Totally Rad is getting a totally rad soundtrack on vinyl
Retro-Bit has given me the heads-up that they have a unique soundtrack album that is currently available for preorder. This wax has the soundtrack to the 1991 NES game, Totally Rad, pressed on it. That’s one deep cut right there, but it’s not an entirely strange one. By that, I mean that it actually has a pretty enjoyable soundtrack, as well as one of reasonable length for a vinyl, which isn’t always a given when it comes to the NES.
I’m still somewhat torn on video game soundtracks on vinyl. But I have one for the Turbografx-16/PC-Engine’s Alien Crush/Devil’s Crush. It’s actually pretty enjoyable. I listened to it on my father’s much more impressive sound system. Its stereo separation is surprisingly convincing for an entirely digital soundtrack made at a time when monoaural televisions were still common. The downside is that the soundtrack itself isn’t very long, so a lot of side-2 is just various short jingles. They should have maybe added the SNES sequel, Jaki Crush, to the mix.
The Totally Rad OST vinyl seems like it will have that problem but to a much smaller extent. Simply, Totally Rad didn’t have all that many jingles. The track listing shows three, “Act Complete,” “Game Over,” and “Act Start.” All of them are bunched up in a few seconds at the end, by the looks of the track listing. The rest are what you could qualify as “tunes.” NES games don’t typically have long soundtracks due to space constraints, but they are typically composed to loop, so it’s kind of hard to tell what the length of the album is. It’s single LP, and there’s no word on the type of pressing, so it could be a lot or a little.
MAGIC JOHN
The album is pressed on a “neon-yellow with magenta, orange and green splatter vinyl” which looks, if not totally rad, at least pretty rad. One thing that confuses me is that it says, “Official soundtrack to NES and Arcade game,” but I don’t think it ever hit arcades. It was originally published in 1990 as Magic John, and its North American release completely reskins everything to fit better with our pop culture at the time. But, as far as I know, it isn’t based on an arcade game and was instead created specifically for the NES. The cover of the album actually features artwork from Magic John rather than Totally Rad.
Speaking of which, Magic John is the only announced game for City Connection’s Jalecolle line of ports that hasn’t been released yet. If you haven’t checked them out yet, each game in the Jalecolle is essentially an enhanced emulation of games from Jaleco, featuring random bells and whistles that are somewhat common in, say, M2’s Shot Triggers games. Perhaps more importantly, if a game wasn’t released in North America, they add subtitles to translate. If you’re looking for recommendations, Pizza Pop, Pinball Quest (which did have an NA release), and Bio Warrior Dan are the better ones.
On the down-low, I have my fingers crossed that Retro-Bit does a physical re-release of Pizza Pop for NES. Maybe one day. But for now, you can preorder the Totally Rad vinyl soundtrack here on Respawned Record. Preorders end on March 22, 2025, which is pretty soon.
Zoey Handley
Zoey made up for her mundane childhood by playing video games. Now she won't shut up about them. Her eclectic tastes have worried many. Don't come to close, or she'll shove some weird indie or retro game in your face. It's better to not make eye contact. Cross the street if you see her coming.
