Surprise surprise, an Amazing VGM from a game I just reviewed. Really keeping you on your toes aren’t I? Well what can I say, I don’t plan most of these out in advance and instead just go with what I’m most feeling, and I’m feeling Banjo-Kazooie right now. It also helps that Banjo-Kazooie has an amazing soundtrack, and there will likely be plenty of themes from this game for future entries, but I may as well start with the one that sets everything else up.

I know that there are other variations of this track in both the original game and in later installments of this series, but I want to stick with the main track this time. I covered 9 different tracks in my previous piece and I want to lighten the work load so I can be more consistent with these pieces. Anyway this track is very catchy and addicting.

This track sums up the fun and lighthearted nature of Banjo-Kazooie impeccably well. You don’t get to hear much of this track compared to the later themes in the game given that most of the time outside of the main levels is spent in Grunty’s Lair, but that works in this track’s favor quite well. It serves as a way of easing the player into the game and setting up the adventurous tone quite well.

The use of the banjo in this track is true to the tone of the game given that the main character is literally named Banjo. The melody is immensely addicting and will undoubtedly be stuck in the the head of whoever listens to it for quite some time. The harmony is also excellent and this track is very pleasant to listen to, but that could likely be applied to most of this soundtrack.

It is quite notable how Grant Kirkhope is most known for his work on Banjo-Kazooie despite the fact that he has worked on games like Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, and Civilization: Beyond Earth. It could partially be because he collaborated with others in each of those games, but it could also be that Banjo-Kazooie was one of the first games he worked on as a composer. Hell I’m pretty sure it’s the first one where he had full reign. Before that he did the guitar and trumpet for Killer Instinct 2, rearranged David Wise’s Donkey Kong Country 2 score for Donkey Kong Land 2, and collaborated with Graeme Norland and Robin Beanland for Goldeneye.

Anyway that’s it for this week’s VGM. See you all next time!

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