*********************************** AM/FM ***********************************  ***************************************************************************** * MEMORIAL SONGS / ALCATRAZ reviewed by MARK! DANKERS * *****************************************************************************  Title : Memorial Songs Number of Disks : 2 Number of Songs : 10 Releasedate : April/May '93 Reviewed by : Mark! Dankers  Credits ญญญญญญญ Music : LizardKing / Alcatraz Graphics : Tony / Alcatraz Coding : Calypso / Scoopex - Mauve? To make the judgement on the entire musicdisk easier, I ripped all the songs and pictures first, so I could make a better opinion on them.. จจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจ  MUSIC :  Name of Song : SongLength : SongSize : Patterns : Positions : 01 - Elimination 6.31 mins 147930 bytes 45 46 02 - Blind Intro 1.23 mins 162806 bytes 18 21 03 - Varanen 3.45 mins 176584 bytes 33 31 04 - Athmospherical 1993 3.35 mins 151068 bytes 36 52 05 - Bosvedjan Jam 1.50 mins 136898 bytes 20 40 06 - Clutturale 2.20 mins 132934 bytes 29 27 07 - Walkabout Adventure 3.22 mins 188060 bytes 39 48 08 - Lizardking's Theme 6.22 mins 135866 bytes 88 52 09 - Tango Love Song 1.20 mins 81238 bytes 09 11 10 - Welcome Home 2.14 mins 62810 bytes 10 14  01 - Elimination  I think a lot of people know this song already, as Lizardking a.k.a. Gustaf Grefberg from Sweden, already competed with this song at THE PARTY II in Aars , Denmark last year.. He ended up 6th there in the music-competition. I think the song is one of Lzk's songs you can recognize hearing it for the first time.. His style is so obvious.. It's the same disco-kind-of-style w e heard before in many different magazines and other productions.. I must say his samples are always of good quality, which he mostly digitizes from his or others synths.. So nothing about their quality.. If we go through the samples we can find some synthetic and some full samples, some variety in them makes this song a bit cooler. There are some different parts in this `song.. It starts off with a fast disco-tune, and for the last 10 positions the tune slows down, and gets more of a melody.. The last part is the best I think..  02 - Blind Intro  This song is the first one you hear when you start up the musicdisk.. It's in the intro.. This song contains some selfmade voice-sequences by Gustaf.. I think you have to Swedish or extra-terrestrial to understand them.. It's his own voice dragged through a effect-module or so.. Definately transformed.. Is it his normal voice? Meet him and discover. hehe.. This song has a strange atmosphere which is mainly caused by the voices. I think it's pretty cool for an intro-tune..  03 - Varanen  Strange.. 33 patterns and only 31 positions.. He didn't use pattern 1,2,3. On these patterns some crap can be found which he didn't want to include in this song.. In this song some strange samples'a la jarre'can be found. Some of the agent-orange stuff I think.. This song starts off with a slow part, and then the speed increases, and ends up in a faster part which contains some more melody, and some ugly bad-looped strings.. This part is ok on the whole.. The little end-part contains some piano's and is pretty relaxed, it's only those strings I hate so much.. yergh, the rest is ok..  04 - Athmospherical 1993  Well, if he's trying to create any atmosphere, I must've missed it.. I can't find it, the only thing I can hear is some happy song, which fades into a more serious part.. I think trying to compose a lead 'like it sounds false, but still is correct' takes some more effort than he tried with the flute.. blergh, it's crappy.. It's REALLY crappy, even if it is ONLY five notes.. The rest sounds like some silly 'search-for-talent-tune'..  05 - Bosvedjan Jam  This is MUCH better than the previous one.. Cool attempt to create some kinda Jazzy style , mixed with some other influences.. I like the organs and the piano chords very much.. It differs from the rest of the songs.. It has it's own style.. It's more funky and varies a lot.. A lot of different leads like a Sax, organs, belltubes and a lot more.. Nice tune pal!  06 - Clutturale  Starts with the style we're used from him. This songs makes no big impression , it's more like the same old melodies, and stuff.. He uses a lot of lead- instruments which sound a lot like eachother in most of his tunes.. I don't like them that much.. But hey, that's only MY opinion.. Again 29 patterns and only 27 positions.. hmmm.. Let's have a look.. He forgot to include pattern number 5,8,9,10 in the song this time.. Why doesn't he kill these patterns ?? This can make a lot of difference in songsize at the end.. On the whole the song is a bit of a boring piece of music..  07 - Walkabout Adventure  Again this one starts off with some effects we already heard for a thousand times.. Though THIS song should be called athmospherical!.. It's really strange, in way of sounding then. It's more like the intro-style from Crystal -Symhonies.. I forgot if it was I or II.. I think some Mtx+Tip samples can be found in here too.. Maybe from the same synth?.. Well, the song fades into another part now which is again more like the style from Enigma & Overload by tip+mtx.. only Lzk's lead differs a little..  08 - Lizardking's Theme  If I can remember it right this song competed at the music-compo at the Gathering '93.. It ended up 3rd or 4th I guess, or was it 10th?. who kares.. Anyway, this song is again based on some well known rythm he uses a lot.. The lead is good though, and the toms and other effects, fill up the dead parts and create a nice sphere here.. I love the slow part with the flute!.. ahh.. that's cool.. Only at position 53 the first parts gets repeated.. Why? if you just made the end there, it would continue with the first part from itself.. Now one can hear two of the same parts after one another when listening.. Again some Mtx+Tip influence here.. I don't know why but it seems he can't do without it.. Why?.. Ask him..  09 - Tango Love Song  Well, this is GREAT! This is what we need more.. Change the style! , create something new, different.. This is one of the few Tango-Songs composed on Amiga that sound good.. Nowadays, style's are changing a bit, but a few years ago, nobody even got the idea of making a Tango song!.. This is cool.. Try to create a Waltz,Samba,Tango, or whatever.. Just make something different than the boring old disco-shit.. THIS is what makes the difference.. This song contains some nice chords, and drums.. The lead changes halfway the song.. It contains a nice melody which keeps hanging around your ears all day long.. Really innovative and definately the best song on the musicdisk..  10 - Welcome Home  The end-song.. hmm, the melody and the theme on the whole are like and end- theme.. Some goodbye or credits tune.. It's nice on the whole.. Relaxed, and not too fast.. His usual style can be found in this one again. I have no more comments to add to this one.. จจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจ  GRAPHICS :  I think TONY / ALCATRAZ a.k.a Tony Turunen is one of the NEW and good graphicians the scene has discovered lately.. A lot of us already saw his entrance for the graphics-compo at the Gathering '93.. He drew a beautiful unicorn.. I think his style is pretty cool.. It's a sort of pixeling with the filling.. His (anti) aliasing is very good.. His pictures always look kinda 'smooth'.. On this musicdisk we can discover some alcatraz logo in the menu , but I htink the most important part is the credits part. In this part he made three pictrues.. One 'LizardKing' logo, a 'Calypso' logo, and a picture of some really cool 'drard' with a tony logo besides it.. The lizardking logo , is a lizard on the word 'king'.. It really looks great and the pallete is sorted out well.. great colors.. The second logo is the 'Calypso' logo.. I think this is the worst logo of the musicdisk, but though not that bad at all .. I only hate the colors.. I think the style isn't that cool and it looks kinda 'rushed'.. Made in a hurry.. The third picture is the coolest.. This 'thing' looks really great.. Is this a self-portrait?, some mean ugly bastard .. hehe.. Really GREAT work!.. The endpicture is some face on the right side of the screen and on the left some credits can be found.. The menu is well- drawn and looks ok..Nothing more to say about the graphics..  Rating : 72 / 100  จจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจ  CODING :  Hmm, nothing much to say about the coding.. In the beginning we can see some 'memorial songs' vectorlogo, and in the menu only a scroll-routine has been used, a music-replayer, and a loader. for the credits part only some pictures are shown.. So the coding isn't much.. I think this brings down the overall- score on the musicdisk.. too bad.. Maybe some more effects would've made it look better.. Maybe in the end-part or so.. Take a look at the 'Mirror' music -disk by Andromeda, from the Aars party '92.. That's coding.. Not this crap..  Rating : 40 / 100  จจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจ  RATINGS :  Music : 01 - Elimination : 67 / 100 02 - Blind Intro : 78 / 100 03 - Varanen : 58 / 100 04 - Athmospherical 1993 : 52 / 100 05 - Bosvedjan Jam : 75 / 100 06 - Clutturale : 41 / 100 07 - Walkabout Adventure : 59 / 100 08 - Lizardking's Theme : 69 / 100 09 - Tango Love Song : 80 / 100 10 - Welcome Home : 61 / 100 ------------ average 64 / 100 Music : 64 / 100 Graphics : 72 / 100 Coding : 40 / 100 Design : 60 / 100 ----------  Overall : 59 / 100!  จจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจจ  Conclusion :  As we look at the info-table in the beginning we can see that the size of the songs all are about the same.. Lizardking mostly make a lot of patterns, and doesn't repeat each pattern 20 times in a song.. this gives the whole more variety and a better sounding.. The listener won't get bored after some time, because of this.. Only he should pay more attention at looping his samples... His strings are often looped very bad.. Try to get your hands on the Loop-Maker coded by Heatbeat / Crl&Cbr a.k.a Antti Mikkonen. Or just wait for the new Cryptoburners Update of Protracker.. This one will feature the editor and makes it a lot easier. Lzk should also pay more attention to these 'lost' patterns.. Kill them if you don't use them.. This differs the size and could be useful for the coder.. I think it would be great if Lizardking made some cooperation-tunes with David Elfstr๘m ( Dzire/TSL ).. The two of you have almost the same style of composing and tunes.. I think this could give some surprising results.. I think this is one of the best musicdisks lately together with the 'Book of Songs' by Delorean / Complex a.k.a. Sakkari Hanulla.. Musicdisks are rare lately.. So if you haven't got this one then :  - Get your hands on this one ! -  *********************************** AM/FM ***********************************