Bleeps On Wax – Arcade Classics Volume 1 – SIDE A – Zuntata/Taito

Arcade Classics Volume One was my second purchase when I was getting into video game soundtracks on vinyl and I was not disappointed. Side A has two stand out tracks for me: “Urban Trail” from Night Striker and “Blow Up” from Elevator Action Returns.

The first time I heard “Urban Trail” was on a deluxe sit down cabinet of Night Striker. The cabinet featured extra visual effects and a very crisp speaker system that made both the sound effects and the soundtrack stand out from other games in a very loud arcade. The drop of the track matches your first look at the neon lit city in the game as you ride out of a tunnel into it. Hearing the track the first time gave me goose bumps and still does to this day. Little did I know at the time, that being able to play that game (and in a deluxe cabinet to boot) was a rare privilege as the game was not officially released in North America. The arcade must have had it imported from Japan! Sadly, “Urban Trail” skips on my copy and I have yet to get it replaced.

“Blow Up” is a nice jazzy track with a killer sax line in it. It definitely fits the spy persona of a game like Elevator Action Returns, but almost fits better in a game like Snatcher.

Enjoy this listed to side A of this album! I’ll have Side B up soon.

Buy here: https://www.shiptoshoremedia.com/store/albums/arcade-classics-volume-one

Legendary Japanese video game developer Taito has always had one constant throughout most of its existence: incredible soundtracks by in-house band ZUNTATA.

Ship to Shore PhonoCo. is proud to present the first volume in a series of compilations showcasing the incredible work that ZUNTATA did on Taito’s arcade titles. Volume one contains selections from Night Striker, Metal Black and Elevator Action Returns, three classics from the early 90s.

Remastered for vinyl using source files from the Taito archive and housed in a gatefold jacket with liner notes by USgamer’s Jeremy Parish and ZUNTATA member Katsuhisa Ishikawa, this is a release not to be missed by classic VGM fans.

SIDE A

1. Urban Trail (Night Striker)

2. System Down (Elevator Action Returns)

3. Dual Moon (Metal Black)

4. Blow Up (Elevator Action Returns)

5. A Mirage of Mine (Metal Black)

6. Phantasm (Metal Black)

7. Elevator Action ’95 (Elevator Action Returns)