Welcome to the Archive site of The Sonic Stadium (2008-2023)
Please note that this site is no longer being updated or maintained; as a result, there may be design issues, and links to images and other media may be broken. Links to posts may redirect you to the same article on the current Sonic Stadium website.
Although news on it’s release has been pretty sketchy, it now finally looks like the Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2 soundtrack will be seeing the light of day this October.
With distribution through the Universal Music (the record label of Japanese super group Dreams Come True to which the original composer Masato Nakamura belongs), the soundtrack is set to contain the full workings from the Megadrive / Genesis titles, along with unheard demo material all reworked.
You can preorder this soundtrack now through Play-Asia for $36.49 (about £27) and CDJapan for ¥3000 (about £26), and you will be pleased to know they will ship to most countries worldwide. The soundtrack is set to be released on 19th of October 2011.
Although no announcement of track listings or box art has been confirmed, the price would indicate that this may be a double-CD soundtrack [EDIT – Sonic Retro claim it comes on a massive 3 CDs with 88 tracks -T] , although again this is speculative; we will keep you informed as always through the Sonic Stadium as more information comes to light.
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Merch-hogs, rejoice! SEGA have announced that an extremely impressive Collector’s Edition of Sonic Generations for the XBOX 360 and Playstation 3 will be made available for European Sonic the Hedgehog fans to pick up.
The limited edition set will contain statue of both classic and modern Sonic, a number gold ring, a “20 Years of Sonic Art” book containing unreleased artwork, a special 20th anniversary soundtrack with a selection of songs handpicked by Sonic team, and the “History of Sonic: Birth of an Icon” documentary DVD. If that wasn’t enough, the set also includes downloadable content fo the title.
As of this moment there is no statement of price, but if you’re a collector of Sonic merchandise, you will NOT want to miss out owning this beautifully designed bundle.
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A full stage-and-a-bit’s worth of gameplay footage from Mushroom Hill Zone on Sonic Generations with both modern and classic Sonic! Fans will no doubt be pleased to see the return of losts of features from the original stage along with a host of the most recognisable badniks.
By the sound of it, Modern Sonic’s music for Mushroom hill is identical to the original version from Sonic & Knuckles; however the track for this stage may not have been finalised and this is a placeholder track. Classic Sonic’s Mushroom Hill stage does appear to have a musical makeover however, and is sounding pretty nifty…but you will need to wait for the end of the video for that!
Thanks to Phantomime for the news tip!
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Masato Nakamura, the mastermind behind the original Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 soundtracks and member of the popular Japanese super-band DREAMS COME TRUE will be producing a commemorative CD soundtrack to be released over the summer.
Not only will the soundtrack contain songs taken from the first two Sonic the Hedgehog titles for the SEGA Megadrive/Genesis, it will also include a reprint of the original sound demo tapes from both games, along with other bonus tracks yet to be announced.
This will surely be a must-have item for every fan amongst the community, let alone videogame music connoisseurs. Similar to the Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes re-release soundtracks, this CD album looks set to only be available to Japan.
Sonic Stadium will keep you up to date as we learn more about this fantastic compilation!
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With older Sonic the Hedgehog soundtracks becoming more scarce and difficult to obtain, along with newer releases frequently only being available to Japanese markets, the cry from fans for Sonic music to be available for download has become greater in recent years. This is set to change however, with the announcement that the Sonic Colors Official soundtrack album VIVID SOUNDS X HYBRID COLORS will be available from the 26th of this month for download from iTunes.
However don’t jump for joy just yet; the album will only be available to the Japanese market in which Wave MasterEntertainment (long time Sonic OST publishers) operate, meaning Western markets will be no closer to getting Sonic soundtracks on general release (although there are ways in which to buy through the Japanese iTunes). Unfortunately the soundtrack does not come cheap; the album is sold in three volumes each costing ¥1500 ($19/£12), with individual tracks being unavailable for purchase. Some fans may find this deal not to be worthwhile, with the physical 3-CD soundtrack costing ¥300 less than downloading all three volumes. Those looking only to purchase the title “Reach for the Stars” by Cash Cash will also be disappointed.
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As yesterday marked the release of the Sonic Colors official soundtrack CD Vivid Sound X Hybrid Colors, the SEGA of Japan Sonic the Hedgehog site Sonic Channel interviewed composer Kenichi Tokoi (who previously composed for Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games and Sonic and the Secret Rings) and producer Tomoya Ohtani (Who composed for soundtracks such as Sonic World Adventure and Sonic Rush Adventure) with regards to their involvement with the soundtrack.
Although the interview was conducted in Japanese, we’ve picked out some interesting topics discussed! Tokoi and Ohtani first discuss how the title of the album came about; vivid was deemed a lively term and reflected the nature of the game well, with the word hybrid uniting the liveliness of the game with the music. Because of the mix of synthesised music, autotuned vocals and orchestral music, the term hybrid was also thought to also reinforce the nature of the diversity of music on the soundtrack.
Tokoi and Ohtani also comment on differences to composing the soundtrack compared to Sonic World adventure (or Sonic Unleashed), whereby the music in the game did not change for the stage, where as now every act on the Wii version of the game has a different tune. Thetr is also discussion of the similarities and differences between the title track “Reach for the Stars” and that for Sonic World Adventure “Endless Possibilities”, and how they feel variation of lead singers for the title tracks is beneficial.
The pair go on to talk at great extent about the inspirations and vibes considered when composing for varying levels; for example the twangy guitar was thought to capture the subtle hilarity of Sweet Mountain being an armoury masquerading as a confectionary factory. Heavy guitars were employed for the fast pace of the Asteroid Coaster, and the darker themes were used to convey the feel for the Terminal Velocity stages. Both composers also enjoyed creating the 8-bit versions of the tracks used during the virtual stages!
They interestingly also discuss how they feel they have not deviated much from the framework of most sonic Sonic soundtracks, but hope fans appreciate the more pop-themed opening tunes rather than feeling betrayed by the decision to have Cash Cash perform.
You can check out the full interview with pictures on the Sonic Channel Page.
If you haven’t ordered your copy of Vivid Sounds X Hybrid Colors, you can purchase this now from CD-Japan for ¥4200 (about $47 USD or £32 GBP).
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According to a listing posted yesterday at VGMdb, upcoming Wii & DS game Sonic Colours will be getting an original soundtrack CD in Japan titled ‘Hybrid Colors’. The CD will be released December 22nd with a price tag of 4200 JPY and will be published by Wave Master, who has been publishing Sonic soundtrack CD’s for years now. No track listing is available at the moment, but it will no doubt contain the various music from the stages that we’ve heard so far, Cash Cash’s ‘Reach For The Stars’ track that was played in an earlier trailer and the ‘Speak With Your Heart’ track played at the Tokyo Game Show.
We’ll update you with the full track list when it’s made available.
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One of the last remaining disputes hanging around the Sonic community has been the ‘did he, didn’t he’ surrounding Michael Jackson’s supposed involvement in Sonic 3’s soundtrack. Turns out such rumours have been well and truly confirmed, as a French MJ tribute magazine, Black and White, spoke to fellow composer Brad Buxer about his involvement in the game.
I’ve never played the game so I do not know what tracks on which Michael and I have worked the developers have kept, but we did compose music for the game. Michael called me at the time for help on this project, and that’s what I did.
Brad Buxer is a well known collaborator with Jackson on several projects, and his appearance in Sonic 3’s credits suggested that perhaps the King of Pop had a hand in music creation as well. But Jackson’s name does not appear in the credits, perhaps using an alias or even removing himself from public knowledge at all. Buxer explains:
If he is not credited for composing the music, it’s because he was not happy with the result sound coming out of the console. At the time, game consoles did not allow an optimal sound reproduction, and Michael found it frustrating. He did not want to be associated with a product that devalued his music…
It was also revealed that the links between the Sonic 3 Credits theme and Jackson hit Stranger In Moscow do share the same beat because the former was used as the base for the latter.
Several months after Michael Jackson’s untimely passing, his deep roots with the SEGA of the 1990s has been truly revealed, allowing us to respect a great artist’s work even more. Thanks to Sonic Retro for the posting of this news, and to Silva Rymes for sending us a tip (which we noticed after we posted this – sorry!).
Update: ArchAngelUK has informed us that there is specific mention of Michael Jackson on Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, under the Sonic 3 ‘Museum’ section.
Upon inspection, the March 2009 compilation confirms nothing of Jackson’s actual contribution, only that he “was originally going to be” composing. In fact, the exact wording of the phrase implies an outright denial of Jackson’s eventual involvement. Buxer’s comments in the Black & White magazine almost negate the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection reference entirely by confirming Jackson was in fact involved after all.
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How’s this for an Easter treat? We’re teaming up with SEGA Europe to give away an Xbox 360 Elite console, along with a copy of Sonic Unleashed and some other goodies too! I also have an Xbox 360 copy of Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection to give away too, so I’m chucking that in there too. Monster prize, eh? It’s just what we do. Wanna win it? Head to the contest page right now!
As we’re getting through the Media Portal updates, I’ve been working hard to get a few more music pages online at TSS. We’ve just added the Face to Faith vocal soundtrack from Sonic and the Black Knight, and an information page on Bentley Jones’ debut Japanese album, TRANS//LATION. It’s some pretty good stuff, and I urge you to use the links provided on the page to import the albums if you like what you hear (although for the record, we won’t be providing downloads of Bentley’s album – sorry).
On this Easter holiday, you might want to kick back and relive some of your younger days. Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection may be right up your street, and we have a review online now to help you decide whether it’s worth a few bob of your money and time.
Finally, we have yet another old/new addition to the Skin Selector. Rounding off the Triple Threat, I’ve gone ahead and remade the ‘Knucklehead’ theme so you can see red whilst you browse TSS.
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Whether or not you’ve decided that Sonic Unleashed is a good game or not, you’ve probably heard a handful of tunes that have got your feet tapping as you blast through levels at break-neck speeds or smack goofy enemies with your Wolfy pimping-hands. So for those of you who are bonkers for Sonic soundtracks, you can rejoice in the knowledge the Sonic World Adventure: Planetary Pieces Official Soundtrack has been released today.
Once again, the usual suspects Tomoya Ohtani, Kenichi Tokoi, Fumie Kumatani & Hideaki Kobayashi have teamed up to create another monstrous album containing a comprehensive collection of all the tracks from the game. The staggering 91 track list includes the rather sexual Werehog Battle music, Jaret Reddick’s “Endless Possibility”, several versions of the game’s theme, and the pleasant “Dear My Friend” from the ending titles. Not only that, the presentation of the box is of the usual incredible standard (there’s a CD with Chip on it!)
You can check out the track listing over at the Video Game Music Data Base, and if you’ve got some coins to spare you can buy yourself a copy from Play Asia or CD Japan for about 4200 Yen...a bit steep at around £31 ($45 – and don’t forget you’ll have to pay for International Postage on top of that), but well worth it if you’re as mad as me for these soundtracks!
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YouTube user, sphereballs, takes the January 5th spotlight today for his Sonic remixes. His remixes are not like the ones you would here on OCRemix, though. These two songs that he made take all 7 tracks from both the Japanese and American soundtracks of Sonic CD and mix them all into epic song. The zones that he has done thus far are Wacky Workbench and Tidal Tempest. Be warned, they are awesome. Tidal Tempest is above, hit the jump for Wacky Workbench. Continue reading Fanatics: The Best of Both Soundtracks
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Just like clockwork, the latest Sonic the Hedgehog title is to get an original soundtrack release in Japan. Called ‘Sonic World Adventure Original Soundtrack: Planetary Pieces’, no doubt it will be a pretty comprehensive collection of tunes from all the stages, bosses and events found in Sonic Unleashed. If you’ve yet to hear the sublime music so far, you can catch a preview at the official Sega website. That Chun-Nan track sure is tight. Those wanting to sit patiently until the release date can file behind T-Bird for the 29th January 2009. Bring some crisps. And 4000 Yen.
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Whilst the TSS crew were at Video Games Live last night watching things rock out, we were surprised that the set contained no Sonic the Hedgehog medley this year. We didn’t mind though, as someone on stage let slip that co-creator and presenter, Tommy Tallarico, is to be working on the music to Sonic and the Black Knight.
The reveal came during the evening show when the editor for the Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition, Keith Pullin, took the stage to award Tommy with for his contribution to video game music (some 200-odd games he’s composed for, from Earthworm Jim to Disney’s Alladin to Metroid Prime). Pullin stated that Tallarico is working on a Sonic the Hedgehog game, whilst the presenter turned to the audience and shhh’d everyone down. Even ArchAngelUK, Sega Europe’s community manager, was surprised of the detail. Continue reading Tallarico, Jacques Working on Sonic and the Black Knight
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I’ve been busy beavering away at a little project for the site. Basically, I’m trying to get the Information and Downloads sections back online in some form or another. Ahead of a release of our Music Downloads section (which is basically an HTML version of what we offer on our FTP Portal, for those that like nice looking webpages), we’ve grabbed the Game Rip for Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, and you’re all invited to download it for yourselves. And because it’s from TSS, we’ve tagged the files properly and everything. So enjoy – I can rock hard to that Battle Theme 3 music all day. Cheers to Golden Hedgy for leading us to audio glory.
You can expect me to update you on various things regarding the Information and Download sections over the coming weeks. I don’t know how long this will take me, but there’s cause for celebration on the 24th October regardless…
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Official Japanese Sonic the Hedgehog site has released the tracklist to new Sonic album True Blue: The Best of Sonic the Hedgehog
01. LIVE & LEARN
02. IT DOESN’T MATTER (SA2 Version)
03. ESCAPE FROM THE CITY
04. HIS WORLD
05. SUPER SONIC RACING
06. SONIC – YOU CAN DO ANYTHING
07. SONIC BOOM
08. SONIC SPEED RIDERS
09. RACE TO WIN
10 SONIC X THEME Continue reading True Blue album tracklist released
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Sonic composer extraordinaire Jun Senoue gave visitors to his website a nice surprise on Christmas Day as he announced a new ‘Best Of’ compilation album, to be released soon in Japan. No information has been revealed other than the title, ‘True Blue’, the fact that it has 21 tracks and the rumour it may well include the ‘Open Your Heart’ Remix from Lee Brotherton that had ears wagging way back in 2006. Continue reading Senoue Announces New Sonic Album
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Good news for those of you who, like me, love your Sonic tunes!
It looks like we are set to see a compilation album due out early next year which will include a selection of the best vocal tracks from Sonic the hedgehog games, past and present.
Here’s what CD Japan have to say:
“Look back on fifteen years of “Sonic the Hedgehog” with the best vocal songs from each of the previously released “Sonic” games. Includes unreleased tracks, CD debuts, the latest remixes, and even bonus tracks from some of today’s hottest artists!”
I don’t know about you, but there’s nothing more exciting than a CD of unreleased material and remixes!
Keep your eyes on CD Japan for updates on album art, release dates and track listings!
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SEGA of Japan is pre-ordering a CD on their SEGA DIRECT site with all 7 SONIC the Hedgehog ’06 vocal songs. The CD, temporarily titled “SONIC THE HEDGEHOG VOCAL TRAX” is selling for 1,905 yen. The pre-order ends November 30th, so get it while you can.
Although the exact track list is undecided, is it said that Zebrahead will be on the CD for sure, with their song “His World”. It’s also safe to assume that Sweet Sweet Sweet remix by Dreams Come True and Akon and the other vocal songs in SONIC the Hedgehog ’06 will be added on.
If you can buy off of SEGA DIRECT, here’s a great addition to your Sonic soundtrack library, or maybe a stocking stuffer. 😉 Stay tuned for more SONIC the Hedgehog news coming soon.
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Walk into a Japanese music or games store. Look left. Look right. Notice anything different, apart from the eclectic colour and anime freaky cartoons screaming in your earhole rendering you half-deaf? Amongst other things, an abundance of video game soundtrack CDs. The Japanese love the aural aspect of gaming, so much so that society has deemed the compositions as a bona fide form of audio art. As such, you can expect to see many original soundtracks (OSTs) littered about the place for any such game.
This trend is catching on in the West, particularly America. The large-scale video games are getting standalone soundtracks. Granted, most of them happen to be either Final Fantasy (whatever else?) or the chav-gathering titles aimed at those who like gritty, grey realism with as much life as a beige sweater. Not that I’m biased or anything, you understand. Jun Senoue’s getting in on the act by doing his best to ensure Sonic OSTs are brought to the US mostly intact.
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Sega Japan and Wavemaster are teaming up to come out with a special Sega Saturn 10th Anniversary DVD and CD compilation, both can be bought seperately.
The Visual Collection Vol. 1 is a DVD that features opening and endings to 16 games, including Sonic Team’s NiGHTS Into Dreams.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Tokoi and Ohtani also comment on differences to composing the soundtrack compared to Sonic World adventure (or Sonic Unleashed), whereby the music in the game did not change for the stage, where as now every act on the Wii version of the game has a different tune. Thetr is also discussion of the similarities and differences between the title track “Reach for the Stars” and that for Sonic World Adventure “Endless Possibilities”, and how they feel variation of lead singers for the title tracks is beneficial.
One of the last remaining disputes hanging around the Sonic community has been the ‘did he, didn’t he’ surrounding Michael Jackson’s supposed involvement in Sonic 3’s soundtrack. Turns out such rumours have been well and truly confirmed, as a French MJ tribute magazine, 
I’ve been busy beavering away at a little project for the site. Basically, I’m trying to get the Information and Downloads sections back online in some form or another. Ahead of a release of our Music Downloads section (which is basically an HTML version of what we offer on our FTP Portal, for those that like nice looking webpages), we’ve grabbed the Game Rip for Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, and you’re all invited to download it for yourselves. And because it’s from TSS, we’ve tagged the files properly and everything. So enjoy – I can rock hard to that Battle Theme 3 music all day. Cheers to Golden Hedgy for leading us to audio glory.
