01. Get Back - Little Big Horns - On the Rocks Part 1 (an Ultra-Lounge compilation)
02. Daytripper - Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
03. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) - Paraffin Jack Flash - Sounds From the Lounge: Pop Covers, Lounge Style
04. With a Little Help From My Friends - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - This Guy's In Love With You
05. Come Together - Ike & Tina Turner - The Soul of Minit Records
06. A Day in the Life - Okko - Sitar and Electronics
07. Hey Jude - The Temptations - Puzzle People
08. Hey Jude - Peter Nero - Piano Magic of Peter Nero
09. Eleanor Rigby - Laurie Holloway - Sounds From the Lounge: Pop Covers, Lounge Style
10. Carry That Weight - Francis Lai - On The Rocks Part 2 (an Ultra-Lounge compilation)
11. Here Comes the Sun - Nina Simone
12. Can't Buy Me Love / Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Hollyridge Strings - On The Rocks Part 2 (an Ultra-Lounge compilation)
13. Get Back - The Jazz Crusaders - The Blues Series Sampler
14. Back in the U.S.S.R. - Ramsey Lewis - DJ Pogo Presents the Breaks
15. Michelle - Band of the Irish Guards - Break-Through: An Introduction to Studio 2 Stereo
****
COMPETITION TIME!!!
16. ?????
If you know which video game that music is from contact me
You're up for the chance to win a goodie bag packed with lots of random stuff! Don't miss this great opportunity!
****
17. Help - Ray McVay & His Orchestra - Let's Singalong and Dance to 50 Great Party Hits
18. All My Loving - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - South of the Border
19. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - Enoch Light - Enoch Light Presents Spaced Out
20. Ticket to Ride - Cyril Stapleton - Sounds From the Lounge
21. Norwegian Wood - Enoch Light - Enoch Light Presents Spaced Out
22. Things We Said Today - London Jazz 4 - Espresso Espresso
23. Get Back - Enoch Light - Enoch Light Presents Spaced Out
24. Got to Get You Into My Life - Earth, Wind & Fire
25. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds - William Shatner - The Transformed Man (go here for more info)
26. Eleanor Rigby - Enoch Light - Enoch Light Presents Spaced Out
27. A Hard Day's Night - Peggy Lee - On The Rocks Part 1 (an Ultra-Lounge compilation)
28. A Day in the Life / I Am the Walrus - John Tartaglia - On The Rocks Part 1 (an Ultra-Lounge compilation)
29. Come Together - The Meters - Trick Bag
30. Dear Prudence - Graham Central Station
31. She Loves You - Cyril Stapleton - Sounds From the Lounge: Pop Covers, Lounge Style
32. Got To Get You Into My Life - Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers
[ add comment ] | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink |
( 3 / 133 )
Hello there!
Tomorrow (24th of January) marks the return of Diversion for what I'm calling its third series. There's going to be a few changes to the output, the major difference being specials are now happening every fortnight. I'm kicking things off tomorrow with 2 hours of Beatles covers! Expect to hear some of pop's greatest melodies twisted, funkified and downright abused (yes, there will be Shatner).
The site itself is also due a bit of work. Mr. Ray McVay is going to be joined by some other random banner artwork, plus I've got plans for new sections and projects.
Heck, at least with the return of the radio show, I'm guaranteed to do at least one update a week.
Back at the usual time of 15:00 - 17:00 GMT, and uploaded on this site ASAP.
Kaiser Tia
[ add comment ] | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink |
( 3 / 132 )Yeah, it's been a while...blame the festive period, the colds it brings, and (more recently) this...
While I was happy to find a US version of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations (aka Phoenix Wright 3), I was worried that the game would suffer from the same workaday translation that made Phoenix Wright 2 a bit of a chore to play. Fortunately, the translation on this final installment of the Phoenix Wright trilogy is absolutely top-notch. I forget just how many times I laughed out loud at some of the comments made throughout the game (which range from pop-culture references to breath-taking innuendo).
It's not strange to mention translation above all other elements of Trials and Tribulations, since the whole game is simply about reading. You read witness statements, location descriptions, testimonies, profiles, case files and throwaway banter. Oh my. This means that if you're stupid enough to expect something other than point-and-click observation and concentration puzzles (and a ton of reading in between), you will be inevitably disappointed. If you want a DS game that you can enjoy like a good book then you're in a for a treat.
Not to say the graphics are bad, though. The artwork is expressive, fun, and well-animated to boot. Talking of boots...
This isn't so much a mini-review as a recommendation. If you're new to the Phoenix Wright games, for the love of all that's good, please leave this game alone until you've played the first two (though I started by criticising the second game's translation, it's still a good game that improves towards the end). This is the final part of a trilogy, and therefore comes with a multitude of returning characters, backstories and in-jokes galore. Phoenix Wright fans can expect more of the same, but with a level of polish that the series has always deserved.
The new chapter in the Ace Attorney series, Apollo Justice, won't be released in the UK until later this year, so I may actually get some updates done...
[ 2 comments ] ( 21 views ) | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink |
( 3 / 103 )Over a week late (due to equal parts busy schedule and downright laziness), here is the final playlist of 2008! Expect to hear some changes when Diversion comes back on the 24th of January. In the meantime, here's some of my favourite tunes in one easy-to-listen-to show!
(01. With Plenty of Money and You - Tony Bennett - Wild, Cool and Swingin' Too!)
02. A Day in the Life - Okko - Sitar and Electronics
03. Take Me to the River - Syl Johnson
04. Leavin' Me - Brother to Brother - Let Your Mind be Free
05. As Long As I Have You - Garnett Mimms
06. The Earthmen - Paddy Kingsland - The Sound Gallery vol.1
07. The Wrong Way - TV On the Radio - Desperate Youths, Bloodthirsty Babes
08. Sultana (Samba) - Ray McVay & His Orchestra - Come Dancing to the Hits of Today
09. Theme of Nakama - One Piece
10. Cloud Nine - Mongo Santamaria - Mongo Santamaria's Greatest Hits
11. Smoke - Fania All-Stars - The NuYorican Funk Experience: Salsa Caliente De Nu York!
12. Ape Is High - Mandrill - Mandrill Is
13. Logos Naki Worls - Yasushi Ishii - Hellsing OST 1: Raid
14. Less Talk More Rokk - Freezepop - Guitar Hero II
15. Hair / Aquarius - Hugo Montenegro - Moog Power
****
COMPETITION TIME!!!
Last week's music was the theme of The Sweeney
No competition this week, due to Xmas and all that.
****
16. (I Know) I'm Losing You - The Temptations - With A Lot O'Soul
17. Mahlalela - Letta Mbulu - Club Africa 2
18. Can You Get to That - Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
19. Camel Walk - The Latinaires - The NuYorican Funk Experience
20. Burning Spear - S.O.U.L. - Back to Breaks
21. Nitty Gritty - Ricardo Ray - The NuYorican Funk Experience: Further Adventures in Latin Soul
22. Announce the Challengers! Fight Begins! - One Piece
23. Go Go Cha Girl (Orangers A Go Go Mix) - Tetsuo Yoshida - Space Channel 5 Part 2: Non-Stop Mega Mix
24. Rock It On - Hideki Naganuma - Jet Set Radio OST
25. Born to be Bone - Coil - Gitaroomen OST
26. Underwater BGM - June 'Chiki' Chikuma - Super Bomberman 3 OST
27. Karate Funk - Masaya Matsuura - Parappa the Rapper 2 OST
28. Tecks Mecks - Jun Fukuda - Killer 7 OST
29. One Tip March - Hiroshi Okubo - Me & My Katamari
30. Kirby's Super Deluxe - Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra - Orchestral Game Concert 5
Diversion returns on the 24th of January, 2008
[ add comment ] | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink |
( 3.1 / 185 )
The show started well with me playing a song twice, then starting a record at the wrong speed - go me! I hope you enjoyed the TV Cop / Funky Crimefighter special nonetheless.
Dedicated to the awesome guy in the record store in Las Vegas where I got so much fantastic music, including the Peter Gunn album that I used a lot during this show. I did a bit of research, and I'm pretty sure it was this place: Record City.
01. Hotel Daniels - Lalo Schifrin - Bullitt OST
02. Across 110th Street (Instrumental) - J.J. Johnson & His Orchestra
03. Walkin' Bass - Henry Mancini - The Best of Peter Gunn
04. Mach 1 - Ray Davis & His Funky Trumpet - Sounds From the Lounge: Fast Cars, Secret Agents, Go Go Chicks
05. Dragnet/Room 43 - Ray Anthony - The Crime Scene (Ultra-Lounge vol.7)
06. Blood in the Gutter - Laurie Johnson - Ren And Stimpy Production Music
07. A Shot In The Dark - Henry Mancini - The Best of Henry Mancini
08. Call Me Mr. Tibbs - Quincy Jones - The Mood Mosaic 02: Barnie's Groove
09. Shaft's Cab Ride - Isaac Hayes - Shaft OST
10. Chase - The Staple Singers - Let's Do It Again
11. I Spy - Earle Hagen - The Crime Scene (Ultra-Lounge vol.7)
12. Theme From The Man From U.N.C.L.E. - Hugo Montenegro - The Man From U.N.C.L.E. OST
13. Kojak - Billy Goldenberg - This Is The Return Of Cult Fiction
14. Hang On In There - J.J. Johnson & His Orchestra - Across 110th Street OST
15. Qurbani - Bollywood Funk
16. Ironside - Quincy Jones - The Many Faces of Quincy Jones
17. Goofin' at the Coffee House - Henry Mancini - The Best of Peter Gunn
18. Moneyrunner - John Schroeder - The Mood Mosaic 09: The Sound Bullet
19. Gotcha (Theme From Starsky & Hutch) - Tom Scott - This Is The Return Of Cult Fiction
****
COMPETITION TIME!!!
20. ?????
If you can tell me which TV show that Crappy Casio Cover was from, contact me.
You're up for the chance to win a goodie bag packed with lots of random stuff! Don't miss this great opportunity!
Last week's music was the theme of Bomberman from Super Bomberman 3.
****
21. Shifting Gears - Lalo Schifrin - Bullitt OST
22. The Wild Ones - Lou Busch - The Crime Scene (Ultra-Lounge vol.7)
23. Echo Four Two - The Laurie Johnson Orchestra - The Easy Project
24. Park Avenue Beat (Theme From Perry Mason) - Bob Crane, His Drums and Orchestra - This Is The Return Of Cult Fiction
25. Peter Gunn - Henry Mancini - The Best of Peter Gunn
26. The Return Of The Pink Panther (Part I & II) - Henry Mancini - The Pink Panther and The Return Of The Pink Panther
27. The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 - David Shire - The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 OST
28. Dirty Harry - Lalo Schifrin - This Is Cult Fiction Royale
29. Magnum PI - M. Post & P. Carpenter - This Is The Return Of Cult Fiction
30. Jim On The Move - Lalo Schifrin Feat. Mike Melvoin - The Bossa Nova Exciting Jazz Samba Rhythms - Film Bossa Vol. 6
31. Whodunnit (Precinct) - S. Haseley - This Is Cult Fiction Royale
32. Fallout - Henry Mancini - The Best of Peter Gunn
33. Pusherman - Curtis Mayfield - Superfly OST
34. The Streets Of San Francisco - Henry Mancini - The Mood Mosaic 09: The Sound Bullet
35. Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack - Across 110th Street OST
[ add comment ] | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink |
( 3 / 130 )Click on the 'Listen Again' image to hear this week's competition music:
If you know which video game it's from, contact me!
If you're the lucky winner, you'll get an amazing goodie bag full of stuff as a prize!
** This competition is now closed **
[ add comment ] | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink |
( 3.1 / 152 )Ah, shame. Listen Again cut off a big rant I had with the guys on The Mixtape about the news which Subcity have asked us to play between shows. They were about to play the news when I said not to bother. I don't really see the point of having news on shows that are going to be archived for future listening. At least the length of our conversation meant that no songs got cut off, plus we have a relatively clean start for a show (for once).
In other news, next week's show will be a special: TV Cop! Think Peter Gunn, Ironside, and possibly a cheesy Casio cover of Hawaii Five-O.
For now, here's the playlist for this week.
01. Bernie's Tune - Curley Hammer / Milt Buckner - Saxophobia (from the Ultra-Lounge series)
02. Jump, Jive & Wail - Louis Prima
03. Spooky - The Classics IV - Mood Mosaic 4: Retro Active
04. Dark Rapture - Count Basie - Exposure
05. Keep Loose - Jimmy McGriff - The Worm
06. Rough Nut - The Zodiacs - The Sound of Funk vol.6
07. Soul Mission - Brian Bennett - Into the Blue
08. Dog Pound Hop - Ren and Stimpy
09. Let it All Hang Out - Los Hombres - Sampled vol.3
10. Malaguena - Chico Arnez & His Latin American Orchestra - Sounds From the Lounge: Latin Lounge
11. Midnight Swinger - Mel Torme - Wild, Cool and Swingin' Too! (another Ultra-Lounge collection)
12. Katamari on the Swing - Matsuzaki Shigeru - We Love Katamari
13. Take All - Boogaloo Joe Jones - My Fire
14. The Same Love That Made Me Laugh - Bill Withers
15. Jenny Kissed Me - Peter Wyngarde - When Sex Leers Its Inquisitive Head
**Original poem by Leigh Hunt**
16. Keep Searchin' (We'll Follow the Sun) - Del Shannon
****
COMPETITION TIME!!!
17. ?????
If you can tell me which video game that music was from, contact me
You're up for the chance to win a goodie bag packed with lots of random stuff! Don't miss this great opportunity!
Last week's music was the theme of Hyrule Castle from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (I would have accepted simply Zelda).
****
18. Greensleeves - Ray McVay & His Orchestra - Ray McVay Plays
19. El Matador - Peter Nero - Peter Nero Plays A Salute to Herb Alpert
20. Bugle Call Rag - Benny Goodman
21. Return to Spanish Harlem - Tony Middleton & Bobby Matos - Yo! Hot Latin Funk From El Barrio
22. Taima No Kemuri Ga Me Ni Shimiru - Yasushi Ishii - Hellsing OST 2: Ruins
23. You've Been Talkin' 'bout Me - Donald Byrd
24. For Jammers Only - Johnny Hodges - On The Way Up
25. Joe Chin's Shopping Now! - Masaya Matsuura - Um Jammer Lammy OST
26. All Your Goodies Are Gone - The Parliaments - Testify! The Best of the Early Years
27. Fool's Paradise - Tsuneo Imahori - Trigun OST
28. Super Car (Street Live Version) - Harebare - One Piece Movie: Norowareta Seiken
29. Friendship Train - Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers - Cold Shoulder
30. You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - Alan Haven - Sound From The Lounge: Pop Covers, Lounge Style
31. It's Your Thing - The Invaders - Mood Mosaic 8: Funky In A Minor Mode
32. E O Cide - Ed Lincoln - Ed Lincoln
33. Kelly Watch the Stars - Moog Cookbook - All I Need EP
[ add comment ] | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink |
( 3.1 / 84 )Click on the 'Listen Again' image to hear this week's competition music:
If you know which video game it's from, contact me!
If you're the lucky winner, you'll get an amazing goodie bag full of stuff as a prize!
**This competition is now closed**
[ add comment ] | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink |
( 3 / 101 )Another week, another show - enjoy!
(01. Trey of Hearts - Count Basie - Count Basie and the Kansas City Seven)
02. A Sangue Quente - Guilherme Vergueiro - Brazil Boogie
03. Penguin's Umbrella - Sun Ra & The Blues Project - Batman & Robin
04. Sweet Darling Think it Over - Junior Wells - You're Tuff Enough: The Blue Rock Studio Recordings
05. Summertime Blues - The Lebron Brothers Orchestra - The NuYorican Funk Experience - Salsa Caliente De Nu York!
06. I Can't Stand the Pain - Dee Irwin - The Soul of Minit Records
07. Tra La La Song (Banana Splits Theme)
08. Midnight Train (Demo Version) - The Monkees
09. Mexican Flyer (Swing it Black Mix) - Toshiya Arai - Space Channel 5 Part 2: Non Stop Mega Mix
10. Soulthing - Tony Newman - Mood Mosaic 6: Funky in a Minor Mode
11. Silent Hill (Otherside) - Akira Yamaoka - Silent Hill OST
12. The Vulture - Labi Siffre - Remember My Song
13. Love Ritual - Al Green - Al Green Is Love
14. Skyscrapers - Eumir Deodato - Skyscrapers
****
COMPETITION TIME!!!
15. ?????
If you can tell me which video game that music was from, contact me.
You're up for the chance to win a goodie bag packed with lots of random stuff! Don't miss this great opportunity!
Last week's music was the Big Boss Confrontation music from Super Metroid (SNES)
****
16. Hold It - Bill Doggett - From Latin...To Jazz Dance vol.3
17. Sunny - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - The Best of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
18. High Society - The Les Reed Piano - The Easy Project
19. I Wanna Know - Mongo Santamaria - Mongo Santamaria's Greatest Hits
20. Scratchin' - Magic Disco Machine - DJ Pogo Presents Block Party Breaks
21. Instructor Mooselini's RAP - Masaya Matsuura - Parappa the Rapper OST
22. I'm A Sign of Changing Times - Chairmen of the Board - Bittersweet
23. Zone - Rhythm Makers - We Got the Funk
24. Put Love in Your Life - Parliament - Osmium
25. Pense a Moi - J.J. Johnson - Goodies
26. Hand Clapping Song - The Meters - Struttin'
27. Hit or Miss - Odetta - Odetta Sings
28. Twenty-Four Robbers - Fats Waller
29. Brown Eyed Handsome Man - Chuck Berry
30. Naruhodo Ryuuichi - Objection! 2001 - Masakazu Sugimori - Gyakuten Saiban + Gyakuten Saiban 2 OST
31. Naruhodo Ryuuichi - Objection! 2002 - Akemi Kimura - Gyakuten Saiban + Gyakuten Saiban 2 OST
32. Naruhodo Ryuuichi - Objection! - Masakazu Sugimori, Noriyuki Iwadare - Gyakuten Saiban Orchestra Album
33. Gyakuten Saiban (Phoenix Wright) Court Suite - Masakazu Sugimori, Noriyuki Iwadare - Gyakuten Saiban Meets Orchestra
[ add comment ] | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink |
( 3 / 75 )
There now follows a joint entry from Richie (thatguys.co.uk) and Kaiser Tia (diversionprojects.org), regarding a favourite gaming franchise...
As you may or may not know the Silent Hill series is getting a fifth instalment. Hurrah! However, this chapter in the series will NOT be developed by Konami Japan's Team Silent. Instead It will be developed in the US by The Collective, inc., the company responsible for such gaming classics as The Da Vinci Code and Star Wars: Episode III (ugh).
Konami made a similar decision when they outsourced the PSP's Silent Hill Origins to Climax US, who did such a bad job that most of the game's mechanics were scrapped and production handed over to Climax UK, who were deemed more capable of delivering a 'Silent Hill experience'. Now we don't claim to be a Japanimaniacs or USAphobes, but we have all seen what happens to good Japanese things when they get Westernised. Subtlety generally goes out of the window in favour of easy scares and plots that treat intelligence with contempt. Be it films (Ring, Grudge), Anime (One Piece), and of course, games (see the horrible things done to box art here).
The Silent Hill series is very dear to our hearts. We'd rather Team Silent give the franchise a break for a few years rather than churn out third-party sequels, which may lead to a dip in quality and vision. Climax UK altered its development for Origins when fans of the series voiced concerns. This little list is for The Collective, inc.
Things that we really don't want in Silent Hill 5
1. Thousands of Pyramid Heads
Richie says: Pyramid head is a unique character to Silent Hill 2 because he is an anthropomorphic representation of the main character, James' guilt. Fair enough you may get people's own anthropomorphic representation of guilt similar to Pyramid Heads, that's part of the charm of Silent Hill. But be careful guys, the last thing we want is Pyramid Head as a Mascot (a la Sonic) of the Silent Hill series.
Kaiser Tia says: Damn right, Pyramid Head is a fearsome character, and a lot of his mystique would fade with over-use. Since he's part of the Silent Hill mythology, I wouldn't mind learning a little more about him through books or paintings (the Silent Hill series has always been quietly self-referencing). It's also the sign of an unoriginal developer to simply recycle older, better ideas (see below).
The New International Track & Field cameo was genius, though.
****
2. Sexy Nurses
Richie says: Silent Hill is about normal and usually safe places and people gone very, very wrong. The most obvious example being the messed- up twitchy-head nurses, but this only works in context. Silent Hill 2's nurses were sexualised (as were all the other enemies in the game) to represent James' own problems (and boy, did he have a lot of them). Unfortunately, it's the sexy nurses of Silent Hill 2 that seem to have been adopted as standard (thanks for that, movie). For the love of god please don't give them massive boobies, lingerie, sextoy weapons and cheeky poses.
Kaiser Tia says: It's true that there's always nurses in Silent Hill games, but that's because there's always a hospital stage in the games. Silent Hills 4's nurses were anything but sexy - which was a representation of the villain's attitude to his own mother. The protagonist of Silent Hill 5 is meant to be a war veteran (how original), so why not use that as a theme for the nurses instead of simply raising the hemlines?
****
3. Combo system
Richie says: Keep the HUD to a minimum! Do not flash up "3x Bonus Multiplier" or "Kill Frenzy"
Kaiser Tia says: Combat has never been a focal point of the Silent Hill games. Sure, you have weapons and enemies, but this isn't Devil May Cry, people. The fact that you're controlling a character that isn't combat-ready makes things a lot more tense. I hope anyone on the development team who has mentioned 'Xbox Live' has been laughed out of the studio, and the games industry in general.
****
4. Film References
Richie says: For the love of Heather, just stay away from the film, don't make it a sequel the movie; do not tack on a "Real World" sub plot, and DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT make Silent Hill populated!
Kaiser Tia says: Did people actually like the movie?
****
5. Explanations
Richie says: The wonder of the series is how the themes of guilt, lust, and the other darker emotions are prevalent and the "plot" weaves around it. Stick to one protagonist so that the player can feel the story from his/her point of view.
Kaiser Tia says: The plot of the original Silent Hill needed an faq and now a prequel to explain it. Everyone loves a mystery - plus, it's easier to make interesting sequels when the rules of Silent Hill are vague (hence Silent Hill 4 taking place outside of the town itself).
****
Final comments
Richie says: All I can say Is that it better be fucked up and creepy. If I cringe, just once, due to any of the above points... I... I... I'll take a nose full of that White Claudia stuff, trip out into my own Silent Hill and use the lead pipe to beat-up any Silent Hill 5 references in there (Except maybe the army of Pyramid heads... Then I would just Run!)
Kaiser Tia says: I would be really disappointed to play Silent Hill 5 and get a generic blood and rust experience. I know it's early days yet, but the footage released so far shows little imagination (Wheelchair? Check. Main character searching for someone? Check. Child? Check, check, yawn). Silent Hill 4 pushed the series in a really interesting direction, and also felt like Team Silent had hit their design stride. It would be a real shame for the next generation of Silent Hill games to become a diluted version of the excellence served to us so far.
At least Akira Yamaoka is doing the music.
It had better be good, Akira, you hear?
Luv 'n' hugs,
Richie and Tia.
[ 6 comments ] ( 53 views ) | [ 0 trackbacks ] | permalink |
( 3.1 / 121 )
Categories
