Boys - Domino Dancing

LL Cool J - I Need a Beat (remix)

Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait

SOS Band - Just be Good to Me

jsb98 · « **Reply #1 on:** November 08, 2011, 04:42:41 am »

I'd say go for 80s stuff, seeing as a great deal of popular arcade games are from that period. Synthesiser stuff is good. Maybe some Rick Astley!

garnerb350 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 08, 2011, 03:21:09 pm »

Quote from: jsb98 on November 08, 2011, 04:42:41 am

Maybe some Rick Astley!

AlienInferno · « **Reply #3 on:** November 08, 2011, 03:30:55 pm »

Two that I remember hearing at my local arcade when I was a child is:

Ghostbusters Theme
Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby

Other then that I was usually too immersed in the game to care.

Vulgar Soul · « **Reply #4 on:** November 08, 2011, 07:12:44 pm »

Oh yeah, Ghost Busters theme should def be played at any Arcade party!

And lol yeah Vanilla Ice is a good fit to.

Also how could I forget this New Wave classic! Obvious pick:

The Pretenders - Space Invaders

Well Fed Games · « **Reply #5 on:** November 08, 2011, 07:24:36 pm »

Tears for Fears, The Cure, Talking Heads.

mgb · « **Reply #6 on:** November 08, 2011, 08:33:28 pm »

When I think of some good 80s arcade music, I think of a little different than what you listed:

Definitely some Cars is fitting,
The Police,
Eddie Grant - Electric Avenue
You've gotta have some Duran Duran
Madness
maybe some Men at work
The Cure (I hated them back then, but not now)
Billy Squier (he sucks, but thats what I heard in arcades as a kid)
David Bowie
The Clash (maybe something off of the Combat Rock album)
Berlin - Metro
Pat Benetar - Shadows of the night
The Bugles - Video killed the radiostar
Falco
I grew up with alot of 80s Heavy Metal, so I would also say Iron Maiden, Ozzy and Quiet Riot.
Slade - Run Runaway
Bon Jovi - Shes a little runaway
Definitely some old Van Halen
I could go on for days, This is just some of what I would play and what I grew up with.

mgb · « **Reply #7 on:** November 08, 2011, 08:42:43 pm »

Oops, I almost Forgot:
Journey,
Beastie Boys (depending on your era in the arcades)
Motley Crue (especially the first album and Shout at the Devil)

Vulgar Soul · « **Reply #8 on:** November 08, 2011, 09:31:36 pm »

Quote from: mgb on November 08, 2011, 08:33:28 pm

When I think of some good 80s arcade music, I think of a little different than what you listed:

Lol, that's cool because like I said I'm very interested in seeing what type of music different people associate with the atmosphere of the arcades as they remember. For those of us putting together game rooms I think the feel of your place is just as inviting as how it looks.

I grew up in the 90s but when I went to a skating rink, video arcade, or any such place for arcades, smooth 80s (and some early 90s) funk, dance-pop, disco, freestyle, synthpop,new wave, and hip hop was the SOUND of the arcades and most other family entertainment venues at the time. Sometimes they'd switch it up with some 70s stuff or popular rock but damn they use to pump that bass heavy with old school dance records.

This was the soundtrack of bein at the arcades for me.

I would def add everything you listed to my own personal soundtrack. I find it interesting you heard heavy metal when you visited arcades though lol. Interesting, mus be a regional thing. South Bronx kid here, so it was mostly dance, electro, and funk records around here.

I actually check out local thrift stores and collect 80s and 90s dance records as part of my arcade collection because the music I use to hear was so memorable to me about walking into an arcade!

Cybotron - Clear

Man Parrish - Hip Hop Be Bop

Madonna - Into the Groove

Shannon - Let the Music Play

Janet Jackson - The Pleasure Principle

yotsuya · « **Reply #9 on:** November 08, 2011, 09:36:41 pm »

Great lists there! All 80s for me as well.

lordnacho · « **Reply #10 on:** November 08, 2011, 11:24:10 pm »

DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, "Human Video Game"

!

mgb · « **Reply #11 on:** November 09, 2011, 08:15:26 am »

Some more:

Billy Thorpe - Children of the Sun

Montrose - Space Station #5

Herbie Hancock - Rockit (I wish I could find the actual video that they used to play on Mtv)

Asia - Heat of the Moment

mgb · « **Reply #12 on:** November 09, 2011, 08:22:37 am »

Oh Yeah,
Anything by Rush

How about some YYZ

or some 2112

The Clash - Rock the Casbah (Not my favorite Clash song, but always reminds me of the 80s)

yotsuya · « **Reply #13 on:** November 09, 2011, 09:29:54 am »

Quote from: mgb on November 09, 2011, 08:22:37 am

Oh Yeah,
Anything by Rush

What? No "Moving Pictures"?

Vulgar Soul · « **Reply #14 on:** November 09, 2011, 03:55:25 pm »

Quote from: lordnacho1 on November 08, 2011, 11:24:10 pm

DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, "Human Video Game"
!

Ha ha!

Very clever, and I use to think Fresh Prince was so corny back in the day. But ya gotta appreciate this stuff nowadays!

Quote from: mgb on November 09, 2011, 08:15:26 am

Some more:

Billy Thorpe - Children of the Sun

Montrose - Space Station #5

Herbie Hancock - Rockit (I wish I could find the actual video that they used to play on Mtv)

Asia - Heat of the Moment

Quote from: mgb on November 09, 2011, 08:22:37 am

Oh Yeah,
Anything by Rush

How about some YYZ

or some 2112

The Clash - Rock the Casbah (Not my favorite Clash song, but always reminds me of the 80s)

This was great! Children of the Sun and Heat of the Moment made me wanna blast away some aliens in Galaga, old school style!

And yeah, Rush is very fittin retro arcade music. I think their more radio and synth driven stuff is great for an old school arcade playlist.

I forget the name of one of their songs. Somethin about "in the classroom halls" blah blah "submit or be shut down" but it's another song I would add. Why can't I remember the name! It was very ambient and synthy lol.

And hell yeah, Rockit! Can't have an arcade soundtrack without some electro jams!

Love these picks!

I would add The Ramones - I Wanna be Sedated (), Joan Jett - I Love Rock and Roll (), and The Go Gos - We Got the Beat () as some 80s punk/new wave songs that I would play at an arcade party lol.

Vulgar Soul · « **Reply #15 on:** November 09, 2011, 07:22:35 pm »

Dammit, now I got Heat of the Moment stuck in my head. Dammit!

mgb · « **Reply #16 on:** November 09, 2011, 11:58:59 pm »

You're right, Rush's synth driven stuff is better for an arcade soundtrack.

The Rush song you were talkin about is Subdivisions

also I always remember this song from the 80s when I was a kid, Its Pass the Dutchie by Musical Youth

And I mentioned it before, but definitely some Madness:

One Step Beyond

shanghaiguide · « **Reply #17 on:** November 12, 2011, 02:56:13 pm »

Revenge of the Ninja Droids by Desert Planet is what usually goes on my machines as a background menu track.

They have a whole CD of gaming inspired music.

http://personal.inet.fi/cool/ninjadroids/
http://www.desertplanet.com/

fallacy · « **Reply #18 on:** November 12, 2011, 04:13:11 pm »

mgb · « **Reply #19 on:** November 12, 2011, 07:41:56 pm »

Quote from: shanghaiguide on November 12, 2011, 02:56:13 pm

Revenge of the Ninja Droids by Desert Planet is what usually goes on my machines as a background menu track.

They have a whole CD of gaming inspired music.

http://personal.inet.fi/cool/ninjadroids/
http://www.desertplanet.com/

I really like that stuff by desert planet, I think I will use it for some background music in the frontend. Thanks for the tip.

Vulgar Soul · « **Reply #20 on:** November 12, 2011, 08:29:35 pm »

Yes, Subdivisions! That was it! Now there's a song that reminds me of the arcades. Def addin that one!

And, Pass the Dutchie is a CLASSIC!

That Cyndi Lauper tune is fittin to. Thanks fallacy, I never heard that one before.

And speakin of Ninja Droids, there's a lot of contemporary electronic music that samples 8-bit synth sounds. I think this stuff can be fitting, though a lot of it's a little to heavy for my sorta arcade setting. The music is nice though!

Crystal Castles

GibsonRiddler · « **Reply #21 on:** November 13, 2011, 09:08:34 am »

Look for the Miami Vice soundtracks. Hans Zimmer was the king of synth during that time. Also the Top Gun soundtrack. I would also look at some of the early Run DMC.

mgb · « **Reply #22 on:** November 13, 2011, 01:15:05 pm »

Man, I used to love the Miami Vice theme song. When I was a kid, I used to go to the public library and listen to it on vinyl at least once a week.

drawfull · « **Reply #23 on:** November 13, 2011, 03:36:23 pm »

+1 for Top Gun!

yotsuya · « **Reply #24 on:** November 13, 2011, 05:21:51 pm »

Quote from: GibsonRiddler on November 13, 2011, 09:08:34 am

Look for the Miami Vice soundtracks. Hans Zimmer was the king of synth during that time. Also the Top Gun soundtrack. I would also look at some of the early Run DMC.

I second these suggestions.


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