Gradius II (Original Soundtrack)

Description

EUEXCLUSIVE: Clear/Red Colour in Colour

Thanks to our friends atShip to Shore PhonoCo., Black Screen Recordsnow offers a limited and exclusiveedition ofKonami’sclassicshoot-em-upGRADIUS II on clear/red colour in colour vinyl.

Further developing the sound ofGRADIUS, Part II continues with the hard driving sound that the Konami Kukeiha Club became world famous for.

The A-Side of this record contains the original soundtrack to the Famicom/NES version ofGRADIUS II. Where the original game’s soundtrack was a high watermark in the early days of video game music,GRADIUS IIpushes the Nintendo Entertainment System’s humble audio chip to its limits, creating memorable, improvosition based tracks that listeners will be humming long after the record stops spinning.

The B-Side contains the lesser known soundtrack to the spin-offGRADIUS 2for the MSX computer. Only released in Japan (and in Europe asNEMESIS 2), this version of the soundtrack is a completely different beast than the Famicom counterpart. Containing deep, humming synth lines that are more in line with the Konami Kukeiha Club’s arcade output. Faster and more driving than the Famicom version,GRADIUS 2remians an absolute treat for VGM and retro synth fans.

Included with the album is adouble sided insert, with one side featuring a close up of Ian Wilding’s cover artworkand the other side featuring liner notes from Retronauts’ Jeremy Parish.

New artwork created by Ian Wilding (iwilding.com). Collect all threeGRADIUSalbums to see the full panorama!

TRACKLISTING:

SIDE A (GRADIUS II – FAMICOM)

1. Equipment
2. TABIDACHI
3. Burning Heat
4. The Final Enemy
5. Fortress
6. Heavy Blow
7. Dead End
8. The Old Stone
9. GRADIUS Boss
10. Salamander Boss
11. Over Heat
12. Something Ghostly
13. Farewell
14. Take Care!
15. Game Over

SIDE B (GRADIUS 2 – MSX)

1. Above the Horizon
2. Starting Point
3. A Journey to the Start
4. Killer Coast Land
5. A Fighter
6. A Planet of Plants
7. Red Diamond
8. Dancing Venus
9. Blazed Up
10. Frontier Disputes
11. Tears Began Gushing
12. Don’t Leave Me Alone
13. Killer Love
14. Moonspin
15. Powerful Waves
16. A Dream of Dreamer
17. The War Is Over
18. Synthetic Life

Official Soundtrack forGradius II

Music by:
Konami Kukeiha Club

Artwork by:
Ian Wilding (iwilding.com)

Vinyl produced by:
Ship to Shore PhonoCo

Vinyl distributed by:
Black Screen Records